My first task is to determine where this ancient city was located in our 2013 world. Ur, was "an early forerunner of modern Baghdad (Iraq) and once the capital of the greatest empire in the middle East" (p. 95). The people who were responsible for forging Ur into a great city were the Sumerians. They "had acquired the art of writing and of metal working, so they were the first to exploit the country intelligently" (p. 97).
The excavations on this site were sponsored jointly by the University of Pennsylvania and the British Museum. This work continued for seven years. When we think of Iraq, we think 'desert' but there are rivers nourishing this land. The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers still flow in Iraq, although the boundaries have changed somewhat from ancient times. "From its earliest days Ur had to be maintained by an elaborate system of canals. . .when these collapsed, the city collapsed, too" (p. 106). By the fourth century B.C., the city was virtually abandoned and experienced frequent sandstorms, effectively burying all remnants of civilization.
"The life of historic Ur can be accurately fixed between 3500 and 400 B.C. Our main sources are two-told: the material remains and the literary remains" (p. 106). The writing of the Sumerians was pictorial. For example: a picture of a bee and that of a witch was combined to make the word, bewitch. This writing was done on clay tablets with a metal stylus (p. 106).
"The earliest date at which we may arrive is 3100 B.C., the date of the accession of Mes-Anni-Padda, the first king of the first dynasty of Ur" (p. 109). "By that time, the Sumerians. . .were goldsmiths who could produce objects of use and beauty - daggers, helmets and tools - unsurpassed at any period of history" (p. 109).
Several years ago there was a fine exhibition at Lexington's Kentucky Horse Park, "Gift from the Desert." This opened my eyes to the high degree of civilization of these mostly nomadic desert peoples. The works of art rivaled any I had seen from any culture in any museum both in terms of beauty and of worksmanship. Especially beautiful were any art concerning Arabian horses.
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| Son #2, John, at the Kentucky Horse Park, 2010. |
Where did Mr. Mallowan and his team find these artifacts and ruins buried in the desert sand? They sought treasures in the ancient cemeteries and garbage piles and were rewarded with enormously rich finds. The team of archeologists employed many local workers. "The workmen in the Near East cannot always be selected according to European standards of reliability. No references are offered and none required. . .A neat hand with a dagger is often a neat hand with a pick" (photo caption, p. 110). These workers were illiterate but strong.
There was a Great Flood, as mention in the Bible account of Noah and the Ark in the Book of Genesis. There is an article in a subsequent issue of National Geographic Magazine detailing the extent of the flooding of the entire Mediterranean Sea. Mr. Mallowan discovered "the Great Flood deposit in a cemetery at Ur" (p. 117).
All of these archeological finds give further credence that the people and places in the Christian Bible were real, my religion, and the person of Jesus Christ, the Lord and Son of God is real. For me, this is not just a matter of quaint stories, not just real history of good people. It is the living Word of God, inspired as a revelation of God Himself first to the Jewish people, His Chosen People, then brought to fulfillment by Jesus.
And what do I need to do with this wonderful faith: share it! I challenge YOU: discover your personal faith. LIVE your faith! Learn the depth and beauty of your faith! Learn from The Bible, or Scripture, as we call it, what it means. Your eternal life depends on this!
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