E. H. ADDINGTON

OF THK STATE OF LOUISIANA. 163
bridges, lakes, ditches and canals; the palaces and the hanging gardens.
The historian says these immense constructions and buildings were the
work of capable masters.
Passing from these, Egypt and Chaldea present evidence of the
builders' works that have been marvels of the travelers to this day.
It requires a complete knowledge of astronomy, geometry, a knowledge
of the dimensions of the earth and its relations to the solar system at a
period the Egyptian hieroglyphics and cuneiform characters came into
use, and perhaps long prior to the advent of Phoenician characters.
Monetho, in his history, states that it was in the valley of the
Tigris and the Euphrates were found the earliest 'evidences of primitive
civilization; that at the mouths of these rivers lived a people enjoying
settled form of government, a refinement of mind, morals and culture
over five thousand years B. C, and a succession of cities as Agade,
Erach, and many others.
At a later period, Arabia has been almost inaccessible to the outside
world, owing to the Moslem influence preventing scientific research by
travelers. It appears, however, that on three occasions Dr. Glaser penetrated
the Moslem wall of intolerance and brought home over one thousand
inscriptions—some of great historical value.
Professor Sayce says:
"The dark* past of the Arabian peninsula has been suddenly
lighted up; and we find that long before the days of Mohammed
it was a land of culture and literature, a seat of powerful kingdoms
and wealthy commerce which could not have failed to exercise an
influence upon the general history of the world. The archaeological
result of these inscriptions show that Saba was an ancient kingdom,
its frontier extended north to the Empire of Nineveh under Sargon
II; and at that date it was an ancient kingdom. But even if Saba
was old at that date, the inscriptions show it was builded on the
ruins of a still older nation called Ma'in and came to light under
the name of Minaeans. Of this kingdom, inscriptions give the
names of thirty kings, and doubtless more may be discovered. The
remarkable part of the inscriptions show not only a civilized, but a
cultured people; that they had an alphabet and system of writing."
These facts are of recent discovery, and of great value to archaeologists.
Let us now turn to Egypt, the land of the Pyramids; the land where
have been found the largest and perhaps most remarkable construction
ever erected by man. Considering its great size, the great pyramid, the
accuracy of the work performed in its erection is such that the four
sides of the base only have a mean error of less than five-tenths of an
inch in length and twelve seconds in the angle of a perfect square.
When the date derived from Manetho's list came into view, it gave
the date of 5867 B. C. for the accession of Menes.
The archaeology of Greece began to appear about the period when