The Site of Kirjath-Sepher
1893; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 25; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1179/peq.1893.25.1.33
ISSN1743-1301
Autores Tópico(s)Ancient Egypt and Archaeology
ResumoYEARS ago I urged that Kit'jath-Sepher or Book-town must have been site of a Canaanitish library, consisting, like those of Assyria and Babylonia, of tablets of clay, and t11at if its ruins coul.l be discovered, clay books it contained would be found still lying under ground. The discovery of tablets of Tel el-Aruarna brought with it a partial confirrnatioLJ of my opinion; discovery of a cuneiform tablet at Tell el-Hesy has now rendered that confirmation complete. If once site of Kirjath-Sepher can be determined, we ma~T excavate upon it in full confidence that a library of ancient Canaanitish records will be brought to li~ht. The recovery of site thus becomes of great importance. Unfortunately indications we possess of exact geographical position of city are exceedingly vague and imlefiuite. It was destroyed almost at beginning of Israelitish conquest of Uanaan, and its precise situation sef'ms to have been forgotten. Beyond fact that it was near Hebron, later generations remembtwed but little about it. N evertbeless discovery of its remains is so important to student of Bible and of ancient history that eve~ an.approximate determination of its situation will not be useless. Materials have recently come to light. which seem to bear upon question, and it is consequently less difficult now to examine it than it was a few yeanl ago. It is true that several links in chain of reasoning are weak, but taken together they form a mass of presumptive evidence which is at all events best at present attainable. From Old Testament we learn that Kirjath-Sepher was a name given to a city also called Kirjath-Sannah and Debir (Josh. xv, 15, 49). What Kirjath-Sannah means it is impossible to say; ordinary explanation of name as the City of La w hardly deserves mention. The analogy of Kil'jath-Arba would lead us to infer that Sannah was name of a pert'on or a god. Debir, howe\·er, signifies Sanctuary, and in 1Kings vi, 5, is word applied to Holy of Holies in temple at Jerusalem. It shows that city to which it was attached was consecrateo by existence in it of one of chief shrillcs of southern Canaan. 'Ve know that clay libraries of Assyria anu Babylonia were established in temples, a room or rooms ill sacred building being set apart for their reception. It is not surpri~ing, therefore, that Canaanitish Debir was also site of a library from
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