【】ndoftheeighteeurythatthefirst</p>

``inscriptionssoausetheletterswere</p>

inwere</p>

broughttoeuropebyadanishsurveyor,nadniebuhr.</p>

thenittookthirtyyearsbeforeapatientgernschool</p>

sterbythenaofgrotefendhaddecipheredthefirstfour</p>

letters,thed,thea,therahenaofthepersian</p>

kingdarius.andayyearshadtogoby</p>

untilabritishofficer,henryraous</p>

inscriptioun,gaveusaothenail</p>

ingofeasia.</p>

paredtotheproblefdecipheringthesenailings,</p>

thejoohe</p>

egyptiansusedpictures.butthesurians,theearliest</p>

inhabitantsofsopotaa,upontheideaof</p>

scratgtheirabletsofclay,haddistures</p>

entirelyandhadevolvedasystefvshapedfiguresh</p>

shotleiouresoutofhey</p>

hadbeendeveloped.afeplesi</p>

an.inthebeginningastar,hanailinto</p>

abricklookedasfollo.}thissignhooo</p>

cuersoandafterashorteaningof</p>

``heavenplified</p>

inthisadeitevenreofapuzzle.</p>

inthesa{illust}into{illust.}</p>

andafishgedfroillust.}into{illust.}thesun</p>

e{illust.}</p>

iferianscripttodayakean</p>

{illust.}looklike{illust.}.thissystefingdownour</p>

ideaslooksratherpliorethanthirtyturies</p>

iteriansandthebabyloniansand</p>

theassyriansandthepersiansandallthedifferentraces</p>

heirothefertilevalley.</p>

thestoryofsopotaaisoneofendlesswarfareand</p>

.firstthesurianscafrohenorth.they</p>

ountains.they</p>

hadbeenaustodtodsoopsof</p>

hills.aftertheyhadeheplaiructedartificial</p>

littlehillsontopofheybuilttheiraltars.they</p>

didnotknoobuildstairsahereforesurrounded</p>

theirtohslopinggalleries.ineers</p>

haveborroayseeinrailroad</p>

stationsonefloortoanother.</p>

ayhaveborrothesurians</p>

buteriansirelyab</p>

sorbedbythoseracesthatehefertilevalleyatalater</p>

date.theirtoidsttheruinsof</p>

sopotaa.thejeheyintoexile</p>

inthelandofbabylonandtheycalledtheowersofbabilli,</p>

ortowersofbabel.</p>

iietherianshad</p>

enteredsopotaa.theyerwardsover</p>

poanytribesfrohe</p>

desertofarabiandialedwhoare</p>

knoites,becauseintheoldendayspeoplebelieved</p>

theobethedire,ohe</p>

threesonsofnoah.athousandyearslater,theakkadians</p>

ittotheruleofthearites,another</p>

seticdeserttriberabibuilthielf</p>