DOI article:
Barański, Marek: The first archaeologist of Palmyra
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.26423#0035
THE FIRST ARCHAEOLOGIST OF PALMYRA
and other notes on the water-shed of the Ba'albak Plain, on the Cedar Błock and on the Northern
Libanus", without even mentioning Palmyra.
The few pages concerning Palmyra in a book of almost 800 pages describing extensive travels
in a land as rich in ancient ruins and inscriptions as Syria would hardly attract attention today,
but for the use of one important word: "excavations". Reviewing the index one finds morę refer-
ences to Palmyra, one of these being to the first appendix of the second volume of Unexplored
Syńa, entitled "Anthropological collections from the Holy Land" (Burton, Tyrwhitt Drakę 1872/11:
227-258). The appendix brought the fuli text of a lecture given by Richard F. Burton at a meeting
of the Anthropological Institute in London on 20 November 1871. The lecture on Burton's work
in Palmyra was also published the same year in The Journal ofthe Anthropological Institute (Burton,
Carter Blake 1872). The description of the artifact collection was expanded there to include notes
on human remains from Palmyra prepared by Dr. C. Carter Blake and the three plates from this
paper were republished in the book [Fig. 2].
Following a few pages of generał introduction, Burton presented a "Catalogue raisonne of the
anthropological collection in Syria and Palestine between April 15,1870 and August 6,1871". Lot
no. 1 was a collection from Palmyra completed during a tour which lasted from 5 to 21 April 1870.
The long list of objects presented there included human bones and skulls, pieces of mummy tex-
tileś, mortuary lamps, fragments of old stone pottery, a remnant of a leather shoe, mummified
hair stained yellow, tesserae, and coins of little importance, a fibula, scarabs, figurines and 26 date-
stones, 1 peach-stone, and 1 apricot-stone with the significant remark: no skuli wasfound without
them (Burton, Tyrwhitt Drakę 1872/11: 233). Commenting on the human remains from Palmyra,
he drew attention to the fact that these mummified remains evidently represented the ancient and
pagan population of Palmyra and connected them with a tower tomb bearing the datę 314-414 of
the Seleucid era.1 Next Burton presented his excavations in Palmyra carried out over five days.
His comments concerned cheap labor, workers in Palmyra taking two and a half piasters a day,
which was equivalent to sixpence and half the regular ratę in other parts of Syria.
On the digging in Palmyra Burton wrote: Operations began (April 15th, 1870) at the group oftomb-
towers marked "cemetery” in the Handbook (Porter 1868/11: 512) and bearing W.S West from the great
Tempie ofthe Sun, and next: I chose the southwestem group, because it appeared to be the oldest ofthe seńes.
The Fellahs knozu it as Kusur Abu Sayl, the Pałace of the Father ofthe Torrent' ... Here the loculi in the
seoeral stages were easily cleared out; they had been ransacked before, and they supplied only a few bones and
shreds of mummy-cloth. A caharia (no. 1), howeoer, and the larger thigh-bone, with attachments of dńed
muscles, werefound in the upper story by one ofthe Fellahs (Burton, Tyrwhitt Drakę 1872/11: 234-235).
The skulls and bones found at the site were described next, followed by a description of a new
site: I then applied the hands to a plain mound, lying about a hundred yards to the south of the largest
tomb-tower. It offered a tempting resemblance to the undulations of ground which cover the complicated
chambered catacombs already laid open, and into one of which, somefew years ago, a camelfell, the roof
haoing given way. Tlzree shafts were sunk in the slopes ofthe barrow, andfour men were told off to each
(Burton, Tyrwhitt Drakę 1872/11: 235-236).
On the next trench Burton wrote: Tlze third attempt was madę at the spot to the north ofand next to
the largest tomb-tower. Here a skeleton syuare oflarge blocks, containing an area that corresponded with
the nearest building, and ranged in linę with it, suggested something below (Burton, Tyrwhitt Drakę
1872/11: 236).
The fourth trench was described as follows: Myfourth and the last attempt was to pierce into a heap
to the west ofno. 3. Here I directed the men to sink a shaft five feet deep, and then to tunnel under the loose
stones which lay upon the surface. The dirt was, as usual, superficial alluoium and gypseous limę (Burton,
Tyrwhitt Drakę 1872/11: 237). This excavation brought a relief, a feminine bust of Negroid type,
both too debased to be removed, and a third, headless sculpture.
Next Burton discussed the remains of statuary found in Palmyra compared to the collection
of Palmyrean art objects in the possession of Burton's friends, Mr. Peretie, Dragoman of the French
Consul-general in Beirut, who owned a fine terracotta bust possibly representing Zenobia (Burton,
1 Burton may be referring to the tower tomb of Elahbel (No. 13), which is dated to 414 of the Seleucid era.
33
Studia Palmyreńskie XII
and other notes on the water-shed of the Ba'albak Plain, on the Cedar Błock and on the Northern
Libanus", without even mentioning Palmyra.
The few pages concerning Palmyra in a book of almost 800 pages describing extensive travels
in a land as rich in ancient ruins and inscriptions as Syria would hardly attract attention today,
but for the use of one important word: "excavations". Reviewing the index one finds morę refer-
ences to Palmyra, one of these being to the first appendix of the second volume of Unexplored
Syńa, entitled "Anthropological collections from the Holy Land" (Burton, Tyrwhitt Drakę 1872/11:
227-258). The appendix brought the fuli text of a lecture given by Richard F. Burton at a meeting
of the Anthropological Institute in London on 20 November 1871. The lecture on Burton's work
in Palmyra was also published the same year in The Journal ofthe Anthropological Institute (Burton,
Carter Blake 1872). The description of the artifact collection was expanded there to include notes
on human remains from Palmyra prepared by Dr. C. Carter Blake and the three plates from this
paper were republished in the book [Fig. 2].
Following a few pages of generał introduction, Burton presented a "Catalogue raisonne of the
anthropological collection in Syria and Palestine between April 15,1870 and August 6,1871". Lot
no. 1 was a collection from Palmyra completed during a tour which lasted from 5 to 21 April 1870.
The long list of objects presented there included human bones and skulls, pieces of mummy tex-
tileś, mortuary lamps, fragments of old stone pottery, a remnant of a leather shoe, mummified
hair stained yellow, tesserae, and coins of little importance, a fibula, scarabs, figurines and 26 date-
stones, 1 peach-stone, and 1 apricot-stone with the significant remark: no skuli wasfound without
them (Burton, Tyrwhitt Drakę 1872/11: 233). Commenting on the human remains from Palmyra,
he drew attention to the fact that these mummified remains evidently represented the ancient and
pagan population of Palmyra and connected them with a tower tomb bearing the datę 314-414 of
the Seleucid era.1 Next Burton presented his excavations in Palmyra carried out over five days.
His comments concerned cheap labor, workers in Palmyra taking two and a half piasters a day,
which was equivalent to sixpence and half the regular ratę in other parts of Syria.
On the digging in Palmyra Burton wrote: Operations began (April 15th, 1870) at the group oftomb-
towers marked "cemetery” in the Handbook (Porter 1868/11: 512) and bearing W.S West from the great
Tempie ofthe Sun, and next: I chose the southwestem group, because it appeared to be the oldest ofthe seńes.
The Fellahs knozu it as Kusur Abu Sayl, the Pałace of the Father ofthe Torrent' ... Here the loculi in the
seoeral stages were easily cleared out; they had been ransacked before, and they supplied only a few bones and
shreds of mummy-cloth. A caharia (no. 1), howeoer, and the larger thigh-bone, with attachments of dńed
muscles, werefound in the upper story by one ofthe Fellahs (Burton, Tyrwhitt Drakę 1872/11: 234-235).
The skulls and bones found at the site were described next, followed by a description of a new
site: I then applied the hands to a plain mound, lying about a hundred yards to the south of the largest
tomb-tower. It offered a tempting resemblance to the undulations of ground which cover the complicated
chambered catacombs already laid open, and into one of which, somefew years ago, a camelfell, the roof
haoing given way. Tlzree shafts were sunk in the slopes ofthe barrow, andfour men were told off to each
(Burton, Tyrwhitt Drakę 1872/11: 235-236).
On the next trench Burton wrote: Tlze third attempt was madę at the spot to the north ofand next to
the largest tomb-tower. Here a skeleton syuare oflarge blocks, containing an area that corresponded with
the nearest building, and ranged in linę with it, suggested something below (Burton, Tyrwhitt Drakę
1872/11: 236).
The fourth trench was described as follows: Myfourth and the last attempt was to pierce into a heap
to the west ofno. 3. Here I directed the men to sink a shaft five feet deep, and then to tunnel under the loose
stones which lay upon the surface. The dirt was, as usual, superficial alluoium and gypseous limę (Burton,
Tyrwhitt Drakę 1872/11: 237). This excavation brought a relief, a feminine bust of Negroid type,
both too debased to be removed, and a third, headless sculpture.
Next Burton discussed the remains of statuary found in Palmyra compared to the collection
of Palmyrean art objects in the possession of Burton's friends, Mr. Peretie, Dragoman of the French
Consul-general in Beirut, who owned a fine terracotta bust possibly representing Zenobia (Burton,
1 Burton may be referring to the tower tomb of Elahbel (No. 13), which is dated to 414 of the Seleucid era.
33
Studia Palmyreńskie XII