TO THE TRUSTEES OF HARTFORD THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY THROUGH WHOSE GENEROSITY THESE STUDIES WERE MADE POSSIBLE, THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED : PREFACE During the season of 1903-4 it was my privilege to reside in Jerusalem as director of the American School of Oriental Study and Research, and to carry on special investigations into the ancient history of the city. While thus engaged I was constantly reminded of the lack of a handbook giving in convenient form the results of the latest archaeological researches. Baedecker's admirable guidebook is necessarily brief, and discusses archaeological matters topographically, rather than in the historical order that is necessary, if one is to understand their significance. The learned works on Jerusalem of Professor Adam Smith, and of Dr. Selah Merrill, which have appeared since this book was written, are too elaborate and expensive to be used by the ordinary student or tourist. Intelligent travelers in visiting the Holy City are at the mercy of ignorant dragomans, who can only repeat the worthless traditions of the particular ecclesiastical bodies with which they happen to be connected. There is not a guide in Jersusalem who does not believe that the name of the southwest hill is Zion, yet no scientific archaeologist of today holds that view. At the time of the meeting of the World's Sunday-School Convention in Jerusalem hundreds of eager people found it impossible to get either from men or from books an accurate account of the remains of the ancient city. To help this difficulty I was invited to lecture before the convention and to conduct some parties about the city. At the close of the meeting I was asked to put my addresses into permanent form, so that it might be possible for those who had heard them, and for other students of the Bible, to give them more careful consideration. The result of this request has been the preparation and publication of this series of studies into the archaeological history of ancient Jerusalem. During the past year they have appeared in successive numbers of the Biblical World, and they are now issued in book form, with corrections and additions, in the hope of reaching a still wider circle of readers. I trust that they will prove helpful both to students at home and to travelers in the Holy Land. HARTFORD, CONN. LEWIS BAYLES PATON |