Chapter VIII of Part II was translated, and to Prof. Morris Jastrow, Jr.,

and Dr. Edward Chiera for the benefit of their fresh collation of the text. This was of considerable importance, since Dr. Langdon’s copy of large portions of it had been made from photographs, rather than from the original tablet. The writer is also indebted to Prof. W. R. Arnold, of Andover Theological Seminary, for helpful suggestions concerning the interpretation of a passage in the temple-papyrus from Elephantine which has hitherto baffled translators. Thanks are also due to the following authors and publishers for permission to reproduce illustrations contained in books written or published by them: The Palestine Exploration Fund, for permission relating to Warren’s _Jerusalem_; Bliss and Macalister’s _Excavations in Palestine, 1898-1900_; Macalister’s _Excavation of Gezer_, and Peters and Thiersch’s _Painted Tombs of Marissa_; Rev. Prof. C. J. Ball, of Oxford, _Light from the East_; J. C. Hinrichs’sche Buchhandlung, Koldewey’s _Das Wieder Erstehende Babylon_; Dr. I. Benzinger and Herr Paul Siebeck, _Hebräische Archäologie_; Monsieur J. Gabalda, Vincent’s _Jérusalem_; Prof. A. T. Clay, of Yale, _Light on the Old Testament from Babel_; Prof. Paul Haupt, of Johns Hopkins, _The Psalms_ in his _Sacred Books of the Old Testament_; Rev. J. P. Peters and G. P. Putnam’s Sons, Peters’ _Nippur_; Prof. C. C. Torrey, of Yale, _Journal of the American Oriental Society_; George H. Doran Co., Ramsay’s _Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia_; Dr. Mitchell Carroll, _American Journal of Archæology_ and _Art and Archæology_; Rev. A. E. Breen, _Diary of My Life in the Holy Land_; Thomas Nelson and Sons, _The Illustrated Teachers’ Bible_; and to Ferris and Leach, for permission to use again a number of photographs published in the writer’s _A Year’s Wandering in Bible Lands_. Dr. R. E. Brünnow not only granted permission to reproduce illustrations from Brünnow and Domaszewski’s _Provincia Arabia_, but generously loaned the original photographs and drawings. Prof. Harold N. Fowler, Editor of the _American Journal of Archæology_, also kindly loaned an original photograph of the excavation at Sardis. The source of each illustration, when not the writer’s own, is indicated in the list of illustrations by mentioning the name of the author of the book or article from which it is taken.

Grateful acknowledgment should also be made to Rev. Edwin Wilbur Rice, D. D., Litt. D., Honorary Editor of the Publications of the American Sunday-School Union, who carefully read the book in manuscript and made many valuable criticisms and suggestions.

The table of contents and the chapter-headings were prepared by James McConaughy, Litt. D., Editor of the Publications of the American Sunday-School Union; the indices, by A. J. R. Schumaker, M. A., Assistant Editor. The writer is grateful to them, not only for this service, but for many helpful criticisms and courtesies while the book has been passing through the press. Valuable suggestions have also been made by Mrs. Barton, who has carefully read the proofs. Miss Bertha V. Dreisbach has given intelligent and painstaking service in preparing the manuscript for the press, and in proof-reading; Mr. V. Winfield Challenger and Miss Laura G. Leach have rendered a like valuable service in assembling and arranging the illustrations.

The quotations of Scripture passages throughout are from the American Standard Revised Version.

If this volume should bring to some remote worker or secluded young person a tithe of the inspiration and joy that such a book would have brought the writer in the rural home of his boyhood, he would ask no higher reward for the labor it has cost.

GEORGE A. BARTON.

BRYN MAWR, PA. MAY, 1916.

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION

It is gratifying to know that this book has been found useful by so many students of the Bible and that a second edition is necessary. Minor errors, especially typographical, have been corrected throughout the volume. The chief feature of this edition is the addition of an Appendix, in which will be found some material that has come to light in the last year, and one or two items that were overlooked when the first edition was written.

GEORGE A. BARTON.

BRYN MAWR, PA. JUNE, 1917.

CONTENTS