PREFACE. THE Ruins of Ancient Cities are the stand-points of history, and the demonstrations of its truth. They present a pictured chronicle of great events, and of the habits and customs of nations that have long since passed away. The present century has been remarkable for the unexpected discoveries of such ruins. Those discoveries have been made in the East and in the West, in the Old World and in the New. In Italy-to say nothing of Herculaneum and Pompeii, partly unshrouded before this century commenced— Etruria presents the remains of a people who had attained a high degree of civilisation before even Rome herself was founded. On the northern coast of Africa, Carthage, once the rival of Rome, has been uncovered. In Mexico and Peru we have been startled to find remains, which, in design and execution, strikingly resemble those that had astonished us in the East. To the Christian, however, no remains are so interesting as those of the cities referred to in the Sacred Page-the scenes of events, the earliest and the most stupendous in the annals of mankind. In this little volume the author has endeavoured to bring the scattered lights of History and Topography to bear as vividly as possible upon the remains of a few of those cities. From some of them-NINEVEH, BABYLON, PETRA, and the CITIES of OG-the mist of centuries has asso been, in our day, rolled off, and they exhibit the most remarkable illustrations of the accuracy of Scripture records, and of the fulfilment of Scripture prophecy. Others-such as BETHLEHEM, NAZARETH, and JERUSALEM with their matchless memories, are ciated with our most devout thoughts and holiest aspirations. Those renowned Greek cities—ANTIOCH, ATHENS, CORINTH, and EPHESUS-help us to form an idea of the types of civilisation and the systems of polytheism with which in its infancy our holy religion had to meet in frequent and fierce encounters. The Author has not in every case stopped to draw the moral, or to point out the lessons suggested by the various objects. His aim has been rather to put his readers in a position to see things with their own eyes, and to draw conclusions according to their own judgments. He has endeavoured to represent the various ruins, not only as they now exist, but as they once were peopled with the busy thousands who then worked and played, bought and sold, loved and warred, within their walls. To the Author, and the Publishers of the "Giant Cities of Bashan "-the Rev. J. L. Porter, A.M., and Messrs. Thomas Nelson & Sons-the writer is under special obligation for the very kind manner in which they allowed him to extract freely from that Work— the best and most recent on those marvellous old cities. LONDON, March, 1868. ERRATUM.-On page 167, line 5 from bottom, for Christoi read Christianoi. |