a hundred feet or more in height. Here we fell into the road from Hebron to Kurmul.

The proper ruins of Zif, the Ziph of the Old Testament, lie about ten minutes east of this point, on a low hill or ridge between two small Wadys, which commence here and run towards the Dead Sea. We ran thither on foot along the north side of the Tell, which is separated from the ruins by one of the Wadys. There is here little to be seen except broken walls and foundations, most of them of unhewn stones, but indicating solidity and covering a considerable tract of ground. In the middle is a low massive square building, constructed of squared stones and vaulted within with pointed arches; showing that the place must have been inhabited long after the Muhammedan conquest. Cisterns also remain; and in the midst of the ruins is a narrow sloping passage cut down into the rock, terminating at a door with a subterranean chamber beyond, which may have served as a tomb or more probably as a magazine.-On the top of Tell Zîf is a level plot apparently once enclosed by a wall; and here too are several cisterns.'

Ziph is mentioned by Jerome as existing in his day eastward from Hebron. From that time to the present, there is no trace of the name in history.2

Mounting again at ten minutes past 5 o'clock, we proceeded upon the Hebron road towards Kurmul. The region around, and especially upon our right, was the finest we had yet seen in the hill-country of

1) From this Tell, some fifteen rods east of our road, the ruins of Zif bore N. 78° E. distant about ten minutes. Beni Na'im N. 39° E. Kurmul S. 7° W. Hebron about N. by W.

2) Onomast. art. Ziph. Eusebius does not mention it.-Jerome says it was eight miles from He

bron towards the East. It is indeed somewhat east of South; but the distance is not quite an hour and three quarters with camels, or less than five Roman miles. Jerome had no personal knowledge of this region, and his estimates of distances are here very loose. See under May 26th.

J

Judah. The great plain or basin spread itself out in that direction, shut in on every side by higher land or hills, except upon the East, where it slopes off towards the Dead Sea. The elevation of this plain, though not so great as that of Dhoherîyeh, cannot be less than fifteen hundred feet or more above the level of the Mediterranean. Its waters apparently flow off in both directions, partly towards the Dead Sea, and partly towards Wady es-Seba'. The surface of the plain is waving, and almost free from rocks; indeed even the smaller stones are less abundant than usual. At present the whole tract was almost covered with fine fields of wheat, belonging to persons in Hebron who rent the land of the government. Watchmen were stationed in various parts, to prevent cattle and flocks from trespassing upon the grain. The wheat was now ripening; and we had here a beautiful illustration of Scripture. Our Arabs " were an hungered," and going into the fields, they "plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands." On being questioned, they said this was an old custom, and no one would speak against it; they were supposed to be hungry, and it was allowed as a charity. We saw this afterwards in repeated instances.

In the first ten minutes we noticed two small sites of ruined foundations on our left, for which our guides knew no name; but which the Jehâlîn, as we afterwards passed this way, included under the name of Zif. At 5h 40' there were other ruins upon a low hill at our left, called Um el-'Amad, 'mother of the pillar.' Foundations and heaps of stones with some cisterns cover a small tract of ground; while two or three coarse columns mark the site probably of a village church, and give occasion for the name. Beyond this

1) Matt. xii. 1. Mark ii. 23. Luke vi. 1.

2) We visited this spot afterwards, May 26th.

point, the land which was not ploughed, was covered with the herbs Za'ter and Bellân (or Netsh), which afford fine pasturage for sheep and goats; the latter preferring it even to grass. The tower of Semû'a was occasionally in sight.

We came to the ruins of Carmel at twenty-five minutes past six; and were about to pitch our tent by the reservoir in the deep head of the valley, when an Arab peasant came and warned us against it, saying there were wanderers (robbers) round about, and inviting us to go on to Ma'în to an encampment of peasants from Yutta. This we consented to do, more for the sake of seeing the place and the people, than from any apprehension of danger; for our escort was not of a kind which robbers would be likely to attack. Accordingly, after five minutes' delay, we went on, and reached the place at five minutes before seven o'clock. Here we encamped by a sheep-fold near a cavern. It was now dark and a strong chill wind was blowing from the West; so that we rejoiced in the protection of our tent, and enjoyed also the blazing fire of our Arabs beneath the shelter of a rock.

A band of peasants from Yutta were here, keeping their flocks and dwelling in caves amid the ruins of Ma'în. They gathered around us, astonished at our appearance among them; but their shyness seemed rather to proceed from timidity, than from any disposition to be uncivil. They answered our questions at first with suspicion, but with apparent honesty; and their distrust soon passed away.-The encampment was on the northern declivity of the conical hill of Ma'în, five minutes' walk below the summit. This hill rises gradually not less than some two hundred feet above the site of Carmel.

Thursday, May 10th. We repaired to the top of the hill, from which there is an extensive prospect toVOL. II.

25

wards the North and over the broad plain on the West. The sun rose in his strength, and poured a flood of golden light upon the plain and the hills beyond; so that every object was distinctly seen. The summit is crowned with ruins of no great extent; foundations of hewn stone; a square enclosure, the remains probably of a tower or small castle; and several cisterns. The view is fine, including on the East the region towards the Dead Sea; and extending on the N. to Beni Na'îm and Hebron, which was distinctly seen in its valley; and on the West to Dhoherîyeh and beyond. Towards the South the view was interrupted by the mountain ridge already mentioned, about half an hour distant, running off nearly W. S. W. We could not learn that it had any special name; it certainly is not called the mountain of Kurmul, or Mount Carmel; unless sometimes because of its vicinity to that place.1

From Ma'în we could distinguish quite a number of places; the bearings of which are given in the note below. Of these places several are of unquestionable antiquity. Ma'în is without doubt the Maon of Nabal.3 Semu'a we had formerly seen from Dhoherîyeh, and it probably corresponds to the ancient Eshtemoa.* 'Attîr suggests the Jattir of Scripture; while Sûsieh

1) Seetzen gives it this name; Zach's Monatl. Corresp. XVII. p. 134.

2) Bearings from Ma'în: Semû'a S. 86° W. 'Attir, further South. Sûsieh N. 88° W. 'Anab with a small tower N. 861° W. Shuweikeh, a small ruin, N. 85° W. Dhoherîyeh on the hills N. 83° W. Mejd el-Ba'a, a ruin on a hill, N. 71° W. Yutta, a large village on a hill sloping east, N. 40° W. Hebron N. 4° W. Kurmul, the castle, one mile distant, N. 10° E. Beni Na'im N. 22° E.

3) 1 Sam. xxv. 2.

4) Josh. xxi. 14. xv. 50. The Hebrew name has the Hithpael

form, which might easily pass over into the Arabic name with the article, es-Semu'a. Compare the similar case of el-'Âl for the Hebrew Elealeh. We visited Semu'a in returning from Wady Musa, June 4th.-A city Shema is also mentioned in the south of Judah; too far south indeed to correspond to Semû'a; Josh. xv. 26.

5) Josh. xv. 48. There is here a difficulty in supposing a change of Yodh into 'Ain, of which there seems to be no other instance.Raumer confounds Jattir with Ether in the plain, Josh. xv. 24; see his Paläst. Edit. 2. p. 188.

is a tract of ruins in the middle of the plain, said to be large, with many columns, though there seemed to be no houses standing. 'Anâb is of course the ancient name Anab without change; and in Shuweikeh, the diminutive form of Shaukeh, we may recognise the Socoh of the mountains of Judah.2 In Yŭtta and Kurmul we have the Juttah and Carmel of antiquity. Most of these places we afterwards saw again, in returning by a more western route from Wady Mûsa.

Here then we found ourselves surrounded by the towns of the mountains of Judah; and could enumerate before us not less than nine places still bearing apparently their ancient names: "Maon, Carmel, and Ziph, and Juttah;" Jattir, Socoh, Anab, and Eshtemoa; "and Kirjath Arba, which is Hebron." feelings with which we looked abroad upon these ancient sites, most of which had hitherto remained unknown, were of themselves a sufficient reward for our whole journey.

The

Of Ziph I have already spoken. Eusebius and Jerome enumerate Anab, Eshtemoa, Jattir, and Juttah, as large villages in their age; though the specifications they give of their sites are very indefinite. Maon was then desolate; and the Socoh of the mountains is not mentioned by them. Carmel existed, as we shall see immediately. But from the days of Jerome, until the present century, not one of these names, except Carmel, occurs in history, or has been known as being still in existence. The crusaders seem not to have penetrated into this region, except in one or two military excursions around the south end of the Dead Sea. In March, 1807, Seetzen passed

1) Josh. xi. 21. xv. 50.

2) Josh. xv. 48. We afterwards found another Shuweikeh corresponding to the Socoh in the plain, Josh. xv. 35.

3) Josh. xv. 48-55.

4) Onomast. arts. Anab, Esthemo (Astemac?) Jether for Jattir, Jetham for Juttah, Maon, Socoh.