Durable Sin

The ancient pagan religion of Babylonia managed to hold out in a single city for 1,500 years after Babylonia fell. Visiting the U.S. last week, British Archaeologist David Storm Rice told how he rummaged in the almost unexplored ruins of Harran in southern Turkey. Harran was a thriving Moslem city until it was destroyed by the Mongols in the 13th century A.D., but Dr. Rice's interest goes back to 2000 B.C., when Harran was a famous center of worship of the long-bearded moon-god, Sin, giver of light and wisdom. Harran was also visited by Abraham on his way from Ur of the Chaldees to the land of Canaan.

Harran's fortunes rose and fell with shifts of local politics, but its religious importance persisted. The last king of Babylonia, Nabonidus, was so devoted to Moon-God Sin that he tried to make him supreme above all the other gods of the densely populated Mesopotamian pantheon. This religious move was a tactical mistake; the local priests had a vested interest in other gods, and their machinations drove Nabonidus into the wilderness. He came back after a while, but was overwhelmed by Cyrus of Persia in 539 B.C.

That was the end of Babylonia as an independent country, but Harran. the moon-god's city, clung tenaciously to Sin. Dr. Rice has found references in many ancient languages to the city's extreme conservatism. The rise and fall of the Roman Empire meant little to it. Christianity stopped at its walls; Harran held fast to the ancient faith. Even Islam came to terms with the conservatives of Harran.

This much could be learned by historical research, but when Dr. Rice investigated the ruins of Harran, he began to realize that Sin-worship persisted much longer than he or anyone else suspected. Last year he found an inscription which proved that the mosque of the Moslem city was built in its final form at the time of the Sultan Saladin in 1174 A.D. Under its three entrances he found three stone slabs with carvings showing Nabonidus and the worshiped crescent moon with inscriptions in the cuneiform writing of ancient Mesopotamia. They had been placed face down for the faithful to walk on, presumably as a sign that the ancient religion was finally suppressed. Dr. Rice believes that traces of the old culture persisted until the 11th century A.D., when Islam was under attack by Christian crusaders, and Harran was an important Moslem defensive base.

Dr. Rice intends to return to Harran soon, and excavate the ruins of Saladin's mosque. He hopes that under its tumbled stones he will find the remains of the temple of Sin. If such a temple exists, it can probably claim to be the one used longest by the same religion.

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