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Much of the material which would find place in a depart- established with such a scope had been collected for the Museum and installed in other departments before the erection of a section especially devoted to Oriental Antiquities was contemplated.

The establishment of this section was due originally to a desire to collect in the National Museum copies of the smaller Assyro-Babylonian objects preserved in this country.  These objects (principally seals) are of much importance for the history of the Assyro-Babylonian religion and art, and the Museum has devised a plan for copying them which much facilitates their study and exhibition.  It is hoped that among other results there will grow from this work a catalogue of all the Assyro-Babylonian objects preserved in this country.

The [[strikethrough]]plan of the[[/strikethough]] Oriental Section, in view of the limitations upon its scope and resources, is practically devoted to Biblical Archaeology- to the history, archaeology, languages, arts, and religions of the peoples of Western Asia and Egypt.  Material is chosen which especially illustrates Biblical ^[[history]] and labels are prepared ^[[from this point of view.]] 

Transcription Notes:
end of first line "depart-" the rest of the word is missing from the original