The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1875-10-09


DRIA-BURIED TREASURES BROUGHT TO
LIGHT-ANCIENT ORNAMENTS COMING TO
THE CENTENNIAL NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. OF
PROGRESS IN EGYPT-EDUCATIoN SPREAD
ING.
From tile n. Y. Tribune.
The officers of the American Palestine
Exploring Party, while waiting few days
in Alexandria for conveyance to Beirut,
made good use of their time in visiting
some old graves that have recently been
discovered about mile from the Porto
Rosetta in Alexandria, in the direction of
Ramleh. A new railroad is being built
between Ramleh and the road which goes
to Cairo, if we are rightly informed, and
at one section Of this there is cut through
hill about forty to fifty feet deep and
nearly three quarters of mile long. This
hill proves to have been one vast ancient
cemetery. On the summit there are re-
mains of earthworks, with the angles and
the parallels well preserved. But these
earthworks belong, of course, to very re-
cent times. The graves are thirty, forty,
and in some cases fifty feet below the sur
face of the ground. Probably the average
depth would be thirty or thirty-five feet.
Then another remarkable fact is that there
are several layers of graves, generally three
or four, but in some places they go up as
high lis six and even eight. These can be
distinctly counted. The bottom layer as
it appears at one point has all the heads of
- H.
points some distance off, there appear to be
layers below the line of the one Just refer
red to. The collins in some of the upper
layers cross and recross each other appar-
of the compass. At one section of the cut
ting and some feet below the line of what
appears to be the lowest layer of collins
there are several pits or cisterns, egg shaped,
with the large end at the bottom, and from
five to six feet in diameter. At present
they are full of bones and sand. They are
built of brick and at the base are two feet
thick, while the thickness of the sides was
only ten or twelve inches. The outline of
the bricks remains, but the bricks with the
tuOTIdT OF CeuneuJ nave COuCrGGeQ lUUO
solid mass. In the one which we examined
with the most care were found the remains
of burnt materials, charred bones, and the
like, while the inside surface of the pit
gave unmistakable evidence of having been
subjected to strong heat. At one point,
about ten feet above the level of the rail
road track, the mouth Of we'll had been
uncovered. We found this by measure to
be thirty four feet Deep and at the bottom,
Judging by the light of the candle which
we let down, an avenue or passage appear
ed to lead off in the direction of the highest
part of the hill. The bottom of this well,
or shaft, is fully seventy feet below the
general level of the hill top about it. We
lacked the means for descending this shaft,
and hence can say nothing further with
regard to it.
The collins were not all of the same pat
tern. Those in the lower layers were rather
heavier than those above, but all were
made Of pottery thoroughly baked The
largest size were six feet in length. They
were all oval-shaped. A common form was
two jars nicely fitted into each other in the
widest part with plain ends, or such ends
that the jars would stand firmly if set up
endways. Then another common form was
the same plain head with the foot piece
tapering to a point of different shapes.
Some had an ornamental foot piece with
edges projecting, something in shape like
the base of a flower pot. Others again,
besides the jars which contained the body,
had separate compartment for the head,
which was nicely fitted to the regular coffin
about the shoulders. In some instances
the body appeared to have been inclosed in
a jar or coffin of thinner and perhaps finer
material and this again was inclosed in
pottery case of much heavier material.
We broke open multitudes of these collins
ourselves, and the writer of these notes can
testify that there is pleasanter work in the
world than rifling old graves. Yet at such
times curiosity is keen and overcomes all
unpleasant suggestions which the imagina-
ton conjures up. The collins were filled,
in some cases, with fine sand, which had to
be dug out carefully to get at the bones.
Others contained but little dust, and it was
easy to observe the position of the body
from the bones that remained. In a few
cases the bones appeared to have been very
much crowded, and in one or two cases two
skulls were found in one and the same
coffin. The skulls would invariably crum-
BILE when handled or touched with a stick.
In these collins we found lamps, small jars,
vases, lachrymatories some beautiful glass
bottles, some copper rings, one copper nail,
the seal part of ring of great size, and a
number of small coins. In one coffin,
which was a delicate case inclosed in a
larger one, as already described, the writer
found, apparently in the part where the
arms had rested, some small vases beauti-
fully painted, and one delicate vase set into
bowl. Also copper ring and the seal
part of another ring. In jar from another
grave he found some substance that had
decayed and dried into lump of dust
This perhaps can be analysed hereafter
We found also among these graves the
handles of two jars with Greek inscriptions
upon them. A great many relics have
been taken from these old graves since they
were first discovered, and among them one
beautiful alabaster vase was found. But
there are myriads of graves that have not
yet been touched, and doubtless many in
terestng relics and possibly some of great
historical value might be discovered if they
could be carefully explored. The ground
is certainly interesting, for here are buried
twenty or more centuries one above the
other. Another interesting place in Alex
andria for relics and ruins is near the Ram
leh station, along the waters edge of the
| old harbor. Here also the debris of centu-
| ries has accumulated.
Beneath the water are the remains of
ancient walls. These are plainly visible
when the sun is at proper angle. The
bank has been washed away, and is steep,
and from ten to thirty or more feet high