Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-08-14

stskes Of It's civic history. The Oldest re-
mains date from Just before the Pto'emies.
and The most recent are probably coevaI
with the early years Of DIocIetiaD, during
whose reieu TanIs was destroyed by IRE.
This metropolis has been thoroughly ex-
csyated BY Nj. Petrie. II proves TO have
bad not only a rich quarter and poor
ouarter, but also place especially re-
served for sacred .chueumon, the bones OF
which are here found m thousands OF
oblong pots, some laid crc,centwise and
others in close parallel rows. foot
or two beneath the surface. In another
mart Of the cemetery o caoalistic circle Of
human skulls was discovered, the ground
upop which they lay being thickiy strewn
with Aacred eyes OF the kind commonly
but enormously called "eyes OF OSIRIS"
or these amuleis. in blse and green-giazed
ware, Mr.. Petric collected nesriy 800, All
Of thrtieth dynasty work. They we're
evidently used for the purpose Of sanctiiy-
Ing the ground, ~ at Thebes bronze statu'
cites Of Osiris We're used TO sanctfy the
sites Of various temples. The better class
Of Tsnites were here buried In coinn-
shaped sarcopbsgi OF plain uninscribed
store. the mummies being found In Gu.
rious and novel attitude, with the fore
arms doubled back. and each hand turned,
rs'm inward, 10 its own shoulder.
The poorer class, desiccated but not num-
milled, hsye been buried en- mdSse In
The manner thus described by Mr.. Petrie
"First, shallow pit about three feet
deep and thirty feet square was cut In the
sand; then "a wall 81 poor, crude brick
work was luilt around it rs lining; then
IL was filed with as many dead rs IL would
1T Dat al
down over each body and coated with
vbitewash. This whitewash l. OCCASION
ally painted in red and blue pattern. and
even gilt" With the rich a few porcelain
ewes, with the poor a quantity OF common
blue bead. are the only iunereal treasures
hitherto discovered. Inscribed saycophagi
have. however, been found in this ne
crcpolis by the Arabs. and in 1882 large So
pulchrai chamber was discovered, the walls
Of which, It II said, were covered with in.
scnptionS. sarcoph1gI. chamber, inscrip-
tons, and all were, Of course, broken up
for huilding-stones and burned for lime,
and only the great pit, out OF which the
walls Of the chamber were dug. remains TO
mark the spot. This pit measures thirty
feet by fifty feet.
TIE third and last metropolis has an IN
teresting little history OF its own. IL APP
pears first to have been a small suburb in
bahited by the earliest Greek settlers. whose
soiOurn is recorded by their pots aud pots
herds Of pure Greek make, decorated with
conccntric circles painted in red and
brown. BY ard bv these Greeks migrated
+ alsew here. and at about the close OF the
/ Ptolemaic period the town became deserted.
Later still, in Roman times, the mound was
/ converted into cemetery, which Mr.. Pc
/ tie has also thoroughly eXcayatei. The
/ burlalS ase at all depths, from one to six
/ fec:, some collins actually protruding above
4 the raln-waSbed soil. with bones and hair
| exposed. Others lie in populous pits.
and some in separate graves. All. Of
course. are OF the "Roman period.
and such objects as are found with
them bear the impress Of the art OF that
time. Many interesting triilcs have been
collected here, such Is a miniature funereai
! galley made Of pottery; small statuotte oi
/ Venus carved in bone; an amber neck
lace. and some fragments OF rlchly-0fna
mented Opaque glass vessel, evidently
blown in a mold. The best mummies have
the head and feet gildcd, and are iDelosec
in A si,dcd cdrfOnRdqe. the outer cot'iu'
being most deicately inland with mo'aic'
Of coloTed glass. Unfortunately. the ne
cropolis has been long known to the Arabs
and Is very considerably ransacked. The
mummes are nearly all broken, the coiiini
smashed, and the mosaics-of style neve
vet found before save in the Fayoom-
are mostly picked ont. Mr.. Petrie Ia
oueEed 1870 pits in this metropolis, ant
found but two uDriled graves. One o
these contained tie mummy OF woman
wrapped apparently in her best daily cloth
try, and laid in sort OF long open-wOrl
la ,ket made Of PUSHES, with a board Owe
the top. Mr.. Petrie describes the robes
edged with variety Of woven borders
white on red and white on blue, and other
in led. black, yellow, white, green, an'
purple. All these be hores TO preserve
as well as the nose-ring, earrings, an'
bead necklace. with which this dea
woman, who lived probably In the tim
Of Constantine, was adorned.