Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1894-10-12
ORIGIN OF THE EGYPTIANS.
Derived From the Same Stock Whence the
PhuruirHns Came,

Phornirihns Came.
psychologists have So long been oc-
,upied with the pyramids aud other
monuments OF the best periods of
Egyptian art that Prof. Flinders petric
may be said to have broken new
ground in double sense by his excava-
lions OH tho Nile He threw flood OF
light OH tho earlier stages OF Egyptian
civilization by Ills researches at MEDIUM
and elsewhere. showing that the
bronze age was preceded by n copper
age, and these again by stone age,
old and new. that is TO say, a period
lasting it may be for thousands OF
years in which blades of Clipped or
polished flint and greensboro, similar
to those of prehistoric Europe, were
In use.
His discoveries at Koptos during
three months of last winter, which are
now in view at University college, in
clude large number of stone imple-
ments, namely, paleolithic celts of
Clipped flint and polished ones of
greensboro, as well as cutting blades OF
flint. 1t is curious to observe that
some of these latter have serrated
edges, and were fitted into carved
frame to form sickle for reaping
corn and that this curved frame is OF
similar shape TO the jawbone of COW
with the teeth in it, which probably
was the primitive sickle.
Prof petrie remarks that perhaps
the 'jawbone of an ass" with which
Samson slew the Philistines, was re.
ally an implement of some sort which
had derived its name of ''jawbone'
from more primitive implement, the
actual bone, in fact, of which it was
an imitation. We have an example OF
this kind in our English word "chisel, y
which is the Anglo-Saxon for flint
(e. g., 'chisil") the stone tool having
given its name to the metal one that
succeeded it.
1t has been inferred by Egyptolo
gists that the founders of the historic
dynasties of Egypt came from the low
err end of the Red Sea, and as the ruin
or,rathert the mound of Koptos, or Kuft
stands on the east side of the Nile
about thirty miles above the site o
Thebes, and at the termination of thu
ancient road to the Red Sea by which
/ the immigrants must have come. Prof
Petre was delighted to seize the occa
sion offered him of excavating Koptos
because there, if anywhere, he nigh
expect to find con affirmation of the in
ference
The result of three months worl
last winter have justified the hypothe
sis, Among other evidences, figure
of the sword fish and shark on tn
sculptures indicate the advent of
maritime people. Prof. Petrie SUP
poses them to have been Phoenicians
who had settled on the coast of the Re-
Sea, the land of Plum, or Punt, as the,
settled on the shores of the Mediter
ranea n at Carthage, giving rise to tn
Ptfnic war. They were probably les
civilized than the Egyptians, as wer
the northern barbarians who took &C
vantage of the confusion caused by tn
breaking up of the Roman Empire t
establish themselves in the south c
Europe. They were for centuries i
Egypt before they built Memphis, an
Prof Petrie conjectures the date {
their invasion as somewhere abou
s. 900 r C.
The Mesopotamians are anothe
racia element in the ancient Egyptia
people, and the part they played
awaiting further research. Prof. P'
, trie thinks that the early Egyptian
were cross between the black race
of the south and that white race {
Northern Africa which is thought
have come from Europe. There wei
other racial elements in the eOuntr,
but these have not been well ident
fed. London Globe,