The morning news., 1894-09-29
OLDEST OF ALL GAMES.
Chess, According to Recent Discover
les, Was Known 5000 Years Ago.

les, was known Q, ,OOO \ ears a go.
From the New York Advertiser.
Chess players with a turn for the his
tory of their strategic amusement will
be interested to learn that all the hy-
potheses as to the origin of the game
have suddenly been mated" by a recent
extraordinary discovery in. Europe. 1t
was generally assumed until now that
the ancient Indians had invented chess
that it was introduced from India to
Persia in the Sixth century, and that by
the Arabs, and that in consequence of
the Crusades IL spread from east to west
II Is true that the Chinese-who in-
vented many things in time long ago, but
which had afterwaTd 70 be reinvented in
Europe assert that they can trace chess
IN their own country TO about 700 years
before our era. Now, there can certainly
be no doubt that in the character OF the
figures at present used, and in some of
the words connected with the game-such
as 'schach'' shaw and matt" or mate
an Indian, Persian and Arabic intu-
ence is traceable.
But here comes news of the latest ex-
cavations on the pyramid fields of SAX
kara, which have brought to light wall
painting, on which high official is repre-
sented as playing chess with a partner at
the time of the government of King Ieta,
y
Brugsch, correcting this chronology, puts
1t back to still greater antiquity, namely,
TO the year 500 b. G. So that chess
would have been known in the once mys-
| terlous land of Mizraim something like
$500 years ago,
1t was north OF the pyramid of King
TeUa, or Teti, that two grave. chambers
nave been discovered, which We're erected
| Tor two high onicials of that ruler. Their
names were Kabin and Reruka, called
Mera. The grave chamber (mastaba) of
! the former consists of five rooms, built
| up with limestone. Its walls are covered
with exceedingly well preserved bas re-
! llefs and pictures representing various
! scenes Inc old grave chamber, that of
Mera, is the most valuable. Until now
no less than twenty-seven halls aud corri-
| dorS have been uncovered
! There are beautiful grave columns. In
! the chief room there is, in a niche, a
tinted statue of the departed about seven
! feet high, with sacrincial table of ala
bdster before it, Among the many wall
paintings in this and other rooms, hunt
ing and fishing scenes, group of female
mourners. The Three Seasons, ,; ''Mera
and His Sons Holding Each Other by the
Ha9d' and 'Mera Playing Chess" are to
be seen. SO grand Is The impression this
| grave chamber makes upon the beholder
that the Arabs engaged in the work
would not call it a "mastaba," but a
"kilissa' (temple or church).
Various valuable sarcOphagi have also
been discovered. A structure of colossal
| Dimensions, situated at the western end
| OF the metropolis, is being laid bare. The
labor connected with il will probably ex-
tend over several years Its direction is,
like that of all the buildings of old Egypt,
from north to south.
In Abu-Si, also, several tombs have been
| eXcavated. One of the grave chambers
belonging to a certain Ptah-Chopses, who
lived under the Fifth dynasty, has al
ready yielded important results although
only two rooms have been opened. From
| the descriptions it seems that pilgrims
had come there for centuries. They are
so-called lotus columns" the columns OF
which initiate the lotus flower They are
said to surpass in beauty of execution, as
well as in antiquity, those of Benz Hasan,
of Luxor and Medamut. Three large
statues which have been found are
broken. The remnants of one of then
show it to have been seven and half feet
hiCh