The record-union., 1895-09-28
FIVE THOUSAND YEARS old.
Curious Relics of a Strange Race
Found in Egypt.

Curious Relics of a Strange Race
Found in Egypt.
They Were the People Who Invented
the Game of Nine Pins-They Used
Ivory Combs, Painted Their Faces,
Rowed In Huge Galleys Without
Sails, Made Models of the Human
Figure and Fine Pottery.
The remains of new race of people
have been discovered in Egypt. The race
is not new in the sense OF being recent,
but its existence has been unknown to
modern science. Professor Flinders Pc
trie. the famous British Egyptologist, is
the happy discoverer.
The race sprang up and probably died
out in ancient Egypt thousands of years
after the civilization of the Egyptians
proper had been in existence. butthe re-
is credited to it. What makes it pecu-
liarly interesting is that it possessed
civilization of it's own evidently distinct
from that Of the Egyptians, and one
which was well developed in certain di-
rections.
The ground where Professor Petrie
made his discovery is in the Nile Valley,
between Ballas and Nagada, about thirty
miles below Thebes. The last named
city was the place OF origin of the Twelfth
or Theban dynasty of Egyptian Kings.
comparatively parvenu family, who
fiourished about $500 years before
Christ. Egypt, which had already
passed through large variety OF civ
ilizations, began life anew under this
dynasty. The foundation of TheDes
is to great extent enveloped IN
mystery. That the newly discovered race
has anything to do with it seems a possi-
bility. but that idea is not apparently en-
tertained by Professor Petrie.
The ruins OF Thebes are the most ex-
tenslve in Egypt, and the region has
been searched with the greatest industry
by archeologists and vandals for many
years.
FOUND NEAR THE GREAT CITY OF
THEBES.
The Nile flows through the ruins of the
ancient city, dividing it into four princi-
pal quarters-Karnak and Luxor on the
east bank and Gournah and Medinat
Habu on the west bank. Between 1900
and 1000 B. c. Thebes attained It's greatest
dignity. 1t then supplanted Memphis,
the ancient Capital of the Pharaohs. The
local god of Thebes was Amen-Ra or
Jupiter Ammon, representing the force of
the sun, who became the ruling deity in
Egypt.
Thebes was filled with magnificent
temples and palaces, to which additions
were made as late as the second century
A. d, by the Romans. 1t was enriched by
the spoils of Asia and Ethiopia. Homer
described 1t as the city of a hundred
gates. In the Persian conquest of Egypt
Cambyses obtained a spoil of $40, 100000
from the city, and greatly contributed to
It's downfall.
At Gournah, one of the quarters of
Thebes, is the Palace of the Memnoneion
containing statue Of Rameses IL. weigh
ing SS74 tons. In the same quarter is The
Vocal MemnOn, or Colossus of Ameno-
phis Ill, supposed by the ancients to
emit sound at sunrise. The temple of
karnak is OF bewildering extent. The
great hall is l70 feet by 329, and has q CEN
tral avenue of twelve columns sixty feet
high and ten in diameter.
Thebes is now populated exclusively
by Arabs, who guide visitors through the
ruins, and have been engaged for several
generations IN disposing OF all portable
antiquities.
on A FORMER BANK OF THE NILE.
Professor Petrie made his discovery at
a spot on the border of the desert three
miles from the Nile, on the west 81 de OF
the river. He was no doubt led to choose
this locality for his operations by the TACT
hot 2 hsa1
age an agreeable dwelling place. Thebes
and the whole country for miles around
are known to him by heart.
The remains were found on the side of
plateau about /, 100 1eet above the river,
which IN some past age reached 10 that
hight. Its volume, it has been calculated,
was then fifty times greater than 1t is
now. The place OF the discoveries was
therefore originally river bank.
The date OF 5000 b. c. has been assigned
to the remains by Professor Petrie. That
would place them between the Seventh
and Ninth Dynasties, period of great
trouble and confusion in Egyptian his
tory. 1t has been conjectured that the
new people were Of Libyan origin, but
there Is no authoritative scientific verdict
on the subject.
The new people did not enbalm and
mummy their dead, as did the Egyp-
tians, but buried them in sitting posi-
ton, as if to help them to rest.
THE RELICS FOUND,
The discoveries include skulls of the
new race, with the hair still remaining: q
vase with a galley, hills and ostriches
painted on it; carved figure with tattoo
ing marks on the body; another carved
figure showing the type of art followed
by the new race; portion of an ivory
comb, with human head carved on it:
h. q nj nf
the form Of bull, supposed to have held
charcoal and TO have been used as foot
warmer; q slate palette, used To grind
malachite, with which those people used
TO paint their eyes and faces; porphyry
vase. hand made; pots on which are
marks supposed to be- the nearest ap-
proach to writing known by the new race,
and game of nine-pins.
The briefest consideration of these
things shows that the new people were
somewhat advanced in certain directions
and very primitive in others.
The very neat game of nine-pins could
hardly be improved upon. 1t is remark
able testimony to the stupenduous an
tiquity of skittles, bowling and kindred
games.
The pins and the balls are Of syenite.
kind OF rock. The latter are about the
size of peas. They had to be rolled
through doorway composed of three
strips of stone, which would be knocked
down and make a throw worthless if the
ball were not aimed with precision. The
pins in the English game of skittles are
still set up IN the same way as these.
THEY PLAYED AT NINEPINs.
These ancient people conld hardly have
pretended that ninepns In this form
was an athletic exercise. They played
for the sake of the skill to be displayed.
and also probably for the drinks and the
stakes. They were, no doubt, sporting
people, for this sporting implement is
the most skillfully devised article left by
them.