Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-12-20
All About the Ancients.

Mr. i Theodore Bent believes tnat ne
has found the land Of Punt, the source
of the frankincense and myrrh tnd'
Queen Hatasou was so eager 70 oD'dih.
All Egyptoogists think tnat Fuht "as
somewhere on the Arabian coast between
Alden and Muscat. At first Merbat, the
Abyssapolis of Ptolemy, attracted MI
Bent's attention, but there was no ha''-
gable harbor. Going furtner, he reacheu
a sheet CT water, where the mouth Oh an
estuary had been silted by the sanu' anu
on one side there was lortheu t"Sh'
once ne believes this was an islanu'
and the rock with its foot protected thS
narrow entrance to the harDor. CeItalliS'
here was a point where lrdhhiiiceiso
and myrrh could be readily obtained. me
only trouble Is relative 10 the apes alu
ivory. watch the Queen was also iii want
Of There are no aDes in the nelghpor-
hood nor are there elephants. 10 SIS
tain Mr. Bants theory that thls was 'he
mort OF the land OF Punt, the idea must
be entertained that. as Queen hatasou
packe.s were coasters her supercarsoes
did their trading in otner places 'or thsH
assorted apes and tusks.
There is an interesting exhibition now
ON view I'm London in connection with
the meeting of the British Medical Asso-
citation. From Etruscan and Roman
tombs there has been brought together d
collection OF surgical instruments ana Ter
ra-cotta models. DR.. Luigi Sambon, 10
whom this collection is due. finds that
these terra-cotta models were votive Of
ferlngs. and must have been placed I'D
certain shrines ny those who had peeil
cured Of organic troubles, or VINO at ieast
hoped to be cured. They were el'hsi
| offered as petitions for relief or as EN-
-fxra rf
| EXACTLY the same thing Is done to-day IN
Italv and Spain. The m ldels Indicate d
very intimate knowledge of anatomy anu
| the instruments for operating are Wen
devised. Dr. Sambon shows even an
Infants nursing bottle. which brough'
up a Roman baby by haho. u
Robert Fletcher, in his anatomy atu
Art" leads one to the opinion 'ha' w
ancients must have been by no inssns
ignorant OF pathology, ana cer,ainly ~ ~
nd a knowledge Of surgery. IL seems as
n ,s =. ,,are almost a necessity that they
s,or,d have known how to perform am
..,a,ions ar reset broken limbs Inc r.
fatri,g processes might have been easier
e. ,he mast than In the present, as .iie
| sword was by no means as ta'ai
steo.hal Of to-day. The subject OF an
cIent surgery wants yet us par"'N'"'
student.
What are we to do with the renheuien.s
-, an,bronoloey? Here are the Germans
,"orting out new branch OF anthro-
noIogtcal study. which they cali MAI az
,aroIoeie" to be easily translator d.
characteroloyy. Mr.. Flinders Petrle ma
oirsadv given IL expression. when ne
a,ands IN in defence OF the modern Egyp-
tan DIR. Brinton. IL we quote hi',
nronerly. believes that this orancn VI
anthropology Is that when oners pc
foct basis for legislation, pohucs, anu
r5,'ootion "a applied to a given ethnic
s,roun or people." II there were allowed
then there would be no longer ihuis
cr,r,,nate enforcement OF genera
nrescr,ntions. as has hitherto been ih'
custom of governments" That there ar
o,hnic traits. which hold as with an irof
grasn certain families OF men, no ON
questions. Are those traits good or Dti
IL seems to us, TO be the duty OF o,r .,
lized government to consl1er. in
trouble has always been, and VIII ne
no matter how well-meaning may De
government In it's end avors To chanS'
the conditions OF a people Under III
swav. II has but little patience. IL wants
what Is impossible-an Immediate trans
formation. 1t overlooks his ethnic re
sistance. which has accumulated, desl 10
outside pressure. for tens OF thousands
years. This u.s. as 1t were, mechanica
force-a spring with constant rec"ii.
In reading the STEELE found by tn
American School OF Classic Studies a
Athens. which is sacrihcial calendar
4 kind OF current account OF values, SOM
important deductions can be arrived a
rs to the worth of animals in Greco
some $40 years before Christ. AS 10 tn
zig. he was estimated rather by hi
weight and appearance than by his age
high price was allowed in accordanc
with the condition Of the animal. Som
times IS and II drachmas gre giver
against II and IL for VARIOUS grade
OF sheep. Barley Is .stima-ed Mt alcl
;. the peck, which. according to Mr.. Il
q Richardson. would find an eauiva
lent In Il cents We sell barley thrsrc
han that to-day. though We do M
I eat 1t. but malt It 'or tcsr. A pig 70
: drachmas, or about half a dollar.
heap. irrespective OF size, according
recent Chicago quotations That distlr
German Boeckh-Frankai. VIII
-tcular attention 10 the sui
!. lent values. states that III
1 --ces Of sheep and oxen wa
s rAus a sheep IN the hest pcrio
.tirs was worth rom 10 IL
e lrach'nas and an OK rom 70 to 20
|, On the sacrifcial calen lar sheep al
n worth u drachmas. AM sometimes
n The value OF a COW or OK on the steje
i less than 100. therefore the Boeckh pr
J. portion II not exactly kept 1p.