The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1895-08-03
JEWELS And MUMMIES.
Priceless Ancient Treasures Found
in Egypt's Pyramids.
Bodies Of Princess and Queen-Rare
Gems, Ornaments of Exquisite De-
sign, Gathered in the Royal House
of Death

and conquered it. Where the famous
First Consul made history while destroy
ing, the present Frenchman Is simply
patching history together by the discov-
cry of fresh links concerning the era OF
five thousand years!tago, links forged
from mummies and treasures taken from
far beneath the sands of the desert and
out of solid masonry. In the eyes of the
world this recent discoverer of antiquity
may be more highly regarded than Napo-
leon himself, for, while the little Emperor
in Egypt was only able TO tell his soldiers
at the base of the pyramids that forty
centuries were looking down upon them,
the archaologist has gone further in that
he has burrowed far below the surface of
the desert to find out new things about
those forty centuries.
The explorers name is De Morgan, and
his discoveries have been little sort of re-
markable. The treasure he has I'M
earthed is the most important Egyptian
find that has been made for the past fifty
years. Footed up in dollars and cents,
IN pounds shilllngs and IN pence, or IN
francs, the exact value of the jewelry
he has taken out OF never-dreamed-c
tombs has not been estimated, but even
put upon a purely monetary basis, the
value OF these findings IS immense Con-
sidered from the light of the EgyptOlo-
gist and explorer. the value Is hundred
fold, q thousandfold, more than the act
ual market price that the gold and gems
would bring.
For De Morgan has unearthed, after
eleep of fifty centuries, a king, queen
consort and g royal princess, and he has
found rich mine, as il were, of treasure
that the shrewd Pharaohs thought they
had hidden from the eyes OF men until
the days OF the last trump. So perfectly
WAS the entrance to these tOmbs con-
cealed that all knowledge of their exist
ence escaped the eyes, not oil the sclen-
fists and explorers alone, but also those
of the crafty, quick wltted desert thieves
and vsndaIS who pillaged and stole
through thousand of years.
SUBTERRANEAN GALLERIES.
Summing it briefly up, De Morgan's
discovery has been this: He found, just
q year ago, in May, 1894, the tombs and
imperial treasures OF Amenemhat III,
of the twelfth dynasty OF Egypt, together
with the tom bs OF several Of the prln-
cesses royal Of that day, and those of two
other Egyptian Kings, Ousertesen Ii.
and Ouserteseu Ill, in the galleries OF
one of the lesser pyramids that lie to the
southwest of the modern city OF Cairo,
two hours journey. Here is the site OF
the antique metropolis, or city OF the
Dead" of Memphis, that famous ancient
town. De Morgan reasoned that, follow
ing out the traditions and customs Of the
imperial houses of Egypt, the mighty
Amenemhat would not lie alone in death.
His surmse was that the pyramid must
be surrounded by girdle of royal tombs
and an outer belt made up Of the sepuI-
cheers of those Of noble but lesser blood.
The outcome proved his conclusions to
be entirely correct. All through the
summer, the fall and the winter he kept
endeaVoring to discover some mode OF
entrance into these subterranean CALLER
les, but the impenetra BILE problem eluded
INN until the middls Of February. Sound
ing after sounding was made and hole
after hole sunk into the desert sand. The
bulk OF these excavations were made 10
tie depth of twelve meters or about thlr-
ty-nine feet. At last huge and massive
rock was found which showed that thou
sands OF years before II had been rolled
down a gently inclined plane or path
from the surface OF the ground and had
sealed with its vast weight the tomb be-
low. With Infinite labor, aided by an
army of modern Egyptian gafflrs and the
most approved tools and implements OF
modern science. this rock was moved
away, and there was disclosed the gal
lery of Amenemhat HIS royal house OF
death.
Not yet was the explorers difficulty
over. This gallery, Ii is true, showed no
signs of having been entered since It's
formal closing fifty centuries before,
when the Princess tia was gathered to
her fathers, whereas the other subterra-
mean rooms that had been unearthed by
the score proved cOnclusively by their
absence of every gewgaw that the desert
thieves in eras OF the far past had rlffed
them Ell here there was only mass OF
solid masonry, and the bars and plckaXeS
of the gaffirs had to be used for many
hours before they broke through and
reached the two sarcophaghl.
\ PRINCESS AND \ QUEEN.
Therein, mummifed, loaded with jew
els the great stone collins hIed with
scent boxes and ali manner OF dainty
things-things that were precious to royal
feminine hearts in the Old days when the
lotos flower reigned supreme and these
women were flesh and blOod-lay the
bodies OF Princess tia and Khnoumit, the
Queen COnsort of Amenemhat Ill.
Directly in front OF the pyramid, at
distance from il OF only few rods,
stands what is now known III archeo-
logical records as the house OF Dashour.
1t is tiny building constructed Ot bricks
which were nodded in the twelfth dynas
" OF Egypt, }, 900 years ago, and It's light
cOlored mass makes it stand out pictu-
resuueIy against tie dark, weather beaten
old pyramid. Here De Morgan has lived
while he has been prosecuting these re-
searches. Ii oyerlooks the valley of the
Nile ana is not far distant from it; back,
beyond the pyramid, stretches hundreds
of miles to the westward the arid, sandy
desert, over which sweep the simeon, the
terrible khamsin.
But 70 the east is the gently undulaung
valley with its green and fruitful past
ures, its fields OF growing maize lts tail
stalks OF sugar cane and Its forests OF
dates The house of Dashour IS the
boundary line in more senses than one OF
the living Egypt and the dead. It's name
has given the scientific title to these mar
yelously successful explorations. and
tney will henceiorth be known as the dis
coveries OF Dashour.
How exciting aud impressive was the
scene at the moment OF the discovery Of
the sarcophagus OF the Princess tia, atthe
instant when the last bit OF masonry was
Drjed away, can be best imagined when
il is,toId that even the st0ild. stupid, lg-
norant modern Egyptian laborers raised
their voices in shout OF nurrah! Inc
spectacle was indeed q picturesque one
In order TO facilitate the working, wide
and long cutting had been made IN the
sands of the desert in the shape OF huge
pit
at it's bottom, a depth Of over twenty
feei, were gathered varied assembly,
in the background sbeiks and wanderers
OF the desert in Arab robes and turDans,
together with them the lahorers. gafhrs
by the score. clad in their simple single
garment, known as galabieh, either white
or blue, roped at the stomach, and with
caps of gray felt on their heads. They
carried great two-handled baskets, used
TO convey the dirt and sand to the surface
Of the ground.
De Morgan stood in the sarcophagus
directly over the long buried mummy,
holding a magnificent coronet in his
hands, Near by was the famous Partisan