The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-27

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knows that his book will be discussed in its
minutest details. but II any explanations are
servations which l publish must be- consid-
cred as positive documents. for they are simple
statement wSIsR ! u1eo Of truth spd know RG tha. r many 'e Of tho Hs
objections which have been raised against the
opinion that pI enistoric man existed In the Nile
valley rest on nffirmations having no serious
ground" He proceeds to explain that the re-
search to discover the origin OF man in Egypt
the Held of geology as to that OF archaeology.
Accordingly. his first chapter is devoted to
miocene period there emerged from the sea the
original continent Of Egypt. extending from
lakes. There was no Red Sea then, and Pales-
tine was soma 500 metres above its present
and the surrounding desert was still under the
ocean. Between Assouan and Cairo q high
the sea and the lacustrine basin OF Palestine
and the region OF the great lakes. The eleya-
tion which belongs to the ~tongrian aRe was fol-
lowed. after the pliocene period, by a tempo
rary s!nking OF the greater part or Egyp.; a
deep gulf was formed, and the sea went as
to exist up TO the beginning Of the quaternnry
period. Between +Assouan and om6os are to he
seen cliffs which have been beaten by the ocean
waves. The sinking OF the northern part of
the Nile valley at the close OF the pliocene pc
Rod was only the beginning of tho transfer
nations which gave to this part OF the globe Its
At that time the Red Sea was fashioned On
which ran to tho northward. Palestine. the
altitude OF which had been about 500 metres.
present sea level. The Saharan gulf of Egypt
raised Its level. and such general changes OF
altitude took place in central Africa fri a. TINT ntr the
1t is to this last convulsion that Egypt owes it's
origin. The Nile may have run temporarily
or the waterless valley. But as soon as the
natural obstacle was broken through and lev
ern course and flowed through the bed OF its
present valley. The deep erosions OF the plsisto-
Of the equatorial glaciers. The desert. the high
table lands. are covered with drifted pebbles. re-
powerful diluvial action. When the water sub
sided all the pulverulent materials wer" carried
helds OF gravel. such are the causes of the
formation OF diluy n beds in Europe, Asia. and
America. where The -, ,bar traces iao ,n Of hqm amin In;
In Egypt the oldest stone implements.
The discrimination OF the quaternary flood
left the Nile valley in a chaotic state. Tho
river bed was encountered with the debris
which tho stream had abandoned with its grad
slow dwelling of itsdeclivity by deposits OF fine
sand and mud. This filling up was due to the
With them its fertilizinG deposits. BY a COM
%narative study Of the monuments erected at va
rious times in Egypt; NJ: de M9rEan comes TO
tude in the Nile valley can be estimated at
about ten centimetres per century. That Is TO
time OF the GiZeh pyramids must be under
twenty-four feet OF muddy deposit; This ex-
Hest Pharaon!a times outside Of the tom6s To-
Gated on the Lybian hills.
Up TO 1894 no attention had been paid to
he prehistoric question In Egypt. IL was then
that Mr.. Layard contributed 10 the Egyptian
Institute n number OF flint implements collected
mentioned ny MIR. Layard is 0uadI-Sel. near
About Roach. where implements like knives
desert, l'u' These es 'n' impiemenss ~ the ''e dis aa~ lne
considered prehistoric: At another point near
Dimeh he made similar discoveries, but, they
seemed to him to be contemporary with the
Roman city adjoining II. M. de Morgan. how
ever. shows that the articles found at Dimeh
toric which were found elsewhere ~. himself.
The last hpds;, previous 70 NJ. de Morgan's.
and in a prehistoric metropolis; but the English
explorer inferred that the men buried there
belonged 10 n barbaric race. existing Sporadic
eciafily as a rcfutation Of this opinion that ~ do
Morgan has written this book. II Is an opin-
his ''Iiistoire Anc,enno dos Peuples de rori-
ent,n published in 1894. wherein he says that
n nn1tihliHs or rs nsH1 70 ns!n m6s Is OF is he 20 u eSt OF a ine
arms and Implements which have been dis
covered Mt various places cannot be attributed
To them with any authenticity. Mr.. +. Petrie.
In the desert. rays that these must not 90
supposed to be prehistoric In ~ cases. Or per
cries, lie Is positive In his denial OF the exist
ence of prehistoric remains in Egypt. NJ. do
Morgan's long and thorough researches, how
ever, lead him to the directly opposite conciu-
sion that the evidence of the existence OF the
prehistoric man IN Egypt 10 ample; Tho old
TO us is furnished IN flint implements found in
saoh eyidsaos Is ahn1dA 2; but Egypt; with
cited as a unique country which never knew
barbarian; yet remains OF the paleolithic
% nysn,b fG9Rd IN t hsypI as @as, aH@ De There 9GSssp'f SuS vs.
been unearthed four stations OF that period by
n. dc Morgan in the 9iluyium at Thebes,
dividual specimens at Isneh and Guizeh,
while others, found In the region OF DER
81 .Bahri, had already been idsntihed by
tion of the articles cannot leave any doubt as
TO their being made BY the hand or man. They
e cS.ll IS Or PeE IT, Aoh s 8 the ro Sss any Spe ons %%s iT has
the slightest OF perience. nothing Is more sim ple
than 10 distinguish a flint specimen cut by mans
heat, All the r%uptures, produced by the SUMS
action are conceived and circular. while In the
other case they show evidence of tho point
of percussion. NJ. do Morgan describes at
length all the regions, stating that he expects
that many Others OF these remains will be
found, now that attention has been called 10
It's drift Egypt gives us general evidence OF
human existence, but from the subsequent
PsF tSa the nsolithiS, we obtain all the details
The prehistoric sottlements of which he
gives 2 description are situated between Cairo
sRs I Ths6 Ssi,og They he extend end through n o = a s spse s, in
me ss.' gatiIs' t Stct MSd II. az q Morgan aTGas e sTU ! tsG.
very important. as proving that the use Of cui
countries new egyptian. and was not confined
10 tribes living In Egypt in q snoradio state.