The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-05
FISHES CARVED IN IVORY (NEaApAHl.


time of tho middle empire, with the possible OK.
ccption of some religious ceremonies. the use of
flint Was entirely discarded.
The industry Of cutting vases out of hard
stone is as old as Egypt, but the highest point
royal sepniture Of Segadah, in the earl earliest 81 h ahe
,,oric9l times. while it 6clined with the
fourth dynasty. All the vases decorated with
viz %etaiiig tools, III it IS possible snSS %'' some
ions in tho period that saw the transition from
the use OF cut flint to that Of metals in Egypt.
les There is need Of further careful invcsti.
cation, however, TO obtain absolute certainty.
The most remarkable pottery, of ~neolithic
rated with rcd paintings. The paste is smooth
and compact, the pictures. although quite coarse,
the artist who has drawn them more taste
than Is to DO found on the rod vases with
graves of the end of the neolithic period, and
seem to have gone out Of use after the beginning
Of the conquest; for In tombs contemporary with
the royal tomb of Negadah ] found but a few
scattered specimens, while in the autochthonio
metropolis, which is situated south OF the same
OF the Pharaonfc era cylindrical vases pre-
d3m 1ham ,S eGyf ir Ito tom NIB, o ,nanh i,gsa e great great many
several hundred specimens
The, art of weaving seems TO- have been
S%T sI i o TSr by the eonqTerors into the Nile
lives seem to have been, although in a primitive
state, far above tho average OF other ~barbaric
geometric decorations, but made attempts to
fiSSprod NC i, not to only the image Of man, but also
them. plants, trees, fishes. boats. &c, while in
Egypt this natural tendency was very likely
conventio2sai stiffness ch mMien iStient Of the
pharaonlc art. In tho earliest specimens from
the Greek islands we notice the same artistic
Hellenic art. Though the evidence of ceramics
Is one Of the hest tests for discriminating be-
valuable. The Oldest tombs are cut In the
dead placed in the position OF the unborn child
SURROUNDED by vases and other belongings.
ara In rd the nS second type Of spHIt s the bodies
THROWN i "S'p polRf,amleeiiYi in nS1'q the grave ave" F Some e' OF tRS
take less room. The graves are OF various
sizes. but all rectangular in shape. the walls
like form. with a cover of the same material.
me bones are mixed up. and the vases con
tanning .a. ,he offerings placed ontsid tho d In some ONE
either cut to pieces or stripped of tholr flesh and
packed up in u real clay box or Itinerary urn.
rated with pictures are lacking; red ana black
Vanished pottery Is very scarce, Its place being
hint indictments are found only occasionally.
while metal isss'abundant and: stone vases are
as the royal tomb of Ncgadah. or the first Egyp.
t!an ages.
ihesc aDorlglneS had very likely a religion or
a Kind OF fetichlsm, as Is proved by the numer-
ous slate idols found In their graves, which dis
appear with the Egyptian invasion.
rms SuInmary OF his latest Investigations M.
&c Morgan has written In a volume entitled
Lfccherches sur. les OriginGS d., FEgvpte,, Eth.
nographie. PrGhistortQue ct TOnbedu Royal
dc NeOdddh, from tho advance proofs OF
which our information il derived. He takes
occasion in IL TO answer questions that
cislns OF his opinions; He points out that no
went TO Egypt believing from his study OF the
books OF previous explorers that i was impOs-
slple 10 discover any remains OF the stone age
IN tho Nile Valley. That view he held when he
wrote his first books. and II WAS only when
brought face 10 face with the evidence that he
could believe that so much easily accessible
material could have been overlooked by ex-
plorers. lie was Obliged to investigatethc facts
Tor himself, to change his opinion and to admit
mat in Egypt there was u highly developed neo'
nthlc civilization. This civilization cannot DO
described and explained by philologists alone;
I Is necessary to call in the assistance OF an
thr9pology, natural history and prehistoric
archaeology. He cannon answer NJ. SalomOn
hetnach's question az to whether the ChRllean
implements OF the Milo Valley belong 10 tho
quHternRry aye positively, but thinks that IL
is probable they did. lie investigated the re-
ports which even NJ. Maspero has accepted,
mat the ~fellaheen women still use flint brace
lets, and that as recently as 1880 the men used
nint razors 10 shave in upper Egypt. He
iouhH that there was no foundation for this be-