The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-03
ADONIS OF EGYPT.
Mummy of the Most Beautiful Man in
Egypt lis Found.
From The Washington Post.

From the Washington Post.
The Adonis of Egypt 54OO years ago
is again among men, Not as ne was
when women bowed before him and his
every gesture was looked upon almost as
if it were that. of god but swathed in
the habiliments of the regulation mum
my. Centuries before imperial Caesar died
and turned to clay this man ruled the
jewellers on $50, 900 acres with d rod of
iron. The women adored him for his
beauty. The men feared and respected him
for his wisdom.
Near the city of FL Kab which is stu
ated seventy-five miles north of the pres
ent site of Cairo there lies an ancient
cemetery so old that even the men to
whom the papyrus scrolls are As familiar
as the waters of the Nile are unable to
say when IL was first devoted to the pur-
pose of housing the mortal tenements
of the old Egyptians. The archaeologist
has long found BIT a fruitful field for re-
search, and many mummy that is co.
day gazed on in the museums with ro1nd-
eyed wonder was undisturbed here for
thousands of years.
1t so happened that a short time ago
persons prospecting for new fields in a
hill in the cemetery described discovered
a little pit which apparently had never
been made the subject of investigation.
Excavation brought to light the fact That
1t was not only something new, but from
the archaeologist's standpoint one of the
most important finds in a very long time.
The pit was the entrance to a solid cnam-
Der of rock, containing a number of
stone collins or sarcophagi. Besides
these, there lay upon the floor of the
chamber a number of statues EXamina-
of no showed that
one of the sarcophagi contained the mum
my of Nenkhefta, and the roll of paoy-
rus and the inscription on the sarcopha-
gus both gave the information that these
were the mortal remains of 1.-The most
beautiful man in Egypt and probably the
world.
When the wrappings of The mummy of
this ancient Adonis were unfoided there
was nothing to indicate that the remains
were those of man of any beauty what
soever. The grinning skeleton looked eX-
actly like those of to-day. The only odd
fact was that the shape of the skull the
hands and the feet We're, while unmistak-
ably Egyptian, of more classic mold than
those of most mummes. The formation
of the skull also indicated that lis owner
when alive possessed great mental de-
velopment, thus justifying the peasant
things which were said about him in the
perfectly preserved roll of ancient manu-
script which recited his history.
Some of the archaeoiogists here were at
first inclined to doubt the accuracy of the
claims made regarding this find, but in
vestigation showed that there was no
cause for doubt whatever. 1t would have
been impossible to perpetuate a fraud of
this sort. The papyrus roll, which told the
history of Nenkhefta, set forth that his
dominion extended over forty-two miles
OF the banks of the Nile. His residence
was termed Nishwaka which is supposed
to mean that the village where he lived
bore that title. Great were his fiocks,
Oh ruler of rulers" says the manuscript.
None were so wise. None were so be-
loved. The sun smiled on him when he
Journeyed abroad. and when he looked
with displeasure a sorrow as of death
came upon him who had caused it.. tie
was 10 his people what the waters of the
Nile are to Egypt. Great is his name No
man who lives was so beautiful There
is none to take his place.
Perhaps there was a touch of oriental
extravaganza in this, but among the stat
ues found on the floor of the chamber was
one which unques tionably was intended
to represent Nenkhefta. This was evil
dence sufficient that the inscription must
not have been without cause. According
to the standard of beauty which existed in
Egypt in those days. Nenkhefta was GER
tainly an Adonis. While in sculpture the
ancient Egyptian was not equal to the gen.
ius of to-day, he was a man of much skill,
and there is a fairly faithful representa-
ton of "the most beautiful man in Egypt"
In the tomb of Nenkhefta were also the
mummes Of his wife and little son. 1t
would appear from the information, con-
tanned In the papyrus, that this old-tme
Egyptian was content with one wife, some
thing of a rariey in those days. He was
evidently an exception to all rules, howev-
err and this probably accounts for the
presence of the mummies of his wife and
son in his tomb 1t Is believed that if he
had had more than one wife, there would
be some evidence in the form of inscrip-
ton or otherwise, to indicate that this was
his favorite wife, and the mother of his
son. 1t is held that this must have been
his only son from the statement on the
papyrus scroll, There is none to take his
place"
Nenkhefta's wife was named Nyleptha
This is the inscription on her sarcophagus:
"Nyleptha. the Queen of Nenkhefta.
Greatest of Rulers" Nothing is said as
to whether or not she was beautiful. as il
is plainly evident that the effulgence of
Nenkhefta was such that any womanly
charm in his family was practically lost
sight Of .,