Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1898-04-15

ndo out on the ueSh nau unmlstakaoty /
done It through some ceremonial rite and /
had then given the bones as respectful |
burial as we do our present day dead. In |
another instance q child was buried with /
an adult. We found the body of the child |
to be perfect, but that of the adult badly |
mutilated. But. Notwithstanding that |
many of the bones had been picked per
fectly clean. the whole body had after |
ward been put together and completely
wrapped In a close swathing of linen
Many of the other remains which we un-
earthed were in a similar condition.
when looking for the origin OF this
newly discovered dissecting practice in
Egypt we may turn to other cases found
In that same land-those of the Libyan
invader-and here get a clew as to the
source and object of this custom. The
Libyans, who occupied Upper Egypt
about $500 B. c., habitually cut the head
from the body and frequently cut up the
body. sometimes removing only the
hands. and again Remembering 1t alto
gether, In one case Ave bodies were
found together in one tomb with the
bones picked clean and certain of them
broken showing plainly that the eating
of the body was part of the customs of
the burial
'whether the early Egyptians ate the
bodies Immediately preceding burial or at
that time placed the flesh In holes in the
ground cannot yet be determined, but of
the fact that the bodies were boiled there
seems to be little doubt. as no other
quick and ready way of separating the
flesh from the bones Is so likely. Some
form of cooking would be needful to so
prepare the bones The presumption
then, is that IL they did not actually
eat the flesh at that time, they at least
kept up the cooking OF 1t, while the
bones were being cleaned for burial
Even as late as the Roman times a
tradition was current that Osiris taught
the Egyptians agriculture and abolished
cannibalism.
What then, are we to conclude from
this strange mixture of burial customs
discovered as prevailing in Egypt about
the age of the pyramid builders? We
| lind the customs almost equally divided
between perfect burial and more or less
| cut up burial This shows a fusion
| of two entirely different beliefs and
customs In externais they had become
| unified. probably from long pressure of
| responsibility and a desire to do what
| was right and proper in general estlma-
| ton, but the more personal and religious
| difference of the treatment of the body
continued to mark out the difference Of
| the original customs and belief.
| when Egypt is scientifically examined
| we shall learn its past. Meanwhile, here
| is first fruit of the surprises that await
, US when we can write down the pyra-
| mid builders as half pervaded by GUS
toms of cannibalism. past or present, in
| that brilliant age"
| Prof. Petrie believes that this custom
of cannibalism just discovered as prac-
| ticed by this enlightened people was
brought into the country by the Libyan
| invaders, who entered Egypt prior to
| 5000 b. G. He further thinks that If the
Egyptians of the Immediately succeed
ing ages did not continue the practice
of actually eating the flesh they at least
continued the custom of cooking 1t. as
their ancestors had done.
1t is well known that every nation of
antiquity considered ~ecrifice one Of the
| most important elements of divine wor-
ship. The more the divine favor was
sought for some special purpose the cost
| Her and more precious became the gift.
so that In time, in many nations, human
| beings were offered as sacrifices, and the
and the more the god must smile upon
the donor. The custom of human sacri-
dearer the being to the offerer the more
| the self-abnegation must become patent,
| fees among other ancient peoples Is well
known. The Amorites, the Moabites and
other neighbors of the ancient Hebrews,
and also the Carthaginians, dedicated
their own children to the great Moloch,
or Great King, for fire Offering Even
among the Greeks and Romans, in the
more remote periods of their history,
human sacrifices as means to appease
the Deity were by no means rare, and
this fell into disuse only after more
general culture had removed the concep-
ton upon which the rite was based The
German tribes, even after their CONVEX
sion to Christianity. continued to offer
up their prisoners of war, and the Gus
tom was practised to an enormous ex-
tent by the ancient Mexicans.
But the fact that the Egyptians, who
have always been looked upon as giving
their dead the most gorgeous and elabor-
ate burials the world has ever known.
should at one time in their early history
L. -. kzI 80 to- Aaah n
eaten portions of it is the first step in
throwing an entirely new light upon the
beliefs of the ancient kings of that mystic
ricus land. Continuing the study of the
subject, Prof. Heinrich Brugsch, the
great German Archaeological. says that he
now believes the early Egyptians
to have been savages of the worst kind
and he brings forth conclusive evidence
showing that they regularly used the flesh
of nten food, after the style of our
present day cannibals.
One striking proof of this he finds in the
translation of recently found Egyptian
inscription, which represents one OF
Egypt's ancient kings-King Onnos-
transported to the realms of the immor-
tai. study of this sublime realm shows
1t to be nothing more or less than a heav-
emily Egypt, patterned altogether after
the terrestrial Egypt Both men and gods
constitute King Onnos' loving compan-
ions, with whom he keeps UP a lively in
tercourSe. Inc Ure OF the king ID SHOWN
as honored after the early model and his
dwelling house. as well as the furniture.
down even to the chairs and tables, cor
responds with the tastes of the Egyptians
In those prehistoric days Even the meals
of King Onnos are conducted in the home
fashion. The inscription says: HE con-
sumes men and loaves of the gods, for he
is lord of the tributes and inspects the
books thereon"
Prof. Brugsch says that according to
the inscription, the men which served as
food for his majesty were captured by
certain officials whom he appointed The
victims were then examined bound, their
Threats cut and their bodies cleaned
After this they were hewed to pieces and
roasted in pans or boiled in the oven,
The meals of the king took place three
times a day and consisted of the juicy
parts of the poor captives. Here is the
chief portion of the inscription:
"He whose duty It is to take hold of the
hair must capture those destined for the
king. Another whose head has honor ex-
amines them and drags them to the
slaughtering place. The master of chains
binds them He who whets all knives
cuts their threats and cleans the bodies
The butcher cuts them in pieces for the
king and roasts their parts in the pan so
that Onnos might consume their charm
and enjoy their good qualities. The noble
men of the highest rank serve for his