The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-01-15
BRITISH MUSEUM ADDITIONS.
Valuable Relies From an Early Egyptian
Period Arranged.
hester Guardian.

From the Manchester Guardian.
During the last few weeks a large
number of important additions have
been made To the department. of Egyp-
tian and Assyfian antiquities of the
British museum. These new exhibits
are now arranged in their chronological
order in the galleries and cover a period
of about 1000 years, commencing with
the eighteenth dynasty. about ] 800 b.
e.. and reaching To the Greco Roman
occupation under the Ptolemies.
Among the most interesting Of these
are the so-callel .ka" statues. Of which
four specimens have been added. These
statues were made either of limestone.
red sandstone, granite OF basalt. and
were placed ia the entrance chamber
Of the tarabs If seribes. priests and
court officials. In most cases. especial
~ in the earlier specimens, the dead
man is represented as holding shrine.
upon which is q dedication to Osiris in
scrbed in deeply cut hieroglyphics.
These statues typify certain doctrines
Of the Egyptians concerning the soul.
which. according 10 them had 10 pass
through various transformations until
ii at last became one with the great
judge of the dead, Osiris. During this
period of migration, which lasted some
thousands Of years. the soul, or rather
the spiritual double. was thought To
visit the earth occasionally. This dou-
BILE called in Egyptian "ka.' was the
ego" Of the person. and was thought
10 be distinct from the sba which ap-
proaches more nearly to our word
soul" When the "ka" revisited the
earth If was thought that II would re-
uuire place Of habitaton; the reia-
tives OF the dead therefore made these
figures and placed them in their tombs
so that they might inhabit their own
statues. For this reason many Of Tho
.ka" statues are portraits OF the de-
ceased possibly. it has been Thought. in
order that the ego might know his
own statue.
one 81 the most beautiful Of The four
"ka" statues just exhibited Is that Of
The scribe Nekht-Amsu, who lived
about Loo f. e. 1t Is Of limestone and
represents the scribe kneeling. holding
in front If him a large STEELE. or tablet,
upon which Is inscribed a hymn IL the
sun god These hymns are often found
on relics Of this time and seem to have
been IN favor until a very late period.
The scribe is represented wearing the
usual wig and long tunic Of the Egyp-
tian priests. As was common III the
ease Of funeral statues this one shows
traces ef having been ealofea red and
black but the pigment has almost dis
appeared. Another figure Of a similar
nature that has just been acquired b.
The museum Is that Of the functionary
kaem-t asst. VINO MAS keeper Of the
cattle Of Mn haeperu FL. Fhothmes
~. Il Ine eighteenth dynasty This
statue is also = portrait AMI represents
the dead man holding in front Of him
a tablet upon which i engraved the
ram If III good chuumis and dediea-
f5ou u Amen Ra. Woo Is styled king
II the gods This object II IF black
granite and must hc regarded a. d gem
u5aa work RI art ~ the very best period
~ F.eyutian History TIE other two
statues ara very much damaged hat
from what #aa ne seen thsy APPEAR 81