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


Startling Evidences Brought to
Light In Ancient Egypts Tombs
by Prcfs. Petrie and Brugsch-
Royal Human flesh as a kingly
Dish-Mutilated Remains Taken
From $50 Tombs Opened by the
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. That Egyp-
tians Used Human Flesh as Food.
One of the most surprising discoveries
of the century has just been made by
Prof. w. M. Flinders Petrie, the great
Egyptian excavator He has found that
the Pharaohs who built the pyramids and
their predecessors were cannibais-that
this wonderful people, who erected the
most splendid temples and the most
colossal monuments, and who possessed
civilization that astonished the interven-
ing ages. ate the bodies of their dead. He
has opened 100 tombs. says the New
York Herald, and from them taken many
of the mutilated remains of the victims
of cannibalism. Prof. Heinrich Brugsch,
continuing the study and investigation,
| adds his opinion that the ancient Egyp-
| tians were maneaters of the worst kind,
and brings forward conclusive evidence
showing that they not only offered up
used the flesh of human beings as food.
| For ages the ancient Egypt that has
| faded in the past has been looked upon as
| typifying in the highest degree the most
advanced stage of ancient civilization of
which the world has any record. No
| other race before or since has built such
mighty structures or undertaken works OF
| such stupendous magnitude. Many of the
works they accomplished still stand as
monuments to their departed glory and
| tell of a civilization in many respects far
| beyond the dreams even of our own age.
| And now to discover, after all these
centuries, that this noble people were
cannibals is to produce a jar that will
vibrate throughout the world To think
of these people, with their highly devel-
opeu artistic sense and keen appreciation
| of the beautiful, eating human flesh Is
| almost beyond conception. Yet such Is
the discovery made by Prof w. M. Film
! ders Petrie, the greatest Psychologist and
excavator of the present day.
| During the last seasons work in Egypt
he excavated at Deshasheh and unearthed
an ancient cemetery, dating back about
$500 B. c., in which he opened over one
| $50 heretofore unknown tombs, and from
| them took the mutilated remains of many
of the victims of this cannibalistic creed
bodies from which the flesh had been re-
| moved before burial, after which the
bones had been wrapped in mummy cloth
and carefully laid away. They were
| found in all postions-some even minus
certain portions that had been either de-
stroyed or lost during the horrible cere-
| mony.
In what age did this custom prevail?
Prof. Petrie places 1t at the time of the
| Pharaohs, who built the Pyramids, and
| their predecessors. And what was the
motive for this uncanny custom? He
| says, ito bestow upon the one who ate
the flesh all the intelligence, knowledge
ND Of thn fan
| Thus the eating of human flesh as prac-
ticed by these ancient Egyptians and
their prehistoric ancestors was not done
for the purpose of nourishment, but ito
| increase the eaters own intellectual pow
ers and capacities at the expense of the
victims devoured" For they undoubtedly
held the belief that the best qualities of a
| person eaten would pass into their own
forms and thus to their own capabilities
add all the virtues and accomplishments
of the person consumed.
Before this startling find no such bar
barrie custom was ever dreamed of in
connection with this people, but the proof
is now SO abundant that there can be lit
tie doubt that the grewsome rite was
practiced by them through many centu-
riea Regarding the finding of these
bodies and his discovery of cannibalism
as existing among this ancient people,
Prof. Petrie says:
| I'm clearing a group of early tombs of
about $500 B. c., near the village of Des-
hasheh, sixty miles south Of Cairo, the
first burial that 1 found was all of loose
bones, huddled into a hollow in the rock,
with the skull lying on the top. I natu-
rally set this down as barbaric and could
not suppose that 1t had anything to do
with the supremely skillful and refined
Egyptians of that age. But the next
tomb was puzzle which no ordinary as
sumptions could explain.
HVVa found IN the hillside q larQa mass
of blocks of stone, wedged together and
cemented by ages into a solid mass When
these were cut away and a passage into
the rock was opened, it was found to be
again blocked, further in, with other
great stones When these were cleared
fair sized chamber in the rock was
reached, in which stood a wooden coffin.
Inside it lay, at full length, the body OF
a man, carefully swathed in linen, and
began removing the bones to preserve
them. To my great surprise found that
the hands were cut off and laid upon the
chest, though the arms were down the
side. Next l found the knee caps had
been taken out and were laid a little
lower down upon the body. And then the
feet were found lying upon the stomach,
while the legs-footless-were stretched
out at length below.
Here was evidently a wealthy burial
in costly rock chamber, very carefully
concealed and certainly never before dis
turbed. Yet, with much apparent care
and detail parts of the body had been
cut off and placed in special and inten-
tional positions. The next chamber was
yet more strange The door of it, open
ing from the first chamber, was blocked
with stones and mortar. Inside was an
other wooden coffin and another swathed
body in it, 1t was that of a woman
The spine had been cut away and inverted
in one block; one foot and knee cap was
between the hips; each arm had one OF
the two bones of the forearm cut away
and placed by the side of the upper arm
and there were no hands upon the arms
Here there had been considerable mutt.
lation of the body, which was then re-
arranged, somewhat out of order. And
this again in costly tomb where the re-
mains Cor rather what was left of them
had been buried with every care AND
honor.
Clearly / saw that we had not to dc
with merely stray barbarians, but with
people who followed all the regular Egyp.
tian usages, after having. more or less
dissected the body. Out of the thirty-siz
bodies thus brought to view, fourteen, oil
nearly half, had been more or less cut
up, and they were found in all parts Of
the ancient cemetery extending over hall
q mile. Many of the thus dissected bodies
were those of women.
About half the bodies were buried In
wooden collins. The rest were merely laid