The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-24
THE STONE AGE IN EGYPT.
prOoF mar IT PRECEDED ONE OF
BRONZE As ~ EUROPE


tinu,ties Mt tho London FNhibition-Ths
pIuIoratiuns Made In Pnlsstine-Mrs.
H..nut's Expanded Consciousness"
toypoS. July l5.-The exhibition 81 Egyptian
.r,i,,itirs at University College this year Is
moro than usually Interesting making several
Ji.,,rr, additions to our Knowledge ot ancient
ry,, The evidence collected during the last
law yr,rs 1hundantly proves TINT. in Egypt. as
4, lyrrrn a stone ago preceded ono of
hror7. rnicly Clipped flint weapons.
Identical with the palTolthie weapons found
n Lurclr. having been discovered in
rl,r,y. These have generally been found
n Tgyrt on tho desert upland. some
hundred. Of feet above sea level. But In this
exhibition are two specimens. found last win
%, ny Prof Flinders Petrie. which have an
iuport.nt bearing on the physical history Of
,Lo Nile Valley. Both were picked up in a
ANAL latera. valley not much higher than the
r-oscnt lowell Of the Milo. Their chiprod edges
NJ. sharp: they have not been rolled in a
.,r.nr,. 50 they must have beer dropped
nearly where 'hcy were found. Hence It APP
ncars that the broader outlines Of the Nile VAL
lev have changed little during several thou
sands Of years.
interesting discoveries have also been made
,s'O the art ard workmanship OF the later por-
tion Of the stone age There are in the exhibit
utensils made by the neolithic people showing
a marked contrast to those made by the ralec-
olthic The workmanship Is often wonderful
the fakes defining the broad. FIAT knives meet-
ing in the middle with remarkable accuracy.
There are axes. dagEers and sundry weapons
OF other kinds OF stone. often very similar to
those found in Europe. besides wooden bows
md Nint-heaicd arrows: but even moro re-
n,arksblc arc the vases. Many are made OF
stone: they are beautifully finished and very
graceful in design. Two or three different
shapes predominatc: one. rather tall vase.
recalling a shape still retained in Breton
pottery. with very small handles; another.
fatter AMI with n neck narrow In pro-
rortion: while third is more saucer-like.
The curves seem 10 DO as accurate as though
lathe hal been used yet Prof Petrie has no
DOUBT that all are hand made. Various ma
t.rias are employed, some being COMPARE
lively soft. such as alsbaster. limestone or ssr-
rentinc; others very hard, such as porphyries
and diorite. Beauty Of color has been consd-
cred as wei rs grace OF form. several vases
being very remarkable in this resrect. Tho
pottery is light in color. with ornamentation
rldey painted In n dull red. This sometimes
Is merely pattern. at others boat Is repre-
eented. or animals. the designs now and again
suggesting that here we have tho original
In Rhodes
One OF the most important results Of the
years work has been the discovery OF the
Libyan settlements in Egypt, the date OF which
is about 2iOO b. c.. toward the close OF the
twelfth dynasty. For somc time pottery and
other relics have been turning up. which.
though believed to be about that age. did not
correspond with the ordinary Egyptian work.
Last winter. In examining a cemetery contain
Ing over n hundred gnves. these objects
have been found abundanty The method
g. interment was peculiar, the bodies be-
ing buried in a contracted position in
graves about four feet across and two
deep on which account the professor calls
them the Pan grave people. Tho pottery was
generally placed at the edge Of the grave. and
It bears much closer resemblance to the pre-
historic types than to that which was generally
used in Egypt from the twelfth to the four
teenth dynasty. Besides the pottery skulls Of
goats and oIen were numerous. These were
painted with rcd and black spots. tho back
part being cut away so that they might be sus-
pended again st wall.
Other relies found last winter help to Illus
trate the progress o. metallurgy. The casting
otcoppcr- apparently the making OF bronze
was known in prehistoric times. but q couple
Of rude vases OF hammered copper have been
Dynasty. thus showing tina, even then no great
skill had been attained in metal working.
These discoveries. together with those
OF the last two or three years. have
practically opened another volume Of Egyp-
tan history. They indicate the growth
OF Indigenous arts and the gradual passage
from an age az stone. when much skill was
shown In dealing with intractable materials.
to the better known one Of bronze. They
provo that, at very early date. gold was used
for ornamental purposes. with pear!-shell.
amethyst, agate. and lanis-lazuli. Thus the
history Of an early civilization in Egypt-per-
haps the most ancient in the world-has been
discovered and the hints which 1t affords may
illuminate the dark places OF other countries
Among other miscellaneous discoveries Of
lrot Petrie is shown dagger which belonged
TO hing Sua2ema. the blade OF which Ia bronco
and the handle ivory. with silver rosettes: a
striking find too. is plaster mask OF a face.
Inside the coilin which Was ornamented with
this mask. skull was found. which SO exactly
hts THIS mask that 1t must he an excellent like
ness
Equally interesting are some drawings cop
led from a prehistoric tomb at Hierakopois
ny Mr. F. ". Green. The originals have been
delayed in transit, but the drawings are excel
lent and throw much light on the life OF the
wearing. apparently. coats OF skin. which may
De made to serve as shields. Roats are being
lowed. and hunting scenes arc frequent-lead-
ing us TO infer that some OF the antelopes now
restricted TO Southern Africa then ranged
much further to tho north. Among other GU
.ositIes OF these prehistoric Egyptians arc
Nclres IN clay. stone. ivory and wood. often
very quaint, the most interesting being a
ooN OF the last named material. fitted with
aremovab.e wig.
Inc new field selected for excavation by the
committee Of the Palestine Exploration Fund
promises to be- exceptionally fertile. The fir
man granted by the Turkish Government al
IoNea an area Of ten square Kilometres and
tne region marked out for the operations is on
tne hor'"rs NJ Phllista. in what the Bible calls
.ne Sh"rh"Iah. or Low Country. 1t was found
u " lhr'" promising sites for excavation-viz..
I'I ~ 1ed"h. Tell Zakarlya and Tell-es-Shf-
""'' De brought within the limits OF the per-
N w. IN oct PC last work was begun at Tell
E"@arsya by DR.. Bliss and Mr.. Macalster