The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-04-28

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tos, as one of the early settlements IL
the Nile valley-commenced explora'
lions on the site of that city Koptos
was not, however, the only prehistoric
settlement in middle Egypt, where the
early empire grew up. The discoveries
at Ballas and Nakada, on the edge OF
the Lyban desert opposite Koptos. anc
at Abydos, together with those made
last year at Hierakonpolis by Mr. Qui'
bell, show that we can assign a fairly
definite area to the pre-dynastic settle
ments of the Nile valley. They extend
from the Fayum in the north to Kun
el-Ahmar or Hierakonpolis in the south,
and, with the exception of Koptos, are
chiefly found on the fringe of the Lybi-
an desert.
The most important discoveries in this
field have been those of NJ de Morgan
the director of the Gizeh museum at
Nakada, where he has uncovered the
great royal tomb with it's buried treas
ures, which has been identified by M.
Maspero, and most Psychologists, as
the burial place Of Mena or Menes, "the
first of the Pharaohs." 1t would seem
that when once this pre-Pharonc age
had began to yield up its secrets, it did
so in most ungrudging manner, for
the work of NJ Amelineau at Abydos
has resulted in the recovery of several
royal tombs of members Of the first and
second dynasties, and these Of an age
at the latest, of some five thousand
years before the Christian era. The
| discovery of the great royal tomb at Ma
| kada marks now the threshold of Egyp-
tian history, many centuries prior to the
age of Senefru, and yet here we have
numerous and forcible Indications of
vast antiquity, behind even this remote
age, which cannot in reason be placed
later than the fifth or sixth millenia
before the Christian era. Already the
Nile valley was populated by mixed
races, and already the northern and
southern provinces gave to the Pharaohs
the double crown. The tomb of Menes
and its treasures are not the work of
primitive race, or community just
emerging from dark ages of savagery.
1t is the work of a people long used to
building construction, and to the EN-
ployment of the fine arts, and not by
any means isolated from the outer
world. From an anthropological point
of view, the discovery cannot be too
highly estimated.
The building, for it is not rock cut or
excavated, but a royal dwelling place of
the dead, is a parallelogram measuring
fifty-four by twenty-seven meters, or
exactly one hundred cubits by fifty. of
Egyptian measurements proportion
we shall see of considerable Importance.
The orientation is also remarkable, the
angles, not the sides, being turned to the
cardinal points. To the student of
Egyptian archaeology the structure pre-
sents at once non Egyptian character.
The outer walls are embattled at regular
intervals by buttresses, the whole being
constructed of crude brick. The resem-
blance to the massive brick buildings Of
South Chaldea, as shown in the temples
of Tello and Nippur, is most apparent.
This Chaldean connection isconsiderably
confirmed when we consider the proper
lions of the building which are those al
most invariable in Babylona, while the
orientation is that of the Egyptians, as
shown by all buildings except the
stepped pyramid at Sakkara, which be-
longs probably to the pre-dynastic age
The interior arrangements are also
most curious. The buildings may be di-
vided into two portions, the tomb and
the store chambers. Immediately adj |
joining the outer wall are series of six
teen chambers forming gallery round |
the inner chambers. These rooms on
being explored were found to be filled |
with all kinds Of provisions, furniture,
etc, for the deceased. The inner por-
ton or the tomb proper consisted of five
chambers, arranged again in corridor
form-with doors communicating from
the northwest entrance. The center
chamber of this group was the largest,
and evidently the royal burial chamber,
but no portion Of this strange edifice
showed any trace of painting or decora-
tion of any kind-in this we have a re-
semblance to the cold crude brick work
Of Chaldea The most astonishing result
Of the explorations was the revelation
Of the fact that the whole Of this edifice
and it's contents had at remote period
been subjected to a terrible confiagra-
tion which had reduced most things to
4 charred condition, but many objects
had been only partly burned or had es-
capped from it by being covered by other
objects The reason for this 'eXtraordi-
nary destruction has been the subject of
much speculation. 1t is certain that it
.ook place at a remote period prior to
he middle empire, for burias irf the up
Der strata of the mound show no trace
IF burning. II is moreover evident that
ong prior to the Theban age the build
ng had been covered and hidden, as no
race Of any occupants. even as early as
he sixth dynasty, has been found. The
omb must have been closed early for
.ver Was it burnt at the time? M. de
Morgan was of the opinion that the con-
lagration was part of the burial cere-
nonal, but this view he has modified on
he suggestions of Dorpfell and Bor-
hart. Considering the many indica-
ions of similarity to Chaldea, the origi-
lal idea may be- after ALL correct. The
of royal dynastic list from
yhaldea contains the record of certain
,ings having been burned in the palace
# Sargon L. And the recent explora-
ions of DR.. Peters at Nippur, and Herr
Ioldewey, show that fire was used in
Ihaldean burials-where not only the
'ody, but the tomb, was partially 7
urned. The tomb resembles those dis
overed by Amelineau at Abydos, but is
pparently earlier-and as on these latter
lay sealings for Jars of Semti and Mer
au, the fifth and sixth kings of the first