The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-12-29
EGYPT's OLDEST NAV.
\ New Mummy at the Briash Ma-r-
am Preserved From Prehistoric
Time.

From The sphere
The Egyptian Gallery a. the British
Museuf has Just come into possession Of
the mummy Of a man which may well be
the oldest known body o. any human be-
Ing The facts concerning e are briefly
summed up in the following inscription
reproduced from the case containing the
mummy
Body Of mon who was buried IN a
shallow oval grave followed out OF sand
stone on the west bank Of the Nile in
Upper Egypt Before burial the body
was treated with a preparation Of btu
men and was arranged IN che posture In
which &; nov hes or IT. left sis.= =!ss
the hands before the face and the knees
drawn up nearly on a level with the chin.
The grave (which has been roughly Inn
satcd by the model here exhibited was
covered with slabs OF mnworked stone,
and in u beside the body were disposed
fiint knives and number 81 vases partly
filled with the remains and dust Of funcr-
al offerings The man probably belonged
TO n fair skinned light hafFesi race. which
may be regarded az one 81 che aboriginal
stocks OF Egypf. whose settlements are
usually found on the west bank 81 the
Nne The style OF the flint implements
found IN the grave indicates that the man
lived in che later neolthic period 81
Egypt that b. In remote ages long be-
fore the rule 81 Menes the irst historical
King % Egypt"
Tho grave was first seen by a wandering
Arab. ha reported his discovery 20
British officiai who Immediately sent
couplo OF Egyptian soldiers 10 guard u
day and night until IL could BE- safely re-
moved The body b. not mummy o.
the ordinary historic Egyptian period such
a. that Of Rameses ~. the father 81 the
Pharaoh OF the Exodus. II was never
bound up ~ linen or cased In any painted
coffin but was merely coated with n prep
aratlon % bltumen she Arabic word for
which b. muml8: hence our word mummy.
To reach the period when this man hunt
"a along the banks Of che Nile II ~ neccs-
sarv b travel backward iu tsuo through
the modern period since Elizabeth,
through Medieval Europe. through the
whole history % Rome and Greece. past
,he cline 81 the earliest mummied king
the museum possesses past even Mcnes.
tbe earliest king 10 which Egyptian rec
or.la make reference. who. according 70
Marlrtte ruled about 5Q0i y. q. Then We
are among two prehistoric races. one the
oonquarors aud the other che conquered,
out OF which Epfsug the Egyptian race
OF the earliest dynastles IL Us win
these remote STOCKS AHAt TINS man - 'hH-
ucctsd Considering the conditions In
which be VAS found II Is evident that he
Wa associated wlths late period 81 the
neW stone Age 81 Exypt-
He d buried ~ a cnaraciefistically neo-
Hfhir grave tthe graves 81 iris f'criod are
covered with rude slabs 81 stonel and has
nsoiithic pots and Mint implements beside
him. They are ike other noolithic pots
and ohippod flint weapons ana knives
fourd in other parts OF the world. Tho
nne thin flint knives were perhaps piac1i
iu the grave as par of n funeral ritual
They should be compared with che Esyp-
fian iilnts in the prehistoric section %
inc museum. they are almost rieniicll
with those found in tae grave. There o.,
a. course no inscription % any kind un
49, ...fa knives or grave. all having hnen
made long before the invention Of writ
Ter Language. n is curious 20 note thnt
certain ancient Egyptian documents men
sgon traditions 81 race called the Ire
haunu. who had rcd hair and blue eyes.
rl,ls man has distinctly auburn hair. Ne
49, buried on the western shore. In
later times every Egyptian was buried on
that side OF che river. and Egyptian mod
els OF the death boats on which the
Bodies were ferried over tbs stream may
ke seen in the Egyptian Gallery.