The Coalville times. [volume] (Coalville, Utah) 1894-1923, 1901-03-29

ENpta Oideat MAN
The Egyptian gallery at the Brit
lsb musnm has just come into pos
sesslopof the mummy Of man which
4 may /ell be- the oldest known body
Of siy human being. The facts con-
ce,nng It are briefly summed up in
u following inscription reproduced
from the case containing the mummy
Body Of a man who was buried in
shallow oval grave followed out OF
sandstone on the west bank OF the
Nile. In Upper Egypt Before burial
the body was treated with a prepare
tlon OF bitumen and was arranged in
the posture in which II now lies. on
lis left side, with tho hands before
the face and the knees drawn upnear-
ly on level with the chin. The
grave (which has been roughly iml-
lated by the model here exhlbited)
was covered with slabs Of unworked
stone, and In II beside the body were
disposed flint knives and number
OF vases partly filled with the remains
and dust Of funeral offerings. The
man probably belonged to a fair
skinned. llght-hairod race. which
may be regarded as one OF the aborl-
ginal stocks Of Egypt. whose settle
menst are usually found on the west
bank OF the Nile. The lyle of the flint
implements found In the grave indi-
Gates that the man lived In the later
neollthic period OF Egypt; that Is. in
remote ages long before the rule OF
Menes. the first historical king OF
Egypt" The grave was first seen by
wandering Arab; he reported his
discovery TO British oficiai, who
Immediately sent a couple Of Egypt
ian soldiers to guard II day and night
until Il could be safely removed. The
body Ia not mummy OF the ordinary
historic Egyptian period such as that
OF Rameses H.. the father OF the Pha-
roah OF the Exodus. II was never
bound up In linen or cased In any
painted conn. but was merely coated
with preparation Of bitumen. the
Arabic word for which Is mumia:
hence. our word mummy.
To reach the period when this man
hunted along the banks OF the Nile
Il Is necessary to travel backward In
time through the modern period since
Elizabeth. through medieval Europe.
through the whole history OF Rome
and Greece. past the time OF the ear
Hest mummled king the museum pos.
sesses. past even Menes. the earliest
king TO which Egyptian records make
reference, who according TO Mareitte
ruled about 1904 u. c. Then we ara
among the prehistoric races, one the
conquerors and the other the conquer
ed. out OF which sprang the Egyptian
race OF the earliest dynastles. II II
with these remote stocks that this
man Is connected. Considering the
conditions in which he was found II
IN evident that he was associated
with n late period OF the new stone
age OF Egypt He Is buried In n char
acteristically neolithlo grave 9TH,
graves OF this period are covered with
rude slabs OF stone). and has neolithit
pots and flint implements beside him
II Is curious TO note that certain an
Client Egyptian documents mentor
traditions OF race called the Ire
hennu. who had red hair and blu'
eyes. This man has distinctly auburn
hair. He was buried on the western
shore. In later times every Egyptian
was buried on that side OF the river
and Egyptian models OF the dealt
boats on which the bodies were fer
ried over the stream may DO seen II
the Egyptian gallery.