The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-07-28
WORLDS OLDEST JEwELRY.
Beautiful Prehistoric Objects d'Art
Exhibited i'm London.
From the London Telegraph.

From the London Telegraph.
To antiquarians there are few more
interesting exhibitions than those of
the Egypt Exploration Fund, which it
has been the custom of some years
past to hold throught the month of
July at University College, Cover
street. 1t is safe to predict, however,
that the display to be opened to-day
will attract a wider interest, especially
among ladies, than any that has pre-
vtously taken place, for the patient re-
searches carried on during the past
season have brought to light by far the
oldest examples of jewelry known to
exist, and the specimens of the gold
smiths craft to be seen are many hun
dreds of years earlier than any previ-
ously found. The Investigations of
1S99-1900 placed Psychologists in pos
session OF full knowledge not only of
the Kings of the First Dynasty, APP
proXimately AIS to ASIA b. c., but re-
vealed also many mysteries of an even
DINNER and more distant past con-
nected with The Ten Kings Before
Menes." These latest researches have
thrown much fuller light upon the pre-
historic period, and Mr.. Maciver, who
has explored two large cemeteries at
Ell Amrah is able to state that one of
them, belonging to the first half of
that remote age. and the second, ex-
tending from the earliest period down
to the First Dynasty, bridge an inter
val concerning which there has hither-
to been only the most shadowy spec
ulation.
AS usual at these exhibitions, a
clear and concise catalogue is availa-
BILE, and the least learned is enabled to
enjoy intelligently these wondrous
relics that time has spared So pre-
cious, however, are the bracelets found
on the mummy of the Queen of Ter at
FL Mehesna, that the authorities of the
museum at Cairo would not permit
them to be brought to England, and
the London visitor must rest with eX-
act models of them. There are four
in ALL the first consisting of a row of
facades with the royal hawk alternate
ly of gold and turquois. The second
has a gold center piece copied from
the center of a lotus flower, having on
each side q group of turquois and
large ball amethyst. Who shall, indeed,
tell the true story of Queens
love, for cunningly interviewer into
the back are strands of human hair
and gold thread, set with turquois and
amethyst? The third is of gold, lapis
lazuli, and turquois beads, and the last
is of hour glass shaped gold and anne
thyst beads. Expert examination has
been made of them, and proves that
each bead has its particular place in
the scheme, and that the soldering of
the gold is technically perfect, showing
no trace of excess or difference of color.
But if these are only fac SMILES,
there are other treasures hardly less
marvellous which are the actual objects.
There is a scepter that was the SYM
boil of King Khasekhemui's might and
majesty-a slender copper rod, over
which pieced cylinders of sard or cor
nelian have been strung beadwise,
united by broad and heavy gold bands.
Looking at it one could not fail to re-
call that some thousands of years later
the sardius found place in the first row
of stones of the breastplate of Aaron,
the High Priest. Five exquisite little
vases in polished comedian and dolo-
mite marble, with lids of hammered
gold, from the same monarch's tomb.
are polished as daintily as when they
were made, though every event record
ed in human history has taken place
since they left the artificer's hands.
And hardly less remarkable are the
FL Amrah of prehistoric pottery,
pottery, dolls with curly black hair,
and rude models in clay of oxen and
other animals. 1t needed, perhaps, only
one other discovery to link the eter-
nal truths with to-day, and that was
found in the tomb of a young girl,
probably the daughter of Mena, the
founder of Memphis, whose simple in
scription ran that she was Sweet of
heart" No woman could desire more
beautiful epitaph, to endure for over
5000 years. Vases in pottery and ala
baster, graceful of form and shape, are
abundant, and there are strings of
beads that will send modern collectors
almost frantic with envious desire of
possession.
Coming down to a rather later day
are some noteworthy blue glazed cups
of Iotus-like form. The excavations at
Abydos and the district are now prac-
tically complete, and fact that makes
the discoveries which form this re-
markable exhibition yet more notable
is that the ground has been examined
before In concluding his report Prof.
Flinders Petrie draws attention to the
careless manner in which previous eX-
plorations were carried on, and COM
ments on 1.-THE large amount of materi-
al and the most important history
which had been cast aside in the ordi-
nary mode of working a site, Which
was then pronounced exhausted we
see the absolute necessity of systematic
work with trained workmen encour-
aged by rewards to observe and take
care of all that can be found. With
out such work we should never have
traced the history of the earliest dy-
nasties as we now have succeeded in
doing"