The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-08-05
GRAVES OF OLD EGYPT
PROF. G. A. REIsNER TALKS OF
WORKS OF HIS EXPEDITION.
Archaeological Excavations for Ben
eft of University of California
Paid for by Mrs. Hearst.

Prof. and Mrs. George A. Reisner arrived
Yesterday from Egypt and will be with
Mrs. Reisner's parents, Mr.. and Mrs. Henry
NJ. Bronson, for a week. They will go TO
California for the remainder of this month
and next and then will return to Egypt,
stopping few days in this city on their
way East This is their first visit home in
three years. Mr.. Reisner has been engaged
in Egypt for FIVE years. He is at the head
Of an archaeological expedition commits
stoned by Mrs. Hearst for the University
of California Mr.. Reisner was born in this
city and was graduated from the Short
ridge High School. He was an instructor
in Harvard for a year, was attached to the
Berlin Museum. then to the Egyptian gov
eminent museum before he took up his
present work.
This expedition is maintained by Mrs.
Hearst at great expense. Professor Reisner
has several colleagues and they are assist
ed by rs natives. The profits of Mrs.
Hearst's investment, in the form OF addi-
ton to the worlds information of prehis-
toric Egyptian civilization, Professor Refs
ner regards as very great. For two
years. said he. I'VE have been working
400 miles south of Cairo, on the edge of the
Eastern desert and in a series of ceme-
teries twelve miles long. These cemeteries
represent every period, from the earliest
prehistoric time. which was about $500
b. &. We shall work in these cemeteries
for another year and then shall decide
whether not TO continue. We never can
tell how much work spot will afford. For
! instance, we came TO a slope covered with
what seemed stone breakers refuse. We
| thought two weeks work on IL would be
enough. Digging into the slope we found a
| gallery Of tombs and we spent year work.
| ing in them.
DONE IN DETAIL.
1.-The record of our work is of minute de-
| tail Every step in the progress of excava-
ton is photographed and drawn and de-
scribed in writing. The written and pic
| tured records refer one to the other by an
| exact system and all the material will be
worked up into the final report of the expe-
Gition which will go TO the University of
| California TO be used in connection with
| the exhibits of specimens of pottery, flint
and bronze work. necklaces and the rest of
| the multiform evidence of the manners of
| the prehistoric Egyptians. We divide with
| the Egyptian government the material we
| turn up and we were so fortunate as TO find
| some gold jewelry, which we exchanged
with the government for its half of the
| large quantity of other matter we had
| taken out.
1--WE adopted a new method when we be-
gan our work at this place. Before, il was
| the habit of expeditions 10 dump into an
| investigated grave the stuff taken out of a
| fresh grave. Instead, we carry the refuse
/ matter away. leaving every grave clean
| The excavation is done very carefully SO
| that the most important point of the grave
| may not be disturbed by the preliminary
! work. When a skeleton is uncovered the
| slightest awkwardness would spoil it. BY
| delicate work and detailed examination we
| have been able TO solve many problems
| one of the most interesting of which is that
| the prehistoric Egyptians were not canni-
| balls. Some bodies are so well preserved
| that We have dissected them and in one ex-
| traOrdinary case we found a mouse that
| the man had eaten. Il had been so little
| masticated that there was no mistakine
| what Ii was. Mice, possibly, formed one
article of the food of those people.
! THE best preserved bodies we find are in
! tombs cut in rock. They have been pre-
| served by the salt in the soil. The flesh is
| shriveled and dry, but often the skin is un-
| broken. By the position in which the
| bodies lie we are able to identify them with
| the dynasties in which they lived. A few
| of them are buried in boxes, but most OF
| them are covered with mats of woveT
| reeds We gather information from the de-
| tails of the posture and from the articles
| found with the bOdies-pots, cloths anklets
| necklaces, scarabs, spear heads, cosmetic
pots. vases and ivory ornaments In g
| coffin with the body of a girl we found q
| small box containing a mesh-veil Those
| people did the finest work in flint that ever
| was done and their carving in ivory was i'm.
| tricate. Often the cosmetic bowls we find
| contain some of the green mineral stair
| with which the face was daubed as a means
| of Identification"