The Savannah morning news., 1903-01-04

In all the history of excavation no
such intensely human story has been
dug out of the forgotten past, says the
Chicago News, as has been brought to
the light of day by the recent work Of
the German Orient Society of Berlin
at the Pyramid of Abusir.
The report of almost a year of ex-
ploration has just been made. 1t is
couched in scientific. matter-of-fact
language. But in it is the whole drama
of life-a tremendous sermon preached
by fallen stones and royal corpses and
the sands of the desert. with mighty
all-conquering Death for their text.
The German professors found a great
king. So great was he that the great
gods, Sechmet, the Lion-headed: Anu
bis, the Jackal-headed. and the Nile
gods are shown bowling before MIN.
Upper and Lower Egypt were his.
When he died men began to build a
vast temple of the dead for him.
Four thousand five hundred years
ago they buried Ne-woser-re, the king.
And the centuries passed, and his tenn
pie, unfinished, disappeared below the
drifting sands. He and his family, his
royal favorite and his high priests be-
came hidden deep below the dwellings
of succeeding kings and priests and
their tombs were piled over all Then
they, too, sank away and were forgot
ten. Others built and died-Egyptian,
Greek and Christian in their turns The
great clock of history still wanted 4
thousand years to the time of the COM
ing of Christ. and Ne-woser-re. the
king, was so utterly lost and forgot
ten that the poorest of the poor were
buried on top of the mounds that hid
his imperial tomb-the tomb which
had been sat by its mighty builders to
defy eternity itself.
And the German professors dug out
n song, too. 1t was deemed to be i'm
mortal when written. So grand did it
seem 2, 400 years ago that a singer in
Egypt had it put into his tomb with
him. 1t is a great roll of papyrus-a
poem by Timotheos clarifying the vic
torious fight of Marathon and almost
certainly the very oldest Greek book
ever found. The poem that made such
a vast stir once has lain under the
Egyptian sands for more than 1000
years, and songs of Marathon have
piled on the dead over the tomb Of
the Egyptian singer
Profs. Borchardt. Voelz and Decker
conducted the work of excavation.
Their first discovery was the forecourt
of the Temple of the Dead. 1t had
been left unfinished. and most of the
beautiful columns that had been COM
pleted had fallen. But two magnificent
pillars were left. In that court yard
was found the partly broken figure of
a lion, grandly propOrtioned and far
beyond life size. It's sculpture is so
fine that the scientists agree that II
was the work of a sculptor of extra
ordinary talent. The head was per-
fectly preserved.
The next discovery was that of re-
liefs depicting some of the most IA
nous Egyptians of that time. whose
names and deeds are mentioned in
many inscriptions found in various
parts of Egypt. There are also de-
pictions of sacrifice One wall paint
ing shows the slaughtering of animals
before the tombs of the great dead
Another portrays tall, beautiful peas
ant women who bear offerings.
The great temple relief of all was
found between the hail of columns and
the holy of holes. 1t shows the King
himself with apron and lions tail as
insignia of his high rank. He wears
a headdress of feathers and horns, the
mark of a god. The jackal-headed god
Anubis steps toward him, bringing him
the sign of life.
In a smaller relief Ne-woser-re is
pictured with raised club staying a
group of men whom he holds by their
hair.
In digging out the chamber of stat
ues the explorers Unexpectedly came
upon a splendid painting. 1t was in
tended to show a door set into the solid
wall. The colors. laid on by hands and
brushes of which there has been nc
vestige left on earth for 1000 years