Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1906-06-01
YEARS AT REST
BODY OF ANCIENT EGYPTIAN
MANY CENTURIES OLD.
Remains Of Prehistoric Man, Who
Must Have Lived Ages Before
Christ, Have Finally Found Place
in British Museum.

The Oldest known body of any hu.
man being rcposcs in the Egyptian
gallery OF the British museum. All
that is known concerning II is taken
from the Inscription which was founi
on the case containing the mummy.
This says: BODY of Il mar 10 was
buried In a shallow grave -llowed
out Of The sandstone in the vest bank
OF the Nile in upper Egypt. Before
burial the body was treated with 4
preparation of bitumcu and was mr..
ranged in the posture in which II now
lies, on its left side. with the hands
before the face and the knees drawn
up nearly on a level with the chin.
The grave, which has been roughly
initiated by the model here exhibited,
was covered with the slabs of un.
worked stone, and in It. beside the
body, were disposed flint knives and
Il numbe of vases, partly filled with
the remains of funeral offerings. The
man probably belonged to n fair
skinned, light haired race. which may
be regarded as one of the aboriginal
stocks OF Egypt, whose settlements
were usually found on the west bank
of the Nile. The style OF the flint in.
rumcn found in the grave Indicates
that the men lived in the later nco-
lithic period of Egypt; that is. in re.
mote ages. long before the rule OF
MoncS, the first historical king OF
Egypt"
y wandering Arab was the first one
to see this grave and he reported his
Il TO Il British official. who immcdi-
atcly sent Il couple OF soldiers 10 guard
II day and night. The body is not Il
mummy of the ordinary historic Egyp-
tian period, such as Ramescs. the
father Of the Pharaoh of the Exodus.
Il was never bound up In linen or
cascd in Il painted colin. but was
merely coated with a preparation OF
bl;umcn, called by the Arabic word
mumia, hence our word mummy.
This man must have hunted along
the banks al the Nile before the time
OF the earliest mummicd king which
the museums posscss-bcfOrc the time
OF Mcncs. who was suppose! To have
ruled Egypt about 5OOi T.. c. There
rcrc previous To that time two pre-
historic aces. one the and
the other the conquered, from which
spranE the Egyptian race Of the
earliest dynastics. 1t Is with these
remote stocks that this man has to do.
Considering the condition in which
he was !ound Il Is evident that he was
associated with a late period Of the
new stone age OF Egypt. lie was
buried In a enthusiastically ncOlithIc
grave and has uculithic pots and
Instruments Of flint about him. They
ar" like all other nColilhic pots and
Clipped flint weapons and knives
found in other parts OF the world. The
fine, thin flint knives were placed In
Ia" grave as It part of the funeral
ritual. They should be compared
with Egyptian 1ints Of n known his.
tOTic age. and they will be found 10 be
almost identical with them. There
Is, Of course, no Inscription Of any
kind on the pots. knives or raves
a! having boom made long before the
invocation Of any written l~ancuarc.
Certain Egyptian documents OF great
antiquity mention Il race called the
Tr"nncnnu, who had red hair ana blue
eyes. This man hes hair OF a d~istinc;
auburn shade.