The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-08

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peoples whom they found there. Prof.
Breasted says that the earliest strata OF the
Egyptian language now accessible to US
betray the composite origin. While still
colored by it's African anteoedents-north
African and east African-the language
is in structure Semitic. 1t is, moreover, as
observed in the earliest preserved exam
pies Of 1t, a completed product. The fuslon
however, Of the Libyans and East Africans
with the Nile valley peoples continued iar
into historic times, and in the case OF the
Libyans may be traced In ncien histori-
cal documents for three thousand years or
more.
The first Semitic immigration from Asia,
subsequent examples Of which are en-
countered in the historic age, occurred In
an epoch hat lies far below our remotest
historical horizon. Our author thinks that
we shall never be able to determine when,
nor with certainty through what channel,
it took place, although in his opinion the
most probable route was that along which
We may remark similar influxes from the
deserts Of Arabia in historic times, namely,
the Isthmus of Suez, by which the Mohamme-
dan invasion entered the country In the
seventh century Of our era. While the
Semitic language, which the earliest emf
grants from the East brought with them,
left it's indelible impress upon the old MIC
valley people, the nomadic life Of the desert
which the newcomers had left behind them
was evidently not 80 persistent, ana the
religion Of Egypt, hat element OF Life whlcn
always receives the stamp Of its environ"
ment, shows no trac e OF desert experience.
The affinities observable in the language
are confirmed in the case Of the Libyans
by the surviving products Of archaic eivili-
cation in the Nile valley, such as some OF
the early pottery, which closely resembles
that still made by the Libyan Kabyles.
Moreover, the representations Of the early
Puntites, or Somali peoples, on the Egyptian
monuments show striking resemblance TO
the Egyptians themselves. On the other
hand, the examination Of the bodies ex-
humed from archaic burial places IN the
Nile valley. which it was hoped might
bring further evidence for the settlement Of
the problem, has produced such diversity Of
opinion among physical anthropologists as
to render 1t impossible to obtain decisive
results from their researches. All we can
say Is that the conclusion once maintained
by some historians, that the primeval Egyp-
tan was OF African negro origin, Is now
refuted, although, In addition to the other
ethnic elements above mentioned, he may
have been slightly tinctured with negro
blood.
So far as a deduction may be drawn
from the earliest burial grounds recently
uncovered, the ~pre-dynastio Egyptians,
that is 10 say, the Egyptians who preceded
the first dynasty, founded by Menes,
which reigned over both Upper and Lower
Egypt, were a dark haired people, already
possessed Of the rudiments Of civilization.
The men wore a skin over h shoulders,
sometimes skin drawers, and again only a
short white linen kilt; while the women
were clothed in long garments OF some tex
tile, probably linen, reaching from the
shoulders to the ankle. Statuettes OF both
sexes without any clothing whatever are,
however, very common. Sandals were not
unknown. The people occasionally tattooed
their bodies, and they also wrought orna-
ments, such as rings, bracelets and PEN
dants Of stones, ivory and bone, together
with beads Of flint, quartz, carnelian, agate
and the like. The women dressed their
hair with ornamented ivory combs and
pins. For the eye paint and face paint
which they used for the toilet they had
~palettes Of carved slate, or which a green
color was ground. The men were able
to build dwellings Of waffle, sometimes
sneared with mud, and probably later Of
sun dried brick. Prof. Breasted shows that
in the furnishing Of these houses the pre-
historic Egyptians displayed considerable
mechanical skill and a rudimentary artistic
taste. They ate with ivory spoons, m
times richly carved with figures Of animals
in the round. Although the potter's wheel
was at first unknown to them, they even
tually acquired it and came to produce fine
pottery Of the most varied forms in vast
quantity.
The museums of Europe and Africa are
now filled with their polished red and black
ware, or a variety with incised geometrical
dc sign, sometimes in basket patterns,
while another kind OF ware is painted with
rude representations Of boats, men, animals,
birds, fish or trees. Although, unlike the
historical Egyptians, they made no objects
Of glass, they understood the art Of glazing
beads, plaques and the like. Crude STATUE
cites in wood, ivory or stone represent the
beginnings Of that plastic art which was
to achieve such triumphs In the carly dynas-
tic age; and three large stone statues, found
by Petrie at Coptos, display the rude
strength of the pre-dynastic civilization to
which we are here referring. The art Of
the prolific potter gave way slowly to that
Of the artifcer in stone, who finally pro-
duoed excellent stone vessels, which he
gradually improved toward the end Of the
~pre-dynastic period, when the bowls and
Jars wrought out OF the hardest stones
display admirable work. Our author adds
hat the most cunningly wrought fints that
have ever been found among any people
belong to this pre-dynastic age. The makers
were ultimately able to afix carved ivory
hats and with equal skill they put together
stone and flint axes, flint headed fish spears
and the like. Side by side with such weapons
and implements they also produced weapons
| and implements Of copper. Gold, silver
! and lead, though rare, were in Use.
Dwelling, as they did, in the fruitful Nile
valley, we cannot think Of the pre-dynastio
Egyptians as other than a people chiefly
agricultural. Those early men, however,
we're hunters and fishermen, as well as
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