The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-08-11

or whether they were an early wave OF pure
Northern blood. The discoveries In Crete,
nevertheless, by show ing that the first
Egean civilization derived it, inspiration
from an island and not the mainland. have,
IA Prof. Burrows undertakes TO prove in
his tenth and eleventh chapters. brought
along with them one result. They have made
IL more than ever doubtful whether all parts
OF the Egean world were ~permeated and
made Greek" az the same date or in the
same manner.
We have seen that, as a whole. Minoan
civilization was a native growth, rooted
in the soil. and only Oriental in the sense
that Crete itself was an integral part OF the
Fast. Must we then recognize no lndo-
European elements in the main current OF
Minosn civilization Or ia il possible that
the Minoan culture, for our knowledge OF
the existence OF which we are mainly in
debted TO MIR. Evans's discoveries. was OF
mixed origin. and that early in its history
IL had obligations to the North as well as
to the South and East? Evidently language,
which has proved an inefficient guide even
for the end Of the Bronze Age. near which
time the sack Of Knossos is supposed 20
have occurred. will fail us when we try TO
push still further back. We must turn to
physical characteristics and ask II we can
tell anything from the type OF the people
that we see represented On the monuments
and from the measurements Of the six ulls
M in their tombs. Here We are re-
minded hat the methods OF the old
anthropometry are at present out OF
fashion. II is no longer generally adj
mitted that you can sun up the racial
differences between human beings simply
by measuring the length and the breadth
OF their ak ulls. On the one hand IL In
insisted hat the curve Of the skull. the
question whether il is ovoid or ellipsoid
or cuboid. is Of quite as much Importance
as the point OF ratio Of length to breadth,
while on the other hand it is suggested
that the ratio of length 10 breadth may be
altered within the lifetime Of a race by
change OF food. That Is to say, heavy food.
acting as a weight on the jaw. can make a
skull dolicooephalic. While light food can
do the reverse. A similar doubt prevails
concerning the correctness of DR.. d
views OF color. His theory il that the color
OF a race is not persistent through long peri
ODDS IL the environment be changed, and that
dark races becomeblond in cold climate mi
blond races dark in warm. The objection
to this hypothesis is that the dark skinned.
dark haired population Of Wales and the
west OF Ireland is without doubt a survival
that has persisted from the earliest times
in defiance Of climate. and is even now in
creasing it's area at the expense OF the in
trusive blends. though the latter. on DR..
Beddoe's theory, ought clearly to have pre-
vailed over il.
The theories about skull measurements
and change Of complexion would be dam
aging only to a record that is uniform.
At the present time the modern population
Of the mainland Of Greece is long headed.
and that OF Crete broad headed. All the
evidence forthcoming, however. as to
prehistoric Crete points 10 the fact that
from the beginning OF the Bronze Age long
headed and broad headed people lived
side by side. The evidence OF skull measure
ment as to an early mixture Of race in Crete
is confirmed by a curious feature observed
in the sepulchres OF the cemetery OF Zafer
Papours, near Knossos. These include
square chambered tombs; shaft graves,
such as We are familiar with on the My
cenaan mainland; and pit caves, such as
are found in Cyprus. Syria, Tunis, Sicily
oio "a Atoiys thhOt SlbotSo vi
graves at Zafer Papoura do not mark diff
ferent stages OF culture. They are contem-
porary, and are all found in the earliest
phase Of the cemetery. that dates from the
Late Minoan ii. period. 1t IL a fair inference
hat at that epoch three peoples. respec-
lively practising different modes of burial,
were dwelling together on the northern
coast Of Crete. That there were wander
.-.. - .Ax,lo. l., th> J,-x oo,,.~.~. A..
mark the close Of the Neolithic A 20 is indeed
certain. II was about that time that the
first Semites were passing up to the north
east, to impose their language upon the
Sumerian civilization Of Mesopotamia, and
the latest discoveries in pre-dynastic Egypt
indicate that in It too there were movements
from the southeast and the southwest.
We can learn nothing. therefore, from
skull measurements, or from any specific
difference in the mode of interment as to
whether Minoan civilization owed any
thing to the North. Is anything to be
learned from b type Of figure repre-
sented on the monuments or from manner
Of life as we see it reproduced in art At
tention is drawn to the narrow Minoan
waist, which as depicted on the monu-
ments is so characteristic that even the
fnaTaonlc Egyptlans recognized the TACT.
Prof. Burrows feels assured that the narrow
waist is in origin only an artistic conven-
ton. In fully developed Minoan art it
was in all likelihood used to give an impress
sion Of combined strength and agility and
1t is certainly successful in doing so. OF
course the small wasted figures look tall, |
but we have no definite means Of deter
mining the height Of the Minoans and can
not therefore claim or this score any evil !
dence as to the infusion Ct Northern blood
before the end Of the Late Minoan III. period. |
The appearance. however. Of a leaf shaped
cutting sword. broader at the centre OF the |
blade than at either end, on the inventory
clay tablets Of Late Minoan ii. might be
claimed as proof Of Northern influence
but for the fact hat no actual sword of
this type occurs among the two long swords
n six short swords found at Zafor Pa |
poura, nor is 1t the type Of sword carried
on the Late Minoan /. -Chieftain" vase. Its
appearance, therefore. on the inventory
clay tablets may mean nothing but that il
was a detached prize Of commercial enter |
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