The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-08-25
DIGGING UP GRAVES
OF ANCIENT DAYS
How Our Ghoulisl Arclaeolo.
gists Are Uncarthing Those Of
-Four Thousand Years Ago.
GREAT CEMETERY OF CHE0PS
Discoveries Made for Harvard
College and the Boston Nit
scum.
cairo. July Is. 1909.


r--r1HE most Important archaeological
work now going on in Egypt
is in the hands OF the Amcri-
cans. our scientists are max
ing explorations in Nubin, away
up the Nile,san they are opening up
temples and tombs IN the desert near
Luxor. There lis q rich Yankee. named
Davis, who Is carrying on a series OF
Independent Investigations not far from
old Thcbes He has spent large sums
and has discovered the tombs of sew
eral kings who reigned over 1000 years
ngo. He recently unearthed the mum
my OF Queen Hatachepesct. which IS
now on view in the museum at Cairo,
and he has made many other hnds THIS
past year. I. s.8
Right here, under the shadow Of the
pyramids, two American institutions
have large force of natives at work
and have uncovered cemetery or
the time when the greatest OF the
pyramids was built This cemetery In
cludes the tombs not only of the rich,
but also of the poor. and the relics,
statues and other things found in 1t
enable one to reconstruct the lives OF
those who were buried here now more
than 5000 years ago.
The Cemetery OF Chcops.
When I last visited Egypt, Just after
the assa ssination Of President Garfield.
the sands about the the pyramids were
almost as smooth as those of the sea-
shore ! galloped on my donkey over
them and had no idea that j was
tIamping down innumerable graves.
! walked over the same ground yes
terday, picking my way In and out
through n vast network of half broken
down tornbs. from which the sands had
been shoveled, and climbed across piles
of sun-dried brick which were made
by the Egyptians at the time old King
Chcops lived and rcigned. In one place
] saw gang of half-naked. brown
skinned fellahs shovel!ng the earth
into the cars in which 1t Is carried
far out in the desert, In order to un-
earth the tombs below.
When the work 10 IN full play an
endless chain OF cars of sand moves
across this cemetery. There is q
double track with turntables at each
end, ard the arrangements are such
that the sand can be taken out at
she rate of half ton per minute. For
long time seyenty-two men were
employed, and the result Is that some
most interesting historical material has
been collected. About one-half OF this
Is now here in the museum at Cairo
and the other half has gone to the
Universities OF California and Har-
ward.
Hnrvnrd College and Boston Museum
The excavations which are now being
made near the Great Pyramid are In thu
Interest OF Harvard College and the
Boston Museum. They furnish the
money, and DR., George Reisner, one OF
the most efficient archaelologists OF
the day, has charge OF the work. DR.
Relsner came NO EGYPT about six
years ago ct the head Of the Hearst
expedition. He worked for 1t seyera
years and made valuable exploration:
far up the Nile. He discovered there
the Aint-working camps OF the peopl'
OF the prehistoric period. and he ex
plored quarries which date back to tn
times of the Ptolemies. He also un
earthed the site of large town which
was In existence 1900 years befor,
Christ and excavated a mass of yalua
bic material therefrom. He then cam
,earer Cairo and there uncovered GENE
lcries OF ancient times, which give u
new view Of Egyptian civilization.
It was in connection with the Bosto,
Museum that he began his work a
the pyramids, ana, as 1t Is now carrie
on, the museum gets all CT the ar
discoveries while Harvard receive
everything found bearing upon his
tory and ethnology. It should be sal
that one-half of all that is unearthe
goes to the Egyptian government an
the other half to the United State:
Uncle sam's Successful Gamble.
The story of the allotment of tt
archaeological territory about the Ply
amids is interesting. The sovernmel
was anxious to have the country exc;
waited, and there were three natio,
ready to do the work. Tho three we
Germany, Italy and the United State
Archaeologists representing each {
these countries came here as Its re-
resentatives,s and the whole OF II
Gizeh Pyramid field was turned over
them, with the understanding tn
Egypt was to have half Of the disco
cries. Gs
Then the question came up as to no
the field should be divided. AS 1t w