The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-08
From the Boston Globe.


 I(p1 cient Egypt, has interested archaeologists for many yeasr because of the romance and mystery connected with its history. This an cient city had kings, traces of whose tombs are now being found, but noth- ing historically was known of it until the time of Menes, the king whom Herod- otus was told brought all the ht- tie kingdoms of Egypt into a single great one and built his capital at Memphis.
 All archaeologists will be interested in a lecture just delivered by Prof. Flinders Petrie at the University college upon the work of the British school of archae- ology during the last season in Egypt. Owing to the inundation it was not pos sible to begin at once work at Memphis so hills in valleys lying north of Thebes and the great cemetery of Qurneh were examined Here the cemetery of the eleventh dynasty was cleared and an in scription showing the power of these kings to have extended considerable distance to the north was found.
 On the top of lofty hill over 1900 feet above the plain were found the ruins of a curious brick temple of kind quite unknown. It appears to have been the Osiris tempple of Sankh-ka-ra, the last king of that dynasty. It must have been a tremendous undertaking to bring bricks and stones up to such height. In an adjacent valley was a fine undis- turbed tomb of the seventeenth dynasty B. C.. 1700.
 In the tomb were a number of vases, slung in strong network, of beautiful design, so as to be carried on shoulder yoke-beautiful baskets and bags of string work such as never before have been found were discovered. Chairs also had neatly patterned seats of string. The body in the coffin was wrapped in IA different kinds of linen, the face gilt, and the wig of blue and gold-evidently a person of some importance, but no inscription was found on the coffin. There was gold collar of peculiar work, con- sistfng of a number of small rings round the neck, and weighing about three ounces, bangles of gold on the arms, and a beautiful electrum girdle of beads and links of Nubian design around the waist In the cemetery were found two fine black granite statues of officials of Thothmes H. The faces are beautifully carved.
 As soon as the inundation had sub sided, and the site became sufficiently dry Professor Petrie commenced work on the site of the city The mound was 60 feet high, and after excavating a little over 10 feet the remains of a large edifice, about 400 feet by 200 feet square, was discovered. The building proved to be the palace of Uahab-Ra, the Pha- raoh Hophra of the Bible (B. c. 590) against whom Jeremiah directs some of ! his anathemas (44-29.
 The palace was enclosed by a forti- fled group of buildings leading to the offices, and kitchens In which fireplaces and ovens were found. The entrance way was over IS feet wide. and the walls of brick had a stone dado round. The most striking features were two great covered court yards. The remains of pillars with lotus capitals show that the pillars must have been over 500 feet high, while even the small apartments were | over ~ lCo4 hi5h. ihSihoiiS OA eiiS SASNi | roof were found, and some of the beams were inscribed with the name and titles | of Hophra.
 This is the first Egyptian palace yet l discovered. The ruins of a great gate I way over 20 feet high and seven feet wide were found built of sculptured stone by some king of the twelfth dynasty | The slabs represented the installation oi | the crown prince
 The excavations, however, proved one important point, that below this palace | of the sixth century must be the re- | mains of many others, perhaps, indeed l of the original royal house of Menes. In l the rooms were found great quantities | of scale armor-hitherto very rare-the scales of steel, iron, and bronze. These were probably from the accoutrements of | Greek or Cyrenian rnercenaries. The most beautiful object found was a solid silver hasp of the royal palanquin-ovei pound in weight, In silver frame. work was a beautiful head of Hathor with a gold face and a wig of bronze 1 inlaid with gold.
 In the temple of Ptah many terra cotta | statuettes of foreigners who f1ocked there in Persian times were found, Southern