Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1909-08-20
A BELLE OF OLD EGYPT.
MUMMY FOUND WITH TOILET ARTI-
Giles, JEwELRY AND SEWING OUTFIT.

Giles, JEwELRY AND SEWING OUTFIT.
Prof. Flinders Petrie, with students
of the British School of Archaeology in
Egypt, has recently returned to Lon
don from six months excavation work
in the ruins of Thebes and Memphis.
With him he has many interesting
relics of the long ago. During the work
the mummy Of an Egyptian woman of
quality who died in the 18th dynasty,
some 1850 years ago, was found. The
discovery gives an idea of the vanity of
the bellies in old Egypt, for a complete
outfit of toilet requisites was buried
with her. The toilet articles were in a
beautifully woven basket. Besides a
pot of pomade for the complexion,
there were pots of a preparation for
pointing the eyebrows, a carved horn
to hold oil, and blue marble dish re-
sembling pin tray. The pomade pot
is OBLIGATORY wrought in alabaster. The
preparation has endured its SO CEN
turies of burial remarkably well and
still has fresh perfume.
The painted coffin was hewn from a
sycamore trunk. Inside was wooden
pillow or head-rest inlaid with ivory
and ebony, two headwork pouches and
a head fy-whisk. The woman was
rich in jewelry. There were ornaments
of gold weighing all half a pound, and
an exqusitely made girdle of electrum
(gold and silver alloy.) Thegold orna-
ments include heavy necklace, four
bangles and pair of earrings nearly
two inches in diameter. Buried with
her were also several interesting speci-
mems of pottery, chair and footstool,
cakes of bread, and dishes of grapes,
outfit, which also formed part of the
Egyptian woman's property, includes
a bronze cutting-out knife, sharpen
ing stone, two hints, and ball of
thread.
The tomb was found at Thebes in a
valley to the north of the tombs of the
kings and is probably the richest entire
burial that has been brought from
Egypt. The mummy is at University
College, where the collection is being
shown. There are numerous other
articles of interest, including fOunda-
ton deposits of temple at Thebes,
built by the high priest Nebunnef, un-
der Rameses ii, various bronzes, speci-
mems of delicate ivory carving, copper
ringlets from a statue, sandal, pans
of blue and green color, scarabs, and
jars of Greeks forms of the seventh CEN
tury, B. c., with Greek monograms of
owners, showing that probably Greek
garrison was resident there at that time.
There are also two colossal negro heads,
an alabaster female figure of Mediter-
ranean style, and tow coffins with
The great result of the work appears
to have been the discovery of the palace
of King Apries-the Pharaoh Hopbra
of jeremiah. Hitherto no palace had
been known in Egypt beyond the tower
of Medinet Habu and some portions of
rather early date. Now there is a great
building about 400 feet long and half
as wide preserved to 10 or Is feet high.
The halls, of which seven remain,
Were over 40 feet long, while there were
brick halls nearly as large, the walls of
which were about Is feet thick. Some
good bronze figures of gods were found,
but the one supreme piece was fitting
of paIaquin of solid silver pound in
weight, decorated with bust of Hat
hor with gold face. Of the finest
of the time of Apries,
and probably unique it remained in the
Cairo Museum.