The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-07-23
This WOMAN LIVED
/ ABOUT 5000 YEARS AGO
"
IS Brought to London as Freight
From Land of the
Pharoahs
WAS FOUND IN A SHAFT
Many Proofs That Vanity Was
Trait of Gentle Sex Even in
Ancient Egypt
WAS FOUND IN A SHAFT

LONDON, July %. :
| In the heart Of the Strard-at King
college. to be precise--a woman eo0o years
old made her first appearance on Tuesday
in Engiand's upper air. She ia one of a
number Of remarkable finds" that win be
on view at Kings College
Both the woman and her trousseau--if
so one may describe triukets and combs
and amuiets Of bewdldering variety and
beauty-have been brought all the way
from the Egyptian desert in hugh
packing case stuffed with sawdass and
wool. They are ''the latest thing from
Abysies-froni the tombs OF kings and
queens who lived and died thousands OF
years before the Pharaoh that knew not
Joseph" She was discovered In the course
Of Professor Nayilie's recent excavations
In connection with the Egypt Exploration
Fund.
As II happened, reporter was present
Just when Mr.. Peet. the member OF the
expedition who had actually unearthed
the woman from her far-away tomb, was
unpaeking her. The ceremony was being
performed In large, airy room already
1lled with awe-inspiring rows of gtlded
nummies, trayfuis of very ancient Jew
slry. and litter Of Egyptian pots and
pans that would have done credit TO the
kitchen of a big modern hotel. A strange
inusty odor-not very unpleasant-peryad-
ell the place.
Found in Shaft
The woman came up skull forernost--a
neat little brown skull with MT any rate
some OF the teeth still unimpaired, Her
vertebrate followed. They ratified a little
aa lat tfxo
table. but when she is properly put to-
gether the tout ensemble should prove
natty enough.
i found her said Mr. Peet, as he
shook the sawdust out of the skull ..at
the bottom of a forty foot shaft. She was
buried as Ia usual with these prehistoric
folk. In crouching posture. Who or
what she was cannot guess. but she liz
certainly not of a negro tyne The nose
must have been almost Grecian. Any one
who deals In the obvious sort of humor
may take note of the fact that her jaw
Is remarkably pronounced"
Whether the woman was queen or
kitchen weneh, she was at least not above
vanity, to Judge by the tables around
which would have WED with any modern
fair ones dressing table In aids to beauty.
All OF these were either prehistoric or dat
ing from the earlier dynasties y
AielHt ioi AbStvASt, was u6HcAtety
carved slate. wtthApebbie. used for grind
ing eye-paint- Some of the paint was still
there-hardened on the slate. Then there
were jewel charms-corneiians and anne
thysts. for the most part-carved In all
sorts OF quaint shapes, as the sacred
hawk of Osiris. sacred from the dawn of
history. cranes, sphinxes. appropriateness
scarabe, lions fishes. elephants.
y Vanity Of Vanities
There were sidecombs. of exactly the
pFesent-day model. necklaces, flint RAJ
xors. and painted vases Of the most beau
tifui workmanship and design. The raxors
were. Mr.. Peet explained. often found
buried with the men--presumably that
they might not be in want Of shave
after death.
One OF the most exquisitely finished dis
coveries in the room was a case OF neatly
fitting aiabaster enbaiming Instruments,
taken from a tomb 5000 years old One OF
them was an instrument used for opening
the mouth after death, II being supposed
that If the mouth were not opened the
poor departed would be unable to eat In
the next world.