Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-11-18
Dr.. ReiSner's Discoveries Cover
1900 Years and Make Clear
Much of Lost History
fRr Associaisd Pr.s.l

cries which are said 10 have supplied
much OF the hitherto obscure his
tory of ancient Ethiopia were made
recently by the Egyptian expedition
sent by Harvard University and The
Boston Museum OF Fine Arts undei
the dictatorship OF DR. George A
Reisner, we'll known as an Egyp:olog
fist
In an interview with representa-
tive OF the American Press. DIR. Refs
ner said that during excavations al
Gebel Garkal material bearing on the
whole period between l66 3. c. and
100 A. ID. had been found and that
prospects were that further .excava
ton would bring TO light objects OF
still greater Importance
Find Temple and Statues
Among the more important finds
have been ten large statues OF kings
Of Ethiopia. Five OF these were nearly
complete and five were lacking the
heads hut ii is believed these viii he
found. The expedition has also un.
covered the foundations OF temples
built by Egyptian kings OF the
eighteenth dynasty and shown that
the sphinxes of Amenophis III and
other monuments of that period found
at Bakal belong to these temples
and we're not brought here in later
times as some historians have as.
sumed. Describing the work. Dr.. Refs.
ner said:
"Gebel Barkal. which is in the direc-
ton OF Napata, lies go miles up the
Nile from Kerma in the province Of
Dongola. Napata was the capital OF
that kingdom of Ethiopia whose arm.
les are mentioned in the Old Tesla.
ment as the opponents of Assyria in
the latter part of the eighth century
before Christ. Gebel Barkal Is an up
standing table mountain of sandstone.
visible for a great distance From the
moment it appears in the Egyptian in
scriptions 1t is marked as the Holy
Mountain Its selection was no doubt
due to its proximity to Napata, the
great city which must have lain on
both sides of the Nile. The site of
Napata was peculiarly fitted for a
great role in the political and com.
mercial activities OF ancient times.
II lies at the head OF the navigable
stretch of river between the third and
fourth cataracts, at the end OF the
relatively rich agricultural area OF the
province, and at the junction OF five
caravan roads through the desert.
Pyramids Are Unearthed
The extent OF the city has not yet
been determined but there are traces
OF ruined buildings on both sides of
the river. There are at least four
groups OF pyramids, that is. royal
cemeteries. IN the neighborhood, and
the two most distant groups are near
ly twenty miles apart In this long
stretch. which may be assumed to con.
tain the city OF Napata, 1t is Gebei
Barkal and its immediate neiehbor.
hood which has always drawn the at.
tention OF modern scholars Beside
the mountain stand two grouDs of
pyramids and under the perpendicular
face of the rock on the river side six
or seven temples have been traceable.
cne of which was very large. These
temples have in past times yielded
remarkable series of sculptures and
inscrinticns which have gone to en-
rich the museums of Cairo. London.
Paris and Berlin and form the great
est source of our knowledge of the
history of ETHIOPIA.
Employs Large Force
Our expedition reached Gebel Bar
hal from Cairo on January "a, last.
We worked there three months, en-
ploying force of about 300 local
workmen, and left lust in time to es-
cape the hot weather Many people
h0 rHn1 h. al h,,k n
one bad yet discovered the plan OF
the structures and no one knew how
to get into them. Fortunately at
Gebel Barkal there were two com.
pletely ruined pyramids of small size
which offered the easiest opportunity
of solving this mystery. We found
in the case of each stairway on the
eastern side leading down to cham
bers under the pyramid. With this
hint we attacked the larger pyramids
and within month we had found the |
entrances Of % pyramids and had |
cleared the burial chambers of all but |
one.
Locters Had Been There
.'All the chambers had been re-
peatedly plundered in ancient days for
gold. Nevertheless we gathered |
mass of material from which we were |
able to reconstruct the forms and |
character of the greater part of the |
pottery. implements and other things |
Characteristic of the period. This re-
constructed group pointed clearly to |
the first century before Christ as the |
time in which had lived those little |
kings who had built these monuments. |
hut In view of the scanty material for |
comparison this conclusion may be a |
century away from the truth.
"The most interesting objects were |
bowls with relief pattern.
red-glazed plates, polished vessels of |
opaque red or variegated glass, amph- |
orae, initiating the Rhodian in form /
and material. bronze jug with two
handles, each ending in a mask, four /
bronze vessels, piece of wood carved I
in relief and wonderful gold bracelet /
with a lacquer decoration in Egypto-
Meroitic style.
Come Rapidly
Towards the end of February the /