The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1916-10-05
Obscure History Of Ethiopia is
Dug into and Much is
Learned Thereby.

CAIRO. Egypt. Oct. 5.-lmportant
discoveries which are said 10 have
supplied much OF the hitherto obscure
history Of ancient Ethiopia were made
recently by the Egyptian expedition
sent by Harvard University and the
Boston Museum OF Fine Arts under
the dictatorship OF Or. George A.,
Reisner, well known as an Egyptolog-
ist
In an interview with a representa-
tive of the Associated Press. Dr. REFS
ncr said that during excavations at
Gebel Barkal material bearing on the
whole Dediod between 1900 y. C.. and
100 a. ID. had been found and that
prospects We're that further excava-
ton would bring to light objects Of
still greater importance.
Among the more important finds
have been ten large statutes Of kings
Of Ethiopia. Five of these were near
~ complete and five were lacking the
heads but IT is believed these will be
found. The expedition has also I'M
covered the foundations Of temples
built by Egyptian kinds Of the eigh-
teenth dynasty. and shown that the
sphinXes of Amcnophis Ill. and other
monuments OF that period found at
Barkal belong TO these temples and
were not brought here in later times
as some historians have assumed. De-
scribing the work, DR.. Reisner said:
Gebcl lInrkal.
"Gcbel Barkal, which is in the dis
trict of Napata. lies $50 miles up the
Nile from Kerma in the province Of
DOngola Napata was the capital OF
that kingdom Of Ethiopia whose 2rmics
are mentioned in the Old Testament as
the opponents OF Assyria in the latter
part of the eighth century before
Christ. Gebel Karkal is an outstanding
label mountain OF sandstones. visible
for a great distance. From the moment
Ii appears in the Egyptian inscriptions
it is marked as the Holy mountain.
Its selection was no doubt due 10 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 navigablc stretch Of river between
the third and fourth cataracts. at the
end of the relatively rich agricultural
area Of the province, and at the juno
ton Of five caravan roads through the
desert
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 Al least four
groups OF pyramids. that is, royal
cemeteries III the neighbnrhood. and
the two most distant groups are nearly
twenty miles apart In this long
stretch. which may he assumed 10
contain the city OF Napata. it is Gebel
Barkal an dts immediate neighbor-
hood which has always drawn the at
tention OF modern scholars. Beside
the mountain stand two groups OF pyr-
amids and under the perpendicular
face OF the rock on the river side six
or seven temples have been traCeablc,
one Of which was very large. These
temples have in past times yielded 4
remarkable series of sculptures and
inscriptions which have gone 10 en-
rich the museums Of Cairo, London,
Paris. and Berlin and form the great
est source Of our knowledge of tho
history Of Ethiopia.
Escape Hot Weather.
"Our expedition reached Gehol Bar
kali from Cairo on January "a, last.
We worked there three months, en-
ploying force OF about 300 local
workmen, and left Just in time TO es-
capc the hot weather. Many people
had worked on the pyramids but no
one had vet discovered the plon OF the
structures and no ono knew how 10
get into them. Fortunately at Gebcl
Barkal there were two completely
ruined pyramids of small size which
offered the easiest opportunity Of solv-
ing this mystery. We found in the
case Of each a stairway on the eastern
side leading down to chambers under
the pyramid. With this hint we at
tackled the larger pyramids and within
month We had found the entrances Of
twenty-five pyramids and had cleared
the burial chambers OF all but one.
IAN the chambers had been repeat
edly plundered in ancient days for
gold. Nevertheless VIC gathered a
mass of material from which we were
able 10 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 Lne
time in which had lived those little
kings who had built these monuments,
but in view of the scanty material for
comparison this conclusion may be n
century away from the truth.
"rhe most interesting objects were
red glazed bowls with relief pattern,
red glazed plates. polished vessels Of
Opaque red or varieEated glass. am
phorae. initiating the Rhodian in form
and material. bronze Jug with two
handles, each ending in n mask, -four
bronze vessels. piece OF wood carved
in relief and wonderful gold brace
let with a laquer decoration In
Egypto-Meroitic style.
Hopeless Ruins.
Towards the end Of February the
fu1r force was turned on tho excava-
ton Of the temple area. The back
part Of the great temple and almost