The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1922-04-14

prepared by the National Geographic SO
clety, Washington, -. O.
Stanley |jourueycd thousands of miles
10 lag bare the secrets OF Africa to
the world: but in the northeastern
corner of the same continent even
more thrilling exploration has been in
progress during the past few decades
through 4 relatively few feet Of sand.
The ~cvcavatorS who with pick and
shovel have been bringing 10 light the
details of Egypt's ancient civilization
and the everyday life of her people,
whore before only the barcst outline
Of the nations history was available,
are as truly discoveries Of unknown
civilizations as far-faring Marco Polos
or PizaTros.
For n long time Egypt was to the
rest of the world little more than 4
sea Of sand with a few dominant mon
umcntS-the pyramids, the Sphinx, the
coloSSi of "Aicmuon"-to point to her
past greatness. Relics of various dy-
nastics existed side by side, their re-
lationS often unknown.
The names of many kings and some
Of their nOblcst exploits were known,
but there was general ignorance in re-
gard to the less exalted Egyptians. TO
the activities that made UP the life Of
this mysterious nation beside the Nile
four and perhaps five and six or more
thousands Of years ago. Grave rob
hcrs, whose activities extend back into
the DAYS long before the ptolomies,
had riled many tombs and so made
much Of the early scientific cXcava-
lions barren Of results. And the carly
excavation Of Psychologists was itself
q careless procedure aiming at the big
goals and destroying and burying
many small objects Of incalculable
value in the indications they might
have given Of manners and customs.
Recent exploration in Egypt has
been q vastly different matter. Modern
efficiency methods have been adapted
to the delving for the buried secrets
Of the ancients, and now every cubic
foot of sand about a promising site is
combed or actually sifted that no
broken fragment Of pottery, scrap Of
papyrus, or jeweled bauble may es-
Il p detection. In early days the
most common method of ~dispOSing Of
the removed sand and debris was by
means of basket brigades which
dumped their loads nearby. Now light
tramways are used and care is taken
TO haul the discarded material to a
point where it Is definitely known that
nothing OF value will be covered.
Where formerly q find" was a find"
and was assembled with all others,
now any object partially uncovered is
photographed in place frequently as
the sand is removed, so that no pos
sible significance OF its position or re-
lati0n to other objects will he over
looked: and before II is stored it IS
carefully tagged, numbered and card
indCXed.
Getting Real Picture of Ancient Life.
These painstaking methods have
fully justified themselves. Instead Of
having a confused mass Of facts, many
of them most interesting in them
selves, but often perpiexlng, we are
getting by degrees d complete, intel
liglble picture Of Egyptian life over a
period of thousands OF years. Seem
ingly u~nimportant things help greatly
10 fill in the picture. One would hard
~ make the mistake of %picturing the
old Egyptians scratching matches to
light the kitchen fire, but there was
for long no true picture to take the
place OF fancy. None of the discovered
hieroglyphics showed the making of
fire, and it appeared to be entirely
without religious significance. In. re-
cent years, however, one Of the new
school of excavators sifted from the
sand a well-preserved flre-bow and
drill and even n board with burnt
holes, and the problem was solved.
Temporary towns besides the sites
of great engineering projects are no
new thing In the world. Cities for Ia
borers were constructed for use while
some of the pyramids were under
construction. One such town has been
completely uncovered and gives Il
c~ross-section Of life under such condi-
tons more than 1900 years Ago.. The