Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-12-26
THE NEW AND THE OLD

nIGGING in the ruins Of past
II civilizations must be fascin-
ating work. All over the surface
of the world, in India, Persian, the
Mesopotamian valley and even in
our own South American continent
the diggers are rewarded with rel
les of a cultivation so old that its
history is forgotten, and yet it
speaks of culture thousands OF
years old. Long before Christ was
born men lived and pondered on
the problems of life and death.
They acquired wisdom and skill
that amazes US today. In fact, IN
some lines of knowledge they seem
to have learned as much as we
know today.
We are using the new knowledge
that we have attained to interpret
and proclaim the forgotten knowl-
edge Of the past. Some OF the
richest finds are coming to light
in the excavations in Egypt, es-
pccially around Thebes on the Nile
which was the ancient capital of
Egypt. Egyptian chronology is
not SO certain as it might be, but it
is held by some that its written
history goes back almost 10000
years, and antedates all other carv-
ed or written records. Certainly
the history of Egypt goes back to
a date several thousand years be-
fore the birth of Christ and before
the days of Abraham, who sojourn-
ed in Egypt after he left the land
of his birth in Mesopotamia. A
particularly rich and interesting
discovery has been very recently
made in the valley of the Kings"
where many Of the old kings of
Egypt were buried, and their bur
ial chambers only recently found.
An eastern newspaper thus reports
the latest discoveries:
Psychologists are greatly stir
red by the recent discoveries at
Thebes, and there is popular in
terest also in the finding of the
funeral paraphernalia of King Tu-
tankhamen of the 18th dynasty,
who was one of the hereto kings
of Egypt. Amenhotep ~ was the
first of them. Much study will be
required to extract from the new
discoveries all the historical infor-
nation they contain in regard to
an obscure period, but no learning
is needed to appreciate the thrilling
interest of the first discovery Of
the complete funeral furniture Of
an Egyptian king; the gold buried
with Tutankhamen has disappear
ed but otherwise the collection
found in the Valley of the Kings
seems untouched. For example
there is a throne, the first ever
seen by moderns, shape of Egyp-
tan thrones having hitherto been
known from graphic representa-
tions. Also there are the royal
robes, a set Of quaint bronze gilt
musical instruments, and elabor-
ate vases of alabaster.
This discovery, shared by Lord
Carnarvon and the distinguished
excavator Howard Carter, is the
reward Of Is years of patient In
vestigation Of that part of the site
of ancient Thebcs which lies on
the west bank of the Nile at Luxor.
Seven years ago work was started
in the Valley of the Kings, which,
had been abandoned by other ex-
cavators, but for a long time the
rewards were slight. At last Mr..
Carter found, directly below the
tomb of Rameses vi what looked
like a cache, and at once telegraph
cd to Lord C~arnarvon, who was
then in England. Together they
opened a sealed outer door, cleared
a way down i6 steps, and after
opening another sealed door found
themselves in a chamber filled with
a dazzling collection Of royal
treasures. There were three mag.
nificent state touches, all gill,
with exquisite carving, on which
rested beds, also gilt and beauti.
fully carved and inlaid with ivory
and semiprecious stones. There
were statues, chairs, stools, char.
lots, portraits of king and queen, .
mace, enormous quantities of pro.
visions for the dead, including
trussed duck, launches of venison
and other delicacies; the list would
fill a large catalog.
Merely as objects Of art and as
touching souvenirs of an almost