Evening star., 1923-01-21
RARE "PAPyRUS"
|SPAPER NAPKINS
Noted English ArcheoIogist
Dispels Excitement Over
Find in Kings Tomb.
OPEN VAULT NEXT WEEK
Theories of Children Buried With
Tutankhamen Discounted
by Searchers.
OPEN VAULT NEXT WEEK
BIZ ARTHUR wEIGALL.

AktInOn " EluAALs
BY Cable to The Star
LUXOR, Egypt, January 1s.-specu-
lation concerning the several squares
of folded material found :n the first
chamber of the tomb of Tutankh-
amen was dissipated today by the
visit of DR.. Alan Gardiner. greatest
English authority on ancient Egyptian
language and script. This material.
which looked like papyrus, was be-
lieyed to be documents of historic in
terest. but upon examination turned
out to be simply folded table napkins.
DR.. Gardiner. however, found many
short inscriptions on several objects
In the tomb which were Illuminating.
On some OF the oddly carved boxes
were interesting lists of contents
which have added some new words to
tunately DR.. Gardiner had not come
all the way from England expressly
for the purpose of seeing these sup
posed documents of papyrus. He and
Prof. James Henry Breasted, director
Of the Oriental Institute of the Uni
versity of Chicago, are out here
working in the Cairo Museum tran
scribing and translating books of the
dead, written on the many collins of
what is called the middle kingdom,
1900 B. c., now exhibited there. This
will keep him busy for several
months.
Funeral App0intmeh hts Fine.
Gardiner says that in spite of a
good deal OF wild talk the funeral
paraphernalia Of Tutankhamen is
really the most wonderful collection
of treasures ever found In Egypt
He was particularly struck. he says,
by a wooden casket on the sides
and lid of which are most exquisite
little paintings, like finest miniatures,
representing hunting scenes in the
desert and pursuit of ostriches, ga
zelles, wild asses, hares, and so on.
The woodwork, however. DR.. Gardi-
ner added, was in q bad state of pres
ervation, and the only way of saving
1t was by pouring liquid paraffin and
wax over the whole thing to solidify
II. I have successfully tried this
same method in the past with paint
ed objects which were rotten, and
when the wax had been melted of
again the colors looked rather fresh
er than before, but it Is nervous
work ladling hot wax over priceless
works OF art.
The opening Of the sealed burial
chamber will start as soon as Lord
Carnarvon arrives, the end Of next
week, from Englaid. While exam
lining the outer chamber today I
found three very small stools. ap-
parently made for children. Mr.. Car
ter, I understand, thinks it possible,
therefore. that Tutankhamer's chill
dren may be buried with him in the
inner chamber, but against this con-
lecture Is the known fact that his
legal queen was childless at his
death. She, however. had some lit,
tie sisters. and the, stools may have
belonged to them. ID. Il
Find sChiIdren,s stools,
In the tomb of Prince Yuma, which
we found some years ago, was a
child's small chair, and inscriptions
on 1t showed that it had been pre-
sented to the prince by his grand
daughter. an. aunt of Tutankhamen's
queen. Similarly these little stools
may simply be presents and the
bodies OF the children, whoever they
were, will not necessarily be found
in the tomb. understand that the
body or bodies found may be left
undisturbed In the vault until Elliot
Smith. professor of anatomy OF the
lCohnnned on Page Z, Column 81