Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-30
THE LIBRARY TABLE
By the BookIover


Any one who digs, especially one
who digs with purpose, is in sense
an archaeologist Schliemann, dis
coverer of the sites of ancient Troy,
Mycenae and Tiryns, was not q trained
archaeologist. His story Is one OF the
many interesting ones told In Magic
Spades: the Romance of Archaeology
by r. v. D. Magofin, president OF the
Archaeological Institute OF America:
and Emily c. Davis, archaeological stan
writer of Science Service. Heinrich
Schliefaann as a boy had been so
thrilled by Homers epics that he then
and there decided to find the sites OF
the cities mentioned in the story OF
the Trojan War. Every one laughed
at him. much as did Noah's nefghbors
on another prophetic occasion. Schhe-
mann had to work almost a lifetime
before he earned money enougn-part
of 1t gained in business in Indianapolis
Ito put his faith to the test he
visited in 1863 what we're believed 70
be Homeric sites. Then between 1871
and 1890 he found and partially ex-
cavated Troy, below the entrance 70
the Dardanelles, and Mycenae, TRIMS
and Orchomenus in Greece" That
archaeology need not be the interest
of only the few experts who are apIe
to practice it, but may be shared by
all who have concerning 1t general
cultural curiosity, is the opinion OF
the authors of this book. Certainly
they have done much to make the
achievements of psychologists during
n1gly romantic tale. The initial chap
ter, 1.-THE Spade Is Mightier Than
the PEN" gives the keynote. The sec
ond chapter, 1.-The Modern Tone Of
Ancient Times" shows that the Prob
lens of archaeology are not those OF
the dead past, but are closely related
70 modern life, with its wonderful in
ventions, many of which were Of course
known to the ancients. Magic
Spades" is not limited to classical
archaeology, but covers recent archaeo-
in the British Isles, Scandinavian
countries, India, Eastern, Western and
Central North America, Central
America and South America, as well as
in Greece, Italy and Egypt.
+ 4 4 +
Magic Spades" is full of entertain
ing anecdotes, many of them illustra-
ting the irony of human existence and
the tricks played by fate. The famous
Venus of Cyrene almost became nat
uralized American citizen, but chance
decreed otherwise. The School of ClaS-
steal Studies of the American Archae-
illogical Institute at Rome was carry
ing on excavations at Cyrene, in North
Africa, under permit from the Turkish
government. After Italy defeated Turkey
in the war of 1911, part of the in
demnity was the Cyrenaica. Italy then
purchased from the American school
It's archaeological tools and the permit
was ended. After an interval Italy be-
gan excavations where the Americans
had left off and within a few days a
guard stumbled over a piece OF en-
bedded stone. The stone was marble.
and the marble was one OF the sculp-
tured wonders of the world. It was the
Venus of Cyrene." A sculptured relief
found on the Acropolis at Athens shows
o. fight between a cat and a dog, both
Of which look exactly like twentieth
century animals Of the same names. In
the Johns Hopkins Museum, Baltimore,
a painting on an ancient Greek cup is
Of man and a boy spinning top.
Ancient sculptures and paintings and
numerous objects found In tonbs and
elsewhere demonstrate that Greek,
Roman and Egyptian boys had about
the same amuSements and toys as boys
today. "But the ancient Greek or
Roman boy did not know the luxury OF
hte greatest juvenile necessity, pocket
knife? Didn't he, thought There have
come to many OF our museums IN the
last few years, from the recent excava-
tions, scores of ancient pocket knives,
o. good many with the blades of bronze
still in them. Even If our knife blades
are a bit better than those OF two or
three thousand years ago, the handles
Of bone and ivory on the ancient knives
ere more beautiful than ours. A handle
of ivory on one is carved to represent
the figure Of an Atlas, another repre-
sents full-armed gladiator, another
is like a fish" Perhaps many people
90 not know that beneath the London
of today, buried 8 to IS feet, lie the
remains OF ancient Roman Londinium.
Construction gangs working on of1ce
buildings often dig through the Roman
layer, and turn up pottery and other
objects, but not yet have they struck
the foundation plan or walls OF a
Roman villa" The possibility of such
q "flnd" must make the keen British
archaeologist long to tear down some
blocks of selected business buildings and
begin frantically to dig. Portrait pot
terry in Peru reveals much about the
life Of the people who made the pottery,
probably in the early centuries of the
Christian era. There are jars and jugs
in the form Of potatoes and other vege-
tables, fish, guinea pigs, houses and
individuals, even diseased and deformed
individuals. One jug represents man
with diseased lip, other men with
amputated limbs. The ancient PERU
vians evidently possessed surgeons Of
some skill Skulls unearthed at Machu
Picchu and In other parts of Peru have
revealed wide use of surgery; and as
the collections increase, we become
Il 1T
tions the PeruvianS attempted. Coca
leaves were used as an anesthetic. Even
so, some processes would have been ex-
tremely painful as the doctors used in
struments no more delicate than sharp
ened chiSels and saws Of stone, bronze,
and obsidian. . The cranial operation
known as trepanning was frequently
practiced. The large percentage of sue
cessful operations found among the
skull collections suggested to DR.. Mac
Curdy that the surgeons must have
possessed effective means Of combat
ting infections"
The name MRS. Grundy" has for
long been the symbol Of morality-or,
perhaps more accurately, of conven-
tional propriety. We can all visualize
her figure in caricature, though it is
not as universally familiar as those of
"Uncle Sam" and John Bull" A re-
cent book called Mrs. Grundy," by Leo
Markun, bears the subtitle "a History
of Four Centuries of Morals Intended
to illuminate Present Problems in
Great Britain and the United States"
Mrs. Grundy's point of view is shown
TO have changed according to the time
and place OF her incarnation. When
Mrs. Grundy was an ancient Spartan
she insisted that free-born boys should
DE taught to steal, for she knew their
courage and self-reliance would other
wise be imperiled." But in medieval
England man was hanged for sheep
Mr. MarkunS book contains
a mass Of interesting detail, which
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