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Show CEMETERY 5500EC ---' " X N EMPTY GRAVE OF AConPLrrn: sktleton buried in agravl r" ",v A x jso:me, first with Pottery at tarkman sZ$- . w5 , dynasty T7 Tf NDER the direction of the h ?5lf - i S. . toETW I ft Briti h School of Arch Af ""i V ' ' N V t "Vj j, I acology in Egypt a great y X , , " . ,( ! ' ' Pi- "fcTVl cemetery of the fir t X; J M J n N s f i W 2 dynasty (5 00 B C) v. a V S&'t ' V ' -t ' v A vy explored la t ear ac ' 4",'',.5 ' 'Xj: ' V 4 " C 1 Vv, cordmg to the Sphere V 0,0 '.'H T ' ) ' YJ portant was accompli h f ' ? IT ' -e ' ed both from the land k f ST " point of science and that rv N h' V ) t of the acquisition of relics The valle" N Tt w V'v ' in which the excavation were made is ii, ' v t Y JZfrTs situated at Tarkhan, about 40 mile riDiM .(' iVV V?2SU. ' south of Cairo It was cleared thi o ANCtl year and found to contain about 800 tom& NEAR GER7.EH C:-ij1 : S.gJ - graves. An exact record was made of ' ' "f XT iDEl4 the direction of the j 4 British School of Arch-t'y Arch-t'y j t aeology in Egypt a great Pk";-Wyl cemetery ot the first dynasty (5a00 B. C.) was mm explored last year, ac- y cording to the Sphere. Y and much that was lm- Yi portant was accomplish-' accomplish-' V-1 ed. both from the standpoint stand-point of science and that of the acquisition of relics. The vallev in which the excavations were made is situated at Tarkhan, about 40 miles south of Cairo. It was cleared this year and found to contain about 800 graves. An exact record was made of all the contents of the graves. The bones were measured, plans were made of each grave and of the entire cemetery cem-etery and a complete description of all the pottery and vases that were found was set down. As the cemetery dates from the most critical point in Egyptian history, the finding of such a detailed record, the most complete ever made, is considered of much importance im-portance to archaeology. This points is regarded as the pre-Memphite pre-Memphite capital of Egypt, as it was the place of residence of great numbers num-bers of wealthly Egyptians before MemphiB became the capital of united Egypt. It is supposed that in addition addi-tion to the many graves that have been discovered, there are great num-bers num-bers under the water. The tombs which have been opened are, many of them, in a remarkable state of preservation, preser-vation, as the filling in of sand in the valley has preserved the bodies from disturbance. In the graves quantities of alabaster and pottery vases were found. Some of the vases were of the blue glazed variety. There were also slate palettes, alabaster stools such as are used to support dishes, strings of bead and ivory table implements, among which were spoons ornamented with flowers, foliage and birds in carving on the bowl. Another spoon was In the shape of two arms, with scooped palms for the bowl. The two arms closely bound together formed the handle of this spoon. The residents of Tarkhan must have been extremely prosperous, according to the evidence furnished by the excavations. exca-vations. They were provided abundantly abun-dantly with beautiful ornaments for their households and persons, and also with innumerable useful articles of practical necessity in the kitchen, the dining hall and the boudoir. Some of the tombs are so well preserved that the whole story of Egyptian reverence for the dead and belief in immortality can be read by a glance at the tomb. In the brick wall above the grave may be seen the little slit through which the soul comes forth for its offerings. The offertory still stands, as do the piles of pottery which once bore food and drink for the departed, and which were brought to the tomb by the relatives rela-tives and friends. Many works of art of the eighteenth and nineteenth dynasties have been ; discovered by further clearing of the great temple of Ptah, in Memphis. From some of the excavated workshops work-shops in Memphis have been procured all the utensils used in the manufacture manufac-ture of stone vases and examples of the vases in all stages of construction. construc-tion. Colored stones which were brought from the desert and other rich stones which were imported into Egypt for use in making ornaments for the very wealthy have been found in these shops. A few miles south of Gizeh excavations excava-tions revealed some unusually large tombs of the twelfth and thirteenth dynasties. The excavations revealed that a robbery had been attempted centuries ago. The robber had entered en-tered the tomb by a little opening, the result of a piece of excavating on his own account, and he had gathered together to-gether a little heap of ornaments with which he was about to make off when the top of the tomb had fallen on him and crushed him. His skeleton was found in the tomb by the excavators, and close to it a handsome gold pectoral pec-toral inlaid with colored stones, of which the poor wretch had hoped to rob the dead. |