ARCHAEOLOGY AND TREASURE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 37, 13 February 1937, Page 10 (Supplement)

ARCHAEOLOGY AND TREASURE.

Enthusiastic "Gold Diggers"

THE EXCAVATION ZEAL OF THE ARAB

AMONG the many activities of tho Mid-East archaeological work has a definite place, and during the winter months, over an area stretching from Iraq, on the Palestine border, to Cairo and Luxor, in the west, various camps of antiquarians are busily excavating on the sites of ruined cities and towns. There is no difficulty whatsoever in discovering a site, for they are obvious to the naked eye, and exist in so many thousands that the archaeologists arc in the happy position of being able to pick and choose. Owing to the dry climate and lack of natural vegetation, a ruined fortress or village of the days before Christ, except for minor dilapidations and wear and tear, remains in very much the same state ae it was when the inhabitants evacuated it, provided, of course, that other races have not built further Louses on the ruins of the old. This, unfortunately, is the rule rather than the exception, with the result that the archaeologist to get to his objective has to dig down through centuries of buildings of a period which is known thoroughly, but which he must penetrate methodically on the outside chance of some discovery of note. A Question of Period. Of the late Roman period in the midEast there is very little likelihood of any discovery that will throw further light on the race and their mode of life, but there is always the prospect of unearthing valuable baards of coins, statuettes of great beauty, and many other' objects of interest to the ordinary man. The expression "ordinary man" is used advisedly, as the true archaeologist, who is interested in tho Sumerian or early Egyptian period, is most contemptuous of anything late Koman, and to him a shard of pottery that dates back to his own particular period is of far greater' interest than a golden statuette of Neptune of the first century A.D. Roman remains of every description from towns, cisterns and wine vats to refuse dumps of discarded pottery lie thick all along the North African coast, and there is a regrettable story of an official, who had administered that area for many years, meeting an old gentleman in England who had discovered a small Roman pottery dump on his land in Dorset. After much personal physical labour he had unearthed about a dozen small red shards, which ho produced proudly with the question: "And do you find this sort of thing by any chance in your part of the world?" "Oh yes," 'was the airy reply, "we make all our main roads with them." And this, more or less, is the attitude of the East towards the Roman period. Hidden Treasure. It is one of the queer anomalies of the Arab race that, though they have a most marked antipathy to heavy physical labour, they will undertake excavation work most cheerfully and give complete satisfaction, proving more ameirable and enthusiastic in every way than the fellah or cultivator who is accustomed to toil ten lours a. day with the mattock. The reason, for this is not at once apparent, but it no doubt-lies in the fact that the Arab, the keynote of whose existence is cupidity combined with the idea of something for nothing, is .firmly of opinion that the archaeologist is digging for a great store of gold. Work has been going on now for 50 years or more, no gold in iray quantity has ever been found, and it is explained every day to the Arab workmca that outlines of buildings, skeletons and bones, and ehards of pottery are the objects for which he has to look; but the Arab, being a past master of deception hiin6elf, knows exactly how much of this to believe. With a perfectly grave face and the natural politeness of hie race, he affects.great enthusiasm for this worthless rubbish, and digs "frantically in tho hope that it will be his mattock that will strike the bloeka of geld tluvt lie buri-d.

It is so obvious, of course, that it must be dahab (gold) that the archaeologists are after. The Frangis (Europeans) are a wise race, they have common sense, they toil unceasingly at roads, bridges, railways, and other useful things, no it is patently absurd to suggest that men of this ty~pe would waste their liven and money digging for rubbish that no sclf-rospecting , Arab would trouble to pick up off a dustheap! The lore of their tribes is rich with legends of the AVadi el Muluk (Valley of the Kings) where an incredible store of gold and treasure is buried,' and there is no doubt whatsoever that these antiquarians have discovered some kataba (writing) that tells them where this cache is hid. "Sacred Buildings?' One of the difficulties that an archaeologist lias to contend with is that frequently, when he has dug into a most fruitful and interesting site, further progress is definitely barred by the presence of a small mosque or sheik's tomb. The local Arabs have not the slightest reverence for the building, ae is obvious from

the lamentable state of its interior, tut it is nevertheless a Moslem place of worship, and as such sacred. To tamper with it in any way would bring a hornet's nest of fikis and imams (religious teachers) from far and near about one's ears, and therefore a most valuable work frequently has to be discontinued because of the storm that would be raised by people who previously were unaware of the existence of the building. It is ioM that on one occasion, when vcryHnteresting work had been stopped by tho Antiquities Department for this reason, the archaeologist in charge had most regretfully made all arrangements to pack up and depart with his work unfinished and most interesting discoveries lying close at hand beneath a most insanitary sheik's tomb. He stood at the doorway of his tent one evening looking at the small, dirty edifice that had barred his progress, but on risiiitr the following morning he was, one imagines, surprised to find that not a trace of it remained. A few blocks of stone and brick lay scattered on the surrounding sand, and in a deep hole where the foundations had been some eight hours previously the very devout inhabitants of the neighbouring village were digging frantically in a cloud of dust. In due course—and "due course" in the Orient means after quite an appreciable period —the police arrived, the inhabitants were arrested, an inquiry made, the upshot of which was that, as the people themselves had utterly destroyed and removed their own sacred building, thero would bo no valid objection to the archaeologist continuing his excavations. This he did with very fruitful results, and, as ho explained later, it was not a very costly business. Ten pounds in golden half sovereigns buried in suitable spote under tho foundations of the awkwardly-placed tomb had resulted in what is commonly known as the cliche: "Much useful spade work."—Major C. S. Jarvia in "Londoa Observer."