IMITATION PEARLS

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 47, 24 August 1931, Page 11

IMITATION PEARLS

IN ANCIENT EGYPT

An important exhibition of Egyptian antiques of rare value and interest was opened to the public at the British Museum recent)}'. It owes its origin to the illegal burial of a young girl in a desert village (states the "Daily Telegraph"). While the Brunton Archaeological Expedition was excavating in ' the Badari district in Middle Egypt with little success the girl died in a nearby I village. The relatives, to save themselves expense, decided, quite illegally, to bury the body in tho desert. The digging of tho grave revealed by chance tho entrance to 800 tombs, which proved to be the burial place of the poorer inhabitants between the sixth ana the eleventh dynasties. Here a large variety of pottery and beads were found. The story of this wonderful stroke of luck was told to a representative of the "Daily Telegraph" by Mr. Guy Bainlon, the leader of Ihe expedition, which went out to Egypt at tho end of last year. GOLD EFFECT. One of the most interesting exhibits is a string of beads several yards long. These beads, of which there are several thousand, were all from one dress. A girl :n London was occupied for several mouths in threading them into a string. The holes arc so fine that special needles had to bo made. Many of the beads are clever imitations of pearls and gold. It has been found that these were made of glass and then coated with a gummy substance. Tho gold effect had been obtained by placing gold leaf between the outer layers of glass. A number of varieties of small shoes of the Roman and Coptic eras are also to be seen. ... Pottery of every shape, gold amulets, blue glaze and alabaster vases, necklaces, ornaments of every descripI lion—the majority in an excellent State of preservation—form an important addition to the relics of ancient Kgy.pt. The greater portion of the antiques excavated went straight to the Cairo Aluseuii!, wiiu helped to liiuuice the expedition. -Tiifl majority of troasiiircs ;<t (he exhibition will be loft to the British .Museum, while tho remainder wii| J:e distributed -throughout, -museums in the country. Tho exhibition will remain open a uiontli.