EGYPTIAN RELICS

Evening Star, Issue 25172, 11 May 1944, Page 10

EGYPTIAN RELICS

ADDRESS BY COLONEL WAITE 'An Amateur Archaeologist in Egypt' was' the subject' of an interesting address given to a good attendance of members of the Otago branch of the Royal Society on Tuesday night by Lieutenant-colonel F. Waite, who was the commissioner • of' the National Patriotic Funds Board in the Middle East for the past four years. Mr C. V. Dayus occupied the chair. Colonel Wane based his lecture on a large selection of objects found by him in Egypt and brought back to New Zealand main.y for museum purposes. These were disp.ayed with' some regard to chronological order, though the speaker explained that any attempt in that direction was somewhat optimistic owing to the astronomical nature of the figures representing the history of that ancient land. He showed the audience stone implements from the Neolithic age, and scent some time describing man's advance from the stage of hunter and cave-dweller to the thinking creature of the metal age which followed In this connection, Colonel Waite mentioned that the Neolithic age had ceased in Egypt about 4,000 years 8.C., in Great Britain about 2,000 years later, and in New Zealand it had persisted until the coming of Captain Cook. It was believed by many that the metal age had been brought about in Egypt by the use of popper ore .finely ground, as a cosmetic for the beautifying of women's eyes. This led men to discover, probably by accident, that the ore would yield a substance which would make better tools than the stone ones they had been using. It was also interesting to note, he said, that the stonp implements found in New Zealand had reached a much higher stage of perfection than those found in Egypt, and this was because their use had persisted so much longer and succeeding generations had improved upon earlier models through the years. Such progress in the making of stone tools had been stopped by the introduction of metals.

The possibility that agriculture had had its birth in the Nile Valley was suggested by Colonel Waite. This might have been due to the gentle flow of the river and its floods. Tue rising waters would deposit seeds, men would see them grow, and the possibility of controlling the floods, or extending their application by some form of irrigation would follow, and then there would arise the need for some form of government to control the immunities so created.

Colonel Waite's exhibits included, in addition to stone tools, some examples of very ancient pottery, metal ware such as a handmade camel bell, bowls of stone and alabaster, .mages of figures prominent in history and mvrhology, and a large collection of ornaments, mainly necklaces. At the conclusion of his talk he_commented on the means employed by wily natives to make capital out of the tourist trade with spurious antiques, and stated that in time the museums of this country would probably be enriched by many interesting articles which had been collected by New Zealand troops In the Middle East, manv of whom were displaying exceptional discrimination in making their collections. Colonel Waite was accorded a vote of thanks for his lecture.' -'