THE EGYPTIAN TREASURE

Otago Witness, Issue 3595, 6 February 1923, Page 24

THE EGYPTIAN TREASURE

STUDY OF ROYAL MUMMIES. “SECRET OF THE TOA1B.” Writing in The Times, Professor G. Elliot Smith, F.R.S., says: In the past the study of the Royal mummies has provided a series of surprisingly unexpected results. Hence it would be rash to predict what revelations await the investigator when what Lord Carnarvon has called “the secret of the tomb” is disclosed. Nevertheless, it is worth while to consider the nature and value of the evidence which the mummy or mummies will' surely provide, if for no other reason to suggest certain preparations that ought to be made before the chamber is opened. This is essential if the fullest advantage is to be taken of what may prove to be the unique opportunity of studying an undisturbed Pharaoh’s mausoleum and of recovering valuable data concerning one of the most piquant episodes in the history of civilisation. For the country that was then the dominant Power in the ancient world was engaged in throwing off the effects of a daring innovation in religion and government which a pacifist dreamer hacl imposed upon it: while his dominion was being disintegrated he was content to write poems that read like a forecast of the psalms of the Old Testament blended with speculations on embryology. The tomb-chamber is certain to reveal what sort of man was the heretic king's son-in-law, Tutankhamen, who stemmed the tide of destruction of the State, and put an end to those fascinating experiments in art and religion which were begun centuries before the world was ready for them. But it will also enable us to estimate his age and determine whether or not his mummy reveals any cf those peculiarly distinctive traits with which the study of the physical idiosyneracies of his predecessors has made us familiar. For it is more likely than not that the mummy will provide seme evidence for or against the view that Tutankhamen was the half-brother of his father-in-law Akhnaton, which for many years has been the subject of controversy among leading scholars. But if the possibility of finding the mummy of Tutankhamen raises problems of peculiar interest and importance, it would be even more thrilling to find his wife’s mummy; for the physical traits of the heretic king’s daughter might reveal some of the interesting series of peculiarities that have been revealed in the mummies of her father and grandfather and her great-grand-parents on both sides. Then it would be possible to decide whether the artists of the time had any real justification for representing her in the same fantastic way as they portrayed her father, the heretic king. More than this the anatomical information as to the age and distinctive features, and possibly also the bodily infirmities, is sure to provide numerous facts that will help in the interpretation of the literary evidence. The examination would also provide much valuable information concerning the technique of embalming at a time when the procedure was undergoing ficant changes. Should the mummy or mummies prove to have escaped the plunderers’ attentions, we shall be able to defermine for the first time exactly how a Royal . mummy of the eighteenth dynasty was wrapped for burial and the nature and position of the amulets with which it was equipped. X-RAY EXAMINATION. It would be a misfortune if the shrouded corpses are not fuily studied to recover this valuable information which is so urgently wanted by students of the history of mummification and of the so-called “ritual of embalmment,” for if full records and photographs' are made of the external appearance of the mummy it will be possible to replace the Outer wrappings . after the examination has been made. But whether the mummies are unwrapped or not it is of the utmost importance to obtain a series of X-ray * photographs cf them before anything else is done. For, even if the process of unwrapping is undertaken, the radiographs will provide an important record and will also be a useful guide to the investigator during the development of the mummy. Due preparation should be made before the mortuary chamber is opened for this X-ray examination to be made. I am impelled to make these suggestions now, when there is time to make proper preparations, because in the past on most of the occasions when Royal mummies were discovered much valuable information was lost for ever and inexcusable confusion and error created from the neglect of the simplest precautions to secure expert advice and help. It is a meat fortunate circumstance that the present work is in charge of Mr Howard Carter, for he is one of the few archaeologists who in the past have •riven adequate recognition to the scientific value of the study of the Royal mummies. In fact, he was mainly responsible for persuading the late Sir Gaston Maspero to have a thorough investigation of the Royal mummies made, and a special volume of the General Catalogue of the Cairo Museum prepared to provide an adequate account of them. Everyone acquainted with Air Howard Carter and his work in Egypt will unite in congratulating him and Lord Carnarvon on this brilliant harvest after so many lean years of conscientious but unremunerative work. SOME SUGGESTIONS. But it is chiefly because the work has fallen into the proper hands that I feel it worth while to offer some suggestions which are prompted by the experience oained under less favourable circumstances in the past. Reference to The Times of 1907 will reveal how much valuable information was lost and error disseminated when the room containing all that was left of Tutankhamen’s father-in-law was discovered. No serious examination was made of the remains of the mummy for several months after the discovery of the storeroom described as "the tomb of Queen Teie.” In fact, it was not until Mr Arthur Weigall took upon himself the responsibility of

sending me llie broken bones found in the coffin that the remains were shown to be, ndt the queen’s, but those of a young man, probably her son, the heretic king himself. The reasons for this I explained in The Times of October 15, 1907. Although this discovery confirmed Mr Weigall s opinion, based upon the inscription upon the bands encircling the mummv, the delay was responsible for the diffusion of widespread errors, the effects of which even now have not been completely overcome, and also the loss of very important evidence which could have been obtained from an examination of the remains before they were disturbed. Far from being unique, this incident can almost be regarded as typical of the blundering that has occurred in almost every case when Roval mummies have been discovered. It is the hope und expectation that in the present instance more a^ n " tion will be paid to the remains of the dead than unfortunately has been clone on former occasions, which prompts me to make these observations now while there is *~time to make proper arrangements for having this important and necessary task done as thoroughly as possible.