MORE RICH FINDS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19026, 28 May 1936, Page 14

MORE RICH FINDS

EGYPT’S TOMB CHAMBERS EVENTS 5500 YEARS AGO REVISION OF HISTORY CAIRO, April 11. The complete re-writing of the e<arliesl history of ancient Egypt will result from the discoveries made by Mr. \\. B. Emery in the ancient cemetery around the Sakkara Step Pyramid. \ Eight years ago Mr. Cecil Firth s- find of this archaic cemetery, with its chapel of Huted columns, antedating Doric columns, by some I'SCO years, revolutionised the theory of early Egyptian and, indeed, of Greek architecture. Now comes Mr. Emery’s discovery, which is likelv to have a great influence on the outlook on this distant- period, tor there are three or four other crude brick mastabas. the long, low stone buildings, marking the site of a tomb, lying in a row to the north of this one and of the same type. In these- may be brought to light further untouched storerooms, rich in treasures of early Egypt- Those so far recovered and described are but part of what .still lies uncleared in the storerooms under the sand and debris oi centuries.

FLINTS LIKE RAZORS

The existence lias been revealed of an advanced state of art, which for so early a date as 3500 B.C. was never suspected. A feature, which is quite new at this period, are ropes which have been found. In one room .there lay a perfect coil ol three-ply rope, little thicker than a pencil, not of fibre but of flax of the finest texture, such as the best rope used today on Nile vessels. Among the flints are some triangular tools like scrapers, of which the sharpest edges are as flue as used razors. Flint sacrificial knives are so sharp that some of them cut wood with ease. Most of the storerooms contain scores of jars or stone vessels. Here it is very interesting to note that each room is devoted to one particular article. In one was stored wine; in another fruit and vegetables; in a third meat and grain, and so forth. Each room had a complete set of dishes, plates and cups used in connection with the particular jars deposited therein. Many flint sticks were placed in leather bags that lie perished in the sand. They have the appearance of golfbags. PRIMITIVE- WRITING

The ivory labels and wooden tablet in the tomb are regarded as being highly important. Both have the names of the Vizier Hemaka, and the tablet has also the name of King Zer.

With the names is writing ol the most primitive form of hieroglyphics in use at that elate. The crudity of the writing makes it difficult to decipher. But it i. c believed that each label will prove to record events of the king’s reign like those Sir Flinders Petrie found at Abvdos.

These objects, therefore, may yiclci valuable historical data of the period. Dr. Reisner recalls that Sir Flinders Petrie found the name Ilemaka on the tablet of a tomb at Abvdos, where Hemaka is recorded as being the Royal Sealer, or Lord Chancellor. Dr. Reisner adds that he based his history of the development of stonequarrying in Egypt largely upon the evidence of Ilemaka's rock-cut burial chamber and the neighbouring tombs.

The Hemaka burial-chamber contains the earliest known traces of copper-tool marks on the walls. These marks were probably made bv copper adzes, such as were once attached to the huge adze handles found by Mr. Emery. For weeks there will a daily voyage of adventure for Mr. Emery and his stall, since they are working, so to speak, on virgin soil. Further remarkable finds are expected in these chambers, particularly if, as is hoped, the Egyptian Government now decides to give more attention to the Sakkara area.