TREASURES OF THE TOMB

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 25, Issue 3759, 22 May 1936, Page 11

TREASURES OF THE TOMB

REMARKABLE FINDS IN EGYPT. HISTORY MUST BE RE-WRITTEN. London, April 11. The complete re-writing of the earliest history of ancient Egypt will result from the discoveries made by Mr. W. l B. Emery in the ancient cemetery around the Sakkara Step Pyramid (writes the Cairo correspondent of the Daily Telegraph). Eight years ago Mr. Cecil Firth’s finds of this archaic cemetery, with its chapel of fluted columns, antedating Doric columns by some 1500 years, revolutionised the theory of early Egyptian and, indeed, of Greek architecture.

Now comes Mr. Emery’s discovery, which is likely to have a great influence on the outlook on this distant period, for 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 in my Tuesday’s message are but part of what still lies uncleared in the storerooms under the sand and debris of centuries. The existence has 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 of three-ply, little thicker than a pencil, not of fibre but of flax of the finest texture, such as the best ropes used to-day on Nile vessels.

Among the flints are some triangular tools like scrapers, of which the sharpest edges are as fine 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 fine sticks were placed in leather bags that lie perished in the sand. They have the appearance of golf bags. The ivory labels and wooden tablet in the tomb are regarded as being highly important. Both bear the names of the Vizar Hemaka, and the tablet also has the name of King Zer With the names is writing of the most primitive form of hieroglyphics in use at that date. The crudity of the writing makes it difficult to decipher. But it is believed that each label will prove to record events of the king’s reign like those Sir Flinders Petrie found at Abydos.

These olyects, therefore, may yield valuable historical data of the period.

• Dr. Reisner recalls that Sir Flinders Petrie found the name Hemaka on the table of a tomb at Abydos, where Hemaka is recorded as being ths 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 Hemaka’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 by copper adzes, such as were once attached to the huge adze handles found by Mr. Emery. For weeks there will be a daily voyage of adventure for Mr. Emery and his staff, 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.