THE STONE AGE IN EGYPT. 205 



during the long period that intervened between this primitive age 

 and that of the earliest Egyptians who had metals. He did ex- 

 ist there then, and the evidences of it are found in neolithic 

 remains between Cairo and Thebes, a distance of about eight hun- 

 dred kilometres along the valley of the Nile, in the Fayum, and 

 in Upper Egypt. Among these are the remarkable tombs at Abydos 

 which have been explored by M. E. Amelineau, and of which he has 

 published descriptions. They belong to a category which I have 

 characterized as tombs of transition and as signalizing the passage 

 from the use of polished stone to that of metals. Their archaic char- 

 acter can not be disputed, and their royal origin is probably certain. 

 They may belong to aboriginal kings or to the earliest dynasties. 

 They reveal a knowledge of brass and of the use of gold for orna- 

 ment. At the necropolis of El-'Amrah, a few miles south of Abydos, 

 are some archaic tombs, all of the same model, composed of an 

 oval trench from five to six and a half feet deep. The body is laid 

 on the left side, and the legs are doubled up till the knees are 

 even with the sternum; the forearms are drawn out in front and 

 the hands placed one upon the other before the face, while the head 

 is slightly bent forward. Around the skeleton are vases, and large, 

 rudely made urns, often filled with ashes or the bones of animals, and 

 nearer to them are painted or red vessels with black or brown edges, 

 vessels roughly shaped out of stone, and figurines in schist repre- 

 senting fishes or quadrupeds, cut flints, alabaster clubs, and necklaces 

 and bracelets of shells. Bronze is rare, and found always in shape 

 of small implements. Both purely neolithic tombs and burials of the 

 transition period to metals occur at El-'Amrah. The most remarkable 

 feature of the burials is the position of the corpse, totally unlike any- 

 thing that is found of the Pharaonic ages. 



The Egyptian finds of stone implements present the peculiarity 

 as compared with those of Europe, that types are found associated 

 together belonging to what would be regarded in other countries as 

 very different epochs. The time may come when subdivisions can 

 be made of the Egyptian stone age, but the study has not yet been 

 pursued far enough to make this practicable at present. Among 

 these articles are hatchets showing -the transitions, examples of which 

 are wanting in Europe, from the rudest stone hammer to the polished 

 neolithic implement; knives of various shape and some of hand- 

 some workmanship; scrapers, lance heads, arrowheads, saws, pins, 

 bodkins, maces, beads, bracelets, and combs. The large number of 

 instruments with toothed blades found at some of the stations may 

 be regarded as pointing to a very extensive cultivation of cereals at 

 the time they were in use. The deposits of Tukh, Zarra'idah, Khat- 

 tarah, Abydos, etc., situated in regions suitable for growing grain, 



