514 THE AGE OF BRONZE IN EGYPT. 



as upon the axes and poniards, are often seen upon these implements — 

 either on the handle or the bronze itself — a legend in hieroglyphics. 



The majority of the implements which we have just cited are also 

 represented on Egyptian monuments, and are there usually painted 

 red* (Figs. 38 and 44). Sickles and needles were also made of bronze; 

 likewise mirrors, strings for musical instruments resembling harps, not 

 to cite other examples.! The mirrors, which are round slabs or plates, 

 with handles, resemble those with which we are acquainted from 

 Estruscan tombs. 



We possess as yet very few Egyptian bronzes of a well determined 

 age, and these date almost all from ages immediately bordering on the 

 epoch when they had begun to use iron. Now we can not respond as 

 completely as we would wish to this important question, What forms 

 are characteristic to each period of the Egyptian age of bronze? 



It is only very seldom — as, for instance, when hilts of poniards (Figs. 

 9-11), or handles of axes (Figs. 30-33) are referred to — that we can follow 

 the typologic development. Meanwhile that which we know already is 

 very interesting. The discovery of the tomb of Queen A'hhotep proves 

 that poniards of the type of Fig. 11 are a little anterior to the year 1500 



B. 0. 



As a consequence the types (Figs. 9 and 10) belong to a more remote 

 era.| This is confirmed by the fact that the original of Fig. 9 was 

 discovered in the same tomb as the ax represented by Fig. 33. 



This tomb ought to date Irom the year 2000 b. c. or thereabouts, since 

 the axes similar to Fig. 15, as we have seen, are represented upon the 

 monuments of the twelfth dynasty, reigning at that period. Too lew 

 E^iyptian bronzes of the epoch we are examining have been until now 

 chemically investigated. We can, however, discover that the bronze 

 then employed in Egypt, as that used in Europe during the age of 

 bronze, was an alloy of copper and tin, probably without the intentioua- 

 addition of lead, zinc, or other metal. § 



Au Egyptian poniard analyzed by Vanquelin, containing 85 parts to 

 100 of copper, 14 parts to 100 of tin, and 1 part to 100 of iron, or of 

 other nietals. || 



Other arms of Egyptian bronze are composed of 94 parts to 100 of cop- 

 per, 5.9 parts to 100 of tin, and 0.1 part to 100 of iron.^l 



According to Wilkinson ** the proportion of tin in almost all Egyptian 

 bronzes analyzed up to the present time is about 12 parts to 100. 



*Lop8iii8. Lcs M6teau,x, PI. ii. Fig. 19, of the same plate proves that hvtmza knives 

 were also used for shaving off the liair. 



tLepsius. Les Mi'teaux,V\. ii, Fig. 13 (sickle), Fig. 20 (iiiirroi), ;iih1 Fig. 'J2 (liarp). 



tD'Atbanasi. Account of reu'archcs, \\. IS'^. 



^ In more recent Egyptian bronzes we often meet with le;ul, and perhaps zinc. 

 Bibra. Die Bronzen der alien und altestcn Volker, , p i'-l. 



II Bibra. Die Bromen, p. 94. 



H Birtish Museum. A guide to the Egyptian rooms (Lnuilon ISTD), ]). 40. 



*" Manners and Customs, vol. iii. The special analyses upon which this datum ie 

 based are not, however, quoted. • 



