6 
can be consecutively classified, in the shape of pottery, flints, 
and tombs,—a period as remote from the classical ages as the 
Ice Age and the Cave Men of Europe are from our own time. 
Fragments of mummies of these far-off ages have come down to 
us,—not straightly laid and bound as in the dynasties of historic 
Egypt, but crouched up in their rude tombs in the sides of rocks. 
Such mummies had nothing but skins thrown over them, while 
in one case a little copper band was found, for fastening together 
the skins, and this is the earliest use of metal that is known. 
From these ancient sepulchres have been recovered flints, ivory 
rings and spoons, figures of hippopotami, and mace-heads for 
fighting, with sharp-edged disks that, as the Professor said, 
could not help hitting something, as there was no way for the 
edge to turn. The graves where these relics are found have 
nearly always been already plundered for valuables long ago, and 
it is very seldom they are found untouched. 
These pre-historic Egyptians were remarkably skilful in 
their handiwork and the use of their materials, and the 
samples of their craft that have been recovered show in many 
cases a delicacy of touch quite equal to, if not greater than, 
the skill of a Sheffield file cutter of to-day. The Professor 
threw upon the screen pictures of flint knives, beautifully 
rippled and flaked purely for ornament. These knives, he said, 
which were made entirely by hand, were often a foot long, 
and no more than an eighth of an inch in thickness. Such 
work is unequalled in any other country. Further evidence of 
a high state of technical efficiency and culture was provided by 
specimens of ornamented ivory spoons, with handles carved with 
animals, by bracelets of flint, ground down to the thickness of a 
straw, carved ivory hairpins, and by some wonderfully-worked 
hardstone vases, entirely done by hand and eye, yet so perfect 
in form that the most careful examination can rarely detect a 
fault. ‘‘We have, altogether, opened four to five thousand 
graves of pre-historic times in the past five or six years,” 
said the lecturer. ‘‘ We have recorded everything that has 
been found, and catalogued each article, and we could put back 
into its exact position everything that has been discovered. We 
have an exact record of each object.’’ One curious kind of object 
found is disks of various sizes, carved with the figure of 
serpents, and perforated at the top, evidently meant for hanging 
on the person or the wall of a house. The Professor reminded 
his audience that in historic Egyptian times we have the 
guardian serpent of the temples, while even at the present day 
an Egyptian native will not disturb a serpent beside his house. 
Another interesting find was made in the grave of a child. 
Here were found nine little stone knobs and four big stone 
marbles, and with them three small stone sticks of such a shape 
that a sort of little gateway could be made from them,— 
