I lO 



NA TURE 



[Dec. 5, 1889 



plements used, and those are mostly undated. Broadly 

 speaking, the three sites just named represent respectively 

 the Old Kingdom before 3400 r, C, the Middle Kingdom 

 about 26CO B.C., and the Kew Kingdom from 1600 B.C. ; 

 and though debarred from scientific work in these richest 

 districts of Egypt — owing to national jealousies — I have 

 been fortunate enough to discover two small towns, each 

 only occupied for a couple of centuries, which have thus 

 revealed the works of the Middle and NeAv Kingdoms 

 with chronological exactness. Beside the Egyptian in- 

 terest of these places, they are of prime importance for 

 Mediterranean history, having been colonies of foreign 

 workmen. 



These towns are one on each side of the entrance to 

 the Fayum province, fifty miles south of Cairo. The north- 

 ern town, now called Kahun, was built for the workmen 

 employed by Usertesen II., for his pyramid and temple, 

 about 2600 B.C. The southern town, now called Gurob, 

 was founded by Tahutmes III., and destroyed by Meren- 

 ptah, thus lasting from about 1450 to 1 190 B.C. Obtaining 

 thus two sites of different ages, close together, we can be 

 certain that all differences are due entirely to time and 

 not to locality. The change in an interval of l2co years 

 is most marked. Of the pottery, scarcely a single type 

 of form or material is alike in the two periods; of the 

 many varieties of beads of stone and glazed ware, hardly 



one was continued ; the metal tools are every one changed 

 in form ; and the use of flints had practically died out. 

 For the first time we are able to trace the definite and 

 decided changes in all the products of two ages so remote. 

 The idea that Egypt was changeless is only due to our 

 lack of knowledge ; not only fashions changed — every few 

 years in minor details — but radical rearrangements were 

 made from age to age in the manufactures. 



The twelfth dynasty town — Kahun — is the more import- 

 ant, and we will briefly note some of its products. Flint 

 working was carried to a high pitch, the thin flat knives 

 being flaked with much skill : but alloys of copper were also 

 in use, and show ability in their casting and hammering, a 

 thin bowl being wrought out of one piece. We find, then,^ 

 flint and metal side by side, the flint being the commoner 

 material, but yet influenced in its forms by the types of 

 metal tools. Moreover, we now see the use of the numerous 

 flint saws, formed of serrated flakes; many of them have 

 black cement upon them, and one was found remaining 

 in its socket in a wooden sickle (Fig. i). 



Beside hatchets, adzes, and chisels of bronze, we find 

 needles, barbed and unbarbed fish-hooks, netting-needles,, 

 and knives of the straight-backed type. Among wooden 

 tools are hoes, rakes, grain-scoops, a brick-mould, plas- 

 terers' floats, bow-drills, plummets, &c. Perhaps the most 

 important of all is a fire-stick, on which five burnt holes 



Tig. I. 



Wooden sickle with flint siw (twelfth dynasty). 



remain where fire has been drilled by a rotating rod : the 

 drilling was begun by hacking a groove in the side of the 

 stick, down which the heated wood powder might run, 

 until it caught alight. This shows, for the first time, how 

 the Egyptians obtained fire : and familiar as they were 

 with the bow-drill, they doubtless used it for the fire-stick. 

 A very interesting point is the origin of the shoe from the 

 sandal. Two sandal-shoes have been found ; both with 

 toe and heel straps, but with an upper of leather across 

 the foot. Tops, tip-cats, clay toys, dolls with jointed limbs, 

 and game boards, were all in use. Among a large number 

 of papyri that I found are two wills, one of which is a 

 recital of a will and a settlement, duly witnessed. The 

 provisions show that the later law of Greek times was 

 much the same in matters of descent as it was two 

 thousand years earlier. On receiving family property the 

 man settles it on his wife ; she has a life interest in the 

 dwellings, and may divide all the property among their 

 children at her discretion. The man's ofificial position he 

 left to his son. A guardian was also appointed, excluding 

 the eldest son from that duty. Some numerical notes 

 concerning fractions are also found ; and all these papyri 

 are in course of study by Mr. F. L. Griffith. 



On turning to the later town — Gurob — of about 1 300 B.C., 

 we find that the art of flint working was lost ; only a few 

 rude leaf-shaped flakes (totally different from the earlier 

 forms) and some little saw-flakes remain, and these are 



scarce. Thus we may date the falfof fine flint manufac- 

 ture in Egypt to about 2Coo B.C.'; though rude flakes 

 continued to be used till late Roman times, and more 

 abundantly in poorer ages. Bronze tools were much 

 modified ; hatchets and chisels less finely formed, knives- 

 always double edged, fish-hooks not barbed, and punched 

 metal rasps were brought in. Bronze working reached a 

 high level in the making of two large pans, 14 and 9 inches 

 across, exquisitely wrought with difficult curves, and so- 

 thin that they can be still bent in and out by the fingers. 

 Glass ornaments were commonly used, though not found, 

 in the earlier town. The plain beads of fine blue, violet,. 

 &c., belong to about 1300 B.C. ; while the coarser beads- 

 of black, yellow, green, brown, and white, with eye- 

 patterns, are about a century later. 



The presence of foreigners in both of these towns is 

 shown by the weights discovered, which are— with scarcely 

 an exception— of foreign standards, foreign forms, or 

 foreign materials. A commercial intercourse must there- 

 fore have been kept up between these foreign colonies and 

 the Mediterranean. Beside this evidence we find at Gurob 

 the burials of one of the Tursha or Turseni (from Asia 

 Minor), and a Hittite ; foreign art is seen in a mirror 

 handle with the Phoenician Venus, and a wooden figure 

 of a Hittite ; and foreign complexions are shown by the 

 light hair found on some of the bodies. A very strong 

 Mediterranean influence appears in the quantity of pottery 



