I^O 



NATURE 



[Dec. 6, 1888 



Punites of the same red. In their civil relations likewise 

 they show some signs of a community of origin : the 

 Egyptians never made war on the Punites, while peaceful 

 intercourse is repeatedly found, under Sankhkara (2800 

 B.C.), Hatasu (1600 B.C.), Ramessu III. (1200 B.C.), and 

 others. The land of Pun was called "the divine land" 

 by the Egyptians, and the typical form of the beard of 

 the Egyptian gods is that of the noble of Pun above. Un- 

 fortunately we know so very little of the archaeology of 

 Somali Land and Yemen, which appear to be the ancient 

 Pun, that it is hopeless at present to obtain clues from 

 there ; but the recent report of Colonel Haig on the extra- 

 ordinary terracing of the hills on the Arabian side witR 

 stone walls to a height of 6ooo feet, the great buildings 

 mentioned by Hamdani (tenth century A.D.), and the 

 massive ruins, with blocks 13 feet long, at 70 miles in the 

 interior from Aden,i all show that this region has been at 

 some time a seat of civilization. It is not too much to 

 hope that British or Italian energies there may yield some 

 authentic and accurate accounts of the antiquities around 

 Aden and Asab. 



The source of the Hyksos, or " shepherd kings," who 



from Northern Syria, and further research should follow 

 on these lines. 



Of the Khita, or Hittites, there are several portraits, of 

 which the most characteristic (Fig. 7) is that of the king 

 (1200 B.C.). All of these are closely alike, and could not 

 be mistaken for any other race on the monuments. The 

 very low and retreating forehead, the large curved nose, 

 and beardless receding chin are the essential points ; and 

 it is just these peculiarities which are most marked in the 

 sculptures of the Hittites executed by themselves in their 

 own cities. The general view now is that they must have 

 been a Mongolian race, who held a military occupation 

 of the lands around their own country, much like the 

 Turkish rule of modern times. Their colour on the 

 paintings is a moderate brown or browny yellow ; the eye 

 brown, and the hair black or brown. They are thus 

 completely different from the fair Amorites, the red-brown 

 Bedawin, or the yellow Phoenicians which surrounded 

 them. 



The value of the series of photographs lies not only in 

 the study of one or two special races, but in the general 

 information on the characteristics of the people of all the 

 countries around Egypt at about 1400 B.C. What is much 

 needed now is an equally complete and comparable series 

 of portraits, in profile and full face, of the modern races 

 which are supposed to be the representatives of these. 



I 



Troni flarper's Mugiwine. 



Copyright, ISSS, by Harper 4 Brothers. 

 -Hittites. 



From Harper's Magazine.— Copyright, 1888, by Harper* BlOS. 

 Fig. 6 — North Syrians. 



invaded Egypt about 2300 B.C., has been much discussed, 

 •1 1 one special object of my work was to get a good profile 

 of the Hyksos sphinx in the Bulak Museum (Fig. 5). 



The features are quite peculiar, and unlike those of any 

 Egyptian or other race usually represented. But on the 

 north wall recently uncovered at the temple of Luxor, 

 precisely the same face is found (Fig. 6), both in profile 

 and full face, among people of Northern Syria. 



The frontal projection, the horizontal eye, the precise 

 curves of the nose, the peculiar form of slope beneath it, 

 the lips, and the angle of the beard, are identical through- 

 out ; while the very thick bushy hair in the Syrian parallels 

 the massive locks with which the Hyksos always repre- 

 sented themselves. Further evidence on the Hyksos has 

 just come to light. On a statue found by M. Naville at 

 Bubastis are the names and titles of a Hyksos king 

 {Academy, September i, 1888, &c.), Khian, which at once 

 links to the Greek form lanias of Manetho's dynastic 

 lists, and appears to be identical with the name Khaian 

 which occurs twice among the chiefs of North Syria, 

 about 1000 B.C., in the Assyrian annals. Thus there is a 

 confirmation of the view that the Hyksos were a people 



' Described to me by Colonel Johnson Pasha. 



Until we have the recent portraits for comparison, the 

 full value of the information which the Egyptians have so 

 careful'y recorded cannot be made available. It is to be 

 hoped that some amateur will take scientific photographs 

 in Syria, North Africa, and other countries before long. 



An interesting study of the mixture of races may be 

 made from the coloured wax paintings of the Roman age 

 which I discovered this 3'ear in the Fayum. From those 

 we see how largely Greek and Italian blood penetrated 

 into Egypt far inland, and how it became mixed with the 

 native race; showing that the Copt, though pure from 

 Arab admixture since the Muhammedan conquest, is far 

 from being of a pure race. We have therefore in the 

 Copts a most interesting example for study ; as the effect 

 of climate in unifying a heterogeneous mixture, and sub- 

 duing elements foreign to the country, can be here ob- 

 served without any admixture of fresh races for twelve 

 hundred years. A thorough anatomical study of the 

 average Copt in comparison with the elements of anciervt 

 Egyptian, Negro, Ethiopian, Arab, GreeV, and Roman, 

 would throw light on the great question of climate versus 

 race in the causation of characteristics. We have a 

 specimen race duly compounded, and then safely set 

 apart for future examination, owing to the power of 

 fanaticism, which has been an absolute barrier to further 

 combinations. W. M. Flinders Petrie. 



