Distiibidioii of rcai Is nini Pearl-slicll. 75 



the South as far as Ce)'lt)ii, wt-rc perhaps ah"ea(l\- opened 

 at the time of the Xlltli cl\iiast\' of Eg)'|)t." Hut, he 

 i:,focs on to sa\-, " the proof is not above suspicion. It 

 consists of a shell of niothcr-of-pearl, such as those of 

 Ce\'lon, which, inscribed willi the cartouche of L'surtasen, 

 was l)ouL,dit in h^Lj\-pt in i SS :; 1)\- Professor Sayce. It 

 nia\- have ])een engraved long after tiic reign ot that 

 sovereign." There is no reason, lun\e\cr, to doubt the 

 authenticity of this specimen in the light of the more 

 recent discoveries mentioned above, but the evidence of 

 its Cev'lon origin is untrustuortlu-. As the same species 

 of pearl-shell inhabits the \<&i\ Sea, it is more i)robable 

 that this was its true source. 



In addition to the mother-of-pearl shell, pearls them- 

 selves were used by the h"g\;)tians, though frcjui an 

 examination of representations of the costumes of ancient 

 Eg)[)t, the}' do not appear to have been emi)lo)-ed to any 

 great extent in their decorations.'" Tliey are represented 

 on old Eg\-ptian monuments, and diadems of pearls have 

 been found from time to time in ancient sarco[)hagi. 

 From about 1 500 li.C, Eg\'ptian women wore earrings, 

 generally sim|)le loops of gold, from which hung pendants 

 (jf precious stones and pearls. The\', likewise, wore neck- 

 laces made of alternate rows of shells (cowries, etc.), coral, 

 scarabei, precious stones and pearls. One ornament worn 

 by both .sexes was the gorget, ui^on which pearls were 

 embnjidered in elaborate [patterns." It was not, however. 

 until after the Persian conciuest in the fifth centur)- i:.C. 

 that pearls were used e.xtensivel).'- 



The Egyptians were also familiar with their own local 



'" Kunz and .Sieven.son, op. cil., \t. 6. 



'•' I'".. W. Streeter, "I'carlr, and I'earlint,' Life." L<m>c1..ii. iSSo, pp. 

 33-34. 



' '-■ Klin/ and .Stevenson, op. cil., p. 6. 



