314 TACKLE 
Roman times, are well designed, but their barbs are less 
intelligently placed than are those of the Middle Kingdom.! 
But even in Roman times several types of hook, fairly 
well distributed in the Northern Mediterranean, seem un- 
known in Egypt ; for instance, double hooks, barbed or barbless, 
of the Bronze Age in Switzerland, hooks with a split eye or 
an eye made by twisting the end of the shank round itself (as 
found in Crete) and many others are yet to seek.? 
The cluster or gang hook early confronts us in the tomb of 
Gem-Ni-Kai.? The fisherman here extends his index finger 
to feel the faintest bite: below the water the line ends in a 
cluster of five hooks, one of which holds a large fish. 
The ancient monuments sometimes portray fishing from a 
boat with hand-lines. Those of the Old Kingdom as often as 
not depict the fisher as an elderly peasant, presumably no 
longer equal to the brisker business of hauling a heavy seine. 
Occasionally two lines are employed, as in the scene which 
Blackman‘ describes: “‘A small reed skiff, containing two 
men, one of whom, lolling at ease in the stern, has just secured 
a catch upon one of his lines, while his companion, standing 
upright in the bow, is pulling his loaded net out of the 
water.” 
Another instance of hand-lining comes from Beni Hasan.5 
The same register contains a representation which is not only 
the earliest (c. 2000 B.C.) of fishing with a Rod known in the 
whole world, but is also (with the exception of that from the 
tomb of Kenamiin at Thebes 6) the only depictment, I believe, 
of the Rod till we reach Greece about the sixth century B.c. 
Unless the passion for sport pure and simple dominated 
rich and poor alike, we can fairly surmise that Angling yielded 
good results. The man in the Beni Hasan illustration, whether 
a fishing ghillie, or a professional fisherman belonging to the 
1 Petrie, Kahun, Gurob, and Hawara, p. 34. 
2 Bates, p. 249. 
3 F, von Bissing, Die Mastaba des Gem-Ni-Kai (Berlin, 1905), vol. I., 
Pl. IV, fig. 2. 
4 Op. cit., vol. IIL, Pl. VI 
5 Pp, E, Newberry, Bent Hasan (London, 1893), Part 1, Pl. 29. C#£. Wilkin- 
son, op cit., vol. I., Pl. 371. 
6 [bid., Pl. 370. This faces my introduction. 
