40 



Phoenicians also carried the forms of their own Astarte over the 

 whole basin of the Mediterranean. But to ancient tombs we are 

 indebted for the great numbers of weapons, oi golden ornaments, 

 statuettes and figurines (objects placed in the tomb for the pro- 

 tection of the soul or Ka of the deceased) such as are found 

 all over the world in various countries, from our barrows to the 

 discoveries of Schliemann, and the still greater number of objects 

 in the Valley of the Nile. 



What is called the prehistoric period, which has only been 

 accepted during the last twenty years principally on evidence 

 described by Professor Petrie, is supposed to have begun 

 8,000 years B.C. Then came the 1st dynasty (5,500 B.C.), which 

 brought entirely new influences into Art. The prehistoric work 

 is much more symbolic than artistic, feet and hands were omitted, 

 and limbs ended only in points. In the 1st dynasty the character 

 of Art is changed, figures and forms appear full of life and 

 character. 



The Pyramid Age (4,700 to 4,000 B.C.) brought in new 

 ideas. The great works of the early Pyramid Kings, Senolern 

 and Khufu, were the gigantic Pyramids cf the most accurate 

 workmanship, and there was a larger collection of artistic work 

 as regards statuary than in any other period of the world's 

 history. In expression of royal dignity the figures of Khufu and 

 Khafra are unsurpassed, nothing can compare with the early art 

 of the Pyramid Kings. The 6th dynasty produced a decadence 

 in the art, but at the closing of the 11th and beginning of the 12th 

 a revival took place. Figures are more elaborated and the works 

 of this dynasty, by losing the grandeur of the earlier periods, are 

 more finished, more exact and pleasant. The 18th and 19th 

 dynasties are popularly known as the age of Egyptian Art because 

 of the number and variety of the objects produced under their 

 Kings. 



The reign of the 12th dynasty is known as the Middle King- 

 dom, that of the 18th as the New Kingdom. Syrian influence 

 brought by captives of Thothmes I., II. and III., now appeared in 

 Egyptian art. In the 19th dynasty a decadence of art is noticeable. 



In Cyprus the excavations of Lang and Cesnola reveal to us 

 its art, partly Eygptian and partly Assyrian. Many lucky finds 

 have taken place, such as the Palestrina Treasure near Rome and 

 Sabymann's excavations at Rhodes, and from these — coupled 

 with the wonderful treasure found in Egypt — are supplied links 

 which attach the arts of Greece and Italy to the earlier civilisa- 

 tions of Egypt and Assyria. In Egypt most ancient documents 

 are continuallv coming to the surface to shed new light on the 

 history of antiquity. The splendid papyri, now in the Louvre, 

 Turin, the Vatican and the British Museum, have enabled us to 

 be acquainted with the life, the devotions, the architecture, the 

 sport, the trades, the wars, and, above all, the system of burial 

 in nncient Egypt. 



