Democratic Sentinel, Volume 19, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 September 1895 — Treasures From Egyptian Tombs. [ARTICLE]

Treasures From Egyptian Tombs.

The treasures which have been unearthed by Mr. de Morgan in Dashur, whose interesting explorations formed the subject of an article in a recent issue of the Journal, are now on exhibition in the Gizeh Museum of Egypt. Best preserved of the necropolitan trophies is a bronze bladed poniard which was taken from the sarcophagus of Princess Ita, who lived many centuries ago. Considering the date of this weapon, it is a marvellous piece of workmanship. The handle is made of solid gold, inlaid with Cornelian stone, lapis lazuli and Egyptian emerald. The pommel is formed of one large lapis lazuli. More intricate, but cruder, and, perhaps, less artistic, is the crown of Queen Khuomuit. It is made of solid gold, the motives being miniature lyres, also inlaid with emerald, cornaline and lapis lazuli. All these motives, all these flowers also, which link these lyres together, are fluished with such scrupulous decision and display such ingenuity of artisauship that they compare favorably with the best works of tbe modern goldsmiths and lapidaries. It would be a difficult task to enumerate here all the bigoux which have been taken from the ancient coffins. There are nearly 6000 of them. Vultures chiseled of pure gold, hawk’s heads und tiger claws, all beautifully enamelled and inlaid, and hundreds of clasps surmounted with lions, tigers, snakes and other wild animals. It will take the French Egyptologists several months to decipher the small hieroglyphics on all these ornaments, heavy earrings and finger rings which are generously inscribed. Some of them will perhaps only furnish names which will never be identified with the history of ancient Egypt. They will tell the domestic tales of births, love and marriages, but other inscriptions, especially those of the queen’s and king’s rings* will elucidate much that our historians have been unable to harmonize. They have grappled for years with the Egyptian chronology, and it is a question whether, after all, we will succeed in ever obtaining an accurate chronology of the Pliareonic dynasties.