TUTANKHAMEN’S TOMB

Hokitika Guardian, 4 April 1923, Page 4

TUTANKHAMEN’S TOMB

5 , (Sydney Paper). 1 The discovery recently made by Ah' J Howard Carter at Luxor of that which I is supposed to he the burial chamber of * the I’haroah Tutankhamen, and the {extraordinary variety and value of the articles which are daily being found I therein, have become matters of worlds wide interest. Tutankhamen in life . I was the ruler of a country, which, dera spite its magnificence. was known, but " I to a comparatively small portion of the J| v c.rld. To-day. alter the passage, of fi j three thoii'-aud years, the fame of the J ; d ad I’hnrunh penetrates to every qitar- | ! tel ol the globe; and in regions which ■ j la never knew hi- name is on the 11;i----4 |o; all men. Whitt the seareher.s may a yi ; imd Within the dim recesses ol that 4 rock-hea u chainber in the Valley of * ' the Kings and what strange reeords J tlie renders of the iiivrnglyphs upon its “ walls may reveal, arc matters for eonJ jcrlni'e; hot that tin- lesiilts ol the S di-i every. direct and indirect, "id add t a oreai chapter to the known bi-inry a* i of the ancient world is already ccitaio. j There is a fascination ahont these re- — | s.uirelies into the antiquity oi niaiikind which is unique; other <‘e“J partinent of scientific investigation are ! the rewards so great perhaps, nor the ~| ’ difficulties to he overetmte so stiipen- ~] 1 dons. The whole story of archaeology !J ! pregnant with a romance which is all Z} ! the more alluring in that it is the roll malice of humanity ; and those wno □ j lightly regard the antiipiariau as ne- □ I ees-arily a "high-brow” follower of a LI "dry-and-dusty’’ calling arc very lai Ji indeed from being right. 'I he ro-disco\ - J erers of Kritlu. that strange and lonely J Sumerian city "hose ant i<|u itv is so -J vast as to he Imineasiirahh g ol I toy ;el If Wvcetiae; of Nineveh, of Petra. “Dio »j rose-red city half as old as time" ; Iny--4 lor. Scldienuinn. Layard—tliesci are the 4 melt, who in the noblest sense have 4 i lived and had their hour. Not all the =j ! hardships of the moment, nor the !u----4 ! tore hufletings of fate, can dim 1 ll ’ 4 j ni|iiiire of tlfht hour nor take its glory —I ! I rolli them. I One of the great O-t 'Meets oi a di--4 ; covert such as this of .Mi Carter s is to 4 | re-impres- upon tl;e minds of men Um "'ll sonic'vleit humiliating fact that the at.- = j 1 vane; ment in civilisation of wliiih the;, [j : are so prone to boast is not such great B I advancement, after all. 'I he rul.es that | are emerging from the Luxor tomb □limedit del v the most accomplished □ dressmakers ol Ran- to better m design □Lor workmanship. Th,. wood and gold L! : and metal workers of to-day might veil

□ | stand hack abashed by the skill of their Ll I Egyptian predecessor--. Ihe >■ anil nieiits were well versed in astronomical LI j phenomena ; possessed workable taoles [J j lot calculating weights and measuris. ,J : and for the notation of time; used the cj j dei imal system, and had much mote 1 'than a nodding ncqimiulume with It j chemistry, anatomy, and medicine: I I while as architects and craftsmen then 1 | buddings are slill the "(Older ol the J j world for greatness in deign and spleu*3 ! dom of execution. And was at one ol tie I j highest altitudes ot magmiii ellee in ilafl ; history that Tutankhamen wore the 1 ® per anil I .utter Crowns ol Egypt. Hi J I died about the t ear Fib > |;.t .. and it » j is more than possible that his tomb J I uas one ol the works on which the S ! early .Jewish nation laboured in irnJ guisli hen-.ath the whips of their lask- !| masters, lor his reign occupied a| . rind ■ nearly midway between the assumed (| periods ol Joseph's power and tli K:\o--8 on-. The ti.nili «ln»ts signs of roblicrs J Having entered it williin a century or 9 .t - o| his Iniriai ; hut since tlml lime !| "Silence and slow lime" line; liehl the | reiv ■ inviolale. Three thousand years J) have passed; great Empire- rose, ami •j ; le*' ioio d "ay tin liagedy aiel glory q j i f l lidgie let. uas etui' teil. and > i'.ci--4 eigntt of tie.' ttorld paved lulu Ihe ; West which Egypt knew not 01, and. s | finally, the riuzelis oi lends tindivnm- - i-d i.l. in the i’lmi oah’.s time, and "hose 8 (Iciiiiniis "ere -avage.s "i;eu lie was cal'1 ii 1 in iii-, siiuipiuoiis iiiir i'i'l. nave ’) ; hiokeu in upon Ins mighty sheep. I Aml " hen we reach this point in on r I I eiisidei'at i'll of the uni 11 IT lie’ question LililL at oil'o eoPlroilts us I- . a" jan v man the m; ■b t -n i o di'l urh the • lea-. 1- In the nu; i• ■ : oj h no" h/ir moi !i ma v hi (h lie I hat would on any other grounds h disallow d. Can -u -li a plea excuse tlie dragging forth ol a rharaolt or any lesser man. for that : mat t.:. j| Du. re I.e d or- , ■ ol pr ■ : •f. 11 in the cold oonlnnnily o! <lu j Irma the la d-i ear 11111 y prepaid! lor i hi ■ last sh . p. a lid the pi icing ol InI 'h'sii.iited body in a rare in a ino.-eM ! |f:i t|ie eorioii I o gas' a. , I olei c. I |iin e with the remains ol to d od haalways. and lit all (ouutrie-. him ivgarded as sacrilege; a thing to ho at oidi'il iiiiihr thr threat of cur -c anil i pnnishnront. Th i dogged • veron i S!imkc-pciii'e'- tomb m Stratford voice | this view, and ihviv are many oti -r j| i ( of it - eomnioii aei ept.inee. We I mu-t i eiiieml.ar. 100. that th (iisturhi ill;.;; of the liead was peculiarly r pugmint to the ancient Egypt i in. I: «a> ; a tenet of his religion that such an act i ..a-> not oniy sai rilegioiis; ii aiiuolly j cll'eeU'.l hi- . leilial welfare. The body I unis, he intact, or resum clin;i could imu he aecoiiipii!:etl. Tier hoii"! i | was which was the oitl.-c of that stiriig, j eeretininy of mummifying the enrp.-: j a. hicli lues Idled lie sod and hills oi ■ Kgy| t uitii her iindeeaymg dead, and j which has given sin h iii !i results to j the .-patio of tile inquisitive and rostj 'irelii'elogisf. Are we. in view e.l , i-iicso tilings, then, justified in not only ! hroalting the .-"its w.liicli time and irrII ili ■-: i inn o placed noon tiles' toinh-. I hut in thereby shat i; ring t Impe and a ! I.elii f so vitally precious t*» their oe- | (11,1.' lilt - It is (I ill Nil-ill t (p! sill'll to I 1 ; ; n Vi r. The ! till! aspect i I lie <!■' - I i lion —t l e right to the actual I'hv.-ecl-j (iwleal ship of these mummies, in rum- , | men with other valuable rolii"-- ■'!- j ! rhough it rise-', too, is almost negligible j j In sid the vaster moral one. '1 his mat- , ! iei of ownership is. as a matter ol I'e t. | i I list, now before the Lgyiiiiaii Hevcr.i- | I ment. and a law to pr vent -x|dorm's j liaving any rights whatever in iti.tr discoveries "dl protmliiy tie passed ere long. But on this other great"!' point ii. it her t lie Lgyptian nor any other <■"- vermneiit has spoken or is likely to speak. The claim of the scientist " li,i scholar to continue the practice on hc--1,5,1 f of the advancement ol knowledge mav continue Lo he sucecssful. \ eg\ , ~,'sjblv it should so c.iutiiiue; for. I'-'-gallv and logically, the claim is d.-fen-C'hle euoiigli. It is a matter oi ethics ; perhaps uf sentiment. But sentiment is often deeper than logie and stronger than the law. Sometimes even .- m u i-er than both.