CHEERY DAYS UNDER PHARAOH.

Hokitika Guardian, 8 September 1923, Page 1

CHEERY DAYS UNDER PHARAOH.

LADIES WHO LIKED WINE. LONDON. July 12. 1 Sir William Flinders Petrie’s cheery little book “Social Life in Ancient Egypt” is the prelude to a larger and .more serious work, “Descriptive Sociology of Egypt,” which is shortly to be published under Herbert Spencer’s will. It gives an attractive picture of life ns it was lived under the Pharaohs. The people enjoyed good things and would have scandalised “Pussyfoot” Johnsons. A servant begs the guest to “drink to drunkenness, make holiday,” and a lady says (naughtily) : “Give me eighteen cups of wine; behold, I should love drunkenness.” It seems to have been no more apprehensible than going to a prize-fight now. The ordering of the table was a little primitive. Food was held in the right hand, a knife was used if wanted, but forks were unknown, as they were in England before A.D. 1300. Spoons were very rarely found before Greek times. There were small ones of ivory in the prehistoric age, perhaps used for eggs. 'fbe position of woman was a high one, though when the ties of matrimony were not observed the Egyptians were apt to burn the erring wife: As late as 1400 B.C. there was still surviving the idea that a. man was only a boarder in, a woman’s house. “Be not rude to a woman in her house if thou know her thoroughly.. Do not say; ‘What is that? Bring it to me.’ ”

The royal descent was by tlie female line, but that did not prevent tlie Pharaohs from keeping harems. Life in the harem is figured at Amarna: the girls are dancing, playing instruments, liair-dressing and feeding, and the rooms have musical instruments mirrors, boxes and chairs. Sir William Flinders Petrie is quite certain that tbe pyramids were not built, as we have sometimes been told, “with, tears and blood.” Much nonsense has been written about the oppression of the people. With the splendid organisation evident jn the work, the people must have been well managed, and there was no hardship whatever in carrying out the work. Each man was levied twice in his lifetime. Ho could be just as well off there as at home, for be could do nothing during the inundation. Tbe immense gain to tlie people was tlic education in combined work and technical training. This is a most agreeably written and informative book by a famous expert. ______________