DISTURBING THE TOMBS

Hokitika Guardian, 2 December 1929, Page 8

DISTURBING THE TOMBS

If the story is true that after Tutankhamen’s tomb has been fully cleared Mr Howard Carter is to undertake excavations to discover the tomb of Alexander the Great, it may well he asked what good purpose is likely to he served by this disturbing the last resting places of the kings am,! heroes of antiquity. It may. perhaps be conceded that in the case of Tutankhamen, we have gained some new light, on the Egyptian history of his period. But the general public was not nearly so much ■ inuausied in the historical problems involved, or even ; in, the intensely interesting and modern efforts of Akhnato'u to ~pro in,ate universal peace and a kind of League of Nations, ps it was in the number,, of valuable jewels and golden furniture found in tile . tomb. These finds attracted attention more by their intrinsic value as gold and precious stones than by the new light, they threw both on Egyptian art and the funeral customs of that age. In the same way many will toe more interested in the golden coffin in which, it. is said Ptolemy buried the body, at Alexandria after bringing it from Babylon than in any , historical facts that may be discoyerd. Fpr it. is just possible that the , coffin may,, have inscriptions of value, or else, documents or other 'features ,of interest may , have bpen placed in .the grave. Blit if this disturbance, of graves is to be justified on the grounds of historical inquiry, it is,hard,to see where it is to end. If the golden coffin is found, is it the intention of Mr Garter and his associates to re-inter this coffin in the grave, or will it he felt that a coffin of such great value in dollars ought not to remain buried, and will they place the body in some more, modern but less expensive casket? If so there is likely to be some controversy as to where the golden coffin is to he. kept. The history of Alexander the Great is so well known, and in the main so well established that there is not the same scope for the finding of new facts from the*-.disinterment of his remains as there was in the case of Tutankhamen. Considering how strongly the living Alexander resented anything that savoured of disrespect -to himself he will not be likely to view,, from the Elysia.ii fields, the somewhat cavalier curiosity of Mr Howard Carter nnd his companions. Why Sot allow the great men of old to rest , in peace ?