THE TIME OF TUT.

Shannon News, 11 December 1923, Page 2

THE TIME OF TUT.

fancy vests and divorce. EGYPTIAN PHILOSOPHY. That there were “ fast sets ” in the high society of Egypt 3000 years ago, when Tut-ankh-amen was living, that divorce was prevalent and easy to obtain, and that drunkenness, polygamy and other " modern ” social ills were rife, is shown by, Prof. S. W. M. Flinders Petrie, famous antiquarian, m ms book, “Social Life in Ancient Egypt. Prof. Petrie visited Tut-ankh-amen’s tomb when it was opened upon invitation from Lord Carnarvon. The Egyptologist gives many little known and ' interesting facts in hia book about the life of the ancient Egyptians, especially pointing ou how Egyptian philosophy was tinctured with crude insistence upon the inviolability of death. This found expression in their attitude of “ eat, drink and be merry, for to-morrow we may die ” This was their view toward lire. DIVORCE WAS SIMPLE.

Divorce, said Prof. Flinders Petrie, was ludicrously easy and was as popular as It is to-day. All an* ancient Egyptian had to do was to tell his wife that he was through with her. One might visualise an Egyptian in the days of Tut-ankh-amen'appearing at the breakfast table with a severe grouch and snapping at his wife: — “I have abandoned thee as a wife. lam removed from thee. I have no claim on earth to thee.”

There were no court proceedings, no lawyer’s fees, and no sensational articles in the yellow press. This was probably th e earliest divorce formula on record. MARRIED RELATIVES. ,

Under the Egyptian laws a man could marry his own sister,, and often did so. Polygamy was practised, but was not widespread. ( The Egyptians’ wisdom toward women was summed up by the professor in the following passage.—

“ Be 1 not rude to woman in her own house if thou know: her thoroughly. Do not say, ‘ What is that ? ’ or ‘ Bring it to me,’ when she hath put it in the right place and thine eye hath seen it. When you are silent thou knoweth her qualities, arid it is a joy to be with her.”

Another interesting revelation was that fancy waistcoats were in vogue 7000 years before Christ and that fashionable dress for women was a tight-fitting gown reaching to the ankles, with tight sleeves. The earliest dress worn in Egypt was similar to that of the South §ea Islanders today—just a fringe around the waist. Ancient Egyption women had their heads shaved and wore wigs in the sun: Servants could be told by the. peak upon their caps. SLAVERY PREVAILED.

Slavery for debt flourished. The earliest will dated back 3500 years B.C. It started off by describing the deceased and stating that he was sound mentally, just like the wills of today. The professor gave interesting details of the building of the Great Pyramid, which covers 13 acres. It took 100,000 workers, 4000 of them skilled masons, 20 years, to build this ‘ mighty monument. / Prof.' Petrie ridicules those who say the early Egyptians were oppressed. He said that work upon the Pyramids was done when floods rendered thousands of workmen idle. They were then employed by the king upon Pyramid construction and were well treated.