Jean Capart Primitive Art in Egypt

PRIMITIVE
EGYPT
BY JEAN CAPART
PRIMITIVK ART
IN
EGYPT
PRIMITIVE ART
IN
EGYPT
BY
JEAN CAPART
KEEPER OF THE EGYPTIAN ANTIQUITIES OF THE ROYAL MUSEUM, BRUSSELS
LECTURER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LIEGE
TRANSLATED FROM THE REVISED

AND AUGMENTED ORIGINAL EDITION
BY
A. S. GRIFFITH
WITH 208 ILLUSTRATIONS
LONDON
H. GREVEL & CO.
S3, KING STREET, COVENT GARDEN, W .C.
1905
PRINTED AND BOUND BY
HAZELL, WATSON AND VINEY, LD.,
LONDON AND AYLESBURY.
XLO
PROFESSOR W. M. FLINDERS PETRIE

A TOKEN OF PROFOUND GRATITUDE
PREFACE.
^
I ^HIS book made its first appearance in the form of
-^ a series of articles in the Annales de la Soci^td
d' Archdologie de Bruxelles, vols, xvii.-xviii., 1903-4.

In March 1904 it was published as a separate volume,
without any modification of the text.
I have been much gratified by the offer of Messrs. H.
Grevel & Co. to issue an English translation of a revised
and enlarged edition. In this way my book will naturally
be brought before that public which is

perhaps most
prepared both to receive and to criticise it.
The works of English ethnologists, more especially of
Lubbock, Tylor, Lang, Haddon, Frazer, Spencer, and

Gillen, were the first to draw attention to a whole series
of problems of the greatest importance for a study of the
origin of Art.
In submitting my work to the English-speaking public,
I am aware that those points which ensured its originality
for the French public may perhaps give the book the
appearance of a compilation, borrowed from the works of

English scholars.
The materials have, to a largfe extent, been drawn from
vii
viii PREFACE.
the publications ot two English societies, the Egypt

Exploration Fund and the Egyptian Research Account ;
from their pages I have gathered a large number of facts
of the greatest importance.
I owe very special gratitude to Professor Petrie, who,
with his habitual courtesy, has for more than five years
permitted me to study and to photograph the relics of
primitive Egypt, gathered together in his collection at
University College, London. I cannot express how much

I am indebted to him for the lessons in Egyptian archaeo-
logy that I have received from him at the yearly exhibition
of the Egypt Exploration Fund. If my book is of a
nature to render any assistance to students, it is in the first
instance to Professor Petrie that thanks are due.
Two visits to Oxford have enabled me to complete my

collection of notes and of photographic reproduction. I
am happy to have this opportunity of thanking Mr. Evans

and Mr. Bell for their generous reception of me at the
Ashmolean Museum.
Owing to the kindness of Professors Erman and

Shafer, I have been able to utilise much unpublished
material from the Berlin Museum. I i>'ladlv avail mvself
of this opportunity of offering them my sincere thanks.
The cordial hospitality received from the Rev. W.

Macgregor has enabled me to draw attention to a number
of important pieces in his fine collection of Egyptian
antiquities at Bolehill Manor House, Tarn worth.
PREFACE. ix
The Egypt Exploration Fund, the editorial staff of the

German review Die Umschau. and the Society of Biblical
Archaeology, London, have been good enough to place
several photographic reproductions at my disposal.
It is also a pleasant duty to express my warm thanks
to Miss Griffith for the admirable manner in which
she has accomplished the task of translating this book.
AUDERGHEM, December 1904.

ANALYTICAL TABLE OF CONTENTS.
PAGE
Chapter I. Preliminary Considerations I
Chapter II. Personal Adornment 21
Painting the Body 21

Painting the Eyes 23
Tattooing 30
Mutilations 34
The Hair 35
Combs and Pins 40
Wigs 42
Beards 43
Face-veils 45
Ornaments 47
Shells ^7
Beads 47
Pendants 48
Bracelets 49
Rings 50
Clothing 52
Girdles 52
Tail 54
Karnata 54
Animal's Skin 55
Loin-cloth 56
Mantle .
56
Chapter III.
Generalities .......
Ornamental and Decorative Art
Transformation of a Natural Design into a Geometric J) sign

59
59
60
Designs derived from Technique f'3
Transformation of a Useful Object into an Ornament 64

xi
Xll ANALYTICAL TABLE OF CONTEXTS.
Chapter III. {continued).
Object of Decoration 65
Art .
65
Information 65
Luxury and Power 66
Religion and Magic 66
Knives 67
Spoons 71
Combs 72
Pins 75
Pendants 76
Palettes .
77
Incised Palettes 82
Maces and Sceptres 94
Stone Vases 95
Skeuomorphic Decorations 98
Human Decorations 98
Animal Decorations 99
Stone Vases of Fantastic Forms [OI
-
Pottery . .
[03
Basket Work and Matting [04
Pottery copied from Plaited Work 108
„ „ „ Hard Stone 108
„ „ Gourds „ . [08
\V^hite Painted Vases [08
Floral Designs to9
Representations of Human Figures 10
„ ,, Animals 10
,, ,, Boats 12
Decorated Pottery .
13
„ ,,
in Imitation of Hard Stones 14
„ „ „ „ „ Plaited Work 15
Representations of Mountains . 16
„ „ Plants 16
,, ,,
Animals i7
„ ,, Human Beings 19
,, ,, Boats . 20
,, Various 21
Vases decorated with Figures in Relief 22
,,
with Decoration inside .
25
„ „ Incised Decoration 26
„ of Fantastic Forms 26
ANALYTICAL TABLE OF CONTENTS. Xlll
Chapter III. {continued').

PAGE
Vases of Human Forms .
,, ,,
Animal Forms . 28
Decorated Boxes
Furniture and Personal Property 33
The Hearth
Ivory Carvings [35
Pottery Marks '39

Primitive Hieroglyphs [42
" "
Alphabetiform Characters
Cylinders t5i
Chapter IV. Sculpture and Painting '52

Flints of Animal Forms ^52
Human Statuettes 54
Men f55
Women t6o
Dwarfs 72
Captives .
72
Servants .
74
Vases in form of Human Figures 75
Figures of Animals [76
Hippopotami 76
Lions 178
Dogs 183
Apes '85
Cattle [88
Quadrupeds — Various 189

Birds [90
Fish 191
Crocodiles [92
Scorpions
Frogs [92
Griffins [92
Bulls' Head Amulets '93
Double Bulls .
195
Magical Instruments with Human F gures 196

Boats 199
Houses .
200
Fortified P^nclosure 201
201
Sculptures in Relief
Drawing and Painting 202
xiv ANALYTICAL TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Chapter IV. {lontinued).
Graffiti
Tomb
Painted
Boats ....
of Hierakonpolis
....
Animals
Men ....
Object of Paintings and of Graffiti
Chapter V. The Earliest Pharaonic Monuments

Archaic Statues of Koptos
„ Statue of Hierakonpolis
Votive Palettes
First Cairo Fragment
Fragments at the British Museum and the Iôuvre
Louvre Palette .....

Small Palette of Hierakonpolis
Small Fragment at the British

.
Museum
Second Cairo Fragment .
PYagments at the British Museum and Ashmolean

Fragment at the Louvre .
Great Palette of Hierakonpolis .
Small Fragment at the Louvre .
Votive Mace- heads of Hierakonpolis

Ivory and Wooden Plaques
Plaque of the Chief of the Anou
Private and Royal Stelae from Abydos
Statues of Libyans .
Cairo Statue, No. I.
Archaic Statues
Statues of King Khasakhmui
Hierakonpolis Lion .
Figure of Cheops
Chapter VL
Generalities ......
Dancing, Music, and Poetry
.......
Dancing
Music
Poetry
.......
.......
Chapter VII. Conclusions
Index
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE
Fig. I.
2.
3.
The Geese
The Geese
of Medum
of Medum
Fragment of one of the Panels

........ of Hosi. From a photograph
7
4.
by Petrie
Woman
. .
Fragment of one of the Panels of Hosi

. . .
....
. .
Whole Body
6
7
5.
6.
Figure of a
Grey clay
Figures of
with
with Designs painted over the
black
Women.
paint
University College,
...... London. Grey clay
with greenish paint 24
7.
8.
Slate Palettes used for Grinding Paint
Ivory Box in Form of a Duck

Tatoo-marks of the Primitive Egyptians compared with those
..... *
ol
25
28
9.
the Libyans. From VAnthropologie
Tomb
....
ID. Libyans from the of Seti I
11. Fragment of a Statuette with Tatoo-marks on the Breast and

Right Shoulder. Cabmet des Medailles, Paris 33
12. Wooden
ornaments
Statuette
.........
in the Bologna Museum, with Ivory
Men
Pâr
13.
14.
Pottery Vase with Designs in White representing
Ivory Statuette. A
Woman
crouching captive ..... fighting 36
37
15.
16.
Figure of a
Ostrich Eggs.
Combs and
Glazed Pottery.
in
From Naqada and Hu

a Pin, decorated with
.....
Discovered at Abydos
Animal and Bird Figures .

38
40
41
17.
18. Band of False Hair. From the Tomb of King Zer 42

Head Tomb
ig.
20.
of one of the Libyans from the
Figure from the MacGregor Collection ..... of Seti I. .

43
44
21.
22.
23.
Pendants
Bone and Ivory
.......•••
Ornaments for the Forehead
Bracelets, and a Spoon with a Handle in Form

46
48
24.
of an
Ivory Rings
Arm
......••.•
wearing a Series of Similar Bracelets
XV
xvi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE
Fig. 25. Huntsman. Wearing a feather on his head, and the tail fixed to
his girdle 54
,,
26. Warriors. Clothed in a panther skin, or holding a shield formed
of a similar skin 56
„ 27. Figures of Women. Wrapped in cloaks, one of which is decorated
Below are fragments of leather with painted decoration S7
,,
28.
Columbian Art. From Holmes .....

Evolution of the Representation of the Alligator in Ancient
Human
61
,,
„
29.
30.
Evolution of the Representation of the
nesian Art.
Tortoise-shell
From Haddon
Ornaments from Torres
...... Figure in Poly
Straits, in imitation of the

63
Fish-Hook (a). From Haddon 65

,, 31. Magical Decoration on a
Haddon .......... Comb of a Malacca Tribe. From
66
,, 32. Flint Knife,
Museum ;
.......
worked and retouched on both Faces.
length, 25 cm.
Gold Leaf with Incised Designs, sewn on one end of a
Brussel
67
,, 33.
Flint Knife to form the Handle
Women and of
..... to
Boat on a gold Knife-handle

largi
68
,, 34. Figures of a 69
,,
,,
35.
36. Ivory Knife-handle. Petrie Collection .....

Ivory Knife-handle in the Pitt-Rivers Collection
Small Flint Knife with Ivory Handle. Petrie collection

.
70
71
72
,, 37.
,,
,,
38.
39.
Berlin Museum
Ivory Spoon-handles
......
Fragment of an Ivory Knife-handle with a Figure of an Antelope
73
74
„ 40. Ivory Combs with Human Figures. Petrie Collection 75
,, 41. Ivory Combs with Figures of Antelopes and Giraffes 75
,, 42. Ivory Combs with Figures of Birds 76
Comb
,, 43. Ivory
derived from Bird Forms ......
with the Figure of an Antelope and Ornaments
..... n
,,
,,
44.
45.
Ivory Comb, Recto.
Ivory Comb, Verso ........
Davis Collection 78
78
,,
,,
,,
46.
47.
48.
Slate and Ivory Pendants .......
Ivory Pius decorated with Figures of Birds and a Bull's
Slate and Ivory Pendants decorated with Derived Designs

Head
.
79
80
81
,, 49. Stone and Ivory Pendants with Incised Line Decoration 82
„ 50. Plaque in the Berlin Museum (Recto). Shell (?) .

83
Museum (Verso). Shell
,,
,,
51.
52.
Pla(]ue in the Berlin
Palette with a Human Figure at the Top ....
(?)
Head missing
.
83
84
,,
,,
,,
53.
54.
55.
Palette with the Figure of an Antelope, the
Palette in
Palettes in
Form of Antelopes.
Form of Elephants and Hippopotami
...... .
. 84
85
86
,, 55A. Palette in Form of a Lion. MacGregor Collection 87

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. xvu
Fig
XVIIl LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
Fig.
„
95- Decorated Vase irom Abadiyeh .....
Vase with Representations of Giraffes, Ostriches, Crocodiles and
pac;e
122
96.
Snakes. Berhn Museum . . . .
123
,.
„
97-
98.
Decorated Vases
Ornamentations
with
.......
Designs
Black-topped Pottery with Figures

in
in Relief
Relief and Other Rare
124
125
„ 99- Vase of Black-topped Pottery with an Incised Decoration inside 126
,, 100. Rough-faced Pottery with Incised Decorations 127

Black Polished Vase in Form of a Woman
„
,,
101.
102. Clay Vases

Clay Vases
Form of Animals
in
in Form of Birds
.....
.....
. 128
129
„
.,
„
103.
104.
105.
Clay Vase in Form of a Vulture
Pottery Boxes with Various Designs
.....
....
130
131
„ 106. Clay Fire-places decorated with Designs in Imitation of P aited

Work 134
„ 107. Ivory Feet for Furniture, in the Shape of Bulls' Legs .
135
„ 108. Fragments of Ivory carved with Various Figures .
136
,,
,,
M
log.
1
III.
10. Carved Ivory Cylinders
Pottery Marks
......
Fragments of Ivory Objects carved with Various Designs
........
137
138
141
,,
n
112.
113- .....
Hieroglyphic (?) Signs of the Prehistoric Period
Table of " Alphabetiform Signs
....
"'
.
'45
147
,. 114. Impressions taken from Cylinders 150
„ 115- Worked Flints inForm of Animals • . . . .
153
„ 116. Worked Flint in Form of an Antelope (Bubalis). Berlin M useum '54
„ 117. Worked Flint in Form of a Wild Goat. Berlin Museum '55
„
„
118.
119.
Worked
Museum.
Figures of Men
........
Flint in Form of a Wild Barbary Sheep.
of the Primitive Period

Berlin
155
156
„ 120. Ivory Figures of Men
discovered at Hierakonpolis 157
Heads discovered
„ 121.
1 T1
Ivory
Ivory Statuette from
at Hierakonpolis
Abydos .....
Ashmolean Museum
158
159
161
n 123. Steatopygous Clay Figures.
,, 124. Steatopygous Clay Figures. Ashmolean Museum 162
u 125. .Steatopygous Figure in Clay (complete). Berlin Museum 163

,, 126. Clay Female Figure. University College, London 164
n 127. Female Figure in Vegetable Paste. Berlin Museum .
165
„ 128. Female Figures in Pottery, Ivory, Lead, and Vegetable Paste 166
„ 129. Female Figures in Ivory. MacGregor Collection 167
„ 130. Figure of a Woman carrying a C'iiiid on her Siioulders 168
u 131- Ivory Figure of a Woman carrying a C'hild. Berlin Museum 169

,. 132. Ivory Figures discovered at Hierakonpolis . 170
.. '33- Ivory Figures discovered at Hierakonpolis .
171
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. XIX
'34-
135-
Small I'igure
IvoF}^
in Lapis-lazuli I'rom
Figures of Dwarfs
Woman standing
..... Hierakonpolis .
172
173
136.
'37-
138.
Figures of a
Vases in Form of Women .....
in a Large Jar
Figures of Hippopotami in Clay, Glazed I'ottery, and .Stone

174
175
177
139. Hippopotamus in Black and White Granite 178
University College, London
140.
141.
i4-\
.Small Figures of Lions.
Small Figures of Lions
Limestone Statue of a Lion from Kojjtos
..... 179
180
181
'43- Ivory Carvings of a

Museum
Figures of Dogs
.......
Dog and of a Lion from Abydos.
.......
Brussels
182
[44.
145- Part of an Ivory Figure of a .... Dog

183
184
146.
147.
[4.S.
Figures of Monkeys
I'îgures of Cattle
......
Natural Flints roughly worked to represent Baboons
and Pigs. Ashmolean Museuni

185
187
188
Camel's Head in Clay, found at Hierakonpolis
149-
[50. Figures of Birds and of Griffins .... .

189
191
,1. Figures of Frogs and of ,Scor])ions 193
152. Bull's Head Amulet in Ivory. ]5erliii Museum .
194
153- Bull's Head Amulets
Double Bull's Head Amulets. Hilton Price Collectio

154-
55- Magical Instruments (?) in Ivory .... 196

197
156.
57-
College,
Models of Boats
London
in
......
Magical Instrument made of Horn, from Katanga.
Clay and Ivory

University
198
199
158. Pottery Boat witii Figures of Men. Berlin Museum 200
59. Clay Model of a House discovered at El Amrah . 201

160. Clay Model of a Fortified Enclosure . 202
161. Graffiti from the Rocks of Upper Egypt 204
162. Paintings on the Primitive Tomb of Hierakonpolis 208
.63. Paintings on the Primitive Tomb of Hierakonpolis 209

164. .Standards on tiie Primiti\e Boats 210
165. Gazelles caught in a Trap and Religious ('."') Representations

From the painted tomb of Hierakonpolis 211
O '> -^
166. Statues of the god Min discovered at Koptos
167. Hammered Designs on the Archaic .Statues of the God I\liii 2:5
i68.
1
69.
Archaic Statue
Museum, Oxford
Fragment of a Slate Palette,
......
discovered at
("airo
Hierakonpolis.
Museum
Asinnuleai
227
229
170. .Slate Palette with Hunting Scenes. Louvre and British Museum
171. Slate Palette with Representations of Animals (Recto). 0.\ford 232
Slate Palette with Representations of Animals (Verso). Oxford 233
XX LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
Fig
CHAPTER I.
PRELIMINAR Y CONSIDERATIONS.
extreme antiquity of Egyptian civilization lends a very
^^HEspecial attraction to the study of its productions. Our
minds are so constituted that, reaching back into the past, we
welcome every fresh clue that will guide us to the starting-
point whence we can trace the first feeble steps taken by man
on paths which have led to more or less brilliant civilization.
From point of view Egypt has proved itself to be a
this
mine of information. Its numerous monuments of antiquity

witness to the existence of an advanced art at a period when
the rest of the world was still plunged in the deepest barbarism.
Until the last few years, however, Egypt has not satisfied our
curiosity ;
she only rendered it more intense from day to day,
setting before us a riddle the solution of which appeared un-

attainable. At the time of her first appearance in history, at
about the commencement of the fourth dynast}-, she already
possessed a civilization which was practically fixed and complete.
Language, writing, administration, cults, ceremonies, etc. all of
—
these we found already established, and it was rarely that we
could observe traces here and there of what may be st}-led
"archaism." One might suppose, as did Chabas, that about iour
thousand years would be necessary to allow for the dexelopment
" "
of such a civilization. Four thousand years," he says, is a
period of time sufficient for the development of an intelligent

race. were watching the progress of transitional races, it
If v/c
would perhaps not be enough. In an\- case this figure makes

no pretensions to exactitude ;
its only merit is that it lends itself
to the exigencies of all facts which are known uj) to the present
I
PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS. 5
accept any other explanation. So far as it was possible to trace

back to the earliest dynasties, their productions rarely presented
traces of archaism, and only peculiar circumstances, such as the
presence of a king's name, permitted certain bas-reliefs to be

attributed to a period anterior to the fourth dynasty. It is true
that the museums of Europe and Egypt contained certain rude
statues, which might be dated as belonging to the period of the
three first d\'nasties ;

but the attention of scholars was never
seriously drawn to them, and it is only in quite recent years
that their true character has begun to be recognized.^
Recently, however, a series of important discoveries has
changed the current of research. Professor P'linders Petrie
discovered first at Koptos, in 1893, some roughly-worked statues

of the god J//'//, on which were carved, in very low relief,
singular figures of animals, of mountains, and an archaic form
of hieroglyph employed to write the name of the god Min. At
the same time pottery was found of a peculiar type, which had
previously been known only in rare specimens, which could not

be correctly dated."
The following year, Dr. Petrie, aided by Mr. Quibell, found
in the Naqada an enormous necropolis, where
neighbourhood of
similar pottery to that found at Koptos, at the same time as the
statues of Min, was extremely abundant. Researches carried out
simultaneously by M. de Morgan proved that they were dealing with
I cannot
prehistoric cemeteries. attempt to enter here into details
of these excavations, as have recently given an account of them
I
in an article in the Revue de r Ujiiversite de Bruxelles? I will
content myself with mentioning the principal ex'cnts which

followed the publication of that work. During the winter 1898-99,
Professor Petrie and his fellow workers explored various prehistoric
cemeteries at Abadiych and llu. These discoveries, b\' supple-
menting those at Naqada, afforded material for establishing in
Paris, Turin.
^
Berlin, ]5olngna, Brussels, Cairo, Leyden, London, Naples,
See C'ArARP, Rccueil dc fuoiiiimefiis cgyplicns, Brussels, 1902. Remarks 011
plates ii. and iii.

-
Petrie, Koptos, London, 1893.
Capaut, Aotes sur Ics ori<^/7tes de VEgyptc d'apri-s Us foidUcs rcccntcs,
^ in
the Revue de V UiiiversUc de Biuxelles, iv. 189CS-9, pp. 105-139, tig. and pi.
6 PRIMITIVE ART IN EGYPT.
a preliminary fashion the main outlines of prehistoric Egypt. At
the same time, Mr. Ouibell and Mr. Green found (1897-8-9) on the
site of the ancient temple of Hierakonpolis an important series
of objects, dating from the commencement of the historic period,
which, in a manner, formed the bridge between Egypt of historic
and of prehistoric age.
These results were confirmed in the following year by the
excavations of Professor Petrie in the royal tombs of the first
dynasties at Abydos, which shortly before had been negligently
L
Fig. 3.- -Frag.ment of one of the Panels of Hosi.
From a photograph by Petrie.
explored by M. Amelineau. Finally, the excavations in the

temenos of the temple of Osiris at Abydos (1901-2-3), in addition
to other discoveries, brought to light a small prehistoric town, which
provided the necessary materials complete and incontestable

for a
welding together of prehistoric

Egypt and the historical dynasties.
Other excavations carried out at l^l-Ahuiwah and Naga-cd-Dcr,^
'
The result of these excavations is not yet publisiied. A short note by
Dr. Reisner will be found in the Ardiaological Report of the Egypt I'.xploration
Fund, 1900-1901, pp. 23-25 and 2 ])lates.
under the direction of Dr. Reisner, for the University of Cahfornia,

and also at El Amrah by Mr. Maclver and Mr. Wilkin, completed
the information already acquired relating to the primitive period.
The evidence thus acquired supplied us with much interesting
information concerning the primitive inhabitants of Egypt, and
it was at once recognized that it was possible, more especially
in the rituals, to discover many vestiges of that civilization to
which the archaic cemeteries bear witness. The general con-
clusions to be drawn from these discoveries as a whole are, that
!• IG. 4. !• KAl.Mt.NT Ol' ONE UF THE 1'ANEI.S OF llosi.
From a photograph by Petrie.
there was a civilization anterior to the Pharaonic civilization, and

that this civilization produced works of art.
We must here mention the principal works in which the results
of excavations were published. Most of these are in English, and

are simply reports of excavatitnis of cemeteries. The most
important arc :
Naqada} Diospolis!; The Royal Tombs of the First
Naqada and 1895, by VV. M. Flinders Petrie F. Ouihell,

'
Ballas, c"vr
J.
with chapter by Spurrell, London, Oiiaritch, 1896.
F. C. J.
"^
Diospolis Parva, the Cemeteries uf Abadiyeh and lift, 189S-9, by W. M.

Dynasties'^ (i.
and ii.), Abydos'- (i. and ii.), due to Petrie ;
Hierakonpolis"^ (i.
and published by Mr. Quibell and Mr.
ii.),
Green; and, finally, El Ainrali^ gives the results of the excava-

tions by Mr. Maclver and Mr. Wilkin in the cemetery at that
locality.
In addition to these books, each of which constitutes a
monograph on a prehistoric cemetery, a work by M. de Morgan

must be mentioned, entitled RechercJics sur Ics on'giiics de l' Egypte.^
This is the only book in
French which has been published on
the subject. Unfortunately it appeared before the most important
discoveries had been made, and by force of circumstances it
rapidly became out of date, in those chapters at least which

deal generally with the primitive ethnology of the inhabitants
of the Nile Valley.
We must not fail to mention the work by Professor Steindorff
of Leipsic, who was the first to give an accurate judgment on
a whole class of artistic remains belonging to the archaic period,

of which mention will frequently be made in this book.'"
Being at last in possession of Egyptian artistic productions
Flinders Petrie, with chapters by A. C. Mace, London, 1901 {Egypt

Exploration Fund).
1
Ihc Royal Toitibs of the First Dynasty^ 1900, i. by W. M. F. Petrie,
with chapter by F. Ll. Griffith, London, 1900 {Egypt Exploration Fund).
The Royal Tojnbs of the Earliest Dynasties., 1901, ii. by VV. M. Flinders
Petrie, London, 1901 {Egypt Exploratiofi Fund).
Abydos, i. 1902, by W. M. Flinders Petrie, with chapter by A. E. Weigall
^
{Egypt Exploration Fund). Abydos, ii. 1903, by W. M. Flinders Peirie, with

chapter by F. Ll. Griffith, London, 1903 (Egypt Exploration Fund).
^
Hierakonpolis, i. by J. E. Quibell, with notes by W. M. Flinders Petrie,
London, Quaritch, icyoo {Egypt Research Account). Hierakonpolis, ii. by J. E.
Quibell & F. W. Green, London, Quaritch, 1902 {Egypt Research Account).
El A?nrah and Abydos, by D. Pandall MacIver & A. C. Mace, with a
**
chapter by F. Ll. Griffith, London, 1902 {Egypt Exploratinn Fund). The

name of Mr. Wilkin does not occur in the title of this publication, owing to
the lamented death of this young scholar shortly after the excavations were
concluded.
Recherches sur les origines de V Egypte. L'dge de la pier/e et des nictaux,
•''
by J. DE Morgan, Paris, 1896. Recherches sur les origines de rE^gyptc. Elthno-

graphie prehistorique et tombeau royal de Negadah, by J. de Morgan, Paris,
Leroux, 1897.
^
SvEi^XiOKYV, Eifie ncuc Art agyptischcr Kiinst \x\ Acgyptiaca. Festschrift
fi'ir Georg Ebers^ Leipsic, 1897, pp. 122- 141.
anterior to the dynasties, it becomes possible to enquire whether

the question of the origin of art in Eg}-pt can be raised with
any hope of arriving at a solution.
But here we are face to face with an unforeseen difficult}-.
The remains are extremely abundant ;
the contents of the tombs
furnish pottery, statuettes, and various utensils in almost un-
limited number. Of all these what should we choose — of all these
multiple objects which are they that can claim the title of
artistic} The difficulty in
replying to this question is great,
because in order to arrive at a solution we must give a definition
of what is art. Unhappily this only transfers the problem without
rendering it more easy of solution. We know how opinions
vary on the trueEach author has his special
nature of art.
point of view, which makes him insist more expressly on one

or other aspect of the subject. So much is this the case, that
there are 'i&w subjects in the world of which one can say with
more Qnut capita tot census.
truth,
I were possible to transcribe the whole of the pages
wish it
written by Professor E. Grosse on this subject.'Ît was his work,

as I specially wish to observe, which first started me on the
researches which have resulted in the production of this book —
but to do this would appear excessive, and I must content m^'self
with giving a summary of them as briefly as possible, dwelling
l)rincipally on those points which should act as our guide.

" "
The duty of a science," says Professor Grosse, is this : to
establish and explain a certain group of phenomena. All science
is therefore theoretically divided into two parts the descriptive :
part, which is the description of facts and their nature and ;
the explanatory part, which refers these facts to their general

laws." Docs the science of art fulfil these conditions? h'or the
first part the repl\- may be in the afiirmalive ;
but can it be so
as regards the second part? open It appears that it is to doubt,
and here Professor Grosse j)rovcs himself very severe concerning

the productions of art criticism, which, in addition to complete
"
systems, usually arrogate to themselves that majestic air of
infallibility which is the distinctive sign of .swstems ol tiie
Grossi£, Lcs Debuts de I'Art, Frencli

'
cclitimi, Paris, Alcan, 1902.

lo PRIMITIVE ART IN EGYPT.
philosophy of art, of which, in fact, they constitute mere fragments.

Of course," he says, " there are occasions when it may appear
both useful and pleasant to be informed of the subjective opinions
on art which may be held by a man of genius ;
but when they
are imposed on us as general knowledge, founded on a scientific
basis, from that moment we must refuse to accept them. The

essential principle of scientific research is always and everywhere
the same ;
whether research concerns a plant or a work of art,
it should always be objective." It is in consequence of not
having obeyed this necessity that the philosophy of art has not
yet succeeded providing us with a satisfactory explanation of
in
artistic phenomena, notwithstanding the mass of material placed

at its command by the history of art.
"
The task which lies before the science of art is this : to
describe and explain the phenomena which are classed under the
"
denomination of phenomena of an artistic character." This task
has two sides — an indi\idual and a social one. In the first case,
the object must be to understand an isolated work of art, or the
entire work of one artist, to discover the relations which exist
between an artist and his individual work, and to explain the
work of art as the product of an artistic
individuality working
under certain conditions." This individual side of the problem,
is possible to study it with
if it precision during the centuries
most nearly approaching our own times, becomes more and more
complex as we reach further back into the past, and very soon
we find ourselves forced to abandon our attempt and to adopt
"
the social side. If it impossible to explain the individual
is
character of a work of art by the individual character of the
author, nothing remains to us but to trace the collective character

of artistic groups having a certain extension within time or
space, to the character of a nation or of an entire

epoch.
The first aspect of our problem is therefore psychological, the
second sociological." As Professor Grosse observes, this socio-
logical aspect cjf the [iroblem has not been overlooked ;

as
early as 1719 Abbe Dubos, in his Reflexions critiques sur la

poesie et opened the wa\' to the sociology of art.
la peinture,
Herder, Taine, Hennequin, and Guyau successively attempted
PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS. ii
to form general theories, or else combated those of their pre-
decessors ;
but unfortunately, if the results obtained b\' these
sociological studies in matters of art are reviewed, it must be
confessed that they are very poor. This can be accounted for,
in the first place, by the small number of students who have
realized the sociological value of art, but also and above all
by the erroneous method which forms the basis of all these

researches.
"
other branches of sociology we ha\e learnt to begin
In all
at the beginning. We first study the simplest forms of social

phenomena, and it is only when we thoroughly understand the
nature and conditions of these simple forms that we attempt
the explanation of those which are more complicated. . . . All
sociological schools have, one after another, attempted to find new
roads ;
the science of art alone pursues its mistaken methods. All
others have eventually recognized the powerful and indispensable
aid that ethnology can afford to the science of civilization it is ;
only the science of art which still despises the rough productions
of primitive nations offered by ethnology. The science of art is
not yet capable of resolving the problem under its more difficult
aspect. If we would one cla\' arrive at a scientific comprehension
of the art of civilized nations, we must, to begin with, investigate

the nature and conditions of the art of the non-civilized. must We
know the multiplication table before resolving problems of higher
mathematics. It is for this reason that the first and most pressing-
task of the science of art consists in the study of the art of
primitive nations."
It verily appears that, in the study of art, misfortune attaches
itself to all the exi)ressions employed. Wc begin with vague terms,
which we attem[)t by degrees to define, only to find on arriving at
our first conclusion that there
again is a term wanting in precision
and requiring definition.
Which, in fact, are the nations who can be called primiti\-e ?
Here again the mcjst diverse opinions ha\c been expressed, and
when stud)ing the proposed classifications, we meet at every step
with errors which lead us to review the results with suspicion.
"
Only to quote one example : Between an inhabitant of the
Sandwich Islands and a man indigenous to the Australian
Continent there is a difference in civilization greater, no doubt,

than that which separates an educated Arab and an educated
European, and yet Ratzel, who distinguishes the 'semi-civilized'
Arabs from the civilized Europeans, combines the Pol>-nesians
' '
and Australians in one group."

there any method of determining the relative degrees of
Is
any one civilization? That which is called civilization is so

complicated, even in its simplest forms, that it is impossible, at
any rate in our day, to determine with any certainty the factors
that produce we were to compare the various civilizations

it. If
in all their manifestations, we should probably not attain our end ;
but we should be able to solve our problem fairly easil}-, if we

were to succeed in finding an isolated factor, which would be easy
to determine and sufficiently important to pass as characteristic
of the whole of a civilization.
Now there is a factor to be found which fulfils the two condi-
tions indicated, and that is production. The form of production
adopted exclusively, or almost exclusively, in a social group

— that
is to say, the manner inwhich the members of that group produce
their food — is a fact which is easy to observe directl}', and to
determine with sufficient precision in any form of civilization.
Whatever may be our ignorance of the religious or social beliefs

of the Australians, we can have no doubt as to their productions —
the Australian is a hunter and a collector of plants. It is
perhaps
impossible for us to know the intellectual civilization of the ancient
Peruvians, but we know that the citizens of the empire of the
Incas were agriculturists : that is a fact which admits of no doubt.
To have established what is the form of production of a given
nation, however, would not be sufficient to attain the end that
wc have proposed to oursehcs, if we could not prove at the same
time that the special form of civilization depends upon the special
form (^f ])roduction. The idea of classifying nations according to
the donn'nunt principle cjf their production is in no way new. In
the most ancient works on the history of civilization one finds
already the well-known groups of nations, classed as hunters and

fishermen, nomad cattle breeders and agriculturists, established in
«
their countries. Few historians, however, seem to have understood

the importance of production.
full It is easier to underrate than to
exaggerate it. In ever\' form of civilization, production is in some

way the centre of life ;
it has a profound and irresistible influence
on the other factors of civilization. It is itself determined, not bv^
factors of civilization but by natural factors — by the geographical

and meteorological character of a country. One would not be
altogether wrong production "the primary phenomenon

in calling
of civilization," a phenomenon by the side of which other factors

of civilization are but secondary derivatives, not in the sense that
they have sprung from production, but because they have been
formed and have remained under its powerful influence, although of
independent Religious ideas have certainly not grown out
origin.
of the necessities of production nevertheless, the form of the
;
dominant religious ideas of a tribe can be traced in part to the

form of production. The belief in souls which exists among
the Kaffirs, has an independent origin but its particular form ;
—
the belief in an hierarchic order of the souls of ancestors —
is
nothing more nor less than a reflection of the hierarchic order
among the living ;

which in its turn is the consequence of pro-
duction, of the breeding of cattle, of the warlike and centralizing

tendencies which result from it. It is for this reason that among
hunting tribes, whose nomad life does not admit of a fixed so-
cial organization, one finds indeed the belief in souls— but not of
the hierarchic order. The importance of production, however,
manifests nowhere so evidently as in the organization of the
itself
family. The strange forms which have been taken by the human
family
— forms which have inspired sociologists with still more
strange hypotheses— appear to us perfectly comprehensible the
moment that we consider them in their relation to the forms
of production. The most primiti\'e people depend for their food
—
on the product of the chase the term "chase" being taken in its
broadest meaning — and the plants which they collect.^
we survey the world in search of tribes living in this elemen-

If
tary stage, we shall not find them in large numbers, (irossc ejuickly
"
disposes of them. The immense continent of Africa contains
'
pp. 26, 27.
but one hunting tribe — leaving out of account the pygmy tribes
of the centre, the civilization of whom is completely unknown

to us — these Bushmen, are the Kalahari the vagrants of the
and surrounding countries. In America we find true huntsman
tribes only in the north and the south the Aleutians and the —
I-ûegians. All the others are more or less agricultural, with
the exception of some Brazilian tribes, such as the Botocudos,

who still live under very primitive conditions. In Asia there are
scarcely any but the Mincopies of the Andaman Islands, who

still exhibit the primitive state in all its purity ;
the Veddahs of
Ceylon have been too much influenced by the Cingalese, and the
Tchuktchis of the north and their ethnical relations are already
breeders of cattle. There is only one continent which is still
occupied over its whole extent by a primitive people — exception

being made of its European colonies — this is Australia, a continent
that we can also consider from an ethnological point of view as
the last trace of a vanished world." Here an objection arises.
Why not take into account the prehistoric populations, whose
artistic productions are both numerous and varied ? The reason,
according to M. Grosse, is that in considering the invaluable
evidence of these productions, before "being able to say with
certainty that we are actually dealing here with the primitive
forms we are in search of, it would be necessary for us to know
the civilizations which have furnished these records."
Happily this objection does not exist, at least in same

the
degree, in the case of primitive Egypt, where the

abundance of
records is already such that we can picture to ourselves the life
of the primitive Egyptian with sufficient accuracy to be able,

I think, to distinguish those productions which merit the title
of "artistic" ;
and with this we
return to the problem just pro-
pounded, with some additional likelihood this time of being able

to solve it.
"
In collections of Australian objects," says Professor Grosse,^
"one almost invariably finds wooden sticks covered with com-
binations of points and lines. It is almost impossible to dis-
glance from those which are

tinguish these designs at the first
p. 17 ct seq.
'
Grosse, loc. cit.
found on the Australian clubs and shields, and which arc ordinarily-
styled
'
ornaments.' There is, notwithstanding, an essential
difference between the two classes of patterns. Eor some time
we have been aware that the so-called desii^ns upon these
sticks are
nothing else than a rude kind of \\riting
— marks
intended to remind the messenger who carries the stick of the
essential points of his message. They have therefore a practical
and not an aesthetic signification. In this instance our knowledge
prevents our falling into error ;
but how numerous must be the
instances where it is otherwise? could authoritatively assure Who
us that the figures on the Australian shields are actually orna-
ments ? Is it not possible that they are marks of property or
tribal signs ? Or possibly these figures
are religious symbols ?
These questions almost every time we look at the orna-
arise
mentation of any primitive race. In very few instances can

we give an answer. Notwithstanding the great niunber of
. . .
doubtful instances, there are also many in which the purely aesthetic
signification can never be called in question. The doubtful cases

also are far from being valueless for our science. The birds'
heads at the prows of the Papuan canoes are perhaps primarily

religious symbols, but they also serve as ornaments. If the
choice of an ornamentation
determined by a religious con-is
sideration, the execution and the combination with other motifs,

whether different or analogous, are always affected by aesthetic
needs."
is easy to see what are the difficulties of the
It subject, and
how impossible it would be to discuss the cjuestion if one
had resolved from the outset to izive onlv' definite and assured
data on all subjects. It is therefore necessary to confine oneself
to multiplying observations and studying the doubtful instances,
in the hope that one day spring forth from them,
light may
permitting us tf) trace with a sure hand the laws which goxcrn
artistic phenomena. y\s it is necessary, in order to fix our
ideas, to give a definition of Art, we will sa\' with M. Grossc :
" '
Speaking broadly, we mean by lesthetic or

'
' '
arti.stic acti\it\- an
activity which is intended b\- its exercise, or b\' its final result,
to excite a direct sensation, which in most cases is one ot

i6 PRIMITIVE ART IN EGYPT.
pleasure." But we are careful add immediately, with our author,

to
that "our definition is merely a scaffolding to be demolished when

^
our edifice is built."
This has been a very long parenthesis, and it appears to

some extent to be a digression from "Primitive Art in Egypt."
Nevertheless, I believe it will be of service in warning us at the

outset of the difficulties that we shall encounter ;
at the same
time it shows us what we may hope for in the future from a
—
study thus directed that it may possibly throw light one day
on the extremely interesting question of the origin of Egyptian
art. Is classical Egyptian art an importation, as we have
just
asked ourselves? or of the primitive art?
is it a continuation
Was there a slow and progressive evolution or is it possible to ;
establish at any given moment a hiatus a sudden contrast between —

the primitive artistic productions and
those of dynastic Egypt ?
W'c cannot attempt to reply to these questions until we have
arrived at the completion of our study and even then, I fear, ;
the result will remain extremely problematic in the present

state of our knowledge.
As a precaution against error we will borrow from Professor
Grosse the plan of his book, and also the method of dividing our
matter shall be as follows: "Art," he says, "is divided into two
great groups
— arts of movement and arts of repose. The differ-
ence which separates them has been very clearly indicated by

Fechner (Vorsc/iu/e der A es^/ie///i', ii. 5). The first seek to please
by forms in repose, the others by forms either in movement or

following one another in time ;
the first transforms or combines
masses and the other produces the movement of the
in repose,
body, or changes in time capable of attaining the result aimed at
by art. We will commence with the
"
arts in repose," commonly
"
called the plastic arts." Decoration probably the most primitive
is
of these, and as the object first adorned is the human bod}-,

we will begin with the study of personal adornment. But even
the most primitive folk are not content to adorn the body
'
J. Collier, in his J'rimer of Art (London, 1882), p. 36, defines art as a
"
creative operation of the intelHgence — the making of sometiiing either witii
a view to utihty or pleasure."
PRELIMIXARY CONSIDERATIONS. 17
onl\- they must also embellish their weapons and utensils. The
;
ornamentation of these objects will occupy the second place in

our study of the subject. We shall then examine the free plastic
art (J'reic Bildnerei), which aims not at decoration but at the
creation of works which are in themselves artistic. Dancing forms

the transition between the arts of repose and the arts of move-
ment. It may be defined it as "the art which creates movement"

(Jebende Bildnerei)
— animated plastic art. . . .
Among primitive
people dancing always united with song
is ;
and thus we have
a convenient mode of transition to poetry. . . .
Finally we will
study primitive music." ^

The three last subjects can only be
treated in a most summary fashion in their relation to ancient
Egypt. Before commencing the last portion of our task we will

devote a short chapter to the earliest Pharaonic monuments, the
comparison of which with the primitive remains cannot fail to
be interesting.
But before entering upon our subject, I think it necessary to
give some dates in order to fix our ideas.
Authors differ enormously in their opinions on the subject of
the date of the first
Egyptian dynasty. Here are some of the dates
which have been proposed. Champollion-Figeac gives the year
5869 Wilkinson, 2320
; Bockh, 5702 Bunsen, 3623
; Lepsius, ; ;
3892 ; Brugsch, 4455 ; Unger, 5613 ; Lieblein, 5004 ; Mariette,
5004 ; Lauth, 4157.-

Dr. Budge, Keeper of the Egyptian and Assyrian Antiquities of
the British Museum, in his recent History of Egyptf having quoted
the dates given by Champollion-Figeac, Bockh, Lei)sius, Mariette,
"
Bunsen, Wilkinson, and Brugsch, ends thus Of these writers, the :
only ones whose chronological views are to be seriously considered

are Lepsius, Mariette, and lirugsch, between who.sc highest
and
lowest dates is an interval of over iioo years. Viewed in the light
of recent investigations, the date of Lepsius seems to be too low,
whilst that of Mariette, in the same way, seems to be too high we ;
'
Grosse, loc. cit. pp. 38, 39.
According to the chronological table drawn u[) by Wiedemann
2 in iiis
with reserve the date 5650.

Aegyptisclie Geschiclite, pp. 732, 733, which gives
^
RuDGE, History of Egypt, i.
Egypt in tJic NeolitJiic and Arcliaic Periods,
London, ii)i>2. p. 159.

2
have therefore to consider the date for Menes (the first king of the
Egyptian lists) arrived at by Brugsch."
M. Maspero, in his large Histoire ancien7ie des peuplcs de
r Orient} apparently accepts a somewhat similar dating. He places
Sneferu, first king of the fourth dynasty, at 4100 B.C., "with a
possible error of several centuries more or less."
Professor Petrie, in one of his more recent works," places the

reign of Menes between 4777 and 4715.
VVe can therefore admit, in taking a minimum date, that all the
monuments dealt with in this book are anterior to the fourth
millenary but having thus obtained a provisional date for the

B.C. ;
termination of the primitive period, it would be equally advisable

to assign one also for the commencement of that period. But here
the difficulty greater, and a calculation can only be based
is still
upon extremely vague presumptions. For the development of the

primitive civilization Dr. Petrie demands about two thousand years,
and as he places the commencement of Pharaonic Egypt about
5000 B.C., the most ancient of the monuments which we are about
to consider would necessarily date back to about 7000 B.C.^
As we find ourselves in our own country face to face with

immense periods of prehistoric ages, without being able to assign
any precise dates to the different stages of civilization which can

be established, been
necessary to find a convenient
it has
terminology to enable us with ease to classify the objects found.

To this end a series of deposits characteristic of an age has been
chosen, and to that age the name of the deposit has been given.
Thus terms have been created which are universally accepted, such
as Chellean, Mousterian, Magdalenian, etc. It would be extremely
convenient to be able to do the same in Egypt, and in fact the
^
Paris, Hachette, i.
1895, p. 347, note 2. In the new Guide to tlic Cairo
Museum, Cairo, 1903, p. 2, the same author places the first dynasty at about
5000 B.C.
-
Al)ydos, \. p. 22.
3
Mr. Maclver has recently attempted to combat these conclusions, but liis
arguments are not conclusive. In his calculations he has not taken into account
that the tribe wlio interred in the El Amrah cemetery may have been nomads
who would only return periodically to that locality, a circumstance tiiat would
completely change the conclusions to be drawn from the number of tombs. See
MacIver & Mace, El Amrah and Abydos, pp. 50-52.
Naqada age, so called from the principal cemetery of that period

which has been explored, is a term already applied to the entire
primitive period. In scientific books the Naqada civilization, the

men of Naqada, etc., are already commonly referred to. Petrie has
gone still farther, and instead of names he has proposed to make
use of numbers.
Relying upon the study of types of pottery, which are extremely

varied during the primitive period, Dr. Petrie has succeeded, by a
series of classifications which it is impossible for me to describe
known types into a scries of 50. To these

here, in separating all
he has applied numbers ranging from 30 to 80, which numbers
represent the successive periods of the prehistoric age. To these

numbers he applies the term sequence dates. The contents of a
tomb, when studied on the basis of these classifications, furnish a
maximum and a minimum number, the average of which indicates
the relative age of the burial.
This scheme originated by Petrie is very ingenious, and is
only rendered possible by the large number of intact graves

which have been discovered. Notwithstanding the various
criticisms to which his m.cthod has been subjected, up to the
present time no one has apparently been able to bring forward

facts to contradict his results. It is owing to this system that
we can say of the type of a statuette or of a scheme of decoration

that they occur, for instance, between the sequence dates 35 and
39 and it is thus that similar indications must be understood, as

;
they are met with in the pages of this book. VVc must explain
that numbers previous to 30 have been reserved in case
the
a lucky find should bring to light monuments more ancient than
any already known. As I have previously mentioned, the point

^
of union between the sequence dates and the

reigns of the kings
of the first dynasty has been established on the evidence of the
small prehistoric town of Abydos, and Petrie has fixed the reign
of Menes as coinciding with the sequence date 79.-
'
PEruiE, Sequences in Prehistoric Remains, in tlie Journal of tlie Antliro-
pological Institute, xxix. 1900, pp. 295-301 ; Petkie, Diospolis pari'a,
pp. 4-12; S. Reinach, Review ol' tlie preceding in I' Antliropologie, xi. u/)o,
pp. 759-762.
^
Petrie, Abydos, i.
p. 22.
It is on the basis of these sequence dates that we can state
of certain objects that they are specially numerous during the
first or second half of the prehistoric period-
I have endeavoured to multiply the illustrations, which can

never be sufficiently numerous in a work where the text is
intended merely to serve as a summary commentary on the

monuments. The source of each of the illustrations is indi-
cated following manner

in the When, for instance, there is :
quoted in the text Naqada, pi. Ixiv. 'j'^,

and Diospolis Parva^
ix. 23, the mark 78 will be found at the side of the illustration
taken from Naqada, and D. 23 beside that taken from Diospolis.

A. signifies Abydos R. T. Royal tombs Am., A., or El, El
\ \
Amrali ;
etc. These annotations, in connection with those at the
foot of the page, should, I think, render it easy to trace the originals
of the illustrations. In some very exceptional cases, especially
in Figs. 7 and 17, which give examples of objects which it is
necessary to refer to again later, the indications relating to the
identification of the objects will be found in the passage where
thc}' are treated in detail.^
concluding these preliminary remarks, I do not attempt

In
to conceal the defects this work ma\' contain. It is, in fact,,
hazardous to write on a subject so new as this, and especially

on a class of objects the number of which increases from day
to dav. I
sincerely hope that in a few years new discoveries
will have rendered this book altogether inadequate. I have
simply endeavoured to render it as complete as possible, hoping
that it will remain, at any rate, a summary of the question as
it existed at the moment of publication.
1
Following the example of M. Salomon Rkixach in La Sculpture
C7iropeenne avant les drawn the
influences grcco-rotnai7ies ,
I have myself
greater part of these figures (except those signed with a monogram). These
must, however, fie considered entirely as sketches, by no means intended to
supersede the original putjlications.
21
CHAPTER II.
PERSONAL ADORNMENT.
races paint almost the whole of the body. The
PRIMITIVE
only exception are the Esquimaux, who cover their
bodies with clothing, at all events, when they quit their huts.
The Australian always has a store of white clay, or of red and
yellow ochre in his pouch. In daily life he is content with
various smears on his cheeks, shoulders, or chest ;
but on solemn
occasions he daubs the whole of his body.^
Is it
possible to prove that any similar custom existed among
the primitive Egyptians? First we must remark that "colouring
materials, such as red and N'ellow ochre, malachite, and sulphide

of antimony, are frequently found in the tombs " - these ;
colouring materials areusually contained in small bags, placed

near the hands of the deceased person.^
There is no evidence, I believe, to show that the)- painted the
whole of the body, but there is a clay statuette which has designs
painted over the whole body. This interesting object was dis-
covered at Tukh it represents a woman, standing, with her arms
;
above her head, in a pcxsition we again in the deco-

shall find
ration of vases. In the
chapter dealing with that subject we
shall make an attempt to determine, if possible, the meaning of
this attitude.
The designs painted on this statuette are of various kinds.

In the first place there arc figures of animals, goats or antelopes,
which Pctrie remarks are absolutely identical with those on the
Gkosse, Lcs Debuts de VArt^ P- 4i-

'
^
De Morgan, Rechcrches sur lcs origincs dc I'Egyph-, ii.
p. 51.
^
Petrie, Naqada, p. 30.
red pottery with white line decoration. should next observe We
the zigzag patterns, and finally the nnotives borrowed from plants.
All these decorations occur upon the pottery contemporary with
the commencement of the prehistoric period between 31 and 32
(sequence dates). This indicates that the figure in question is of

extreme antiquity, and we may consider it as one of the earliest
female figures known, with the exception of the ivories discovered
Fig. 5-
— Figure of a Woman with Designs painted over
THEWhole Body.
Gre}' clay with black paint.
in the caves of the south of France (Fig. 5). M. de Morgan,

^
reproducing same figure, remarks that "it would be easy to

this
find a large number of analogies among the tribes of Central

^
Africa, of Asia, and of Oceania."
Petrie, Naqada, pi. lix. 6 (Ashmolean Museum, Oxford). The examples of

'
pottery quoted by Petrie for comparison with the paintings are the following :
pi. x.wiii. 34, 48; pi. xxix. -jj, ^d, 91-95.

-
De Morgan, Recherches siir les origincs dc I'Kgypte, ii.
p. 56, tip. ini.
PERSONAL ADORNMENT. 23
The most intcrestini; comparison from this point of view is

one indicated by Petrie, who observes how greatly the painted
designs on the body recall the tatoo-marks of the populations
to the west of Egypt, those Tiinihu (Libyans) who, as we
shall frequently have occasion to remark, present many analogies
with the primitive Egyptians. The subject of tatooing we shall
consider presently.
Two clay female figures in the Petrie collection, University
College, London, and a similar fragment in the Ashmolean

Museum, Oxford, are also painted with designs analogous with
those on the Tukh statuette^ (Fig- 6).
It will thus be seen evidence relating to painting the

that
body is very scanty, and only enables us to assert that women

were in the habit of decorating the body with various patterns.
Also, it not absolutely certain, in the objects quoted here, that

is
we have not to deal with tatooing it is only the discovery of

;
colourin"- materials in the tombs that leads us to believe that
they are instances of painting.-

On the subject of painting the eyes we happily possess far
clearer evidence purpose
: for this malachite was used, ground
to powder and apparently mixed with some fatt\- substance.
With this paint a rather broad line was drawn round the eye,
which, besides being decorative, had a utilitarian purpose.

As Petrie observes, Livingstone records that in the centre of
Africa he found that the best remedy against obstinate sores was
powdered malachite, which the natives provided for him. '1 he

same author compares the coating of colour which [)reser\-cd
the e)'c from the blazing glare of the desert with the custom of
the Esquimaux, who blacken the skin round the eye to protect
it from the glare (jf the snow.'
My attention has been drawn to similar figures at the Turin Museum,

'
which show distinctly the line ol" paint below the eyes which we are about to
consider.
For the and in pre-Mycenajan Greece, see
'^
painting body tatooing

Blinkenberg, Atitiqtiiics prcinyccnicniics. £tudc sur la plus ancwnnc
civilisatiofi de la G/rcc; in the IVlcmoircs dc la Sucliitc royalc dcs antiqiiaircs
du Noni, new series, 1896, pp. 46-50.
^ 20.
Petkik, Dlospolis parva, \>.
Fig. 6. — Figures of Women. University College, London.
Grey clay with greenish paint. On the figure to the left the painting has scaled
off, and only a few lines on the torso can now be distinguished.
The following facts prove that this custom existed in Egypt

during the primitive period. Shells containing green paint have
been discovered in the tombs,^ and similar traces of colour have
^
Petrie, Naqada, p. 6, toml) 522 Ballas ; p. 15, tomb 23 Ballas ; p. 16,
been found on ordinary pebbles, very much polished, which are

invariably found with the slate palettes.^
These palettes, of which we shall frequently have occasion to
speak in the course of this work, served for grinding the malachite,
which was crushed to powder on them by means of the pebbles I
have just mentioned. The fact is demonstrated in an undeniable
Fig. 7.
— Slate Palettes used for grinding Paint.
manner by the traces of green paint found on them, and also

by the cavities worn in them by prolonged grinding- (Eig. 7)
Petrie has also occasionally found traces of h.ematite on
them.
The palettes were fated to fulfil a brilliant destiny. Later
torn]) 87 Ballas. The same use of sliells in the fourth dynasty has also been
Tlic shell "
established. See Petrie, Median, London, 1892, pi. x.\i.\-. 17, p. 3.1 :
contains powdered blue carbonate of copper as paint."

Petrie, Naqada, pp. 10, 19, tomb 5 Naqada. A tine specimen of a palette
'
with traces of paint, from Gebelein, at Oxford.

*
on we find them developed into real works of art, of immense
size and apparently employed ceremonially.
Wemust mention the custom that existed in the primitive

period of paintintj the bones of the deceased with red colour.
Among the Australians the adolescent is painted red for the
first time at his initiation, when he joins the community of the
"
men. Painting with red, characteristic of entrance into life, is
^
employed also for death."
Without more evidence than we possess we cannot deter-
mine how far this custom was general among the primitive
Egyptians. I have only met with one instance mentioned by
Petrie.'^
Did the habit of painting the body, and more especially of

drawing a line of green paint round the eye, continue in Egypt
at the historic period ?
P'rom the earliest times the skin of the men on the monuments
is generally represented as being of a brownish red colour, dark
in tone, while the skin of the women is yellow. M. Maspero,
in his Histoire ancienne des peuplcs de V Orient classiqiief expresses
"
himself thus on the subject : The men are generally coloured
red in these pictures ;
in fact, one can observe among them
all the shades seen among the population at the present day,
from the most delicate pink to the colour of smoked bronze.
The women, who are less exposed to the glare of the sun, are
usually painted yellow, the tint being paler if they belonged to

the upper classes."
This explanation
might very easily be accepted. It even
explains the exceptions to the red and yellow colourings which

we observe on a certain number of monuments, where the
skin of the women, fen" instance, instead of being painted
yellow, is very nearly the natural colour. As an example 1
will mention the figure of a daughter of Prince Tehuti-hctep,

in the tombs of V\ Bersheh or, again, the representations
^
;
^
Grossi-:, loc. cit. pp. 41, 42.
-
Naqada, p. 25, tomb 234.
''
Vol. i.
p. 47.
Newberry, El Bersheh, i.
frontispiece.
of Queen Aahmes at Deir-el-Bahari, and of Queen Thiti,

where the pink flesh colours contrast with those of thousands
of other ladies painted in bright yellow on the walls of their
tombs.^
I, however, am disposed to see in the singular colouring of
the Egyptians a custom resembling that of primitive nations,
especially as the colours employed, red and yellow, are those
most frequently in use among them. Analysing the primitive
" "
palette," Grosse thus expresses himself :
Red, especially a
yellowish red, is the favourite colour of primitive peoples, as

it is of almost all nations. . . . Goethe undoubtedly expresses
the general sentiment when in his FarbenleJire he speaks of the
exciting influence of a yellowish red. It is for this reason that
red has always played an important part in the toilet, especially
in that of men. The habit of victorious Roman generals of
painting themselves red has vanished with the Roman republic
. Yellow is of similar importance, and is also employed in
. .
^
the same manner. . . ."
I believe it by no means impossible to apply these prin-

is
ciples to the Egyptians, and although do not wish to assert I
that the custom of painting the skin in this manner was

in vogue at all periods, yet I
suppose that during a fairly
long period it was sufficiently general to give rise to the

convention of representing men in red and women in yellow.^
The custom round the eyes with green— or, more
of painting
accurately, of underlining the eye with a dash of green paint

—
can with much greater certainty be attributed to Egyptian
civilization.
Petrie reports that he discovered in atomb of the first dynasty

(M. I.
Abydos) some powdered malachite in a small i\or>- box
Naville, Dcir-el-Bahari, iii. pi. l.wii. Benedite, Le Jombcau dc la rcine

•
Memoires de la Mission atrlieologif/i/c ffaufaisc du Cairc, v. p. 397.

Thiti, in the
^
Grosse, Les Debuts de PArt, pp. 45-47.
3 "
Maspero, Histoire ancicnne dcs peiiples dc l' Orient class/(/itc, i. p 54 Je :
pense bien (lu'au debut ils s'enduisaieiit tons Ics mrml)res de fjraissc on d'liiiile.'
Why not grease, or oil, coloured by means of mineral or vegetable dyes ? See,
however, Schweinfurth, Origin and present cofidition of the Egyptians, in
Baedeker, Egypt, 5th ed. Leipsic, 1903, p, .xx.xvi.
in the form of a duck ^
very interesting object as prototype—a
of the numerous boxes of paint of the same form which have
frequently been found in tombs of the Second Theban Empire,

and of which several museums contain specimens - (Fig. 8).
The monuments
of the fourth dynasty clearly show the line
of green colour under the eyes, especially two door-posts at
the Cairo Museum, on which is figured the wife of a personage
"
named Sokar-khabiu, who was called Hathornefer-Hotep as her
great name, and Toupis as her short name this woman's features —
recall the Nubian type she has a line of green paint under the
;
eyes."
^
The celebrated statues of
Sepa and of Nesa at the Louvre
"
have the same lines. The pupils,
the eyelids, and the
eyebrows are
painted black, and below the eyes
Fig. S.-^kv Box in Form ''^ '^ ^'^^ of green." '
The mummy
OF A Duck. of Ranefcv, who lived about the com-
mencement of the fourth dynasty, was closely enveloped in linen
wrappings, and on these the eyes and eyebrows were painted
green.'''
The green powder used in preparing the paint was enclosed

in small bags, which are frequently represented in the lists of
offerings. They were made, as these pictured representations
show, of leather or skin," and the specimens found in the
graves confirm the accuracy of this detail. Occasionally also
the paint was placed in small vases or baskets. I cannot
attempt to enter into the question of the composition of this
green paint in Pharaonic Egypt, nor stop to describe the various
paints in 'use at the same period. It would have no bearing on
1
Petrie, Diospolis fiaum, p. 20. Published in Petrie, Royal Tombs, i.
pi. xxxvii. I
— see 27
p. ;
id. ii.
p. 37.
-
An example
in Petrie, Kahim, Giirob and Hazvara, pi. xviii. 10, and
p. two Others in Leemans, Acj^yptisc/ie

35 ; oiiumcntcn van Jict Nedoiandschc M
Muscn77i van Oudheden te Lcydcn, ii. pi. xxxvi. 565, 567.
Maspero, Guide to the Cairo Museum, Cairo, 1903, p. 40, No. 62.
•''
'
De Rouge, Notice des monu^ncnts, A 36-38, pp. 26, 27,
^
Petrie, Medmn, p. 18.
"
Griffith, Beni Hasan, iii. pi. iii. 27, p. 14.
the subject of this work, and it h;is ah-cady been admirably

done by others.^ I must, however, mention the traces left in
Egyptian writing and ritual
green paint. b\' this use of
A
hieroglyphic sign :^&= clearly shows the line of colour drawn
below the eye, and this sign, in addition to other uses, serves
to determine the name Uazii \ \ Y^ °o of the powder and of

green paint.^
In thefrequent allusions are made to green paint,
rituals
occurring as early as the Pyramid texts, and the belief in the

protective and curative virtues of the paint was such, even at
that time, that the Uaait, the painted eye, was called the sound
or healthy eye. This point has been rendered perfectly clear
by Maspero, who has several times written on the subject.^
The daily ritual of the divine cult in Egypt, and also the
mention bringing a bag of green paint as a
funerary rituals,
means whereby the god, or the deceased person, " makes himself
henlthy with all that is in him.""*
"
I'inally, a curious text is expressed in these terms : He
brings to
green paintthee thy right eye, for and mcstein
[another paint] for thy left eye."''

The designs with which primitive man paints his skin ha\-c
no persistency of character they can be got rid of at
;
will and
others substituted. Under some circumstances it may be
''
Wiedemann, A., Varieties of ancie)it Ko/il,'' in PErRU';, Medioii, pj). 41-44.
'
Florence & Loret, Le collyre 7ioir et le collyrc vert du toinbcau dc la

princesse Nonbhotep, in De Morgan, Fouilles a Dalichour, March Jnne, 1894,
—
pp. 153-164; also printed separately, Vienna,
1895, 16 pp.
-
Maspero, Revue April 22nd, 1901, p. 308.
critique, Review of Davies,
Ptahhotcpy i. see pi. v. 33 for tlie exact representation of the sign.
;
Masi'ero, Notes au jour le jour, § 25, in the Proceedings of the Society of

'*
Biblical Archa;ology, xiv. 1902, pp. 313-316, and La table d'offrandes des tombeaux
egyptiens, in the Revue de I'histoire des religions, xxxv. 1897, p. 297 (separate
reprint, p. 23). Fetrie, Medum, pi. xiii. Mariette, Monuments divers,
recueillis en li.gypte et en Italic, Târis, 18S9, pi. xix. b, where ^

If
[)
000
occurs from a
mastaba of the beginning of the fourtli dynasty.

"
See Moret, Le rituel du culle divin journalier en- figyple, in the Annates
du Musee Bibliotheque d' etudes, xiv. p]>. 71, 109, 199.
Guiifict,
•'
Von Lemm, Das Ritualbuch des Ammondienstes, Leipsic, 18S2, p. 68.
30 PRLMITIVE ART IN EGYPT.
desirable to render them indelible — as, for instance, in the case
of tribal or religious marks, and thus we find the origin of the
custom of tatooing.
As we have seen in the preceding pages, it is difficult to
distinguish clearly from the primitive Egyptian figures between

what was tatooed and what was painted. The same patterns
were apparently in use for both. As I have already stated, a
comparison has been made between the painted or tatooed
patterns on the primitive statuettes and the tatoo-marks on the
Libyans ( 1 iiniJiu) of the tomb of Scti I. This comparison, extended
^ IB
Fig. 9. —Tatoo-marks of the Primitive Egyptians compared

with those of the libyans.
From V Anihyopologie.
to the tatoo-marks of the indigenous inhabitants of Algeria, has

shown close analogy between them all
^
(Fig. 9).
We reproduce here a group of Libyans from the tomb of
Seti I.^ (Fig. 10), to which we shall several times have occasion
to refer. It is especially interesting to note that one of
the tatoo-marks is very accurate reproduction of the hiero-
a
glyph >cz3:;, the symbol of the goddess Neitk and in this ;
connection we are led to consider the name of the wife

of an Egyptian king of the first dynasty called Meri-Neith.
"
M. Maspero writes thus on the subject The name of Mcri- :
Wiedemann, Die U?'2ett Aegyptens iind seine dlteste Bevolkcrung, in

'
Die Umsc/iau, September 23rd, 1899, pp. 756-766. Lcs modes d'cttsci'elisscment
dans la necropolc de Negadah ct la. question de I'origine dii peiiplc cgypticii^ in
De Morgan, Rechei-ches sitr les origincs de rj^gypie, ii.
pp. 221, 222. Petrie,
Naqada, pp. 45, 46. Tatouages des indigejies dc I'Algerie, in r AntJiropologie,
xi. 1900, p. 485.
Lei'sius, Detikmiiler aus Aegyptoi mid Aethiopicn,
-
iii. pi. 136.
Neith is
interesting," apart from its being a royal name but ;
"
we were already aware from other proofs of the important part

played by Neith in the religion of the earliest centuries. The
ladies of high who are buried or mentioned in the
position
mastabas of the Memphite period have, as favourite titles, those
' '
of Prophetess of Neith or Prophetess of Hathor.' Neith

'
appears to have been a goddess of Libyan origin, and the pre-

dominance of her cultduring the primitive period is noteworthy
at this moment, when the Berlin school is Semitizing to the
utmost the language and the population of Egypt." ^
/\^S/»,^yvNAy
VI I
I'lG. 10. — LlBYA.Nb FROM THE ToMli UK Si, 11 1.
This leads us to enquire whether the painting and tatooing

of the body had not some other object, in addition to an aesthetic
one. In order to answer this we must examine our ethnolosfical
evidence. Family and tribal marks are generally to be recognized,
and as it sometimes happens that a tribe selects the symbol of a
divinity for its distinctive mark, there is a chance of finding
religious signs among tatoo-marks.^
'
Maspero, in the Revue ctilique, November I2th, 1900, p. 366. For the
contrary opinion, hut witli inadequate arguments, see MacIver & Wilkin^
Liliyan Notes, London, 1901, pp. 69, 7c. For Meri-Neith see Sethe, Bcitriigc
zur dltesten Geschichte Aegyptens {U/ife/snchu/igen zur (ieschichte uiid Aller-
thuniskunde Aegypletts, herausgegeben von Kurt Sethe, iii.
i), pp. 2y, 30.
^
Grosse, loc. cit. p. 55 ct. scq.
Occasionally tatoo-marks are actually pictographic, and convey

a meaning. An American Indian, for instance, bore on his arm.
" ^
zigzag lines signifying mysterious power." Also, tatooing
may be intended to serve a medical purpose.^ The Egyptians
of the classical period tatooed themselves occasionally on the
breast or on the arms with the names or representations of
divinities. This custom was perhaps exclusively confined to
the Second Theban Empire ;
I do not remember to have met
with an example outside that period. It will be sufficient to
mention some instances of this. Amenophis IV. and his queen

bore the names of the god Aten tatooed upon the breast and
arms. With reference to this subject Professor Wiedemann
remarks that Libyan influence can clearly be traced during this
reign.
^
A stela in the Pesth Museum shows a personage con-
temporary with Thothmes III., who bears on his right arm a
cartouche of that king.*
On other examples we find the figure of the god Amon-Ra
tatooed on the right shoulder, notably on a statue of a kneeling
scribe in the Turin Museum.^ Another statue in the Leyden
Museum (D 19) bears on the right shoulder a small figure of
Amon-Ra, and on the left shoulder the cartouche of Amenophis
'
Garrick Mallei^y, Tentli Atmual Report of tlie Bureau of Ethnology,
1888-9, Washington, 1893, \i\.

xvii. p. 235. E.xamples by HoERNES,
Urgeschichte der bildendcn Kunst in Europa von den Anfdngcn bis jnn 500 vor
Chr., Vienna, 1898, p. 31, note 4. There the author also mentions the Libyans
of the tomb of Seti I.
FouQUET, Le Tatouage medical en fUgypte dans
^
I'antiquite et a Vepoque
actuellc, the Archives d' anthropologic criniinelle,
in xiii. 1899, p. 270 et scq.
See BuscHAN in the Ccntralblatt fur Anthropologic, iv. p. 75, and R. Verxeau
in I'Anthropologie, x. 1899, p. 09. Professor Petrie draws my attention to tlie
mummy of a priestess of the sixth dynasty, in Cairo, wlicre there are numerous
tatoo-mariis on the body.
^
Wiedemann, DieUrzeit Aegyptens ... in Die Umschau, iii. 1899, P- 7^6, and
in De Morgan, Recherches sur les origines de I'Egyptc, ii. p. 222. For the
figured representations see LEPsms, Denkmdleri iii. pi. 106, 109. Professor Petrie
has remarked to me that in this case tlie so-called tatoo-marks may be, in reality,
small plaques of glazed pottery fixed on fine muslin. At Tel-el-Amarna similar
plaques are found with the name of the god Aten.
'
Maspero, Azotes sur differcnts points de g7-ammaire et dliistoirc, in the
Melanges dârcheologic cgyptienne ct assyrienne, i. 1872, p. 151.

*
M.\SPEô, Histoire ancie7tnedes peuplesde I' Orie}itclassique,'\\. p. 531, figure.
[I. ?]
^
Another example from the same museum (V 82) represents
a sculptor who bears on his breast and shoulders the tatooed sign
K n^ temple of Ptah. Finally, a small statuette, of which
the upper part alone remains, in the Cabinet des Medailles in Paris,
shows that on {the breast and shoulders signs were tatooed, the
meaning of which we cannot always follow, and which bear con-
siderable resemblance to the marks found on pottery (Fig. 11).
Fig. II. — Fragment of a Statuette with Tatoo-marks on the Breast

AND Right .Shoulder.
Cabinet des Medailles, Paris.
With regard to decorative tatoo-marks, they arc somewhat

rare on Egyptian remains of the classical period. They occur,
however, on a small figure of a woman in faience in the Bcrlm
Museum (No. 9,583),- on a stela in the Cairo Museum (No. 20,138),
Leemans, Aegyplischc Monitmente7i van hct Ncdcrlandsche Muscinn van

'
Oudhcdcn ic Lcyden, ii. pi. 4.

Stratz, Ueber die Kleiditng der ligyptischen TUnzennncn in tlic
'^ Zfif-
schrift fur dgyptische Sprachc,-i^\.\\\\\. igoo, p. 149.
3
where a man is decorated on the breast with tatoo-marks,^ and
finally in a representation of a tomb of the Second Theban
PL m pi re.-
"
The perforation of the ear, the nose, or the lips is done with
a view to placing some kind of ornament in the hole thus
obtained ;
this form of mutilation may therefore be considered
as a natural step towards the second method of personal adorn-
ment, which consists in placing or hanging ornaments upon
the body." '^
I am not certain that the prehistoric Egyptians
practised these mutilations, nevertheless, I wish to draw attention
to the use of ear-studs in the classic period ; and, first, we will
observe Libyans of the tomb of Seti I. is

that one of the
wearing ear-studs, judging from the plates published by Belzoni
and by Champollion. Lepsius, in the plate of which our
Fig. lo represents a part, has not noted the ear-stud.^ (See
Fig. 19.)
In Egypt the wearing of ear-studs is fairly frequent, but only
at the commencement of the eighteenth dynasty. As Erman
remarks,'' these ear-ornaments are either broad discs or large
rings. During the reign of Amenophis IV. one finds that men
wore these ear-ornaments as much as women."
Lange & ScHAEFER, Grab- mid Denksteine des. mittlcren Reichs (Cata-
'
logue general des antiquites Egyptiennes du Musee du Caire), i. p. 163 iv. ;
pi. Ixxxvi. p. 465.

-
Lepsius, Denkytidlcr, iii. 2. See Erman, Life in Ancient Egypt, p. 230 and
fig. p. 216. See Maspero, Histoire a7tcien7ie des peuplcs dc V Orient classique, i.
p. 54, and note 3. See Alfred Herz, Taftozuirimg, Art und Verhrcitung,
Leipsic, 1900 (Doctor-dissertation, Universitat Erlangen). On the subject of
tatooing and painting the body among the Greeks, see Wolters, P.,
EXacpoaTiKTos, in Hermes, xxxviii. pp. 265-273.

Deniker, Les races et Ics peuples de la tcrrc, Paris, 1900, p. 209.
•'
Belzoni, Plates illustrative of the Researches and Operations of G. Belzoni

'
in Egypt and Njihia^ London, 1821, pi. viii. Champollion, Mofinments de

r/igypte, pi. ccxl. For a reproduction of the head after this plate see Perrot &
CiiiPiEZ, Histoire de I'ait dans Vantiqiie^ i. fgvpte, tig. 528, p. 796. It is much
to be regretted that the various publications of this important representation vary

so greatly in tlic details. It is very desirable that an edition definitive should
be made.
Erman, Life in A?icient Egypt, p. 228.
•''
*
Steindorff, Vier Grabstelcn aus der Zeit Atnenophis IV., in the Zeitsclnift
filr Aegyptische Sprache, xxxiv. 1896, p. 66.
The woman represented in the charming statuette of the

Bologna Museum (Fig. 12) "is very proud of her large ear-orna-
ments, and is gravely pushing one of them forward, either to
show it off or to assure herself that the jewel is safely in its
^
place." These discs are found not
in tombs of the Second
infrequently
Theban Empire, and a certain number
appear to have been intended to be
fixed in the lobe of the ear, which
must necessarily have been greatly
distended.^
Professor Schweinfurth has
pub-
lished a ring in brocatel belonging to
the primitive period, which, judging
from its shape and also from its
external profile, can only have been
used as a lip-ring.'"
We now pass to the consideration
of methods of hairdressing in ancient
Egypt. On one of the earliest vases of

the kind called by Petric
"
cross-lined Fig. 12. —
Wooden Statuette
IN THE Bologna Museum,.
pottery," which was only in use at
WITH Ivory Ear-ornaments.
the beginning of the primitive period
(sequence dates 31-34), a combat between two men is represented
(Fig. 13). One of the combatants has his hair divided on the
toj:)
of the head into four tresses, which hang down his back.'
Maspero, Histoire ancieime des petiples dc V Orient classiqitc, ii. p. 533 and
'
fig., where the author states, probably erroneously, that tlie statuette belongs to
the Turin Museum. Petrie's photograph of the same, from which he has repro-
duced it, is No. 83 of the Italian series, but has the letter B, indicating Bologna.
-
If it is doubted that such a distension of the car, in some cases very
considerable, can be a fact, such examples as are represented by Scmuktz,

Urgcschichtc dcr Kiilti/r, Leipsic, 1900, p|). 65 and 396, will carry most com-
plete conviction. Elliott SMrni, Report on the Mitmmv of the Priestess Ncsi-
tet-neh-ta/ii, in the Annates di/ service des Antiquites de VEgypte^ iv. 1903, p. 15S.
'
Schweinfurth, Uetier einen Attiigyptischcn Ring aus Brocatelle, in the
Verhandlungeti der t)erl. Anthropol. Gesellscha/t {Vcbvuixxy, 1902, pp. 99, 100).
"
'
Petrie, Diospolis parva, p. 14 M. Schweinfurth avait emis I'idee (juc

:
les nôlithiques egyptiens se teignaient les cheveux en blond (par decoloration

' '
36 primitivp: art in egypt.
Other remains of more recent date show the hair arranged
in a variety of ways, the hair worn long and divided into
two rows of curls, framing the
face and hanging down to the
^
shoulders ;
or short hair in
small curls, either round or of

" "
corkscrew form, arranged in
parallel rows from the nape of
the neck to the crown of the
head-; again, in other in-
or,
stances, the whole of the hair

massed in a single thick plait,
which, falling from the crown
of the head, hangs down the
^
back (Fig. 14).
All these methods of hair-
dressing for men are also

found on the monuments of
the Ancient Egyptian Empire,
where in this respect the
Egyptians appear to have faith-
fully followed the traditions of

their predecessors. The single
plait, however, is no longer
worn by men ; by this time it
a I'aide de chaux ou d'urine) ou en

roux (par coloration avec du hemic).
M. Vircliow croit devoir ecarter cette
hypothese. . ." Salomon Reinach,

.
review of ViRCHOw, Ueber die cthno-

Io<iischc Stelbitig der priihistorisclicn
mid protoliistoriscliei) Acgypter [Ab-
FiG. 13.— Pottery Vase with Designs in handhmgcn der Preuss. Akadetnie
White representing Men fighting. der VVisscfischaften, Berlin, 1898), in
lAnthropolofîc, ix. 1898, p. 447.

•
QuiBELL, HierakonpoUs, pi. ii.
\.
-
and vi., and Petrie, The Races of Early Egypt, in tlie Joiirtial
Id. pi. V.
of the Anthropological Institute, xxxi. pi. xix. Ii and 12.

'
QuiBELL, IIierako?ipolis, i. pi. xi. and xxvi. «, and Petrie, Royal Tombs of
the Earliest Dynasties, ii.
pi. iv. 4.
is worn only by children, or as one of the distinctive marks of

princes and certain high sacerdotal dignitaries. In this case,
when we see it represented on the monuments of the Second
Theban Empire, the plait has usually lost its original form, and
is transformed into a fringed band
hanging over the ear.^
The earliest female figures have no trace of any hair whatever,
and it
might be considered that the head was entirely shaved.
Fig. 14. — Ivory Statuette.

A crouching captive. The hair, in a thick plait or twist, is hanging down the back.
It isprobable, however, that this is owing to the inexperience

of the artist, who did not understand how to render hair.-'
'
For the types of wigs of tlio Ancient Empire, see Erman, Life in Amicnt
Egypt, pp. 2ig-222. P'or the side-locks of children and of j)rinces, i/>.
pp. 117, 235, 314, reproduction of the lock transformed into a decorated bandeau.
This forms an interesting example of the laws of evolution of clothing as laid
down b}' Darwix, G. H., IJ evolution dans le veienwfit, in the Revue de
rUniversite de Bruxellcs, v. 1899-1900, pp. 3S5-411, ill. (Separate reprint,
Brussels, Lamertin.) Translation from MacMillan's Magazine, 1872.
^
Later on we shall see that hair-combs are especially abundant at this
period.
38 PRIMITIVE ART IN EGYPT
Towards the end of the primitive period, on the contrary, we find
two distinct modes of hairdressing, a short and a long one. In
the first case the hair is divided on the forehead, and, falling
on each side of the face, is cut short above the shoulders.^
When worn long the hair hangs loose down the back, some
tresses being drawn over the shoulders and hanging over the
breasts.- A statuette discovered at Abydos (1902-3) by Professor
I'iG. 15.
— Figure of a Woman in (Jlazeu Poitery.
Discovered at Abydos.
Petrie shows yet another arrangement, the whole of the hair

being drawn slightly to one side in a thick plait, which hangs
down the right shoulder-blade^ (Fig- I5)-
'
QuiBELL, Ilicrakonpolis^ i. pi. i.v. Petrie, Royal Tom/js, ii. pi. iii. a, 8.
QuiBELL, loc. cit. i. pi. i.v. xi. Sec, farther on, various female figures which
-
show numerous examples of the two kinds of hairdressing. It is possible that a

certain number of rings, hitherto classed as bracelets, were employed in hair-
dressing to support the curls, as they are found used in Greece {tettiges) and in
the Funic tombs. See Gsell, Foitillcs de Gouraya : Sepultures puniqucs de la
cote algcrieiine (publication of the Association Histonque de I'Afrique du A'ord),
Paris, Leroux, 1903, p. 39.
'
Petrie, Abydos, ii.
pi. iv. p. 25.
Here, again, \vc find modes of dressing the hair identical with
those in use among women at the commencement of the Ancient
Empire, such as are represented, for instance, in the celebrated

and of Nesa, at the Louvre.'
statues of Nofrit, at Cairo,
Savages of the present day delight in decorating their hair

with various objects, such as feathers, shells, carved combs and
pins, and we find this same custom prevailing among the
primitive Egyptians. We first meet with feathers, which the

men stuck in their hair ;
this is specially noticeable on a
fragment of a slate palette in the Louvre.'^ The feathers
worn in this' way are ostrich feathers, and it is a question
whether there was not a religious significance in this method
of employing them. The feather is found later as the head-
dress of the goddess Maat, and also it is employed in writing
her name, which, in the Pyramid texts, is determined by a hawk
bearing the feather on its head.-' On the ancient statues dis-
covered at Koptos by Petrie, the emblem of the god Min is
surmounted by an ostrich feather.^

I must mention here that ostrich eggs have been found in
prehistoric tombs, showing painting and engraving
traces of
(Fig. 16). The custom of depositing ostrich eggs in tombs has

several times been observed at different periods of Egyptian
history.'^ At Hu Petrie discovered clay models of ostrich eggs :
'
See Erman, Life in Ancient Egypt, pp. 222, 223.
Heuzey, figyptc OH Chaldce, in the Co7nptes rendus dc VAcademie des
2
inscriptions et belles lettres, 1899, P^- °" P- ^6. See, farther on, our Fig. 25.
Griffith, in Davies, The Mastaba of Ptalihetcp and Akhethctep at
^
i.
Sa(/(/are/i, p. 15.
^
Petrie, Koptos, pi. 3.
'
!Qe Morgan, Recherches siir les or'igines de rfUgyptc, ii.
pp. 35, 69, and 100.
Petrie, A V/fl'^^, p. 19, tomb 4 ; p. 28, tomb 1480 (Aslimolean Museum, O.xford).
At the historic period, ostrich eggs and feathers were imported from tlie land of
Punt, and perhaps also from Asia, if we credit a scene in the tomb of Harmhabi.
See Bouriant, Le Tombcaii d' Harmhabi, in the Mcmoires dc la Mission
archcologi(/iir franraise du Cairc, v. pp. 420 and 422, and pi. iii. and iv.
^Ve must
also remember the discovery of painted eggs in the Punic tombs of Carthage
(GsELL, Fouilles de Gonraya, Paris, 1903, pp. 35-37, where the author (piestions
whether ostrich eggs were not decorated by the Greeks of Kgypt or of Asia
Minor), and even in a tomb of the valley of Betis in Spain {l' Anthropologic, xi. 1901,
p. 469). See also Petrie, A'aukratis, i. p. 14 and pi. x.x. 15. It must,
nevertheless, be remembered tliat the ostrich egg was employed for industrial
one of these is decorated with black zigzag lines in imitation
^
painted with white spots
^
of cords ;
the others are simply
(Fig i6).
The ostrich feather almost without exception is found placed in
the hair of lightly-armed soldiers of ancient times, and a trace of
this is preserv'ed in the hieroglyph i^ .^ The Libyans of the
tomb of Scti I. have two feathers stuck in their hair.
^^^
Fig. i6. — Ostrich Eggs.
A fragment with incised figures; also clay models showing traces of painting. From
Naqada and Hu.
The women delighted in the use of decorated combs and pins

for fastening up their hair these were made of bone or ivory,
;
purposes. See Tylok <& Griffith, T/ie Tomb of Paluj-i at El Kah, pi. iv. and
p. 18. Petrie, Illahi(7i, Kalmn and Giiroh, pi. xxii. and p. ig. Petrie, Kahim,
Gurob atid Haivara, p. 32. Mr. J. L. Myres contributes the following interesting
note relative to the persistence of the commerce in ostrich eggs in the north of
" The
Africa : The transsaharan trade in ostrich eggs persists. eggs, as far as I
could ascertain Tunis and Tripoli (in 1897), come via Kano, along witli the
in
consignments of featliers, and emerge at the Mediterranean seaboard termini,

where they are in request as pendant ornaments in the mosques."
Petrie, Diospolis parva, pi. v. and p. 33 (tomb B 101).
'
Hit, tomb B262 and B 56 (2 examples), (Ashmolean Museum, Oxford).

-
^
See the remarks of Max Muller, Asien imd Eiiivpa nacit altdgypHschen
Denkmdlcrn, p. 3 et scq.
and were often decorated at top with figures of animals;

the
occasionally even a human figure is found on them. Petrie

remarks that these combs were especially numerous at the
commencement of the prehistoric period between ^t, and 44
(sequence dates), while the pins,
of which the most common
type is decorated with a small
figure of a bird, are found

throughout the whole of the
^
prehistoric period (Fig. 17).
We shall have an opportunity
of examining these more in
detail when studying ornamental

art, but we will here observe
that it is
possible these combs
and hairpins had a magical
purpose, as is notably the case
in China."
The art of decorating the
hair and of arranging it in a
complicated manner does not
appear to have been raised to
any high level in primitive
Egypt. Nevertheless, there are
certain indications which seem
to point to a more elevated
ideal. Is it not possible to
Fig. 17.
— Combs and a Pin, decorated
recognize in the head-dresses WITH Anim.\i. and Bird Figures.
of certain kings, queens, and
divinities on monuments of the classical period survivals of
'
Petrie, Diospolis parva,p. 2[. See pi. vi., where pins, a combined comb
and and also a spoon are to be seen still entangled in the hair of a woman.
pin,
J. J. M. DE Groot, The Religions Systefu of China,
-
pp. 55-57 "Among i. :
the hairpins provided for a woman's burial is almost always one whicii is adorned
with small silver figures of a stag, a tortoise, a peach, and a crane. These being
emblems of longevit}-, it is supposed that tlic pin which is adorned with them
will absorb some of their life-giving power, and communicate it to the woman
in whose hair it is ultimately fastened." Example (juoted by Frazer, The
Golden Bough, 2nd ed. i. p. 48.
earlier fashions? Observe, for example, the head-dress worn by
the queens, which is formed of the feathers of a vulture, with the
head of the bird arranged in front of the forehead.^ large A
number of instances of decorations for the hair comparable with
those of Egypt can be furnished by ethnology."
One solitary fact bears witness to the honour in which
elaborate hairdressing was held in primitive Egypt, and that is
the custom of depositing in the tombs head-rests, which were
used during sleep to preserve artistic coiffures, not intended to
be renewed every day, and which it was desirable to keep in
good order as long as possible.^
Fig. i8. —Band of False Hair.
From the tomb of King Zer, of the first dynast}'.
Under the Ancient Empire the charge of the king's hair

and of his wigs was bestowed on great personages. Maspero
mentions an inspector of wig-makers to the king, and also
a director of wig-makers to the
king, contemporary with
with the fourth and fifth dynasties.^ Petrie discovered in the
tomb of King Zer, of the first dynasty, at Abydos, a band of
false hair (Fig. i8), composed of curls, and apparently intended
'
See an example of thishead-dress upon the stela of Queen Nubkhas in
the Louvre (C 13), dating back to the tiiirteenth dynasty. It is the earliest
example I know.
-
Grosse, Les Debuts de VArt, pp. 67, 68.
^
SciiURTZ, Urgesc/iic/ite der Kultm; Leipsic, 1900, p. t^'^c) ct scq.
*
Maspero, llistoirc anciamc dcs pciiplcs dc V Orient classh/Jte, i.
p. 278,
note I.
PERSOxXAL xADORNMENT. 43
to be worn on the forehead.^ The Libyans of the tomb of

Seti I. are wearing two rows of simihir curls between their
hair, which is divided and falls on both sides of the head
(Fig. 19).
Very numerous examples show that the men ordinarily wore

their beardstrimmed to a point. We shall meet with some of
these when we are considering representations of the human
figure.
Fig. 19.
— -Head of one of the Libyans from the Tomb of Seti I.
Showing the ear-ring, the rows of curls on the forehead, and the hair falling
over the right shoulder.
We must here pause a moment to consider a curious figure

in the MacGrcgor Collection- (Fig. 20), where the hair, as well
as the beard, is enveloped in a kind of pouch which com-

pletely conceals them. If it is not, as Naville suggests, "a
1
Petrie, Abydos, i.
pi. iv. 7 and p. 5 "The fringe of locks is e.\(iuisiteiy
:
made, entirely on a band of hair, showing a long acqnaintance with hair work at
that age. It is now in the Pitt-Rivers Museum at Oxford."
Navillk, Fiiiiiriiics cgyf)ticnncs dc Vepoquc nrr/njn/ife,
=*
ii., in the Rccucil dc
iravaux rclalifs a la philologic ct a Varchcologic cgyptifiincs ct assyrh'tincs, x.xii.
1900, pi. vi. and p. 68.

conventional or childish representation of hair," one might here
recognize an object related to the royal toilettes of the classical

period, where a false beard was affixed by means of straps.
What can have been the object of this sort of covering ? Was
it used in order to ensure purity, for instance, during religious
ceremonies? May not the custom which prevailed among the

Egyptian priests of completely shaving themselves have been
simply a radical measure for avoiding all contamination that
Fig. 20. — Figure from the MacGregor Collection.

With a bag for the hair and beard, and a sheatli to protect the lower part
of the bodj^
might arise from the hair and beard ?

^
This is merely a
suggestion which I throw out, and on which I do not wish
to insist unduly.'- A comparison might be suggested with the
One might compare this with the liabit of our modern surgeons, who
'
occasionally cover the hair and beard during operations in order to avoid any
risk of infection for the patient.
*
On the subject of wearing a natural or false beard see Erman, Life m
Ancient Egypt, especially pp. 225, 226, and tlie vaiions passages quoted in the
index under "Beard." The motive suggested byMoKET, Coup d'ocil sur V llgypte
primitive, p. 5, for the wearing of wigs and false beards, seems to me to be
unfounded.
paddn of the Magian^ religion ; or, again, with the Jewish custom
of covering the beard as a sign of mourning.^
There is a small series of interesting objects which affords a
proof that the custom of covering the lower part of the face
with a veil was already known in the second half of the primitive
period (sequence dates 50-61). These are small objects of shell,

of limestone, or, more rarely, of copper, which were suspended in
front of the forehead. At the base is a hook, which, as Petrie has
conjectured, was used to support a veil. One of these pendants

has been found still in position upon a skull, and shows clearly
the manner in which it was worn. One specimen, decorated
with lines in imitation of plaited work, points to the fact that
these pendants were also made of woven fibre, and this would
explain their rarity in the tombs, as only those in more enduring

materials would survive (Fig. 21). Other specimens have not
the hook at the end, and must therefore have been
lower
worn merely as ornaments on the forehead. Two specimens
belonging to the Petrie Collection are in the form of female
figures.
It is possible that the pendants and veil before the face
were worn by men as well as by women, or even exclusively
by men, to judge by the custom of the Touaregs, and also
of certain Arabs.-^ After prehistoric times in Egypt there
are no traces of this custom of veiling the face, and it
In the Magiaii religion the officiant has the lower part of the face covered
'
with a veil, the paddn (av. paitidana), which prevents the breath from defiling
the sacred fire, and the hands covered with gloves. Cf. Darmesteter, Zc7id
Avesia, i. p. l.xi. He also wears i\\^ paddn in eating, in order not to contaminate
the food, which he swallows at one gulp between two intakings of breath —
ib. ii. No. 31.
p. 214, The paddn was worn by the magi of Cappadocia, at
the time of Strabo (Augustus), xv. 733c", nupas ttiXcotus KadeiKVius iKaTipmdiv
/xf\pi Toi) KdXviTTfiv Tu XeiXi] Tiis Tvapciyvaîdas.
—
(Note contributed by M. Franz
Cumont.)
Benzinger, Hcbrdischc Arclidologic (Grundriss der theologischen Wissen-
-
schaften, Zweite Reihe, Erster Band), Freiburg i. B. and Leipsic, 1894,

p. 165.
^
Frazer, Tlic Golden Bought 2nd ed. i.
p. 313: "Among the Touaregs
of the Sahara all the men
(and not the women) keep the lower part of their face,
especially the mouth, veiled constantly; the veil is never put off, not even
in
"
eating or sleeping." Also note 3 Amongst the Arabs men sometimes veiled
:
their faces."
46 PRIMITIVE ART LX EGYPT.
was the Arabs who introduced it once more in the seventh
century A.D.^
Grosse, in his book Les Debuts de r Art'^ refers to an interesting
"
remark of Lippcrt : The principle followed in selecting the
Fig. 21.— Ornaments for the Forehead.

The two upper ornaments have been used for hanging a veil before the faee.
portions of the body to be adorned with ornaments is governed

by practical considerations, and is a principle into which con-
Petrie, NcKiada, \A. Ixii. 21-23, '^"'^ P- 47 D/ospolis pafua, pi. iii. and p. 22.
'
J
P?xhtstoric Egyptian Catin/igs, in Alan, 1902, No. 1 13, pp. 161, 162, and pi. 1. 5-7.
See SociN, A., Doctrines of El Islam, in Baedeker, Egypt, 5th ed. 1902,
"
p. Ixvii. The practice of wearing veils dates from very remote times (Gen. xxiv.
65 ;
Isa. iii. 22, 23), though it is doubtful whether it was customary among the
ancient Egyptians, as veiled women never appear upon the monuments.''
2
Pp. 63, 64.
PERSOXx'\L ADORNMENT. 47
siderations of ideal arrangement do not enter. . . . The parts

of the carry ornaments are those
body which are destined to
contracted above larger portions which are bony or muscular.

These parts are the following the forehead and the temples,
:
with the projecting bones below and the support afforded by

the ear, the neck and shoulders, the sides and hips with the legs ;
it is the part above the ankles with the arms, the biceps, the
;
wrist, and in a lesser degree the fingers. Primitive man makes

use of all these for affixing ornaments ;
but he was not led to this
choice by aesthetic reasons, but by purely practical considerations."
We
have already spoken of the arrangement of the hair among
the primitive Egyptians. We must now study their necklaces,
waist-belts, bracelets, and rings, and see in what manner clothing
may have developed out of these entirely elementary decorations.
The simplest form of such decoration consists in attaching to
"
body thongs of leather, sinews of animals,
different parts of the
or herbaceous fibres."^ These in turn were hung with shells,
beads, claws of animals, etc.
In Egypt shells frequently occur in prehistoric tombs. Pierced
with a hole, they were evidently used as ornaments,- and their use
was continued into historical times, when shells were even imitated
in glazed pottery, or in metal, to form parts of necklaces. I must
content myself with a mere reference to the marvellous jewels
found at Dahchour by M. de Morgan.^
A large number of beads have been discovered in the tombs
of the primitive Egyptians, of which the forms remain practically
the same throughout the whole of the prehistoric period. This
is not the case with the materials of which they were made
and Petrie has drawn up a chronological list of these with
considerable detail.^
Most of the ivory objects found in the tombs, \\hich Petrie
believes to be stoppers for leather bottles, I am inclined to consider
"
as necklace ornaments. They are a s[)ecies of pendant, formed
DknuvER, Lcs races

•
ct Ics peitples de la tcrrc, p. 211 ct scq.
-
De Morgan, Rcclicrchcs siir lcs origincs de Vflgyptc, ii. p. 59.
•'
De Morgan, Fouilles a Dahchour, March — June, 1894, Vienna, 1895,
pi. xxiii. and xxiv.
^
Petrie, Diospolis parva, pi. iv. and p. 27.
by the severed end of the rib or tusk of an animal, often pierced

at the top — consequently, they must have been worn point down-
wards — deeply grooved at the wider end, and covered with broken
lines or with rudimentary geometric designs"^ (Fig. 22). Some of
these pendants are of stone others are hollow, and may have
;
been used as vases. At the upper end of most of these there is

a deep groove to allow of their being suspended by means of a
thong, which also passed through the hole with which many of
them are pierced. Numerous traces of leather have been found
in these cavities.^
0-J1
Fig. 22. — Pendants.

Showing the imitation of claws and of horns, decorated with incised or painted Hnes.
We have opportunity to discuss these pendants more

shall
in detail when we treat of ornamental art. It should, however,
be observed that a certain number of these ornaments are made

in imitation of horns or claws, and merely a conventional
are
copy of still more rudimentary ornaments. We can compare

"
them with the collars of the Bushmen, the cords made of
tendons and painted with red ochre, from which are suspended
shells, teeth, claws, the carapaces of turtles, antelope horns, and
other objects, serving partly as receptacles for tobacco and
^
De Mohgan, Recherches siir Ics origines de I'Agypte, ii. p. 62, 63,
2
Petrie, Naqada, pp. 46, 47, pi. lix.-lxiv. ; Diospolis parva, p. 21, pL iii.
unguents, partly as amulets, and for the most part as objects

^
of personal adornment."
need scarcely remark on the prevalent use of beads and
I
pendants in Pharaonic Egypt. A collection such as that of

Professor Petrie at University College, London, is highl}- instructive
with regard to these objects. Such a wealth of pendants for
necklaces —
comprising claws, shells, and various amulets — is
well worth studying, as they are rarely found figured on the

monuments. not always justifiable to deny the existence
It is
of a custom from an argument based solely on the absence of

an object from the figured monuments of Egypt.
Beads and other pendants were not only used for necklaces ;
they were also employed as decorations for girdles, bracelets, and

anklets. The jewellery found by Petrie in the tomb of King
Zer, of the first dynasty, enables us to appreciate the skill
already acquired the Egyptians at that period in combining

b\'
and grouping various materials and producing results which are

truly marvellous. The perfection of the jewellery is so great that,
as Petrie remarks, with the exception of the gold beads, there is
no bead in an>' one of the bracelets which could be exchanged

for any other of another bracelet, without completely destroying
the harmony of the whole.^
But, besides these bracelets formed of separate pieces, we
must notice the simple circlets made of various materials. They
are found in ivory, bone, copper, shell, flint, hard stone^ etc.^
This use survived into historical times, and the tombs of the
first dynasty Abydos have yielded an immense number of
at
fragments of bracelets in ivory, horn, shell, slate, and stone.' A

Grosse, Les Debuts dc PAii, ]>. 68.
'
-
Petrie, Royal Tombs, ii pi i. pp. 16-19.
•'
See QuiBELL, El Kab, pp. 6, 7, 9, 10, 18, and pi. li. 2. Petrie, Xa(/ada,
pi. xliii. pp. 34, 42, 47. Alabaster: Petrie, Naqada, p. 29. Shell: tb. pp. 14, 47.
Horn, lb. pp. 14, 47. Copper: Petrie, Diospolis parva, p. 37. Ivory: Petkie,
Naqada, pp. 5, 14, 29, 47; Diospolis parva, p. 21, pi. x. Bone: Petrie,
Beads: Schist Petrie, Naqada, p. 14. Flint
Diosjjolis, pi. X. 23. ib. :
p. 33. :
16.
ib. pp. 14, 51, 59; Diospolis, p. 36; Abydos, i.
p.
"
Shell :
Petrie, Abydos, \. Horn: Petrie, Eoyal Totnbs, ii. p. 39.
p. 17.
Ivory: ib. ii.

pp. 24, 35, 37 Abydos,
; p. 5. Stone: Royal Tombs, ii. pp. 35, 37.
i.
Schist :
Abydos, i.
p. 17. Bracelets of Aha Royal Tombs, pp. 5, iS, 29 ii. p. 5.
: i. ;
Bracelets of Zer : ib. ii.

i)p. 17, iS.
.1
-r
^
spoon (Fig- 23), the handle of which resembles an arm adorned
with a large number of these bracelets, similar in size and form,
shows us that they were worn in numbers sufficient to form a
sort of armature. Pleyte observes that this recalls the "Danga
"
Bohr which Schweinfurth found among the Bongoes.-
Petrie discovered a tomb containing the body of a child,
wearing on the arm nine or ten of these ivory rings, and he
mentions, in connection with this fact, that a carving of a
woman of the reindeer age in France shows the same system
o^ 0.26
C miKraiid?
Fig. 23. — Bone and Ivory Bracelets, and a Spoon with a Handle in Form
OF an Arm Wearing a Series of Similar Bracelets.
of ornamentation.^ It is probable that these rings were also

worn on the legs, as shown in the representation of the chief
of the land of Punt at Deir-el-Bahari.*
As a question of stone-working it is astonishing to find
primitive man making rings in flint.'' Many conjectures have
Petkie, Naqada, pi. .\liii. i (Ashmolean Museum, Oxtord).

'
^
Pleyte, Chapitrcs siipplc7ncntaires du Livrc des Marts, i.
pp. 147, 148.
Schweinfurth, Artes Africanac, Leipsic and London, 1875, pi. iii. 12.
^
Petrie, Naqada, pp. 42 and 47.
*
Pleyte, ib. fig. facing p. 147.
•*
De Morgan, Recherches siir les origines de V]i,gypte, ii.
pp. 60, 61,
pp:rsonal adornment 51
been liazarded to explain the manner in which jthis was

accompHshed, but it remained for the fortunate discoveries of
Seton Karr at Wady-el-Sheikh to show us all the phases of
the work.^ The
frequent occurrence on Egyptian monuments
of Pharaonic times of collars, bracelets, and anklets has frequently
been remarked on, and we need not therefore dwell longer on
that point.-
The
primitive Egyptian was also well acquainted with finger-
rings, especially in ivory, either plain or decorated with a knob.
Twô very curious specimens show that occasionally they were
O.i'i
D. 23
D.iS
Fig. 24. — Ivory Rings.
decorated with figures of animals one of these has two feline

;
animals on it,-^ and on the other are four haw^ks ^ (Fig. 24).
So far we have not dealt with the decoration of the hips,
and this because there knowledge, any monument
is not, to my
of the primitive period which shows us such a decoration. There
exists no statuette, no drawing, on which we can see a thong
of leather round the waist adorned with beads
pendants. or
Rut it is difficult to say whether the beads and pendants which
'
ScHWEiNFURTH, Aegyptischev Ringe aus Kiescbnassc, in the Zcitschrift
fiir EtJmologic, xxxi. 1899, p. 496 ct scq. Forbes, Ott a collection of stotie
implements i)t the Mayer Musciitn, made by M. H. IV. Seton Katr, in mines of
the ancient Egyptians discovered by hitti on the plateaux of the A'ile Valley, in
the Bulletin Liverpool Museum, ii. Nos. 3 and 4, pp. 78-80, and tig. on p. 82.
2
Erman, Life in Aticicnt Egypt, p. 227.
'
A specimen in the MacGregor Collection, Tamworth (No. 1,409 rt).
'
Petrie, Naqada, pi. Ixii. 30 Ixiv. 78 and p. 47.

; Diospoiis, ix. 23 ;
X. 24, 25, and pp. 21, 22.

have been discovered may not ha\-c decorated that part of the
body as appropriately as they did the neck, arms, and legs. By

analogy, therefore, we can imply the use of ornamental girdles ;
and here we verge on the interesting subject of the origin of

clothing.
"The skin of an animal is suspended from the cord tied
round the throat, and forthwith it is transformed into a
mantle. With the Fucgians this piece of skin is so scanty
that, in order to protect the body effectually, it has to be turned,
following the direction of the wind. The thong round the waist,
the belt, is also hung with various appendages, and becomes a
petticoat.
"
The leafy branches which are thrust by the Veddahs under
their waist-belts, the pieces of bark held by the same belt
'
'
among the Niam-Niam, the sarang of the Indo-Malay, -which
supplies the elements both of petticoat and of girdle — all these

^
are the prototype of the petticoat."
Writing of the indigenous inhabitants of the Andaman

"
Islands, Grosse expresses himself as follows : There is, however,
one tribe the women of which wear nothing round the waist but
a very fine string, from which some quite short fibres hang this ;
must evidently be a mere ornament.""

Erman has already remarked that, under the Ancient Empire,
the Egyptians of the lower classes, principally those who were
brought by their occupation into habitual contact with water,

are occasionally represented as absolutely nude ;
while their
fellow workers, for the most part, are wearing only a narrow girdle
with a few short strips hanging down in front.^ These can scarcely
be called articles of clothing ;
and yet one would hesitate to
call them ornaments, if one were not assured by numerous
ethnological parallels.
I may add that in some cases this simple cord knotted
round the loins served as an amulet. On this subject I will
quote the curious observ'ation of Dr. Stacqucz, who, on the
V Deniker, Les races et les peiiplcs de la terrc, p. 312.

^
Grosse, Lcs Debuts de VArt, p. 70.
Er.man, Life in Ancient Egypt, \>. 212.
•'
subject of themodern population of Thebes, writes thus " The :
greater number of boys were entirely nude, and among them

were some who might have been fifteen years old. But they
all wore a fine thread round their bodies in form of a eirdle
To go entirely naked was the natural course of events for
these folks, but it would have been the height of indecency
to have omitted to tie a thread round their loins, and no one
would have dared to show himself in that state. I asked the
reason of such a custom, and I was told that it had always
existed — that it was considered that the thread concealed their
nakedness, and that it

represented the garments that they could
not wear owing to the high temperature of the country. I
myself believe that the thread should be considered as a species

of amulet, and for this reason : in some parts of Egypt it is
the have a small cord tied by the sheikh round the

habit to
wrists and ankles as a preservative against sprains and other

accidents while working or walking. It is therefore possible that
the thread encircling the loins among the inhabitants of Thebes

is a similar practice passed into a habit, of which the reason
^
is forgotten."
It should also be remembered that under the Second Theban
Empire the young female slaves and the dancing women wore
as their only clothing a girdle, which occasionally may have been
ornamented.^
Let us see how this was during the primitive age. On the
famous painted tomb of Hierakonpolis, with which we shall later
have to deal at length, there are several personages whose only
garment appears to be a girdle knotted round the waist. The
same is seenon the palettes and mace-heads from the same
locality, where the fcjrms are already verging on those of the
Ancient Empire.''
'
Stacquez, I'Egypte, la basse Niihic ct Ic Sinai, Liege, 1865, pp. 252, 253.
See also Maspero, Histoire anciauie des peuples dc V Orient dassiquc, ii. ]x 526.
-
Erman, loc. cit. p. 216. Stratz, Ueber die Klcidung dcr iigyptischcn
Tdnzerinnen, in the Zeitschnft fiir dgyptische Spraclie mid Altertuinskundr,
xxxviii. 1900, ])p. 148, 149.
Capakt, La fete de Revue d' histoire des religions,

•''
frapper les Anait, in the

xliii.
1901, p. 255.
To this girdle various objects were attached, and two
of these can be recognized on existing objects with con-
siderable precision. One is the tail of an animal ;
the other
is a sheath for protecting or concealing the lower part of the
bodv.
The warriors or huntsmen that we find represented on the
fragment of the Louvre palette wear the tail of an animal, possibly
a jackal, attached to their girdle (F"ig. 25). It is interesting to
note that this caudiform decoration is

found among a considerable number of
nations.^ In Egypt, during the Pharaonic
age, the tail is an ornament of princes

and priests, and the Marseilles Museum
actually a specimen in wood.-
possesses
The representations of tails on the objects
found Hierakonpolis form exactly
at
the transition between the tails of the
primitive period of the Louvre palette,

Fig. 25.
— Huntsman. and those of the king and gods on
Wearing a feather on his
Egyptian classical monuments.
head, and the tail fixed
to his girdle.
With reference to the sheath just
mentioned, purpose has been recognized

its
and its signification explained by M. Naville.'^ It can be specially
well recognized on the statuette in the MacGregor Collection
figured above (Fig. 20), and also upon a considerable number of
ivory figures which we shall consider later. This is how it is
described by M. Naville: "The most characteristic feature in this

statuette the large sheath or horn, which, held by a narrow
is
girdle, covers the genital organs. ... It appears to be made of

some resisting material, such as metal, wood, or thick leather.
This sheath extends half-way up the stomach. It is composed
of a cylinder, to which is joined another narrower one, at the
^
For afine example see DenUvER, op. tit. frontispiece.
^
Maspero, Histoire ancieime dcs peiip/es dc V Orient classique, i.
p. 55,
note 3.
^
Grosse, Les Debuts de VAi't, p. 70, mentions among the Botocndos of
de Wied, an " etui de feuilles qui cache Ics parties
Brazil, according to Prince
genitales.'' See Yrjo Hn<N, The Origins of Art, London, 1900, pp. 215, 216.
commencement of which are two ovoid protuberances, which are

an attempt to imitate nature. ." . .
'
M. Naville was enabled to identify this with complete

"
certainty by a similar covering, which is, he says, a tradition,
a characteristic trait of that Libyan group w^hich, during
the nineteenth dynasty, allied itself with the people of the
Mediterranean to march against Egypt." This sheath during
the Egyptian period bore a special name ;
it is called
At same time
the that the tail and the sheath were attached
to the girdle, it was also possible to hang from it the skin of
an animal, a mat, or a piece of stuff, and the loin-cloth was
created. The animal's skin could with ease be placed as an
ornament on the shoulders it was easy to wrap oneself in a
;
mat, a skin or a piece of woven stuff, and in this manner the

mantle was evolved. All these elementary garments are found
in the historic period, and also in the primitive age.
The skin of a panther, girded round the loins and covering
the lower part of the body, was still in use among the negroes
of the Upper Nile at the time of the nineteenth dynasty. Placed
on the shoulders, it had become one of the insignia of certain
priests and nobles as early as the beginning of the Ancient Empire.*'
One of the wârriors of the painted tomb of the primitive age
at Hierakonpolis is clothed in a panther's skin, while his
thus
holding a shield formed of a similar skin (Fig. 26).

'
adversary is
Naville, Figiirincs cgyptiomes de Vcpoqiic arcJtaiquc, ii., in the Recucil dc

'
travaux relatifs a la pjiilologie ct a Varclicologic cgyptietmcs ct assyricniics,

xxii. p. 69 et seq.
^
See F. VON LusHAN,
Zi(7- antht'opologischcn Stellung der alien Acgypier,
inGlobus, Ixxi.w 1901, pp. 197-200: "Aenliclie Taschen nun giebt es heute nocli
im Westlichen Sudan, besonders bei den Moba im Nordlichen Togo, wo sie
ganz allgemein von alien Mannern getragcn werden."
Maspero, Histoire ancienne des paiplcs de l' Orient classiqiic,
•'
i.
pp. 53 and 55,
and p. 53, note a.
"
'
Qlmbell &
Greex, Hierakonpolis, ii. j)!. Ixxvi. I take the figure of tlie
:
man liolding up the skin as showing tliat lie Itas had it on his back, and has
had to remove it to nse as a shield. It is the origin of the shield from the
loose clothing skin, and from that the stiff shield with wood frame was derived.
But I do not think that it is here shown as a defensive shield alone." -Note
by Professor Petrie.
56 PRIMITIVE ART IN P:GYPT.
The narrow or wide, is frequently represented
loin-cloth, either
on the primitive monuments on the palettes and maces of Hiera-
konpolis, in the tomb paintings, and again on the ivory figures.^
I am not at all certain that the women wore wide loin-cloths, and
it is with considerable doubt that I refer here to the painted
tomb of Hierakonpolis. I cannot assume with any certainty
that the two figures at the top of Plate Ixxvi. Hierakonpolis^ ii.
are intended to represent women and yet the similarity of their
;
attitude with that of the female figures on the pottery appears

to be noteworthy.
long cloak, the use of which in historic times

Finally, the
has been ably dealt with by M. Maspero," appears several
so
times on the remains of the primitive age. There is, for instance,
Fig. 26. — Warriors.

Clothed in a panther skin, or holding a shield formed of a similar skin.
the figure of a woman in the British Museum,^ and several ivory

statuettes from Hierakonpolis, which show the cloak, sometimes
plain and sometimes decorated with geometric patterns."' Petrie
has very justly compared the decorated mantle on one of these
figures with the fragments of leather painted in zigzag lines found

by him at Naqada, and they again may be compared with the
clothing of the Libyans of the tom.b of .Seti I.''
(Fig. 27). These
For the loin-cloth or short skirt in Egypt during the Ancient Empire see
'
Erman, Life in Ancient Egypt, pp. 202-206, and Sfiegelberg, Varia, xlviii. Zii
dent Galaschurz dcs alien RcicJtcs^ in the Rcciieil dc travatix rclatifs a la pliilo-
Ivgie et d VarcJicoloiîe cgyptienftcs ct assyricnncs, xxi. 1S99, pp. 54, 55.
-
Maspero, Histoirc aticienne des peuples de rOtie7it classiqtie, i. pp. 55-57.
Budge, A History of Egypt, i. p. 53.
^
Qui BELL, Hieraiconpolis, pi. ix. and x.

''
i.
Petrie, Naqada, pi. Ixiv. 104 and p. 48. See Royal Tombs
•'
also Petrie, T/ie
0/ the Earliest Dynasties, ii. pi. iv. 3, 4, 5.
PERSONAL ADORNMENT. 57-
decorations probably represent embroideries, as shown in the
ivory of a king of the first dynasty discovered by

statuette
Petric at Abydos, of which reproductions are given farther on.^
Finally we must mention a small figure of a woman tightly
Fig. 27. — Figures of Women.
Wrapped in cloaks, one of which is decorated. Below arc fragments of

leather with painted decoration.
wrapped in a cloak, discovered by Petrie at Abydos, and dating

from the commencement of the first dynasty.-
The long cloak was fastened by means of studs intended to
Petrie, Abydos, ii. pi. ii. and xiii. p. 24.

'
'
Petrie, The Royal Tombs of the Earliest Dynasties, ii. pi. iii a, 8 and
p. 21.
be slipped through loops, on the principle of ouv military frogs.
Petrie discovered examples of these in glazed pottery in the teinenos
of the temple of Osiris at Abydos.^
We
have now arrived at the close of our study of personal
adornment as it existed in primitive Egypt this earliest mani- —
festation which is }'et so rich in artistic feeling. The immediate
conclusion to be drawn from these researches is that it is not
possible
— at an\' rate sequence of ideas to prove that
in this —
there were sudden and radical changes at the commencement of
the Pharaonic period, and that there is no glaring discrepancy
between the habits ot the primitive people and those which we
find under the Ancient Egyptian Empire. It now remains to be
seen whether we can maintain this conclusion when our attention
is directed to the examination of ornamental art.
'
Petrie, Abydos, ii.
pi. i. and viii. 141-143, and p. 26. On the subject of
comparing primitive clothinc; in Egypt with that of the Ancient Empire, I think it
well to quote a remark of Fetrie's. After describing the garments found in the
tombs of the fifth dynasty at Deshasheh, he adds '' It is remarkable that not one
:
dress was found of the form shown on the monuments, with shoulder-straps but ;
the actual form seems to have been developed out of that by extension of the
shoulder-straps along the arms. Hence the monumental dress must have been
•only an artistic survival in the Old Kingdom.'"
—
Petrie, Deshasheh, London,
1898, p. 31.
59
CHAPTER III.
ORNAMENTAL AND DECORATIVE ART.
problem of the earliest beginnings of ornamental and

THE decorative art
is one of the most difficult to deal with,
and same time one of those which appear to have been
at the
most neglected by art critics.^ In the last few years, however,
ethnologists have contributed numerous indications which give us
some hope of arri\'ing at a solution. We will follow the paths
thus marked out, and see what solid results can be gained.
"
The characteristic feature of decorative art among primitive
"
people," says Deniker, is this : All artistic designs are inspired
by real objects ;
there is no feeling for what is purely and
voluntarily ornamental, nor, for still more forcible reasons, are
there any geometrical figures, as was believed till recently. All
figures which appear to be of this nature are simplified draw-
ings of animals, objects, etc. The designs which occur most

frequently are those borrowed from animals (zoomorphic designs),
from the human figure (anthropomorphic), and occasionally from
manufactured objects (skeuomorphic) those taken from plants ;
(phytomorphic) are extremely rare. Often the entire object . . .
is transformed into an ornament, and becomes wholly unsuited

for the purpose for which it was destined. ... It is interesting
to notice that the more a nation loves decoration, the less it is
able to draw a design, properly so called." -

This is the wa\- in which objects arc dccoratetl ;
but why is
Nevertheless, two important works on this subject must he (juoted Semi'KU,

'
:
De7' Stil in den technischcn iind tck/onischcn Kiatstcn, Miiuchen, 187S-9, 2 vols. ;
and RiEGL, Stilf7-a;^cn, (i}-it)t(ilcgu}vj;c)i zii ciiin- Gcschichtc dcr Ornamciitik,

Berlin, 1893.
^
DENUiKK, Lcs races et Ics pciiples dc la /rire, Paris, 1900, ]ip. 237-240.
6o PRIMITIVE ART IN EGYPT.
it that they are thus ornamented ? Those who have studied
the problem tell us that we must also add the
objects
— and
body are —
ornamented from a variety of motives from a view :
to art, to information, a desire for luxury or for power, and
finally from religious or magical motives.^

These principles are established, but before proceeding to
apply them in the case of the primitive Egyptians, in order
to render our statement clear,is necessary that we should it
consider some complementary details which bear upon these

general principles, and give various examples which will enable
us more easily to understand their bearing.
To begin with, let us see how a graphic representation of
an animal can be transformed
geometric design this into a ;
will enable us to discover the laws which govern the treatment
of natural models.
One of the most interesting examples from this point of
view is furnished by Holmes' important work on the ancient
art of the province of Chiriqui, Colombia- (Fig. 28).
The principal theme is the alligator, which, passing from
degradation to degradation, from simplification to simplification,
ends by becoming transformed into a series of absolutely regular
geometrical designs. Fig. 28 shows more clearly than any
explanation do the successive phases of this transforma-
can
tion, logically accounted for by two great principles
which is
which dominate the whole question. The first is the principle

of simplification, by virtue of which primitive man, like the
child, attempts to
give to animals and objects which he
represents a form which is fixed and easily recognizable, and
which he simplifies more and more —
can only be owing
this
to idleness — diverging, in consequence, more and more widely

from the original model.^
'
Haddox, Evolution in Art as illi(stralcd by the Life-histories of designs,
London, 1895, pp. 4, 5, illustration on p. 8 ;
see also pp. 200-306.
Holmes, W.
-
H., Aucietit art of the province of Chiriqui^ Colombia, in the
Sixth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology, 1884-5, Washington, 1S88.
My mention of the work is taken from Haddon's book mentioned in the preced-
ing note.
^
Grosse, Les Debuts dc I'Art, pp. 107 and 1
19.
ORNAMENTAL AND DFXORATIVE ART. 6i
The second principle, which unites itself closely with the
preceding, is that of rhythmic order, which, as Grosse says,

"dominates the art of the least civilized nations in the same
manner that it does that of the most advanced." "
We may
"
truly say," continues the same author, that rhythm everywhere
^'''Zi>-^^^S^ !^^ ^^Ô c\yo
<^^;î;^^;g^
/sis\
J3
Fig. 28. — EvoLUTioN_OF the Reprlsent.mion of the Alligator in Ancient

Columbian Art.
From Holmes.
affords the isame pleasure to mankind. Rhythm consists in

the regular repetition of any sort of imit of a sound, of a —
movement, or, as in this case, of a figure."
^
'
Gkosse, /oc. cit. p. 113.

And if we seek to review the origin of tliis taste for
rhythm among primitive men, Grosse gives us a concise ex-

"
planation of its genesis : If we attribute an aesthetic importance
to this rhythmic order, which so prevalent in the decorative
is
art of hunting tribes, we do not in any wây pretend that its
origin was of the same order. We are, on the contrarx', con-

vinced that the primitive artist did not invent the symmetrical
principle, but that he found it, and that he found it in the

work of the basket-maker, who is
obliged to arrange his
material in a regular manner. It is probable that it was from

habit, and not for aesthetic pleasure, that textile designs were
at first was only by degrees that their aesthetic
imitated ;
it
value was recognized, and that the artist began to combine

and enrich these regular series. Obviously it would be difficult
to say where mechanical imitation ends and where aesthetic
work begins ;
in any case, it would be equally justifiable to
assert that regular arrangement has produced the pleasure
experienced in observing symmetry, as it would be to assert
that it is that pleasure which has provoked regular arrange-

^
ment."
In other words, designs inspired by manufactured objects
(skeuomorphs) have imposed their derivatives on designs derived
from natural objects.
Thus, in the foregoing example, there is, to begin with, a
copy of an alligator ;
this is next reduced to its most charac-
teristic features, and from the time its fundamental features, its
of the
general lines, have been recognized, the representations
animal are symmetrically combined, and adapted to the space
to be whether square, oblong, or circular.
decorated, The
principle of rhythmic order here leads to the successive repetition
of the same figures, in such a way as to form the decoration
of the whole of an object, and under the influence of these
two principal factors the most diversified geometrical designs

are derived from one and the same representation of the
alligator.
Another example borrowed from Polynesian art (Fig. 29)
'
Grosse, loc. cit. pp. 114, 115.
ORNAMENTAL AND DECORATIVE ART. 63
distinctly shows the degradation of the human figure, following

the same principles.^
The stone idols of the Aegean Islands afford another proof.
In addition to small figures, where the human
representation is
fairl}^ accurate, there are also others "in the shape of a violin."-
For the successive transformations of a floral
design it will
be sufficient to quote the instance of the lotus, which has been
so admirably worked out by Goodyear'^ as to render it un-
necessary to dwell longer on this point.
Fig. 29. — Evolution of the Representation of the Human Figurf- in

Polynesian Art.
From Haddon.
With regard to designs inspired by manufactured objects^

the two most important types to be mentioned are :
— designs
derived from the thongs or cords which originally served to-
unite two objects ;
and designs copied from the work of the
'
Haudon, Evo/uM'on m
Ari, hg. 124, 125, 127, 128, pp. 271, 273. See another
example in Collier, Primer of Art, London, 1882, fig. 3, series of paddles,
p. 7 (now in the Pitt-Rivers Collection, University Museum, Oxford).
-
Blinkenbekg, Cm?., Aittiquiics prcinycciiioiiu's, in tlie Mcmoircs dc la
Socicte royale dcs antiqiiaircs du Nord, new series, 1896, pp. 13, 14.
'
Goodyear, W. H., The Granwiar of the Lotus, 1891.
64 .
PRIMITIVE ART IN EGYPT.
basket-maker. Both of these occur with equal frequency, and a
few words will suffice to explain how they came into being.
When two objects — for instance, a blade and handle — are joined
by strapping, the interlacing of the straps forms an actual
geometrical decoration. If the latter is copied in another

material in one single piece, would naturally occur
the idea
to the primitive mind to reproduce these interlacing lines, and
this is what invariably occurs.
1 will recall the well-known instance of architecture in wood

communicating its Another very
forms to architecture in stone.
typical example has also been established as presented on the

pottery of almost all countries. I refer to the decoration re-
sembling a cord formed on vases most frequently at their

widest part, which is nothing but the remaining trace of
the cord of coarsely -twisted fibre which keeps the vases separate
from each other while they are being dried in the sun previous
to being baked.^
The
industry of basket-making plays an important part in
the daily life of primitive people, and almost always makes
its appearance earlier than ceramics. It appears that pottery-
"
making often commences with a cast taken from an interior
or exterior mould, usually a basket, or some other object of
basket-work which burns immediately in the baking." '^
It is easily understood that in this case the combinations of
regular lines of the woven basket left their marks on the soft
clay, and formed an actual geometrical decoration on the baked
pottery, which continued to be reproduced after pottery was

manufactured by another method.
At the commencement
of this chapter I stated that an object
is frequently transformed by decoration, and becomes unfit for
the purpose for which it was originally destined. We shall have
-occasion later on to deal with curious examples of this. To make
this point clear without delay I will, however, quote the very
'
Petri E, Eiryptian Decot-ative A?-i, p. 92.
2
DenuvER, op. cit. p. 184. SciiwEiNFURTH, Onuimcutik dcr dltcstcn
Cultur-Epoclic Acgyptc7is, in the Ver/iaiidli/ngc?i dcr b. Gcscllsck. fur Antliro-

J>ologie, Ethnologie, imd Urgeschichte, 1897, pp. 377, 378.
interesting instance of the tortoise-shell ornaments from the Torres

Straits, which, diverging from the copy of a simple fish-hook,
by successive modifications and symmetrical development ^ acquire
ornamental forms, which only recall the original model in the
most distant manner "
(Fig. 30).
We will now briefly examine some examples of the various
motives which actuate primitive man in the ornamentation of
objects.
The first motive for decorating an object is purely artistic,
and requires no additional explanation.
Fig. 30. — Tortoise-shell Ornaments from Torres Straits, in imitation

OF the Fish-Hook (a).
From Haddon.
Decoration is also emplo)-ed with a view to information it ;
may be that the maker places on an object a mark which

constitutes an actual signature, or it
may be that the proprietor
him.self gives it a mark of ownership — such, for instance, as a tribal
sign. The most typical example is that of the savages, who

mark their arrows with a distinct sign, in order to be able to
'
For the origin of the taste for symmetrical decoration see Schweinfurtu,
loc. cit. p.
398.
^
Haddon, Evolution in Art, fig. 44, p. "]•].
5
determine the rights of each man to the animals killed in the
chase. This point is important, for it has played a considerable
part in the history of writing during the most primitive stages
of its development.
It was the desire for ostentation which gave rise to highly
decorated objects, especially to weapons of state, which thus

rapidly developed into tokens of power. It was the desire for
luxury which produced those objects which are absolutely useless,

but the possession of which ensured to their proprietor a sub-
stantial reputation among the tribe. In a parallel manner, votive
objects developed where the attempt was made to augment their

value by employing either a more precious material, or by
applying more studied and complicated ornamentation.
tiG. 31. — Magical Decoration on a Comb of a Malacca Tribe.

From Haddon.
F"inally, one of the most usual reasons

for decorating objects
is religion magic, and the magical combs of a Malacca

or
tribe furnish us with an excellent example. The women wear
in their hair a variety of decorated combs, with the object of
preserving the wearers from certain specified maladies. They
possess about twenty or thirty of these combs for different
maladies, and cause them to be placed in their graves as a

safeguard for possessor from those ailments in the ne.xt
their
world. A different design corresponds to each malady, and the
designs are purely geometrical^ (Pig. 31)- Other instances, equally

well known, show us how important it is to be cautious in ex-
plaining ornamentation of any object. It may have some

the
meaning, but without explanation from the natives we cannot

find the correct
interpretation. Unfortunately, with objects of
antiquity, the necessary explanations are almost entirely wanting.
These fundamental principles are established, and without losing
sight of them, we can now enter upon the study of the ornamental
or decorative art of the primitive Egyptians. To begin with, is
'
Haddon, Evolution in Art, p. 236 et sec/., tig. 120, p. 240.
ORNAMENTAL AND DECORATIVE ART. ^-j
there not already artistic feeling in the act of the primitivê man,
who, not content with supplying himself with tools suited to

the requirements the>' are intended to fulfil, attempts to give
them forms as perfect and elegant as possible ? We shall
have the opportunity of pointing out how far the primitive
Egyptians attained perfection in each class of objects we pass in
review.
We will begin with flint knives. I believe I do not exag-
gerate when I
say that in no other country in the world has the
Fig. 32. — Flint Knife, worked and retouched on both Faces.

Brussels Museum; length, 25cm.
working of flint been carried to such perfection. It is not easy

to admire sufficiently the perfection of the working and the
beauty of the forms of the large, finely finished knives discovered
"
in the tombs. The flakes have been struck off these objects with
such precision that the ribs by the work upon the edge and
left
the back are symmetrically arranged, and correspond with each

other. The meeting of the ribs forms a very regular ridge down
the centre of the blade "^ (Fig. 32).
'
De Morgan, Rcchcrchcs stir les origines de Vl'igyptc, i.
pp. iri, 112; ii.
pp. 107-109. See Petrie, Naqada^ pi. Ix.wi., and passages indicated in the
The
part of the knife which was held in the hand was probably
covered with leather. Specimens exist which have gold and
Fig. 33.— Gold Leaf with Incised Designs, sewn on to one end of a large
Flint Knife to form the Handle.
ivory handles decorated with figures. The most remarkable of

these handled knives is in the Cairo Museum.^ The eold leaf
index under "Flint Knives," especially pp. 57-60; Diospolis parva, pi. iv. and
pp. 23, 24, where the development of the shape of the knife during the prehistoric
period is traced. See Quibell, Flint dagger from Gebclcin, in the Annales dii
service des antiquites de I'Jigy'ptc, ii. 1901, pp. 131, 132, etc.
'
Provenance:De Morgan, Kecherches, i. p. 112, "Environs d'Abydos, peut-
" "
etre a Saghel-el-Baglieli on a Abydos mcme ii.
; p. 266, Qui provient de
Guebel-el-Tarif." A's\Kh\NKA\j, Les nouvellcs fouil/cs d'Ahydos, 1895-6; Comptc
rendu in exlenso, Paris, 1899, p. 267: " Les fouilles d'El-Amrah ont fourni
^galement des silex en petit quantity. Lor.sque j'eus retire les ouvriers, I'un
d'eux resta sur le lieu des fouilles pour fouiller illicitement il trouva le couteau
:
reconvert d'une feuille d'or qui contenait la representation d'animaux divers.''

which covers a part of the knife is not soldered, but sewn on

by means of gold On
the point at one side two in-
thread.
terlaced serpents are engraved, the spaces being filled up with
rosettes ;
on the other side there are nine figures of animals —
lions, gazelles, antelopes, and a fantastic animaP (Fig. 33). The
design of interlaced serpents is especially interesting to meet
with, as it is also seen on the Chaldean monuments."
In the same museum at Cairo there is also a dagger with a
solid gold handle fixed to the blade by means of three rivets.
The handle is decorated with incised figures on one side are three :
women, one of whom holds a fan ;

on the other side, there is a boat ^
Fig. 34. — Figures of Women and of a Boat on a gold Knife-handle.
(Fig. 34). Another dagger from the same place had an ivory
handle, only fragments of which remain and in the Pitt-Rivers ;
Collection, Farnham, Dorset, there is a large Hint knife, the ivory

handle of which is decorated on both faces with a series of
animals* (Fig. 35).
Finally, in the Petrie Collection, University College, London,
'
De Morgan, Re.cher&hcs, i.
pp. 112-115, and fig. 136 ;
ii.
[)1.
v.
Sculptured vase of Gudea. See Heuzey, Mhscc national dii Louvre:

^
Catalogue des antiqidtes chaldcennes ; Sculptiife et grai'/ire d la pointc, Paris,

1902, pp. 280-285.
^
QuiBELL, Flint dagger from Gebeleitt, loc. cit. p. 131.
Petrie, Nar/ada, pi. l.\-xvii. and p. 5 1. De Morga.n, Rcclwrchcs, ii. pp. 266, 267.
''
The whole of the knife has been produced in a plate intended for a work on the
Pitt-Rivers Collection, but which, I believe, has never been published. A
copy of the University
this plate is exhibited in the Pitt-Rivers Collection at
Museum, Oxford another copy is m the Edwards' Library, University College,
;
London. Its provenance is indicated thus upon the plate: "Obtained by the
Rev. Greville Chester in 1891 from Sheyk Hamadeh, near Souhag."
ô PRIMITIVE ART IN EGYPT.
there are two interesting pieces. One is a handle, possibly of
a knife, bearing on one of its faces a design which occurs
—
frequently a feline animal chasing a gazelle ;
on the other
there is a quaint representation, in which Professor Petrie sees
the hippopotamus goddess Tanrt seizing a crocodile, perhaps to
Fig. 35.— Ivory Knife-handle in the Pitt-Rivi:rs Collection.
devour it. With her right hand she grasps a foot of the
crocodile, and with her left she holds its tail (Fig. 36). Upon
a steatite prism discovered by Greville Chester at Karnak, and
presented Ijy him to the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, there is a

man standing and holding a crocodile by the tail. This repre-
sentation may perhaps be connected with the figures of the
ORNAMENTAL AND DECORATIVP: ART. 71
intaglios of the Greek islands, on which personages are figured

holding animals by the tail.^
The other object is a small flint knife with an ivory handle.
Upon one of the sides of the handle

are two interlaced serpents and rosettes,
as on the great knife at Cairo; on the
reverse there is a lion, a leopard, and
another animal, considered by Petrie
to be a hedgehog^ (Fig. ^y). A fragment
of a similar specimen in the Berlin
Museum (No. 15,137) proves, however,
that this animal is a species of antelope
(Fig. 38). In the case of the knife,

the way in which the handle is fastened
to the blade entirely confirms a remark
made by Mr. Quibell with regard to
the ivory-handled knife at Cairo. He
states that the part of the knife which
is fixed to the handle is so minute that
certainly the knife could only

have been employed cere-
monially.-'
The same representations of
animals arc found on decorated jt
spoons, of which several interest-

ing specimens have been dis- Fig. 36. — Ivory Knife-handle.
covered^ (Fig. 39). Mr. Quibell Petrie Collection, University College,
London.
has published the handle of
some instrument, now disappeared, which has two small animal
Evans, Arthur J., Further disco7>cries of Cretan a?td Aegcati Script with
'
Libyan and proto- Egyptian Co?nparisons, in \.\\q Journal 0/ Hellenic Studies, .wii.
J
898, pp. 362-372.
-
Petrie, Prehistoric Egyptian Carvings, in Mail, ii.
1902, No. 113, p. 161,
and pi. 1.
3, iii., and 4, iv.
'
Quibell, Flint dagger from Gcbclcin, he. cit. p. 132. See Lefehure, E.,
Rites cgyptiens Construction cl p7-otection des edifices {^Publications dc I Ecole
:
des lett?-cs, d' Alger), Paris 1890, p. 37,

^
Petrie, Naqada, pi. Ixi. 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, p. 47 ; Diospo/is, p. 22. De
Morgan, Rechcrches, ii.
p. 131. Quibell, Hierakonpolis, i.
pi. xii. 9.
figures^ (Fig- 39, No. 7) ;

and there is also the handle of an
instrument — a spoon or a knife — in form of a lion, which probably
came from Hierakon polls, and is now in the Ashmolean Museum,
Oxford.
Combs much greater variety of types, and enable
present a
more closely the evolution of the forms. Both single
us to follow
and double combs were used the most frequent type was that
;
of a small human
or animal figure, furnished with teeth at the
lower part, as a means of fixing it in the hair. There are several
--' ^
_:-:.^**'
Fig. 37. — Small Flint Knife with Ivory Handle.
Petrie Collection, University College, London.
specimens which have for ornament the human face, drawn in

a summary manner, and gradually simplified until merely the
^
outline of the face is
represented (Fig. 40).
The representations of animals offer still more variety. It
is remarkable how the antelope, which is very clearly characterized,

is by degrees degraded to the point of being unrecognizable,
and of being confused, as in the last specimen of Fig. 41, with
QuiBELL, FIhit dagger f1-07)1 Gcbclein, he. cit. pi. i. 7.

1
2
Petrie, Naqada, pi. lix. 5. De Morgan, Rccherchcs, i.
p. 147, fig. 342, and
ii. p. 62, fig. 136.
ORNAMENTAL AND DECORATIVE ART. T:
the type derived from the figure of ;i bird.' Petrie beUeves that
in two instances he can identify representations of the giraffe. I
believe that it is more probably a simplification of the type of
antelope- (Fig. 41).

Another type is the head of a bull, full face, also found
among the amulets, as we shall see later."' The figure that occurs
most frequently is a bird, which is also used for decorated pins.
Here we pass from forms copied with considerable fidelity, to
Fig. 1^. — Fragment of an Ivory Knife-handle with a Figure of an

Antelope.
Berlin Museum.
simplified forms, which only remotely suggest the original. The

principle of
symmetry again intervenes to augment the confusion,
by placing the same conventional figure of a bird
'
at each end
•
Petrie, ih. Ixiii.
59, 63, 66 ;
Ixiv. cS; and p. 87. De Morgan, Recherches,
i- fig- 343. P- 148.
-
Petrie, ib. pi. xliii. 60-62, and p. 47.
^
Petrie, ib. pi. xliii. 57, 57^:.
*
Petrie, Naqada, pi. Ixiii. and Ixiv. ; Diospolis, ix. x. and p. 20. De
Morgan, Recherches, i.
p. 148. Budge, A History 0/ Egypt, i.
p. 54.
of the axis of the comb (Fig. 42). Other specimens, again, show
the combination of the two designs of quadrupeds and birds '
(Fig- 43)-
Owing to the generous kindness of Herr von Bissing, I am
able to reproduce here a magnificent ivory comb decorated with
figures of animals. This comb belongs to M. Theodor M. Davis,

and \'ôn Bissing will shortly publish a detailed account of it.
IDITJTT^-^^ ^^m^-^t^
Fig. 39. — Ivory Spoon-handles.
which will enable us to draw interesting conclusions from this

very fine piece of work (Figs. 44 and 45).
Before leaving this subject, I must once more remind the
reader of the magical role which these combs were apparently
intended to fulfil, and on which I have already dwelt at some
length.
^
De Morgan, Recherches, i.
y. 148, fig. 243.
ORNAMENTAL AND DECORATIVE ART. / 3
The
hair-pins, while they show
the same zoomorphic designs as
the combs —
birds and bulls' heads
— have also regular incised lines
'
• • ••
• • »
on the pin itself, which form the
fl'
first example we meet with of an
ornamentation derived from tech-
nique. They evidently represent
the binding wrapped round the
pin, which attached it firmly to

\ < f
Uii^ *1|MU^
the carved ornament — Fk. 40.
— Ivory Combs with Human
bull's head, Figures.
bird, etc.
— at the top ^
(Fig. 46). Petrie Collection.
KhM
9 6^
lli.VLVii
Fig. 41. — Ivory Combs with Figures of Antelopf.s and CiIkakI'Es.
'
Petrie, Naqada, pi. l.viii. and l.\iv. D/ospolis, pi. \. Dk Mokgan, RcchcrchcSy
;
i. pp. I4<S, 149. MacIvkr & Mace, El Ainrali, jii. .\ii. 2, 3.

When wc turn to tlie consideration of pendants, we find
exactly the samereappearing on a whole series of

designs
objects in
stone, ivory, and bone.
Their purpose is not easy
to determine possibly they
;
were mere ornaments. They have
a groove and hole at the lower end, and if suspended by them,
Fig. 42. — Ivory Combs with Figures of Birds.
the figures, of course, hang upside down. This may be a device

to enable the wearer to see them as they hang. These objects
are carved with representations of human figures (F'ig. 47), with
birds more or less conventionalized, with bulls' heads,* and also
' —
Men: Petrie, Naqada, pi. lix. Ix. Birds: ib. lix. Ixii. and Ixiv. DiospoUs ;
xi. xii.
pi. X. Dk Morgan, (Jrigmcs, ii. pp. 64 and 143. MacIvkr & Mace,
—
El Amrali and Abydos, pi. x. 7. Bulls: Petrie, Naqada, pi. Ixii. 37 and 51;
DiospoUs, vii. 1.
with a singular ornament which is perhaps derived from a type

of bird (Fig. 48).
Another formed by the pendants
class of decorated objects is
of necklaces, which have already been mentioned in

the chapter on personal adornment. Those of most
frequent occurrence are merely engraved on the two
sides with various short strokes at regular intervals.
The decoration of others is in imitation of a cord,
which, starting from the base, coils round the
pendant to the top. Others, again, have intercross-

ing forming very simple patterns. Occasionally
lines,
the two systems of decoration are combined (Fig. 49,

and also Fig. 22). When we recall the observations
we have already made, there is nothing to prevent
our considering these decorative lines on the pendants
as having a magical purpose.^
In the Berlin Museum there is a small shell (?)
plaque of fine workmanship (No. 13,797), which

perhaps should be considered as a pendant for a
necklace. It is decorated with figures of animals,
which should be compared with those we shall
presently study on the slate palettes (Figs. 50

and 51).^
Beyond question it is the slate palettes which

all
provide us with the finest examples of evolution of

m
V\G. 43
—
form that it is possible to imagine. Petrie has Ivory Comb
^''^^ '^"^ figure
worked out the chronological succession of these
of an antelope
palettes, and we need not therefore dwell long on and ornaments
the subject.'* The earliest of these are rhomboids, ticnved from
bird forms.
and this form was probably suggested, accordmg to
Petrie, by some natural cross-cleavages of the slate rock. Shortly
afterwards natural forms appear, which we shall now examine,
'
Petrie, Naqada, pi. l.\i. ixii. and Ixi;-. Diospolis, pi. x.
;
De Morgan,
Recherches, i. pp. 62, 63, fig. 137-147. The incised lines are frequently filled up
with a blackisli piaster.
^
Ko7ii<(lichc Miiscen zu Berlin —AusfilJirlicJics Vc7-zeiclttiis dcr ligyptisclicn
Altertilmcr ujid Gipsabgilssc, 2nd ed. Berlin, 1899, p. 38.
^
Petrie, Diospolis, pi. iii.
and from which new forms were eventually derived which were
solely geometrical.
I know only one palette which represents the human form.
It belongs to the Petrie Collection, University College,
London
(P"ig. 52). Another specimen in the same collection is a palette
surmounted by the figure of an antelope (?), the

head of which
has disappeared (Fig. 53). With other specimens, on the contrary,
it is the entire palette which represents grosso viodo the lines

of
Fig. 44. — Ivory Comb, Recto. Fig. 45. —ÎvoRY Comb, Verso.
Davis Collection. Davis Collection.
the animal. Among the palettes representing antelopes we must

notice one where Petrie recognizes the ibex or the mouflon^
Other specimens are carved in imitation of the elephant,
(F"ig. 54).
hippopotamus- (Fig. 55), and lion (Fig- 55^). The palettes in

^
1
Petrie, Naqada, pi. xlvii. 1-4; Dwspolis, pi. xi. i. Budge, History A
of Egypt, i.
p. 59, 20,910 and 35,049. Quibell & Green, Hierakonpolis, ii.
Ix-iv. 17.
pi.
Berlin, No. 11,341.
-
Petrie, Naqada, pl. xlvii. 5-8; Diospolis, pi. xi. 4, 5.
*
MacGregor Collection.
ORNAMENTAL AND DECORATIVE ART 79
form of a tortoise are very instructive we see there that, after

;
having entirely mistaken the character of the feet, they did

not scruple to let them disappear entirely, or even to transform
them into heads of antelopes^ (Fig- 5^).
Fig. 46. — Ivory Pins decorated with Figures of Birds and a Bull's
Head.
Fish palettes, which are often shaped with great care, end by
losing all characteristic form (Fig. 57). A remarkable example is
^
Petrie, Naqada, pi. xlvii. 9-12, 14, and 18; Diospolis, pi. .\i. 6, 9,
10.
Budge, A History of Egypt, i.

p. 60, 23,061. Berlin, No. 10,595.
one in of our F\^. 57, where the tail of the fish has
the centre
itself been transformed into a still smaller fish.^
4f
Fig. 47. — Slate and Ivory Pendants.

University College, London.
The most curious case is that of the bird. At first easily

recognizable- (Fig. 58), it
promptly becomes modified. It is
^
Petrie, Naqada, pi. xlviii. 51, 52, 60 Diospolis, pi.
;
xi. 15-18, 27, 29.
^
Newberry, Extracts frotn tfiy Notebooks, v. No. 36, in the Proceedings
of the Society of Biblical Archceology, xxiv. 1902, p. 251 and pi. ii.
ORNAMENTAL AND DECORATIVE ART. 8i
carved in duplicate, in order to give a symmetrical form to the
palette ;
the plain surface on which the colour is rubbed is
lengthened out of all proportion until, after a long succession
of changes, the head of the bird, the only part remaining,
finally becomes absorbed, and the palette presents a form where

it would be impossible to recognize the original type, had not
the intermediate specimens been preserved ^ (Fig. 59).
c^
^
w
"^ r~^
iÔ 0@GOO Q O O) HiiH ^niim
I im I
"-UWUUUOLUlUUAAAiJ
Fig. 48. — Slate and Ivory Pendants decorated with Derived Designs.
I wish to draw special attention to a palette in form of a

bird belonging to the Pctrie Collection, University College,
London, which closely resembles the figures of birds carved in
the round that we shall have occasion to study later on (Fig. 60).
Other forms might be quoted which do not appear to belong
to any of the above types.
So much for the shapes of the palettes. An attempt was
Petrie, Naqada, pi. xlvii. 21, 23, 24, 29, 30, 32 ; pi. .\li.x. 64, 6y, 72, 81, 82,
S6, 89, 91, 92. Diospolis, pi. xii. 35, 38.
6
made to render them still more like their models by the aid
of incised lines, especially on those in form of a fish, where the
shape was less characteristic than those representing antelopes
or birds.^ In connection with
complementary lines there these
are palettes of geometrical forms which also have figures incised
on them. On one of these the figure of an elephant has been
found- others have representations of the crocodile,"" and also
;
Fig. 49. — Stone and Ivory Pendants with Incised Line Decoration,
IN some Cases filled up with a Blackish Paste.
a figure of an indeterminate animal* (Fig. 61). A palette dis-

covered at Diospolis (tomb B 102) also bears in low relief a
figure difficult to identify^ (Fig. 61).
'
In addition to the jialettes mentioned m tlie pr( ccdini^ notes, numerous
specimens will be found in Petrie, Naqada, pi. xlvii.-l. and ji. 43; Diospolis^
pi. xi. xii. and p. 20. MacIver & Mace, EI yb/iiali and A/iydos, jil.
vii. viii.
and X.
*
Petrie, Diospolis, pi. v. and xii. 43.
^
Ue Morgan, Origincs, ii.
j). 144, and Berlin Museum, No. 12,877.
*
De Morgan, ib.
*
Petrie, Diospolis, pi. v. B 102.
•-0RNAMP:NTAL and decorative art. 83
A very fine specimen belonging to the Petrie Collection,
Fig. 50.
— Plaque in the Berlin Museum (Recto).
Shell (?).
University College, London, is engraved on both faces with
1' iG. 51.

— Plaque in the Berlin IVIuseuhi (Veuso).
Shell (?).
ibex facing each other ; ivory beads are inserted in the eye
cavities (Fig. 62). Two other specimens, one discovered at
84 TRIMITIVE ART IN EGYPT.
Hu (Ashmolean Museum, Oxford) and the other of unknown
provenance (University College, London) are inscribed with very
Fig. 52. —
Palette with a Human Fig. —
53. Palette with a
Figure at the Top. Figure of an Antelope,
THE Head missing.
summary designs of animals

^
(Fig. 62). Finally, the most in-
teresting discovery is a somewhat recent one by Mr. Maclver,
'
The first is the specimen published without description by Petrie, Diospolis,
pi. XX. 20.
who found a palette with two

signs resembling hieroglyphs
carved in relief on the Before stopping to dwell on this
face.
important point wc must remark that a considerable number of

palettes arc pierced with a hole for suspension, which
proves
that they could be hung or carried on the body ready to be
employed for grinding colour while the smaller ones indicate
;
that in course of time these palettes were occasionally converted
Fig. 54.
— Palettes in Form of Anieloi'es.
into amulets. The accuracy of this instance of the transforma-

tion of the ordinary object into an ainulet is attested by the
fact that in the MacGregor Collection at Tamworth, there are
some very minute palettes, the dimensions of which absolutely

preclude the possibility of employing them for grinding paint.
One of these is the shape of Palette 69, of our Fig. 59, and
measures 44 millimetres in height the others, of rhomboidal
;
form, measure respectively 80, 58, 56, and 39 millimetres.

Fig. 55.
— Palettes in Form of Elephants and Hippopotaml
Fig. 56.
— Palettes in Form ok Tortoises.
Fig. 55A. — Palette in Form of a Lion.
X
en
0;
o
tn
H
H
U
-1
<
d
We must now turn our attention to the palette found by
Mr. Randall Maclver at El Amrah (Fig. 6],). What are the
signs carved on it, and what is their meaning ?

In an article published at the time of the discov'cry of this
^
palette Mr. Maclver wrote "It is by far the earliest example
:
yet found of the use of hieroglyphs. Hieroglyphic writing has

been known to exist in a well-developed form as early as the
first dynasty, but this slate belongs to a period considerably
before Menes, the king of the first dynasty."

first
Writing again with modified views on this subject in his
\\
'^m"^
Fig. 58. — Palette in Form of a Bird.

Brussels Museum ; height, lo cm.
memoir on the excavations at El Amrah, Mr. Maclver points

out, with Petric and Griffith, the analogy of the sign on the
palette with one of the standards of ships (wc shall speak

of these later), and with the signs engraved on the archaic
statues of the god Min discovered by Petrie at Koptos, and
he carries his hypothesis no farther than the statement that
we have here a sign similar to the emblem of this god
Min.2
Reduced to these proportions, the discovery became no less
'
MacIver, D. R., a P7-ehistoric Cemetery at El Amrah in Egypt : Pre-
limi?iary Report of Excavations, \n Man, i. No. 40, April, 1901.
^
MacIveh & Mace, El Amrah and Abydos, pp. 37, 38.
Fig. 59. — Pai F.TTKS of Bird Form.

important, because, as the author remarks, it was the first
example of palettes carved in relief. The MacGregor Collection

furnishes us with another example of this (Catalogue i,758h).
At the top of this palette two birds are carved in relief;
they face each other, and their bodies follow the outline of
the palette. The interest of this piece is very great, as it
shows as
clearly as
possible between the pre-
the transition
historic palettes and the proto-dynastic palettes of which we
have such remarkable specimens (Fig. 64).

Our first acquaintance with these was owing to the excava-
tions of Mr. Ouibell at Hierakonpolis, which led to the discovery
Fig. 60. — Bird-shaped Palette.
of two marvellous palettes covered with carvings in low relief.

These constitute evidence of the first order for the history of
the making of Egypt. They have themerit of having

great
definitely fixed the period to which should be allocated various
fragments of objects of the same kind preserved in different
museums. Here the simple palettes for grinding malachite,

which are found in the greater number of prehistoric tombs
at theperiod of the earliest dynasties, have developed into
objects of lu.xury, votive offerings deposited in the temples and

perhaps intended to commemorate important rcligimis festivals.
This is another instance of the evolution of decorated objects
of which we spoke at the cuinmencement of this chapter. VVe
shall return later to the scenes depicted on these great palettes,

on the assumption that they relate more to sculpture than
to decorative art.
The same may be said of the votive maces from the same
temple of Hierakonpolis, which furnish another instance of common
Fig. 61. — Palettes decokatkd with Incised Figures.
objects becoming actual objects of luxury, of huge proportions,

unfit for their origmal
and in consequence rendered entirely
purpose.
be divided into
Speaking generally, stone macc-heads may
two principal classes. The first, and the most ancient, arc ni
the form of a disc. These are most frequently found in syenite
PRIMITIVE ART IN EGYPT.
o
c
o
"o
U
if
V
ORNAMENTAL AND DFXORATIVE ART. 93
and ]X)rphyry, and more rarely

in alabaster.^ The others are
pear-shaped, and are found in
basalt, haematite, breccia, alabaster,

and above all in a compact white
limestone. This latter form ap-
pears at least as early as the

fourth dynasty, and throughout
all the history of Egypt as an
emblem in the hands of the king.
A- hieroglyphic sign, j,
which
conve\-s the idea of whiteness and
distinction, has
also perpetuated
.^SB^
the-figure.-
\ Two speci-
mens dis- — Palette.
Fig. 63.
covered at
With a sign (hieroglyphic ?)
D i o s po 1 i s in relief.
Parva still retain their handles,^ one

of ivory and one of horn. Some
mace-heads are of a different form,
resembling a double hammer with
1
At the British Museum these objects are
not considered to be mace-lieads. See Budge,
i A Guide to the Third and Fourth Egyptian

Roo7ns, 1904, p. 48, Nos. 63-84. The proof
tiuitthese pieces are really mace-heads will be
found in tlie representations on painted coffins
of the Middle Empire. See Lei'SIUS, Aclicste

Texte des Todtcnbuchs nach Sarcophagen dcs
I Reichs iin Berliner Museum,
altiigyptischcn
Berlin, 1867, pi. xx.wiii. Lacau, Sarcophages
antericurs au : nouTel
Catalogue empire
general des antiquites cgyptiennes du musee
du Caire, 1904, pi. Ixiii. 277.
Fig. 64. — Palktte. -
Petrie, DiospoUs parva, p. 24 and pl. iv. ;
With two birds carved in reliei. Naqada, pl. xvii.

*
MacGregor Collection. Petrie, Diospolis pan'a, pl. v.
^
pointed ends (Fig- 65). Tliese mace-heads are usually without
ornamentation. Nevertheless, a specimen in limestone was dis-
covered at El decorated with black spots.^ I am disposed
Amrah
to believe that some objects discovered by Petrie at Naqada
are of the same class. He considers them to be a form of
toy, having regard to the materials of which they are made —

^
limestone and soft sandstone (Fig. 66).
At Hierakonpolis, besides the show pieces I have just alluded
to, Mr. Quibell discovered an enormous number of mace-heads,^
which must have been merely for ceremonial use, judging, with
Mr. Ouibell, from the fact that the hole for the handle is not
Fig. 65. —Mace-heads from Hierakonpolis and Naqada.
always completely pierced. Mace-heads are occasionally found

decorated with incised lines extending from the summit to the
base (see Fig. 65, No. 23). The Berlin Museum possesses a
curious mace-head in hard stone, which has been carved with
weird effect in the shape of a tortoise (No. 15,716, Fig. 6j^.
Another in the same museum (No. 15,142) is decorated with
three designs derived from the bull's head type, of which we
shall speak presently. The MacGregor Collection at Tamworth
possesses two mace-heads, on one of which a human head is
carved, and on the other two human heads, similar to those on
the vase of our P'ig. 69 (Nos. 3,495 and 3,779).
'
Petrie, Naqada, pi. xvii. 23 (Aslimolean Museum, Oxford). A liaminer-
shaped inace in the MacGregor Collection (No. 1,720) is terminated at one end by
an animal's liead.
-
MacIver & Mace, El Amrah and Ahydos, pi. x. 6 and p. 16.
pi. vii. and p. 35 (Aslimolean Museum).

•''
Petrie, Na(/ada,
'
Quibell & Green, Hic7-akonpolis, ii. pi. xxvii. p. 41.
two macc-heads or sceptres which cannot

Finally, there are
be compared with any others known. One is of ivory, and is
carved with three rows of captives, represented with their arms
tiedbehind their backs, and fastened together in single file by
^
a cord passed round their necks the other ;
is in serpentine,
carved in relief with alternate figures of dogs and lions." These
two pieces belong to the commencement of the historic period,
and are masterpieces of workmanship (Fig. 68).
perfection of the form of these mace-heads, made of the

The
hardest stones, and —
at any rate in the earliest period without —
Fig. 66. — Di corated Mace-heads in Soft Stone.
the aid of metal tools, is marvellous. Our amazement can

onh' increase if we examine the stone vases which arc found
in the tombs as early as the commencement of the prehistoric
period.
"
Of these Petrie writes :
Throughout the whole prehistoric
age, from immediately after the rude savage burials of (sequence
QuiEKLL, Ilierako)ipolis, i. pi. xii. and ii. pi. xx.xvii.

'
OuiBELL & Green, Hierakonpolis, ii. pi. xxiii. Ixvi. and p. 38;
^
]>1.
xix. i.
On Fig. 68 is another mace-head from Hierakonpolis representing the lore part of

two l)iil!s or rams. Hifrakonpolis, i. pi. xix. 3, xxv. and p. 8 ii. p. 38. An ;
analogous specimen from IIu is now, like the preceding pieces, in the Ashmolcan
Museum, Oxford.
96 PRIMITIVE ART IX EGYPT.
date) 30 down
to the end, stone vases are abundant. Moreover,
the taste hard stone was kept up in the Iiistoric times;
for
hundreds of stone bowls were buried with each king of the first
d}-nast\', and many are found in tombs of the third and fourth
dynasties. But in the twelfth dynasty the softer serpentine and
alabaster supplanted the fine diorites and porphyries, and in the
eighteenth dynasty the art of working" hard stones was forgotten
Fig. 67. — Mace-heau Carved in Form of a Tortoise.

Berlin Museum.
for anything but statuary. From the point of view of magnificence,

and skill in using hard and beautiful stones, wc must say that
the Egyptians gradually rose to their highest level in the later
prehistoric and early dynastic times, and that the sixth, twelfth
or eighteenth dynasties cannot for a moment compare Avith the
archaic splendours." ^
^
Petrie, Diospolis parva, p. 18.
We must not here to study in detail the forms of

linL,êr
these vases, and content myself with referring the reader

I will
to Petrie's remarks, and to the numerous plates on which all the

forms discovered up to the present time are reproduced.^ We
must turn to the decoration of pottery, and to those
examples
Pig. 68. — Scepihe- or Mace-heads from Hierakontoi.is.

'
Petrik, Diospolis parTdy p|i. 18, 19, and pi. iii. for the diagram showing the
evolution of forms during tiic preliistoric period (Mr. Petrie tells me that he has
reserved his opinion with regard to the evolution of the stone vases of cylindrical
where the vase itself has been given a form either animal or
human.
Most frequently the vase is without decoration occasionally ;
there is a simple representation of a cord which encircles the

neck, and care has been taken in working out the detail. In
other instances it is a mere sinuous rounded line, which, in
some cases, is not even continuous.' More rarely the vase is
^
decorated with regular ribs worked with wonderful perfection ;
or, again, it is faced with a decoration of shells closely arranged

in rows and overlapping each other.
On one vase there is a network of plaited cords repre-
sented in slight relief, forming a sort of fillet, in which the
vase might have been placed.'^ This is an example of those
skeuomorphic designs to which we have referred earlier in the
chapter. A second is to be found in the fragment of a marble

vase, where the exterior is carved to represent a plaited basket."^
Finally, a whole series of vases, dating for the

most part from
the commencement of the historic period, show us figures in relief
— heads and figures of human beings, animals, etc. will rapidly We
pass them in review.
I know
of only one vase which is decorated with human heads.
This the Petrie Collection at University College, London,
is in
and from its form it should belong to the time between the com-
mencement of the prehistoric period and the sequence dates 60-70 ;
form, of which the sequence dates were based on Mr. Quibell's observations,
and which Mr. Petrie did not himself check closely) Naqada, pi. viii.-xvi. ; ;
Dtospolis, pi. ix. MacIver &

Mace, El Ani7-ah and Abydos, pi. xvi. Petrie,
Abydos, i. pi. xxvii. xlii. xlvii. Royal To??ibs, ii. pi. Ixvi.-liii.^'^ Abydos,
; pi. ix. x. ;
i.
QuiBELL, El A'ab, pi. ii. iii. vi. x. xxvii, Ouibell & Green, Hierakonpolis, i.
pi. xxxi.-xxxiv. xxxvi. xxxvii. ii.
pi. xxx. These indications refer also to the
;
vases of the first Egyptian dynasties. See also A. H. Sayce, Ihc Sto?ie Vases
of Ancient Egypt, in The Connoisseur, a Magazine for Collccio7-s, iv. 1902,
pp. 159-165, with beautiful photographs of vases in tlie Berens Collection.
'
Examples: Petru:, iXaqada, pi. x. ; Royal Tombs, ii.

pi. xlvii./', Iii. liii. liii.^?
and liii./. Quibell, Hicrakoupolis, \.

pi. xxxiii.
^
De Morgan, Rechcrchcs, ii. p. 184. Quibell, Hierako?ipolis, i.
pi. iix. 7.
Petrie, Royal Tombs, ii. pi. xlix. i)l.

v. 12 ; pi. xxxviii.
i. and 2. 1
^
Petrie, Royal Tombs, ii. pi. vi. 27, xxix. 21-25, 'i"*^' -'^''-
94- De Morgan,
Rcctie7-chcs, ii.
fig. 823, p. 245.
Petrie, Royal Tombs, ii.
pi. ix. 12.
it is therefore entirely of the prehistoric period. There we see two

human heads, sculptured in relief on the body of the vase, and of
the same type we have already met with. The mouth is indicated
by a strongly accentuated horizontal line, and the eyes marked by
means of two beads fixed into the cavities of the stone (Fig. 69). '
Two fragments of vases in the Berlin Museum bear in light

relief barks and human figures (Nos. 15,084 and 15,693). The
fragment No. 15,084 is specially remarkable for the representation
Fig. 69. — bro.NE Vase.

Decorated with two human heads.
of a warrior armed with a hatchet, driving a prisoner before him.

The style of this figure is somewhat similar to those we find
later on the votive maces and palettes (Figs. 70 and 71).

At Hierakonpolis Mr. Quibell discovered a whole series of
vases decorated with figures of animals. There arc heads of
feline creatures above a sign which resembles the hieroglyph CM^,-
A fragment of a similar vase was found

'
In- Mr. Ouibcll at iiallas. See
Petrie, Naqada, pi. xlii. 26, and p. 42.
*
Quibell, Hierakonpolis, i.
pi. xvii.
'
a figure of a scorpion
(Fig. 72) ; and, finally, a
very curious group, which

I am tempted to consider
as a pictographic repre-
sentation, without, how-
ever, being able to suggest
any reading of it. It is
more especially the fact
of the bow being depicted

that makes me suspect it
to be something of this
"
description (Fig. Jj^).
Other pieces, unfortunately
frao-mentarv, show a bird's
head, and also a strange
object terminated by a star.^
The royal tombs of the
first dynasty at Abydos
have afforded few frag-
ments of this nature. On
Fig. 70. — Fragment of Vase Warrior — some, curious ornaments
ARMED WITH A HaTCHET.
are carved in relief, none
Berlin Museum.
of which, unfortunately, can

be identified with certainty.
An alabaster vase from the
same locality is incised at
the base with a series of
signs,
'
QuiBELL, Hierakonpolis, i. pi.
xvii. and xxiii.
^
Id. i. pi. xix. XX. and xxv.
*
OunÊLL & Green, Hicrakon-
polis, ii.
pi. lix.
•
Petrie, Royal Toitibs, ii.
pi. v. Fig. 71. — Fragment of Vase with Boat in
15, vi.rt, 22, 23; i.

pi. xxxviii. 4, Low Relief.
and ii.
pi. Ii.//, 335. Berlin Museum.
ORNAMENTAL AND DECORATIVE ART. loi
We must mention that ivory was also used for vases, and,
judging from a very fine fragment discovered at Abydos, it
was decorated in the same manner as stone.^

To pass to vases of fantastic shapes, one of the most
curious is that discovered by Petrie at Abydos, whicli represents
Fig. 72. — Stone Vases with Animal Ficures in Relief.
a leather bottle- (Fig. 74). Other s[)ecimeiis from Naqada

represent frogs, and hippopotami (Figs. 75 and jG).
birds, At
Hicrakonpolis Mr. Quibcll discovered two vases of steatite and
serpentine in form of birds.'* In the MacGregor Collection at
Tamworth there is a small steatite vase, at the base of which
*
Petrie, Royal Totnbs, ii.
pi. vi. 22.
^
Id. i.
pi. xx.xviii. 3, and p. 28.
'
QunÊLL, Hicrakanpol/s, i.
pi. .xx. 2 and 4, and p.
S ;
ii.
p. 38.
I02 PRIMITIVE ART IN EGYPT.
is the head and four paws of a small animal, which appears
to support the vase with its body (Catalogue 3,544). In the
same collection there is a vase shaped like a frog, which still
preserves itsancient gold mounting. The lateral handles covered

with gold leaf are crossed by a thin strip of metal, to which
the artist has given the form of a serpent. Very fine and
delicate gold chains are attached to the serpent, and servêd to
suspend the vase.
Fig. 73.
— PicTOGRAPHic {!) Inscription on a Stone Vase.
The Berlin Museum possesses several unpublished pieces.

One is a stone vase in form of an elephant (No. 14,146); another
is a vase in form
of a hippopotamus (No. 14,147) a third is ;
a vase in form of a dog (No. 12,590)' (Fig. yy). Another is a

vase in form of a frog (No. 14,403), and the last of the series
represents a fish (No. 16,025).

In the Petrie Collection at University College, London, is a
vase which represents what is probably an elephant. Two
—
KdiiigUche Musceii sit Berlin Ansfilhrliches VerzeicJuiis der iigyptischen
'
Altcrlihncr U7td Gipsabgiissc, 2nd ed. Brrlin, 1899, p. 36 and fig. 2, where one
can indistinctly see No. 12,590.
fragments from the same collection exhibit two hippopotamus

heads, and there is another of which it is difficult to recognize
Fig. 74.— Stone Vase in Form of a Leather Bottle,

Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.
the subject. Is it in reality a representation of an animal

?
(Fig. 78)
Fig. 75.^Stone Vase in Form of a Bird.
Most of the forms met with in stone vases, and also most
of the decorations found on them, wc shall find again in potter}-.
But, to begin with, we must enquire whether, as regards Egypt,
we can the which attributes the origin of

verify hypothesis
Fig. 76. — Stone Vases in Form of Frogs, Hippopotamus, and Birds.
primitive pottery to moulding, or, at least, to copying a basket

in plaited work.^
Did the primitive Egyptian understand basket work ? . In
Fig. 77. — Vase in Form of a Dog.

Berlin Museum.
the earliest prehistoric tombs cither the body was wrapped

in matting, or the bottom of the tomb was lined with a mat.^
'
For the same fact in primitive Greek civilization, see John L. Myres,
Textile Impressions on an Early Clay Vessel froiti A?norgos, in the Journal of
the Afiihropolofîcal Institute^ xxvii. November, 1897, pp. 178-180 and pi. xii.
2
Petrie, Naqada, p. 15, tomb 31 p. 23, tomb B14;
; p. 25, tomb 42 ; p. 27,
tomb 722. MacIver & Mace, El Attirah and Abydos, p. 31, and pi.
xi. 5, 6.
Mats were frequently employed throughout the] whole of the

Ancient Empire, both as carpets and for decorating the walls
of rooms. The representations of tombs of the fifth dynasty
show to what a degree of perfection they had attained at this
period.^
In the tombs of the prehistoric cemetery of El Amrah were
found baskets of the usual spherical form containing malachite.^
The patterns on several specimens recall the baskets made at
Fig. 78.
—Vase, and Fragments of Vases, in Form of Animals.
day in the Soudan. The same comparison was made

the present
by M. Amelineau on discovering in one of the chambers of the

tomb ofKing Khasakhmui a large quantity of objects in basket
"
work : "... I found there," he says, fairly long pieces of
wood covered with matting. These I met with again through-
out the chamber. I
promptly recognized that these pieces of
wood with matting round them were remains of broken chairs,
for one of the ends was not covered with matting. These
chairs were at least o"'40 high and about o"'6o broad, which
gives the well known form of a
species of high stool. Upon
these chairs were placed other specimens of basket work, which,
'
Petrie, Egyptian Decorative Art, pp. 44, 45.
MacIver, a prehistoric cc7nctery at El AtnraJi in Egypt,
^
in Man, 1901,
No. 40, p. 52 MacIver & Mace, El Amrah and Alydos, pi. xi.
; 2, and p. 42.
io6 PRIMITIVE ART IN EGYPT.
plaited with a kind of parti-coloured straw, resembled the basket

work still made in the Soudan and sold in the bazaar at Assouan.
When I asked my workmen whether they had anything of the
€
MH^
mm
in
Fig. 79.— Rkd Vases with White Paint, in Imitation of HASKiiT Work.
same kind inside their houses, they replied in the negative, but
told mc' tliat work closely resembled the Margone made by
tlie
the Berbers. The word struck me, and I immediately recalled

the word MAPKflNI, which I had met with in the Coptic hTe
of Pakhome. ..." 1
Fig. 80. — Black Incised Pottkkv, with Decoratio.n i.n Imit.\tio.n of

Basket Work.
Independently of ceramic art, the indiistr\- of the basket
_r.
'
Amelineau, Lcs nonvellcs fouilles d'Abydos, second season, 1896-7.
Co7npte rendu in cxienso, I'aris, 1902, pp. 176, 177; I.es iioiniellcs fouilles
d'Abydos (1896-7), Paris, 1897, p. 40. Sec Petrie, Royal Tombs, i.

p. 15.
io8 PRIMITIVE ART IN EGYPT.
maker, as Pctrie has remarked,' left numerous traces on the
decorative art of the first dynasty.
The
imitation of the basket in prehistoric potter)' is especially
noticeable in two classes of pottery. The first of these is what
is called by Petrie cross-lined pottery —a polished red surface
with designs in white, which is only found in the most ancient
tombs (sequence dates 31-34); the other is a black pottery,
with incisions filled with a whitish paste, and probably imported ^
(Figs. 79 and 80). Several specimens with imitations of basket

work also belong to the class of decorated pottery.^
Here we must also note that a considerable number of pottery
vases are decorated to imitate hard stone, and are intended as
substitutes for vases made of more valuable materials. Petrie
has remarked that in tombs where fine stone vases arc found,
of pottery vases there arc few or none.^
With the mention of occasional instances of vases modelled
from a gourd, as in example published by Herr von Bissing,^
the
we have, I think, observed all the principal cases where designs
which are skeuomorphic or derived from technique are met
with.
We will now consider the decoration of the vases inde-
pendently of the origin of the various designs found on them.

The first class of pottery which should arrest our attention is
that of vases of a brilliant red colour, on which the designs are
painted in white. As we have already remarked, these belong

to the earliest period. The striking analogy which exists between
this pottery and that made at the present day b}- the Kabyles
has several times been pointed out.®
^
Petrie, Royal Tombs, ii. pp. 35, 39.
^
Petrie, Naqada, p. 38 and |j1. xxviii. 34, 36, 46, xxix. 52-79, xxx. Diospolis ;
parva. p. 14, pi. xiv. 55-70. MacIver & Mace, El Amrah atid Ahydos, pi. xv.
Petrie, Naqada, p. 40, and pi. xxxiii. 12, 29. Schweinfurth, Orna?nentik
•'
der dltestcn Cidtiir-Epoclie Acgyplcfts, in the Verhandltingen der h. Gcscllsch.

Jur Anthropologic, Ethnologie, and Urgeschichte, 1897, pp. 397, 398.
^
Petrie, Naqada, p. 40, pi. xxxiii. i, xxxv. 62, 63, 65, 67; Diospolis pjrva,
pp. 1
5 and 18.
•''
V.)\ BissiNG, Lcs 07-igincs de I'Plgypte, in V Antliropologie, ix. 1898, p. 254

and pi. iv. fig. i. Petrie, Naqada, pi. xxvi. 40-43, 50-52.
"
Petrie, Diospolis parva, p. 14 ; Naqada, p. 38. MacIver & V\ ilkin,
We have said that pottery was often decorated \\ith h'nes in
imitation of basket work ;

but in addition to these we find
floral designs, representations of animals antl human beings, and
also a series of zigzag lines, the whole in the same style as
the painted patterns on the archaic statuettes which we have
already described.
When floral designs make their appearance it is as simple
Fig. 81. — Vases painted in White with Flokal Designs.
branches much conventionalized, with which one is

tempted to
compare the similar decorations of certain Greek prehistoric

vases discovered at Santorin.^ We give reproductions of two
Libyan Notes, frontispiece. John L. Myers, Notes on the History of the Kabylc
Pottery, in tiie Journal of the
Anthropological Institute, xxxii. January Jiuie,
—
1902, p. 248-262 and pi. XX.
•
Von Bissing, Les origines <lc I'Kgyptc, in V Anthropologic, ix. 189S,
pi. iii. I and 3. Petrie, Naqada, pi. xxviii. 40-42; pi. xxix. 69, 76, 85^/; the
application of the laws of transformation of natural designs into geoim-trical will
be found in the specimens HgurL-d, pi. xxviii. 40, 42, 46, 48; jil. xxix. 52, 54, 61,
63, 64, etc. MacIver & Mace, El Amrah and Abydos, pi. xv. 10, 20, 21.
I lO PRIMITIVE ART IN EGYPT.
vases showing branches which are fairly decorative. Both sides
of the smaller vase arc figured in a position to show distinctly
the floral decorations^ (Fig. 8i).
The other face of the vase in the centre of F"ig. 8i, decorated
with human figures, has already been reproduced as an illustration
of the hairdressing of the men (Fig. 13). Two other vases
Fig. 82. — Bowl painted in White with Figures of Hippopotami

AND A Crocodile.
discovered — one at Abydos and the other at Meala — also show

human figures."
Representations of animals arc more numerous. The hippo-

potamus occurs most frequently antelopes of various species are
;
also found, and other animals which cannot always be identified
1
Petrie, Prehistoric Egyptian Pottery, in Man, 1902, No. 83, pi. H, 2.
2
De Morgan, Nechcrches, i.
pi. ii. 5 and j^l. iii. fig. i. Von Bissing, loc. cit.
pp. 246, 247.

ORNAMENTAL AND DECORATIVE ART. 1 1 1
with certainty
— fish, birds, crocodiles, scorpions, etc. It will be
sufficient to describe a few instances of these. A large oval l)o\\i
in the Petric Collection, University College, London, is decorated

in the centre with a crocodile ;
at the upper part with three
hippopotami ; below, at the lower part, with lines crossing each
other at right angles, which, according to Petrie, may indicate
^
the ripples of water (Fig. 82). Another vase from the same
collection is decorated with a floral design, a deer, and an
animal that Petrie calls a hedgehog, although I am not absolutely
v.^_
Fig. 83.
— Vases painted in White with Representations of Animals.
-
convinced of the accuracy of this identification (vase in centre
of Fig. 83).
A vase which apparently comes from Gebelein shows some
extremely curious figures. On one side two antelopes,
placed
above a series of zigzag lines ;
on the other side, a
strange animal
with a body greatly elongated, and a small head surmounted
by two pf)inted ears. At first one would be disposed to consider

it a giraffe, but the way in which the body is drawn jiiccludcs
'
Petrie, Prehistonc Egyptian Pottery, in Man^ 1902, No. 83 and pi. H, 5.
''
lb. No. 83 and ])!. H, 4.'
thishypothesis, A fragment discovered at Naqada (xxix. 98)
shows us in how characteristic a fashion the giraffe was repre-
sented. May not the animal here figured have been the okapi,
recently discovered in the Belgian Congo, and which was certainly

known to the ancient Egyptians, as Professor Wiedemann has
^
demonstrated ? (Fig. 83).
A vase found, according to Herr Von Bissing, at Abydos,
according to M. de Morgan,
at Gebelcin, is equally worthy
of our attention. It is a
most curious specimen of this
class of vase. In the centre

is a scorpion ; surrounding
it are various animals a :
hippopotamus, crocodiles, fish,
birds, tortoise, and other
figures which are unrecog-

nizable. But the most inter-
esting object is the drawing

of a ship, similar to those
we shall soon have to ex-
Fig, 84. —Vase painted in White with
amine, and which ordinarily
A Boat and Various Animals.
After rA iilliropologie. appear upon another class of
pottery^ (Fig- 84).
These examples are sufficient to give an idea of vases
showing animal figures,'' and it only remains for us to mention

two specimens decorated with geometrical designs and with
strange figures of which the explanation has yet to be found.
'
Wiedemann, Das Okapi im alien Acgypteti, in Die Ihnschau, vi. 1902, pp.
1002-1005 Das (igyptisclie Se(-T/i/rr, in the Orieiitalistischc IJtteratio- Zcitung^
;
V. igo2, col. 220-223. Hetrie, l')-eliistoric Egyptian Pottery^ in Man, 1902,

No. 83, pi. II, I.
^
De Morgan, Redierches, i.
jil.
ii.
5. Von Bissing, loc. cit. pi. iii. fi<T.
2, and
•
pp. 246, 247.

*
See also Petrie, Naqada, pi. x.xi.v. 91-97; Diospolis, pi. xiv. 93;^, 96;
Prefiisioric Egyptian Pottery, in Man, 1902, No. 83, j)l. II, 6. MacIver & Mace,
Pll /hfirah and Abydos, pi. .\v. 17, 18 ? (conventionalized animal ?). De Morgan,
Peciie?rJies, i.
pi. ii. i
; pi. iii. 2, 3. Von Bissing, loc. cit. pi. iii. i and 3;
pi. iv. 5.
These two vases belong to the Petrie Collection, University

College, London^ (Fig. 85).
Of an entirely different type is the "decorated pottery,"^ to
Fig. 85. —Vases painted in White.

which we must now turn our attention. The earliest specimens

'
Petrie, Pre/iisto?ic Egypfiati Pottery, in Man, 1902, No. 83. pi. H, 3, p. 133 :
"The upper figures might be adzes or hoes, the lower figures are curiously like
lictors' fasces, but no such forms are known in Egypt; they may, however, be a
form of stone axes set in handles. Certainly neither can be the hieroglyphic
fteter sign, as tiiat had double projections down to dynastic times.''
^
HoEKNES, M., Urgcschichtc der bildciidcn Kunst in Europa von d^n
Anfmigen fn's uni ^00 vor C/ir., Vienna, 1898, Naciitrage, 2, Ncolithische
Vasennialerci in Acgypten, pp. 687-689.
8
are almost contemporary witli the white painted pottery, but it
is after the sequence date 40 that they are most frequently
met witli. It appears that the origin of this kind of pottery

should be sought for at a distance, and if the specimens of
the white painted type are related to Kabyle pottery, it is in
the direction of the Syrian coasts of the Mediterranean that
Fig. 86. — Vases painted in Imitation of Hard Stones.
we look for the starting point of the manufacture of these

" ^
decorated vases."
It will be rem.embered that, in specifying the classes of
pottery, we mentioned vases coloured in imitation of stone. It
is sometimes breccia^ that is thus copied, sometimes various

kinds of marble ;
but the most interesting imitation is that
of nummulitic limestone, represented by a series of spirals,
according to a most ingenious identification made b}- Petrie
Petrie has termed these vases "decorated pottery," and we will continue to
'
apply this term to them.

Petrie, Naqada, pi. xxxiii. i, and p. 40, xxxi. 6 (wavy handled) DiospoUs,
-
;
pi. XV. 5, 18/7 and

c (wavy handled); xvi. 64, 76 /^ MacIver & Mace, El
Amrah and Ahydos, pi. xiv. W/3 (wavy handled).
and Scliwcinfurth.^ Little by little the spirals were developed,

after the recollection of that which they originally represented
was lost, and eventuall\- the decorator was satisfied to trace
two or three enormous spirals on his vase by way of ornamenta-
tion'' (Fig. 86).
This ornamentation has been wrongly interpreted by several
observers, who considered the spirals to be intended as a repre-
sentation of the sea. Unfortunately for this theory, spirals and
representations of ships are never, to the best of my knowledge,
met with on the same piece
of pottery.^
We must call attention to
the representations of vases
of hard stone which are found
in certain tombs of the Old
Empire, representations which
follow the same lines as those
Fig. 87. —Vases decorated in Lmitation
of the primitive decorators.^
OF Basket Work.
Other vases and this is —
merely a repetition of what I have previously stated are decorated —
with lines representing the covering of plaited straw with which
the vase was covered, a covering sometimes loose, at other times
tightly twisted.'^
thus that a vase published by De Morgan, discovered
It is
in Upper Egypt, and showing a slightly different style of work,

"
reproduces most exactly, according to Schweinfurth, those
great baskets for milk that the present inhabitants of Somali-

land weave with much skill out of the roots of leather-like
toughness of the bushy Asparagus retrofiexus"^ (I"ig- 87).

'
Petrie, Naqada, pi. xx.w. 67 c?, b, c, and p. 40. Schweinfurth, Ontaffientik
der Cultur-Epoche Aegyplcns, in the Verhandlungen dcr b. Gcscllsch.
(tltesten
fur Anthropologie, Ethnologie imd Urgcscliichtc, 1 897, pp. 397, 398.

^
Petrie, Naqada, pi. x.x.\;iv. 3irt-33-5'; Diospolis, pi. xv. ^c.
*
A propos des bateaux cgypticns, in VAnthropologie, xi. 1900, pp. 115, 347.
•
Davies, The Rock Totnhs of Deir cl Gcbrawi, i. pi. xvii. xix. and pp. 22, 23.
'•>
Petrie, Naqada^ pi. xxxii. xxxv. ; Diospolis, pi. xv. xvi. MacIver & Mace,
El Amrah atid Abydos^ pi. xiv.
"
De Morgan, Recherches, pi. ix. i. Compare Petrie, Naqada,
i. pi. xxxv.
76. Von Bissing, Lcs origines de VEgypte, in V Anthropologic, ix. 1898,
ii6 PRIMITIVE ART IN EGYPT.
It is undoubtedly in this method of decoration that we may-
hope to find the origin of those parallel lines scattered in
more or less regular groups over the surface of the vase. In

some specimens they are carefully arranged in chequer, sug-
gesting a draughtboard effect in other cases, again, they are
;
merely lines which appear to be drawn at hazard^ (Fig- 87)-

Frequently, also, we find on the vase, sometimes combined
with imitations of plaiting or of other designs, a series of small
triangles which probably represent mountains.^ In one instance

there are human beings and animals placed on the triangles,
exactly as on the famous statues of Min discovered at Koptos,
a resemblance pointed out by Petrie^ (Fig. 88).
Fig. 88.-- Vases decorated with a Series of Triangles.
One of the most curious representations which has been

found upon these vases is that of a plant grown in a pot,
which Schweinfurth has recognized to be the aloe, a plant
which does not belong to the spontaneous flora of Egypt. One
still meets with it in Egypt, cultivated in cemeteries or placed
pp. 247, 248. Schweinfurth, Uebct den (h'sprwtg der Aegyptcr, in the Ver-
ha?idhingett der b. Gesellsch. fur Anthropologic, Ei/mologie und Urgcschichte,

1897, p. 281 Ornamcntik der dltesten Cultur-Epochc Aegyp/cus, ih. p. 397.
;
'
Petrie, Naqada, pi. xxxiii. 11, 12, 20, 21, 23, 24, 26; Diospolis, pi. xv.
3, ^f, 20b, 20c, 2\b, 2â.

See MacIver & Wilkin, Libyan Notes, London, 1901, p. 65, note 2:
*
"The so-called 'mountain' pattern found on prehistoric Egyptian decorated
pottery occurs everywhere in Kabyle work, where it has clearly nothing to do

with mountains, but arises from a combination of the triangles which enter as
units into almost all these rectilinear designs."
^
Petrie, Naqada, pi. xxxiv. and Ixvii. 13-15, 17, and p. 49 ; Diospolis, pi. xvi.
53 f, 54, 59^, 78 r.
above the doors of houses as a symbol of vital force and as

a preservative against the evil eye. The funerary character of
this plant should be borne in mind, and we shall have occasion
to refer to it later on^ (Fig. 89).

Other representations appear to be intended to indicate
trees, and are sufficiently like the hieroglyph () to permit this
identification. I
suppose it is to these that Petrie alludes when
he speaks of representations of bushes, which, combined with
signs of mountains, should indicate the landscape, in the midst
of which are animals, men, and boats."
r^^
Fig. 89.— Representations of Aloes and Trees.
The animals represented are few in number. One finds

ostriches and various kinds of gazelles and antelopes in excep- ;
tional cases the crocodile and the chameleon appear.^ A very

remarkable vase discovered at Abydos shows the figure of a
kudu and of two long-horned sheep,' and also a representation
ScHWEiNFURru, Ontamentik dcr

'
iiltesteii Ctiltur-Epoche Aegyptcns, loc.
cit. p. 392. Petrie, Diospolis, p. 16.
=*
Petrie, Diospolis, p. 16.
3 " Man
ScHWEiNFURTii, Ofviat/icnti/c, etc., p. 399: erkeiiiit uiiter ihiieii die
Sabel- und Beisa-Antilope {Oryx leucoryx und O/yxBcisa), ferner Addax-
Antilopen, be/iehuiigsvveise Wasserbocke, vielleicht aiuli Kudus."'
••
TiiiLE.Nius, Das (is^yplisc/ie Haiisschaf in the Rccucil dc iravaux relatifs

d la philologie ct a I'arckcologic cgyplictincs ct assyricnucs, x.\ii. 1900, pp. 199-212.
DiJRST & Claude Gaillai^d, Studicn fiber die Geschichtc dcs iigyptischen
Hausschafcs, ib. xxiv. 1902, |ip. 44-76.
ii8 FRLAirnVE ART IN EGYPT.
Pig. 90. — Decorated Vase with Representations of Animals, and a Tree

WITH Birds perched on it.
Fig. 91. — Various Designs on Decorated Pottery Boats, — Human Beings,

Animals, Trees, Shields (?), etc.
of a tree, figured in a different manner from thatwe ordinarily

meet with, and on wliich birds arc perched.^ With this wc can
'
Petrie, Abydos, i.
pi. 1. ami p. 23.
ORNAMENTAL .AND DECORATIVE ART. 119
compare a vase showing an aloe on wliich are two birds

^
and
another similar fragment' (Fig. 90).
More rarcl\- human figures appear ;
of these the principal
ones will be found on Fig. 91. Here we first find female figures,
extremely diagrammatic occasionally even the arms are not

;
indicated ;
the body is resolved into two triangles sui)crimposed
one on the other, and surmounted by an oval black mass for the
head." Ordinarily the females appear in an attitude identical
with that of the statuette reproduced in Fig. 5 of this book, and
which, if we may judge from the
similar representations on the tombs
of the Ancient Empire, should be a
characteristic indication of dancine.'
If this interpretation
accepted is —
we shall see presently what founda-
tion there is for it — the two persons
" "
represented before a dancer on
the vase discovered at El Amrah
willbe recognized, as they are by
Mr. Maclvcr, as castanctte players '
(Fig. 92).
With the exception of this instance Fig. 92. — Vase with Representa-
I have just referred to, when men are tions OF Castanette Players (?)
BEFORE a Dancer (?).
represented we
them upright and see
From El Amrah.
walking, sometimes with indications
of sheath or karnata described in Chapter II.
the On one
specimen an attempt has perhaps been made to represent them
chasing antelopes; they carry sticks or boomerangs (?)" (Figs. 88
and 91).
The most startling objects met with on these primitive vases
1
MacIver & Mace, El Amrah and Abydos, pi. .\iv. 1)49.
^
Petrie, Naf/ada, pi. Ixvi. 3.
^
MacIver & Mace, El Am?-ah and Abydos, pi. .\iv. I) ôb.
•
De Morgan, Recherchcs, ii.
p. 65.
MacIver & Mace, El Amrah and Abydos, pi. xiv. D46, and p. 42.
'"
Vases with human figures Petrie, Naqada, pi. x.xxv. 'Jl Ixvi. 5, 7 Ixvii. 17.
•'
: ; ;
Cecil Torr, Sur quelc/iccs pretendus ?tavires cgypt/rus, in l' Anthropologic, ix.
1898, p. 33, fig. p. 34, figs. 3rt and 3/-'; ]). 35, figs. 5^; and z^b.
I
;
De MORGAN,
Recherchcs, i.
|)1.
x. ia, 2b.
are the representations of ships. They occur on a fairly large
—
number of vases boats with oars or even with sails, and com-
bined with figures of human beings and animals in a landscape
of trees and mountains, they enliven the pottery with scenes
the signification of which we shall study later. We must content
ourselves for the moment with remarking, with Schweinfurth,
that without exception, these boats are drawn showing the left
side (larboard). The Egyptians, he remarks, orientate them-
selves towards the south, and for them the west being on the
right hand and the east on the left, the position of the boats
^
indicates that they are being navigated against the current
(Figs. 91 and 94).
Fig. 93. —Vase Decoration representing Gazelles fighting.
We must here refer to a class of objects to which we shall
return later. These are pottery boats, found in several tombs,

one of which is
painted very unsophisticated manner with
in a
figures of rowers, each with an oar in his hand- (Fig. 91).

There is a curious vase where the artist has represented a
fight between gazelles ;
also fish, a crocodile, an ostrich, and
two boats. A
strange ornamentation is several times repeated,
which I believe to be unique, consisting of lozenges, half black,
half white '^
(Fig. 93).
Occasionally on these decorated vases, close to the boats,

one finds zigzag lines, intended to represent water. Several
'
ScHWKiMURTH, Oniamefitik, etc., p. 400.
2
Petrie, Naqada, pi. xxxvi. 80 and Ixvi. i.
3
Legrain, Aoles d'mspeciion, vi. La necropole archdiquc du Cebel Silsileh,
;
in the Aiinales du service des atitic/uiies de VEgypte, iv. 1903, pp. 218-220, and
figs. 5, 6.
vases show a curious object difficult to identify, considered by

Petrie to be a mast and sail, and which in that case mi^ht
be compared to the hieroglyph )^ ) .^ Schweinfurth sees in
them shields made of skin, which, by analogy with the similar
weapons of the Dinkas, Baris, and Kaffirs, would be secured by

means of a long pole, and these in Egypt would carr}' the ensign
at the upper end- (Fig. 91).
On the vases are also found a series of signs in the form of
S, N, and Z,^ for which it may perhaps be difficult to account.
When, however, we remember that we have previously remarked

hair-pins decorated with birds which occasionally present forms
Fig. 94. — Vase with Various Representations.

From dc Morgan.
very similar to an S, we may, I think, presume that these signs

are derived from a summarized form of a row of ostriches. I
am much inclined to find a similar abbreviation of forms upon

a vase discovered by Petrie at Abadiyeh,^ where there is a
series of the sign O, which I

regard as a very summary drawing
of female figures represented with the arms raised above the
head (Fig. 95).
There are other vases the decoration of which can scarcely
be classed with any of those we have passed under review.
Among these arc the vases on which there is a five-pointed
star""'; another with human figures drawn reversed and in a very
'
Petrie, Naqada, pi. l.xvi. 6, 9, 10, and p. 49.
^
.Schweinfurth, Or>iatiicntik\ etc., p. 399.
3
Jh. p. 398.
*
Petrie, Diospolis, pi. xx. 8.
•'
Ih. pi. XV.
I 22 PRIMITIVE ART IN EGYPT.
summary fashion ^
; and, finally, a small number of vases on which
arc crocodiles — one of which ispierced with harpoons
—
scorpions,
-
and serpents (Fig. 97). I include in this series a specimen
in the Berlin Museum, on which are painted serpents, crocodiles,
ostriches, and giraffes (No. 15,129; Fig. 96).

We must now deal with the rare vases decorated with designs
in relief, of which a specimen discovered at Naqada shows the

'
figure of a lizard and another of a scorpion (Fig. 97).
Fig. 95. — Decorated Vase from Abadiyeh.
On a vase in the British Museum (No. 36,328) decorated with

ostriches, triangles, and boats, two of the handles are surmounted
with figures of birds. On the same vase there are two figures
which cannot be identified, symmetrically arranged, in relief.^
Another specimen at University College, London, is decorated in
relief with figures of a crocodile, a crescent, and a harpoon.
In the collection of the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, there
1
Peirie, Naqada, pi. xxxv. Jj.
-
xxxv. 78; Diospolts,
lb. pi. pi. xvi. 78*5, 78c, J^d.
3
Petkie, Naqada, xxxvi. 87, and p. 41
pi. .
*
]5UDGE, A Guide to the First afid Second Egyptian Rooms, ir\i\ ed. 1904,
p. 32, No. 164.
ORNAMENTAL AND DECORATIVE ART. 12-
are three red vases, witli the upper edge blackened (black-topped
pottery), which date from the commencement of the historic

period, and possess special interest (Fig. 98). On the first.
found at Naqada (tomb 1,449), i'' seen a head roughly worked

in relief; this is carried on by a line in relief, \\hich descends
perpendicularly, becoming gradually thinner. I believe this re-
FiG. 96. —Vase with Representations of Giraffes, Ostriches, Crocodiles, and Snakes.
Berlin Museum.
presents the body of the man. From each side near the top,
two ascending lines in relief arcdetached, which represent the
arms. Near the base, at a certain distance from the central
line, can be ciistinguished, also in relief, two circular knobs,

from which two lines ascend somewhat abiu[Hl\' to the top of
the vase. The man must be clasping the vase, in a position
which is difficult to imagine, and can only be explained by the
inexperience of the primitive artist, who has not omitted to
represent the head full-face (the two photographs in the centre

of Fig. 98 arc two fragments of a similar vase). The special
interest of this curious vase consists in its permitting us to
watch the operation of that law of extreme simplification which

we have recently been considering. This is carried still further
Fig. 97. -Decorated Vases with Designs in Relief and Other Rare
Ornamentations.
on two other vases from Hu (tombs U 179 and 15 10 1), which,
according to sequence dating, arc more recent than the Naqada

specimen, and show as decoration two ornaments in relief, con-
sisting simply of a circular knob, from which a line rises to
the top of the vase. It is thus an exact copy of the
legs of
the figure on the vase first described. I think, as a consequence
of frequent copying, the meaning of the lines was lost, and, more
especially in the Hu specimens, was not known that they had

it
any connection with tlie human figure. Thus tlie ornament re-
sembles two serpents facing each other, and I should not be surprised
if the primitive artist had that idea when he made the vase.^
A vase in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, discovered at
Naqada (tom.b 1,871, sequence date 46) introduces us to a very

rare scheme of decoration. The vase itself is red, with the
blackened upper edge. The interior is also blackened, as is usual
Fig. 98. — Black-topped Pottery with Figures in Relief.
with these vases ;

but there is besides, roughl}' cut in the clay
previous to baking, a number of crude designs, which probably

represent serpents and plants (Fig. 99). It may possibly have
figured as magic vase

a (?). What is certain is that, with the
exception of two small fragments, of identical technique, in the

same museum, there is no piece in existence— at least, to my
knowledge — at all comparable with this.'-^
'
The vase to the left is figured, without description in the text, by Pktrik,
Diospolis, pi. xiv. 66.
*
See Petrie, Naqada, pi. xxxv. 71. A vase in tlie British JVluseum, decorated
inside with fantastic signs, is apparently only a modern fraud.
A certain number of vases of rough-faced pottery arc decorated
with incised lines, but this mode of ornamentation appears to have
^
been employed only rarely (Fig. lOO, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford).
Such are the various classes of ornamentation with which
archaic Egyptian pottery was decorated. So far as they can
be cursorily summed up, they are all either skeuomorphic, or else
derived directly from some natural object mountain, plant, animal, —
man, etc. It is an excellent proof in support of the theories
Fig. 99. — Vase of Black-topped Pottery with an Inxised Decoration inside.
propounded at the commencement of this chapter, and on which

it not necessary to insist further.
is
We must now rapidly review the pieces of pottery to which

the primitive artist has attempted to give either a human or an
animal form.-
An extremely curious vase, of brilliant black glaze, found in
'
Petrie, Naqada, p. 41, and pi. xxxv. 74, 76 xxxvi. 93a and b\ xxxvii. 41.
;
DiospoUs, pi. xvi. 74 h and 93 c xvii. 49. In our figure the upper vase = DiospoUs,
;
xvi. ']\b ;below, beginning at the left, i =^ —

Naqada, xxxvi. 93;^ (smoke-blacked
brown pottery): 1 ^ 93 f (llu, U 126); 3 (Hu, B158); 4
Diospolis, xvi. =
DiospoUs, 49 (Hu, U 170).
xvii.
-
I reserve for the
chapter on sculpture some vases in stone and claj' repre-
senting human figures where the "vase" disappears before the sculptured figure.
Dr. Petrie's excavations at Abadiyeh, was discovered in a tomb

of the first half of the pn historic period (sequence dates 33-41).
The primitive artist has endeavoured to give to the vase a female

form, and he has succeeded in making a figure which does not
from the clay female statuettes of the same period,
differ greatly
which we will consider later, and of which we have already given

specimens as illustrating clothing and personal adornment. A
mere pinch in the clay serves to indicate the nose, the ears, and
yjj-^rf^
,M
.MttJI-
1-iG. 100. — Rough-faced Pottery with Incised Decorations.
shoulders ;
the breasts are summarily formed and pendant, as
they are with negresses. Einally, the vase swells out suddenly
behind, attempting to portray the extraordinary development of
the buttocks (steatopygy), which is also seen on the statuettes^
(Fig. loi).
Another vase of human form must be mentioned which
appears to represent a captive crouching on the ground in a most
uncomfortable attitude. The primitive artist has only attempted
to render the head with fidelity.-
'
Petrie, Diospolis, \)\.
v. B 102.
^
//'. pi. vi. B 83.
The same excavations at Hu-Abadi}-eh also effected the dis-
covery of two vases

the form of hippopotami.
in In one, care
has been taken to render the form of the animal as accurately as
possible in the other the design is very summary, and decorated

;
with two lateral handles c- 1
(Vig. 102). The same is the case with

a vase in the form of a hippopotamus,
now in museum at Cairo, which
the
was published by Von Bissing some
years ago.^
The special interest of this last
piece the paintings which have

lies in
been added by the primitive artist.

Herr von Bissing speaks thus of it :
"
The hippopotami of the Middle
Empire are decorated, as Maspero
remarks, with reeds, lotus, and butter-
flies, because they live in the midst
of reeds, where butterflies are flitting
round them. In the same way the
artist ccnild decorate the two sides of
the hippopotamus-shaped vase with
the long series of marsh birds, with
their long necks and large feet,
characteristic of the most ancient
Eg\'ptian art, because they actually

saw the hippopotamus in nature
surrounded b\' such birds. Another
explanation must be found for the
Fig. ioi. -Hlack Polished Vase
I.N Form of a Woman. harpoons, which arc in groups of two
upon or three the handles, under the
lip, Apparently it was desired to show

the head, and the tail.
the hippopotamus hunted and taken by harpoons."^

These ver)- apt remarks arc interesting, and we shall again
'
Petrie, pi. vi. K 134, and pi. xiv. 67.
/I/, On the latter specimen traces of
painting may still be seen, notably harpoons painted under the body of the animal.
^
Fr. W. v. Bissing, Altiigyptische Gcfdsse h?i Museum 211 Gisc, in the
Zcitschrift fur dgyptischc Sfirachc, xxxvi. 1898, pp. 123-125.
^
We
have already remarked the same detail in a representation of crocodiles.
ORXAMl'ATAL AND Dl^COK ATI VIC ART. 129
have occasion to refer to them. Ilcrr von 13i.ssin<; notes at the

same time the frequent occurrence of vases of animal forms in
primitive Egyptian art, as in the art of all primitive people.

Among these vases of ancient Egypt are some shaped as fish,'
and others more numerous in bird form'-^ TFig. 102). Occasionally

the vase represents two birds side by side^ ^Fig- 102). The Petrie
Collection, University College, London, contains a certain number
P'iG. 102. — Clay Vases in Foum of Animals.
of hirrl-shaped vases, one of which is very remarkable as an

altcinpL at representing a vulture 103 and
'
(Figs. 104).
'
Pi.iKii;, Nru/ada, \)\. xxvii. 68rt-<r, and p. 37. QuiBELL & Green,
JJlcra/con/jolis, ii.
pi. Ixvi. and p. 50.
^
Petkie, Nat/ada, pi. xxvii. ()i.)a-c. IJe MfjuGAN, Rcchaxhcs, i.
p. 160, fig. 481.
'
Pethie, Aac/ada, pi. xxxvi. 90.
"
'
I am month on top and spout in front)
inclined to connect this bird (with
with tlie bird vase said to be nsed by tlu; Ansairiyeh in .Syria, called Tnns'Uhe
peacock; I'rom wiiich they nneive sacramental wine in their secret rites." Note —
jjy Professor Petrie.
Here, again, the copy differs widely from the model, and it is
only by the aid of the intermediate forms that we can realize
what it is the primitive artist wished to represent.^
In some tombs small rectangular pottery boxes have been
discovered, which are decorated on the outside in the same
Fig. 104. —Clay Vase in Form of a Vulture.
manner as the vases. One of these boxes from Diospolis shows

a row of triangles in imitation of mountains, and also rows of
parallel lines, which slope in alternate directions from one row
to the next ^
(Fig. 105, D 73).
Another specimen belonging to the British Museum is decorated
'
Petrie, Diospolis, pi. vi. 1^ 131 ;
xix. 71.
^
lb. pi. xvi. 73.
with boats, ibex, groups of parallel lines, and with S-shaped
1
signs (Fig. 105).
There is a cover of a similar box in the Petrie Collection,
University College, London. Before baking the clay, the primitive

workmen engraved on the cover an ostrich, a scorpion, and two
human figures, one of the most ancient representations of this
class that we know.-
Finally, Mr. Maclver, in the El Amrah excavations, dis-
Fig. 105.
— Pottery Boxes with Various Designs.
covered a box of the same kind, on which different scenes

were drawn On
one of the sides appears a hippo-
in charcoal.
potamus, on the second a boat, beneath which is a crocodile.

The third side is at present inexplicable,'' while with regard to
the fourth, various interpretations are attempted. Mr. Maclver
sees in it a series of six animals with long necks (probably
^
Budge, A History of Egypl, i.
p. 98, fig. British Museum, No. 32,630.
^
Pethik, Prehistoric Egyptian Figures, in Man, 1902, No. 14, |). 17 and
pi. B, 22.
^
See Petrie, Naqada, \A. liii. i
13. where a pf)ttery marlv is given similar to
the design on this side (Fij^. 105).
giraffes) proceeding towards the right ;

their bodies, he remarks,
are drawn diagrammatically, and resemble palings. Below these

is a row of triangles.^ The drawings of the period, greatly
simplified as they arc, have not accustomed us to such extremely
diagrammatic representations of animals. I consider it as more

probabl}' a palisade, of which the upper part of the posts are
decorated with bucrania. It has been proved on several occasions
that at this period animals' skulls were emploNxd not only for
-
decoration, but also for magical or religious ])urposes (Fig. 105).
We have now arrived at the close of our examination of
decorative pottery of the primitive era. There is another series
of designs which we must menti(jn in this connection, although
they can scarcely be considered as a form of decoration these ;
are the marks and signs engraved on the pottery, the study of
which is of primary importance. As, however, this subject would
lead us to treat of questions somewhat outside the domain of
decorative art, it willbe preferable to reserve it for the end of
the chapter, when we have finished our examination of decorated
objects of the primitive period.
The furniture of the primitive Egyptians, as may easily be
imagined, was extremely rudimentary. The materials employed
for this purpose, less resistant than ivory or potter)^ have been
almost or quite destroyed by the action of time. We cannot,

therefore, be surprised that we have but little information on this
subject. We must wait for the commencement of the historic
period to find precise indications.

We can, hcnvever, mention several objects brought to light
by recent excavations, and firstthe fire-places of the primitive
houses, of which Professor Petrie discovered several examples

in the small prehistoric town which lay close round the earliest
temple of Osiris at Abydos. These fire-places closely reseinble
pottery cisterns. Charcoal was burnt in them, and cinders were
found in (jne of them.
'
MacIver & Mace, El Amrah and Abydos, pi. .\ii. 10-13, ^'^''^^
P- 4-- '^'I's
decorated box is now in tlie Ashniolcaii Museum, O-xforci.
Capart, La fete de frapper les Anon, in tlic Rn'ne d'histaire dcs re/iiîons,
-
xliii. 1901, pp. 252, 253.

have designs in imitation of plaited work incised
They all
in the pottery on the flat rims. Two specimens are specially

remarkable. The design represents a serpent, whose head projects
inside the rim so that the creature appears to be hanging over
the fire. The decorator, remarks Professor Petrie, has combined
the agathodemon, the domestic fetish ot prehistoric times, with
the hearth-place^ (Fig. io6).
We
have already spoken of fragments of furniture with plaited
work attached, found in the roval tombs. The excavations of
i\I. de Morgan at Naqada, of Messrs. Amelineau and Petrie at
j^.n
A.18.
Fig. Io6.
i^S^Z-j
— Clay
^
Fikk-places df.corated with Designs in Imitation of
Plaited Work.
Abydos, and of Quibell at Hierakonpolis, have unfortunately

Air.
only produced fragments of small importance, which give a very

vague idea of furniture in the primitive age. All that has been
found arc parts of small coffers, or of seats or low beds.
They are, however, sufficient to show that the feet wliich
supported these pieces of furniture were in the form of legs of

bulls, and were treated in a manner which reminds Dr. I'etrie of
Italian cinque cento work, rather than of archaic efforts'- (Fig. 107).
Vv.XKW., Excavations at Abydos,

'
i?i Mail, 1902, No. 64, p. 8y and tigs. 6-8.
Abydos, |)1. liii.

i.
13-] 8, and p. 25.
^
pKTKn., Royal Toml>s, 1. ]). 27.
It is specially interesting^' to observe

tlie pronounced taste of
the decorators for inlaying. Small plaques in ivory, wood, and
glazed pottery with incised lines are very numerous.^
Fig. 107.
— Ivory Fekt for Furniture, in the Shape of Bulls" Legs.
The models which inspired the decorators are borrowed

principally from matting, cords, and feathers. The human figure
'
Petrie discovered at Abydos a large number of glazed pottery tiles wliioh
had served as a wall decoration. See Petrie, Abydos, ii. pi. viii. and p. 26.
This entails an entire revision of the opinions given in Borciiardt, Zur
Gcschichte dcr Pyi-aviiden I. Thiir ai/s dcr Stufcnpyramidc hei Sakkara,
Berliner Museum, No. 1185, in the Zeitschrift fur iigyptischc Sprac/ic, x.\.\. 1892,
pp. 83-87 and pi. i. Wieijemanx, review of Ouibell, Hicrako/tpo/is, i., in
the Oricntalistiiche Littcraturzeitiing^ iii. 1900, col. 331. Petkie, Royal Tombs,
ii. p. 36.
is also used as a support, and already one finds kneeling captives
supporting seats, as they are found later on during the historic

^
period (Pîg. 14).
Certain ivor}' fragments found at Hierakonpolis arc perhaps
the arms of chairs they are ornamented with figures of
;
animals in the same style as those found on the handles of

knives. The most remarkable of these is a fantastic animal
with the ne:ck lengthened out of all proportion. Occasionally a
man, standing, seizes the neck of one of these animals with
both hands, in an attitude which is specially familiar to us in
Mycenaean and Chaldean art" (Figs. 108, 109).
Fig. 108. — Fra(;ments of Ivory carved with Various Figures.
The same excavations

at Hierakonpolis brought to light i\'ory
cylinders decorated with figures of men and animals, treated in

the same style. Judging by the sceptre discovered at Abydos,^
they might be considered as fragments of a sceptre. One of these
cylinders which bears the name of King Nar-Mer, is

in particular,
interesting as a curious example of a pictographic and hieroglyphic
'
OuiBELL, HicrnkofipoUs, i
pi. xi. and p. 7; ii. p. 37.
-
lb. i. pi. xii.-xiv. xvi. xvii. xxxii. ;
fantastic animal, pi. xvi. 2 and xvii.
Evans, The Mycenccan tree and pillar cult and its Meditcfrancan relations, with
illustrations from recent Cretan finds, London, 1901 (reprinted from the
Journal of Hellenic Studies'), p. 65 ct scq., and figs. 43-45. shall later have We
occasion to return to this point.
'
pi. ix. i.
ORNAMENTAL AND DFXORATIVP: ART. ^37
w
Q
in
D
O
2
<
>
Q
>
<
u
(/)
H
U
M
— i
P3
O
O
m
H
Z
H
o
<
o
inscription similar to that engraved on a slate plaque in the

Cairo Museum, of which we shall speak later on ^
(Eig. no).
When we types of decoration that we have
recall the various
had occasion to pass in review, there is one which appears to be

more especially striking. The primitive Egyptians were accurate
observers of nature ; men, plants, and animals almost exclusively
supplied them with models. We have rarely met with what
H^
H5.
.H6
M3jm
Fig. no. — Carved Ivory Cylinders.
might be called geometric patterns beyond those which sprang

spontaneously from the imitation of materials employed by primitive
industries, especially from basket work and matting. In fact
decorative genius, as distinguished from a fancy for decoration,
appears to have been absent among the primitive Egyptians. It
must be admitted that they achieved very mediocre results from the
natuial models they copied. This mediocrity is especially flagrant
"
in the decorated pottery," and one may even ask oneself if
'
OunjELL, Hierakonpolis^ i.
[il.
xv. 7, inscription of Nar-Mer.
the primitive man who traced on the cla\' those representations

of boats, birds, plants, gazelles, and men, rcalK' wished to decorate
the vase, or whether they had not some other object in view.
Art for the sake of art is, I believe, an exception among primitive
people, and a purpose which is truly az^sthctic can only very rarely
be found among them. The study we shall devote to the paintings
of the tomb at Hierakonpolis will, I believe, partly enable us
to elucidate this point, which is of great importance for the just
appreciation of the decorative art of the primitive Egyptians.

The period of the Ancient Egyptian Empire does not differ very
greatly in this respect from the primitive age, and on this point
also it is difficult to find any radical modification between the

two periods. There is
nothing, I think, which should prevent
our seeing in and sixth dynasties the
the art of the fourth, fifth,
natural outcome of the gradual development of ideas which were

first evolved by their distant predecessors of primitive times.
I
hope to show in due course that the decorations of walls of
mastabas of the Ancient Empire arc no other than the develop-
ment of the ideas which the primitive Egyptians expressed in
adorning their pottery with painted figures. Besides scenes and
designs borrowed directly from nature, these tombs merely show
us imitations of hard stones, of plaiting and weaving, or even
of the graining of wood.^
To return to those marks found on potter}', which can
scarcely be regarded as decoration. The motives for inscribing
these incised lines seem to have been various, although at the
present dayimpossible always to determine them with

it is
certainty. Professor Petrie has recognized that in some instances
they appear to have been a mark of property, various pieces of

pottery in one tomb bearing the same mark.- Frequently, I
think, they should be considered as a kind of signature placed

b\- upon the vases' which issued from his hands. Dr.
the potter
Petrie has rciuarkcd to me that all these marks were inscribed
after the baking of the vase. It should be observed that there
'
Petrie, Egyptian Decorative Art, jjp. 44, 89, and cluip. iv. Stntrtitral
decoration.
''
Petrie, Nagada, p. 44.
are two classes of pottery oti which they are commonly found —
the black-topped and the red polished. On the other pottery
we have studied, the cross-lined and the decorated, they do
not occur.^
If wc follow Petrie in classifying these marks under different
headings, the results we shall gather are as follows^ (Fig- i

n)-
The human figure rarely appears.^ In one instance an
animal, which is difficult to identify, is apparently devouring
the head of a man, a group which recalls themythological
Makes} Eigures of animals occur more frequently, and with
one exception they differ little in style from those painted on
vases, and perhaps resemble most closely those on the cross-
lined pottery. The most usual types are the elephant, hippo-
potamus, various kinds of antelope, and possibly the giraffe.'''
Birds are less frequent, and the species represented are not
easily identifiable one recognizes, however, the bird with long

;
feet, and with the neck curved into an S, which frequently

occurs on the decorated pottery." Crocodiles and serpents are
often found.' Floral designs are limited to summary sketches
of the palm-tree and of various kinds of vegetation not easy
to determine.^ Boats, while they are rare, are not entirely
1
-
The marks D 20 are from a slate palette which Petrie has omitted to
describe in Diospolis. The original is in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, and
is reproduced earlier in the book in dealing with palettes with incised
ornamentation.
•'
Petrie, Naqada, pi. li. i, 2, 7.
According to Pleyte, Chapitres suppWncntaires d^c IJvre dcs Marts, i. p. 41,
*
" Ce n'est
pas qu'apres la xx^ dynastie que le titre on nom de Mahes davient un
nom de dieu." I believe the representations of this god to be rare. I will quote
Naos D 29 at the Louvre (PiERRET, Pantheon egypticn^ fig. on p. 79), a whip
handle at the Leyden Museum, "]"] (Leemans, Mo7iunients,
i. ii.
pi. Ixxxiv.),
and a magical boomerang at University College, London, of the twelfth
dynasty.
'
Petrie, Naqada, pi. li. 7-27 ; Diospolis, pi. xx 13-29. MacIver & Mace,
El Amrah and Ahydos, pi. xvii. 19-24. Newberry, Extracts from 7?ty Notebooks,
V. No. 37, in the /Proceedings of the Society of Biblical A?x/i ceo logy, xxiv. 1902,
p. 251 and pi. i.

5.
^
Petrie, Naqada, pi li. 28-32 ; Diospolis, pi. xx. 30-35, xxi, 51.
'
Petrie, Naqada, pi. li.
33-38; Diospolis, pi. xxi. 36-43.
8
Petrie, Naqada, pi. lii.
52-69 ; Diospolis, pi. xxi. 53-72. MacIver & Mace,
El Amrah and Abydos, pi. xvii. 25-29.
absent, but they only recall very vaguely those that we know
on the decorated pottcr\-.^
D44.
Fig. III. —Pottery Marks.

Men, elephants, hippopotami, hons, antelopes, giraffes, birds, plants, reptiles,
boats, etc.
1 hcsc are almost the only representations which it is possible

'
Petkie, i\a(/ada, pi. Hi. 70, 71 ; Diospolis, \A. xxi. 52.
to recognize at a first glance. Before continuing our examina-
tion of these marks, we should therefore ask ourselves a
question of some importance.

Among those figures which are easy of identification, do
we meet with signs that we could designate as "hieroglyphs"?
In other words, ought we to consider hieroglyphic writing as
an importation brought by conquerors from Asia, from Upper
Nubia, or from some other region or is it possible to discover
;
anything on these objects belonging to the primitive Egyptians

that suggests that they employed a method of writing of which
the later hieroglyphs are but a development ?
We must recall some remarks of Von Bissing on the subject

of the African origin of hieroglyphs.
"Hieroglyphic writing," he says, "in my opinion presents a

character which is entirely Egyptian. A fairly large number
of extremely ancient signs are drawn from plants and animals.
The papyrus is assuredly an Egyptian plant. Now a group
\\hich occurs frequently with the meaning of verdant repre-
sents the stem and flower of this plant. It is also the standard
of Lower Egypt and the sign for the north. As to the lotus,
it occurs so often that the sign for thousand in Egyptian is
actually the stem of the NyinpJicca ceridea, with a leaf floating

on the water. The flowers of NympJuva on a basin is the
earliest form of S where the papyrus enters later.
the letter
I do not know that the Nymphcea cerulca and the Nynipluva

lotus are of Asia, and it is precisely these plants, as
natives
proved by Messrs. Borchardt and Griffith, which one meets with

from the earliest times
Egypt, while the Nymphcea nciuii/bo,
in
which probably comes from Asia, is not found except on the

monuments of the late period.
"
With regard to animals, the result is the same. Above all,
the crccodile and the hippopotamus, which one could not
separate from the archaic civilization and from the earliest
mythological conceptions of the Egyptians, do not exist in
Asia (the Indian species differ considerably from the African
specimens figured on the monuments). The eagle, which is in
reality a black vulture, the bald-headed vulture (sacred bird

of the goddess Mut), the sparrow-hawk fwhich should be

termed a falcon), the owl, and, above all, the ibis, offer types which
are absolutely African, or, at least, are in no way characteristic
of Asia.
"
It is the same with the different animals, such as the Jackal,
symbol of various gods of the dead (I am told that it is more

nearly a fox), the gazelles (among others the On'.r leîkoryx,
which is unknown in Asia), even the elephant, which presents
the African type, the hyaena, and many others. If we come to
snakes, insects, and fish — among all these we find species known
as existing in Egypt at that period : the iirceits, scarab, scorpion,
and various fish that one sees in the hieroglyphs and meets with
again in the mural decorations of the Ancient Empire.
Natur-
ally the Egyptians must have long been acquainted with a large
number of the animals here mentioned before they learnt to
attribute to them the conventional meaning they received. How
many times did they see the hippopotamus thrust his head out
of the water to breathe in air, before finding in the head of the
animal appearing above the water a graphic expression for
that which we call a iniimtel For a long time the ancient
Egyptian must have watched the beetle making his mud balls,
before seeing in him the symbol of perpetual creation, the
formation of the egg. If it were possible that the hippopotamus,
strictly speaking, had struck the new arrivals at their first entry
into Egypt, and had suggested to them the very strange idea
of symbolizing an instant, it cannot at any rate have been the
case with the beetle. In any case, the Egyptians before entering
Egypt could have had no word for ait i>istaut or to become,

as the very words which designate these ideas arc native to
1
Egypt."
Basing his argument partly on these considerations and
partly on the pottery marks, and the graffiti of which we shall
speak presently, M. Zaborowski came to the conclusion that
•
F. VON BissiNG, I.es origines dc I'/igypte, in V A7ithropologii\ ix. 1898,
pp. 409-411. Ill these last lines there appears to me to be a confusion, which I
am convinced the author would not make at the present time. See Ek.ma.x,
Aegyptischc Gfammati/c, 2nd ed. Berlin, 1902, § 36, p. 17.
144 PRLAIITIVE ART IN EGYPT.
the origin of hieroglyphic writing should in reality be sought

for in the graffiti.^
At first sight these conclusions are extremely attractive,

and it seems rational to evolve the classical hieroglyphs from
a system of elementary pictography. This evolution, according
to Vôn Bissing, being effected in Egypt, the deductions of
M. Zaborowski appear to be absolutely correct. On looking
more closely into the question, however, it does not appear to
me to be a certainty.
The inscriptions of the first d}'nasty have not the appearance
of hieroglyphs in course of formation. The concordance of the
sequence dating with the dates of the kings of the Ancient
Empire, as Dr. Petrie .has established them from the results

of his excavations in the temenus of Osiris at Abydos, leaves
little hope at present of discovering any hieroglyphs that
could form a link between the pottery marks, the graffiti, and
the classical hieroglyphs. We may ask, however, whether there
is not a chance that excavations may some day lead to the
"
discovery of some relics of those worshippers of Horus," whose
real significance Professor Sethe has recently been able to solve.^
The pottery marks we have already mentioned include few

hieroglyphs. There is a sign representing the plant of the
south,'' and another which is nothing else than the crown of
Lower Egypt,* the crown of the goddess Neith, which, being of
Libyan origin, as we have mentioned previously, might very
well have been introduced as a pictographic sign into a system
of writing which was already constituted.
will also refer to the sign engraved on a slate palette, the
I
sign of the god Min, which occurs rather frequently among these
pottery marks.^ This could only have become a hieroglyphic
'
Zaborowski, Origiues africaincs dc la civilisaiioti dc Vancicnne J^gypte, in
the Revue scieniifique, 4th series, xi., March iltli, 1899, pp. 293, 394.
^
Sethe, Beitriige zur dltesten Geschichte Aegyptens {UntersucJiungen siir
Geschichte und Altcr//iict?iskiinde Aegyptens, herausgegeben von Kurt Setlie, iii.
i),
pp. 3-21 : die '*

Hon/sdie»cr."
^
Petrie, A'aqada, pi. hi. 74.
'
I/k pi. iii.
75.
•^
Jb. pi. liii, 1
17-122 ; Diosfiolis, pi. x.xi. 67, 69, 73-79.
sign by the adoption of an indigenous god by the conquering
population. It also seems possible to recognize the sign [ ,
which would confirm the interpretation which I

gave of it some
years ago (Fig. 112).^

Another sign which is found on the pottery, where it is not
possible to explain it,- is found apparently on an interesting in-
scription discovered in the tomb of King Den of the first
has so far
dynasty, where also it proved inexplicable^ (Fig.
112, No. 78).
These indications are very faint, and do not warrant any
serious conclusions. I believe, until fresh evidence is obtained,
fAn
^ .74.
.111.
\V^ -IT.
^^VtDl
Fig. 112. — Hieroglyphic (?) Signs of the Prehistoric Period.
we cannot assert that the ancient Egyptians were in possession

of any system of hieroglyphic writing.
Were they in possession of any other kind of writing ? One
of the greatest surprises of the later discoveries has been to
perceive the possibility of their having employed alphabetifofm

characters.* It is precisely these characters that have been
discovered
among the pottery marks, and it is with these that
we must now deal.
Capart, Note suy la decapitation en

'
Petrie, Diospolis, \A. xxi. 48, 68, 97.
Egypte, in the Zeitscinift fiir agyptische Sprache, xxxvi. i8g8, pp. 125, 126.
-
Petrie, Nac/ada, pi. lii. p. 78 et scq.
^
Petrie, Royal Tombs, i. pi. x. 11, and pi. xvi. 20; ii. pi. xxvi. 59, andxxvii.
102. See Evans, Arthur J., Ftirther discoveries of Cretan and Aegean Script
witli Ijhyan and Proto-Egyptiati Comparisons, in \.\iQ Journal of Hellenic Stndies,
xvii. 1897, p. 378.
'
I must apologize for this barbaric term, uhicli in my eyes possesses the
advantage of not prejudicing the question of tlie value of the signs.
10
In the course of the excavations at Naqada Professor Petrie
found a certain number of marks of geometrical forms, and
"
he states that few of them are striking, or Hke any definite
alphabetical series nor are any to be found in sequence to suggest
;
that constant ideas were attached to them."^

But the excavations in the royal tombs of Abydos have
supplied new materials for the study of this question, and the
researches of Mr. Evans among the Cretan pictographs and
the linear systems of the Creto-Aegean world prepared the way
for the conclusions that Petrie has drawn from them.
The examination of this question would lead us far from

our subject, and must content myself with a few summary
I
indications, and with referring the reader to works where he

will find more complete information.-
Dr. Petrie noted on the pottery of the royal tombs of the
first dynasty a series of marks which showed themselves identical
with the alphabetiform marks of the prehistoric vases. At the
same time he confirmed what Mr. Evans had already observed —
that is to say, the identity of the Creto-Aegean linear alphabets
with pottery marks discovered in Egypt at Kahun and
the
Gurob, on vases of the twelfth and eighteenth Egyptian dynasties.
This time a step in advance was taken in showing that the
tabulatedmarks of the twelfth and eighteenth dynasties corre-

spond exactly with the marks of the royal tombs of the first
dynasty and of the prehistoric pottery. Finally, the primitive
alphabets of Karia and Spain present a series of identical signs.
If the table drawn up by Petrie^ is examined, it is seen that
^
Petrie, Naqada, liii. et scq.
i.
p. 44, pi. Diospolis, pi. xxi.-xxiii.
;
See also
some marks in MacIver &
Mace, El Amrali and Abydos, pi. xvii.
Petrie, Royal Tombs, i. pp. 31, 32. Evans, Prhnitive Pidograplis ami a
-
Pre-Phcetiician Script f?-om Crete, in the Journal of Hellenic Studies, xiv. 1894,
p. 270 et seq., and London, Ouaritch, 1895 Further Discoveries of Cretan and
;
Aegeati Script, with Libyan and Proto-Egyptian Comparisons, ib. xvii. 1897,
PP- 327-395, and London, Ouaritch, 1898. Sergi, The Mediterranean Race: A
Study of the Origin of European People, London, 1901, pp. 296-305, and figs. 79-93.
•'
The sources whence this table was derived are as follows, from information
kindly supplied by Dr. Petrie. Petrie, Naqada ; Royal Tombs, i.
; Kahun,
Gurob and Ilawara, London, 1890. Sayce, The Karian Language and
Inscriptions, in the Transactiois of the Society of Biblical Archeology, ix. 1887,
pp. II 2- 1 54. Boudard, p. a., Essai sur la mcmismatique iberiennc, Paris, 1859.
ORNAMENTAL AND DECORATIVE ART. Â7
few of the signs are missing from any one of the series, and
that the signs which are found in all rarely present variants
which differ seriously from the most ancient signs (Fig. 113).
It must, therefore, have been a system of signs which
was well established from the first, and that underwent io.^
modifications course of ages.
in the It may even with some
probability be compared with the Libyan signs, and with tifinagh,

which are still employed in the present day in the writing of
the Touaregs. The conclusion that may be drawn from these
^».-^.c^
"
Here
Dr. Petrie's reply
is Certainly the so-called Phcenician
:
letters were familiar long before the rise of Phoenician influence.
What is really due to the Phoenicians seems to have been the

selection of a short series (only half the amount of the surviving
alphabets) for numerical purposes, as A= i, E= 5, I = 10,
N = 50, 100, P =
500, ^ =
This usage would soon render etc.
these signs as invariable in order as our own numbers, and force

the use of them on all countries with which the Phoenicians
traded. Hence before long these signs drove out of use all others,
except in the less changed civilizations of Asia Minor and Spain." ^
M, Weill, in a recent article in the Revue ar'cJieologiqiie^ contested

these results, but I must confess that his arguments have in no
way convinced me. I do not think it possible for any one to
say, as the result of his demonstration, as he himself says, that

"
of Dr. Petrie's table and deductions not one word nor one
fact is left standing." It seems to me that he has lost sight of
one point of primary importance it is the presence of " alphabeti- ;
"
form signs on prehistoric pottery from the commencement of
the primitive period. If we must admit, as he wishes, that the
linear signs are merely a degradation of the hieroglyph signs,
it would also be necessary to believe that, previous to the earliest
known remains, a hieroglyphic system was in existence which
had been long enough in use for the signs to develop a linear
form. Of these only a very small number had been retained

(thirty-three in Petrie's table), which must have been propagated
in the Mediterranean world in so strange a manner as to render
it
possible, after several thousands of years, to compare them
with the identical signs (to the number of thirty) discovered on
the primitive remains in Spain. Up to the present time we
have failed to recover those hieroglyphs which have left only
very doubtful traces on prehistoric remains, and the criticisms
of M. Weill, who, I think, has not faced that side of the
question, do not seem to me in any way to have touched Petrie's
tables and deductions.
'
Petrie, Royal Tombs, i.
p. 32.
^
Weill, R., La question de Vccrittire lineaire dans la Mcditerrance primitive,
in the Rcviic archeologique, 1903, i.
pp. 213-232.
" "
Now, how can we explain the fact that these alphabet! form
signs are found in Egypt at the prehistoric age, and under the
first, the twelfth, and the eighteenth dynasties ? I think there
are two hypotheses which should be considered. At these
different periods Egypt may have been in touch with the
country where this system originated, or else the Egyptians

from primitive times may have preserved the knowledge of this
system in addition to their hieroglyphic writing.
We have already remarked on the analogies with the Libyans
presented by the primitive Egyptians. We have mentioned the
resemblances primitive alphabetical system with the
of their
Libyan alphabets, and also the relations between the Libyan and
the Creto-Aegean peoples have several times been established.
I do not think it is too bold to definitely attribute the
appearance of these marks at different periods of Egyptian

history to contact with the Aegean people, either directly or
through the intermediary of the Libyans. These relations are

indicated at the same time by the appearance of vases of a
special type ;
this is the black incised pottery, with a whitish
paste in the incisions ; specimens of this pottery liave been

found in Spain and Bosnia, at Hissarlik, in Crete (Knossos),
and in Sardinia, and when found in Egypt it is evidently an
importation.^ I believe also that to these relationships must be
attributed the appearance in Egypt during the twelfth and
thirteenth dynasties of small nude figures of women, which had
disappeared from Egyptian art since primitive times. Again,
one finds them reappearing the eighteenth dynasty, and the
in
phenomenon is interesting to note. The proof of the relations

of Egypt with the Libyo-Aegean people during the first dynasty
is easily found in the vases discovered by Dr. Petrie at Abydos, in
the royal tombs, and in the temple of Osiris; during the twelfth
dynasty, in the fact that at Knossos there are Egyptian remains of

" -
that period, and perhaps also in the appearance of pan grdves."
MacIver & Mace, El Anirah and Abydos, p. 43. I^ktkie, Methods and
'
Aims in Arc/urology, London, 1904, fig. 61, pp. 160-162.

^
The description of these will be found in Petrie, Diospolis, pp. 45-49 the i
term employed by Petrie, "pan graves," is merely an abbreviation of "pan-shaped

graves."
ISO PRIMITIVE ART IN EGYPT.
The presence of these graves in the vicinity of Abydos, at
the end of the route from the oases, indicates the direction
which must have been taken after the twelfth dynasty by these
people, whose Libyan character is so evident.^ Foreign relations,
!;Trw:TlCDrrrcrr.crrnr,nnr-r|i n IvJ' Vi»

"1 I
tLCLIrrncprrnrrrrnhDlDlJIiy'^
fA.561.
.M.StO.
kSvs^ !(1
m;
r
.a.Ti.e .P>T.I.9.
1/
.R.T. I.IOJI.
^-"oa
, R, T.I -101.
.J^.W.
-P. T.1L.35.
I'lG. 114.
— Impressions taken from Cylinders.
especially with the Mycenaean civilization, were so numerous

during the eighteenth dynasty, that it is useless to insist on
thispoint we have already pointed out
; the Libyan influence
under Amcnophis IV.
1
MacIver & Mace, loc. cit. pp. 67, 6S.
" "
As to the hypothesis of a continued use of alphabetiform
signs in Egypt, it must, I think, be rejected, for the reasons
"
pointed out by Mr. Mace in connection with the pan graves,"
and the objects there discovered. He also estabHsbes the fact
that this incised black pottery we have just mentioned is with —
the exception of one or two sporadic examples under the third
—
dynasty completely absent during the whole of the period which
separates the prehistoric people from those of the pan graves.^
I must apologize for these reflections, of the unsubstantial
nature of which I am fully aware. As I have discussed the
primitive writings, I
may be chapter
permitted in closing this
to refer to the cylinders, which make

appearance at the their
earliest period of the history of Egypt, only to disappear with

considerable rapidity. Some of these, in addition to hieroglyphic
inscriptions, present representations of personages and animals

of so archaic a style as to connect them completely with the
primitive art." We
thus return to our subject, from which in
these last pages wc have somewhat diverged (Fig. 114).
'
MacIver & Mace, loc. at. p. 69.
-
wish specially to quote two ivory cylinders at Berlin, Nos. 15,337 and
I
1
5,338. A "
ScHAEFER, Nette Iterthuvter der " new race atis Ncgadah, in the Zeit-
schiift fiir dgyptische Sprache, xxxiv. 1896, p. 160, fig. 4. Petrie, Royal Tombs,
ii.
pi. X. De Morgan, Rccherches, ii. p. 160, fig. 560, and p. 170, fig. 561.
Petrie, Abydos, i. pi. Ii. No. 1 1 Royal To77ibs, i. pi. xix. 8, 9 ii. pi. xiii. 95
; ; ;
xiv. 101-104. Max Muller, An archaic cylmder from Egypt, in the Orientalis-
v. 1902, col. 90-92, and fig.
tische Litter atiirzeitiing, Dennis, ib. col. 210, 211.
Evans, Further Discoveries of Cretan and Aegean Script, in the Journal of
Helletiic Studies, xvii. 1897, p. 362 et seq.
CHAPTER IV.
SCULPTURE AND PAINTING.
WE have now arrived at the

same time the most
most
interesting,
difficult,
part of
and
our
at the
study.
Objects illustrating our subject become increasingly numerous,
and will, perhaps, enable us to decide some points which
hitherto have been left in uncertainty. One of our greatest
difficulties here has been to establish the exact line of demar-
cation between remains of prehistoric times and those of the
commencement of the Egyptian historical age. It has seemed
to me advisable for the present not to attach too great

importance to this distinction, and to reserve for the chapter
devoted to the earliest Egyptian remains those objects only
which can be classified with certainty, owing to their bearing
an inscription or royal name. These specimens form a distinct
nucleus, round which the various objects which arc closely allied
to them can be grouped.

To begin with, we will consider flints which have been
shaped into the forms of animals. As early as 1890 an example
representing a hippopotamus was discovered at Kahun. Professor
Petrie is inclined to assign it to the twelfth dynasty ^ but the ;
whole group of similar finds induces me to consider it rather as
being of the primitive period.

In the Petrie Collection, University College, London, there
are several most interesting examples ;
a snake from Koptos,
Petrie, Kahun, Gurob and Hawara, London, 1890, p. 30 and pi. viii. 22
'
;
Ten Years' Digging in Egypt, 2nd ed. London, 1893, p. 127 Prehistoric ;
Egyptian Figures, in Man, 1892, No. 14, p. 17 and pi. B, 20.

152
SCULPTURE AND PAINTING. 153
a dog (?), and also a bird represented in flight' (Fig. 115).

The Berhn Museum possesses three remarkable specimens, in the
form of an antelope {buhalis), a wild goat, and a wild Barbary
sheep, which resemble in a most striking manner
the figures of
animals engraved on the vases (Figs. 116-118). M. Schweinfurth,
who has recently published them, also compares them with the
Sraffiti, which we shall consider later on.- At the British
Museum there is an unpublished specimen in form of an antelope
and also another in form of a bull's head (No. 32,124).
=^
1
(No. 30,41 ),
Fig. 115.
—Worked Flints in Form of Anim.\ls.
In the MacGregor Collection, Tamworth, there is a large specimen

of the bull's head form, about 19 cm. in height. few specimens A
have been found i/i situ among other remains of the i^rimitivc age.
These are crocodiles and hippopotami (?), discovered in the small
prehistoric town surrounding the temple of Osiris at Abydos.^

'
Petrie, Prehistoric Egyptian Figures, loc. cit. p. 17, pi. B, 17-iq.
^
Schweinfurth, G., Acgyptische Tierbilder als Kicselartefalde, in Die
Umschau, vii. 1903, pp. 804.-806 and fig. French translation Figures :
d'aiiimaicx fabriqtces en silcx et provenent de I'Fgypte, in tlie Revue de VRcolc

d'Anthro/iologie de Paris, x\. 1903, pp. 395-399. figs. 87-89.
•'
Budge, A
History of Egypt, i. fig. of p. 84, No. 32124.
'
Petrie, Excavations at Abydos, in Man, 1902, No. 64, p. 89, No. 3; Abydos^
i.
pi. -x.wi. 292-294, and p. \1.
These curious pieces testify to a remarkable dexterity in flint
working (Fig. 115). The only analogous pieces

known in other countries have been discovered
in Russia and America.^
Fig. 116. — Worked Flint IX

Form of an Antelope
(BUBALIS).
Berlin Museum."
Small figures of human beings are very numerous, and specially

My colleague, Baron de Loe, keeper of the prehistoric antiquities of the
'
Royal Museums of Brussels, has been good enougli to communicate to me his

notes on this subject. A flint in form of a fish comes from Archangel. Another,
in form of a bird, from the Government of Vladimir. A specimen from the
same neighbourhood perhaps represents a human figure. Several worked flints
from the Volossovo bed, Government of Vladimir, present, he says, exceptional
forms. Some show the outline
of a boat ;
others the profiles
of animals, more or less deter-
mined, among which a bird may
be distinguished. Volossovo
. . .
was a centre of habitation in the

neolithic age.... In the Go-
vernment of Irkutsk a flint lias
been discovered, also of bird
form. These specimens are all
of extremely fine work, the contour being retouched with extraordinary delicacy.
Other similar pieces have been discovered in tlie valleys of the Ohio and
Mississippi, one representing a bird, another a serpent. See Wilson, Th.,
Classification des pointcs dc /leches, des pointcs des lances, et des couteaux de
pief're, in the Compte rendu du Congirs i7itci-national d' anthropologic ct
d'archeologie prehistoriq71.es, twelfth session, at Paris, in 1900, Paris, 1903,

pp. 320-322, and fig. 14.
Reproduction after Die UviscliaH. Ubersicht iiber Fortschritte und Bewe-

-
gungen auf dem Gesamtgebiet der Wissenschaft, Technick, Litteratur und

Kunst. Francfurt a/Main, H. Bechhold, Verlag.
at the earliest period of Egyptian history ; they are found in
various materials — clay, stone, ivory, glazed

pottery, and lead. I will remind the
reader of the figures of men carved on the

combs, and also of the pendants of human
form of which illustrations have been
given earlier in the book, and of which

there is no need to speak further.
The statuettes of men are somewhat

rare : not one specimen was found by
Petrie in the vast necropolis of Naqada.
At Diospolis a few rude examples were
found, made apparently at ^6 and 33-55
(sequence dates). Several figures are
represented standing another appears to

;
be seated. On most of them are to be

seen distinct indications of the kaimata, Fig. 117. — Worked Flint in
Form of a Wild Goat.
or sheath ;
the beard is carefully marked.^ Berlin Museum. -
In general, it may be said that the
not more perfect than that of the
rendering of these figures is
human representations we examined in
the chapter relating to decorative art
(Fig. 119).
Another statuette, in a yellowish
the of
pottery, discovered in necropolis
Gebel el Tarif, is more interesting. It
shows a bearded personage kneeling, the

Fig. 118. —Worked Flint arms hanging down the body. Here
IN Form of a Wild
Barbary Sheep. already the face is better formed, and
Berlin Museum.^ the nose and ears are well indicated.*^
1
Petrie, Diospolis, and p. 36. The two statuettes U96
pi. v. U96; vi. B 1
19,
are of clay, painted red. Two
were discovered by Mr. Garstang, at
similar pieces
Alawanyeh see Garstang, Mahdsna and Bet Klialldf, London, 1903, pi.
iii.
:
See also two specimens in ivory in the MacGregor Collection. Naville, Figurines
in the Rccueil de travaiix relatifs a hi
egyptieimes de Vepoqiic archaique, ii.,
philologie, ct a Varchcologie cgypUmnes et assyrienncs, xxii. 1900, pi. v.
-
After Die Unisdiait, lac. cit.
3
lb.
*
De Morgan, Rcchcrches sur les origines, i.
p. 151, hg. 373 !
•'•
^8- "'- P- 54-
Mr. Evans has drawn an extremely able comparison between
this figure and a marble idol found at Amorgos. "Though
Fig. 119.
— Figures of Men of the Primitive Period.
differing," he says, "from the primitive marble 'idols' of the

Aegean Islands in its bent knees and arms held close to
the side, yet it shows a remarkable resemblance to them in
its general shape ;

while in its recurved flat- topped head it
" ^
reproduces one of their most

characteristic features (Fi^
ig- 119.
M. R III).
In the excavations at El Amrah Mr. Maclver discovered
several figures of men of the same
type as the specimens found at

Diospolis, and always characterized
by the karnata or sheath- (Fig. 1 19).
There are several other statuettes
in the Berlin Museum/ and one
without legs, its history unkrtow^n,

in the Petrie Collection, University
College, London. Figures of men
occur more frequently in the mass
of ivories discovered at Hierakon-
polis, and at the same time we note

a real advance on the preceding
pieces. These ivories are unfor-
tunately in rather bad condition,

and a serious effort is necessary in
order to realize whatthey were
before their mutilation. We can
see,however, that they were standing
figures, clothed in a loin-cloth held
in its place by a girdle, to which
was attached the karnata. The Fic.i.:u. Ivory Figures of Mex
beard, when represented, is enclosed DISCOVERED AT HiERAKONPOLIS.
in the bag already described. In The heads probably do not belong to

—
the bodies. Ashmolcan Museum,
short, it appears that the most
Oxford.
frequent type was that of which
Mr. MacGregor's ivory figure supplies the best specimen' (Figs.
20, 1
19, 120, and 121).
Evans, Further Discoveries of Cretan and Aegean Script, in the Journal

'
of Hellenic Studies, xvii. 1897, p. 380, and tig. 33, p. 381.

*
MacIver & Mace, El Afurah and Abydos, pi. ix. 1, xii. 7, pi'. 4'. \-- 1
ScHAEKER, Nctcc Altertiwicr der "new race" aus Negadali in the Zcitschrift
'
fiir dgyptisclie Sprache, xxxiv. 1896, pp. 160, 161, figs. 8, 11.
•
QuiBELL, Hie?-akotipolis, i.
pi. vii. viii. x. and pp. 6, 7. Naville, Figurines
egyptiennes de Vcpoque archai'r/ue, ii., in the Neci/eil dc travaiix rclatifs a la
From an examination of the physiological type of all these
statuettes, Dr. Petrie considers that they represent individuals

of the primitive race, anterior to the Egytians
Libyans — those
whom we have already met with several times. There is an
ivory head (Fig. 121) which is especially characteristic.^
Fig. 121. — Ivory Heads discovered at Hierakonpolis.
On another head of a man we see a kind of high-pointed
philologie et a Varcheologie egyptiennes et assyriennes, xxii. igoo, p!. v. There are —

two small ivory figures in the MacGregor Collection similar to the specimens
found at Hierakonpolis.
Schweinfurth, Die
'
QuiBELL, Hierakonpolis, i. pi. v. vi. 4, 5, p. 6.
tieiiestenGriibcrfundc in Obcnigyptett uiid die Stellung der noch lebenden
Wilsten-StaDimcti zii de?- altagyptischcn Bcvolkerung, in the Verhandlungcn dcr
berl. anthropo/ogischcn Gcsellsdiaft, 1898, pp. 180-186. Petrie, TJlc Races of
in i\\e
Early Egypt, Journal of lite Anthropological Institute, xxxi. 1901, p. 250,
pi. xviii. 6.
casque, suggestive of the white crown' (Figs. 121 and 132), and
the same head-dress is found on a small ivory statuette discovered
in the temple of Abydos, which dates from the commencement
of the historic period. This is undoubtedly the masterpiece of
ivory carving of the primitive age. Professor Petrie speaks thus
on the subject, and we may entirely rely on his judgment :
Fig. 122. — Ivory Statuette from Abydos.
"
He is figured as wearing the crown of Upi)cr I'^gypt and a
thick embroidered robe. P^rom the nature of the pattern and the
stiff edge represented, it looks as if this robe were quilted with
embroidery no such dress

: is known on any Egyptian figure yet
found. The work belongs to an unconventional school, before
the of fixed traditions
rise it might have been carved ;
in
any age and country where good natural work was done. It
'
QuiBELL, HicrakonpoUs, i.
pi. vii. viii. 6.
i6o PRIMITIVE ART IN EGYPT.
shows a power of dealing with individuality which stands
apart from all the later work its unshrinking figuring of age in
and weakness with a subtle character. It belongs to the same

school of art as the figures . . . and these reveal a style which
has hitherto been quite unsuspected, as preceding the more
" ^
formal style of the Old Kingdom (p-ig. 122).
The
position of the ears should be noticed ; they are placed
perpendicularly on the head, and seem to be of abnormal
size. It may be questioned whether this is not a trace of a
custom of intentional malformation of the ears, the more so that

the same anomaly, with even greater exaggeration, is seen on
other ivory heads from Hierakonpolis and Abydos"' (Fig. 132,
No. 14). .
Female statuettes are far more numerous, and enable us to
follow closely the evolution of the type. It is necessary, however,

to begin by setting completely on one side certain figures of
extraordinary appearance, of which we have already given
illustrations of two specimens when treating of painting the
body (Fig. 6).
These figures are characterized by an exaggerated develop-
ment of fat, principally in the lower limbs, and especially the
thighs (steatopygy). It is known that this deformity is frequently
found among the Hottentots, and it has been compared with

a representation in the temple of Dcir el Bahari of an African
'
Petrie, Abydos, and xiii.
ii.
p. 24, pi. ii.
3,
'^
lb. ii. pi. iii.
17-19, and
Mexican statue in the Ethnographical
p. 24. A
Museum, Berlin, shows a similar deformity. See Woerman, Gcschichte
der Kunst allcr Zeite7i iind Volker, i. Leipzic, 1900, fig. p. 88. Pliny, Natural
"
History^ iv. 27, 5 The island of the Fanesii, in which the inhabitants,
:
who are naked, completely cover themselves with their ears, which are ol
excessivesize.'' Male, E., Lart reUgeux du xiii'. siecle en France, Paris, 1902,
"
p.77 (the Portal of V6zelay) Men with ears as large as winnowing fans."
:
Delakosse, M., Snr des traces probables dc civilisation cgyptientic et d'lwvnnes

" Ces
de race blaitclie a la cote d'ivoire, in V Antliropologic, xi. 19CO, jx 679,
fils du Ciel avaient
peau blanclie leurs oreilles etaient si grandes qu'ils
la ;
s'en cachaient leur visage a lavue d'un homme de la terre." P. 684, " Tous
ceux (jui en ont vu ou en ont entendu parler disent que, pour ne pas etre
.
reconnus, ils prenaient Icurs oreilles avec les mains et les ramenaient sur
leur visage." —
Information contributed by MM. Bayet, Macoir, M. Hebert,
and F. de Zeltner.
sculpturp: and painting. i6i
queen, the queen of Punt.' These curious statuettes arc in two

positions, cither standini^ or seated.- The specimens in the
Ashmolean Museum, Ox-
ford, reproduced here, are
of a greyish clay, covered
with a brilliant red glaze,
and still show traces of
black paint (Figs. 123,
124, 125). The Berlin

Museum possesses a seated
figure, the
I
only complete
one I know of (Fig. 125).
We here encounter an
important problem con- ^1

cerning the history of the
migrations of primitive
peoples. Should these
Egyptian statuettes be
taken as a proof of the
presence of a Hottentot
race in prehistoric Egypt ?
Dr. Fouquet writes,

after the examination of
the bones discovered in
"
the tombs : At South
Naqada, the cephalic index
— for the men, 72, yî I
for the women, y^, 13

—
induces a comparison with
123.
— SteatopygousClay TiciURKS.
those of the Hottentots,
Ashmolean Museum.
the Bushmen (72, 42) the
Kaffirs (72, 54). The discovery made b}- Flinders Petrie at
Naqada itself of steatopygous statuettes suggested to him the
•
Petrie, Naqada, y,. 34. M.ariette, Voyage dans Ic Haute Agypte, Paris
and Cairo, 1878, ii. pi. 62, j)]). 72, 73. See, however, DenmvER, /.es races et
les peuples de la ictre, 10, 111. i
jip.
-
Petkie, i\a(/aif<i, \)\.
vi 1-4, p 34
I I
l62 PRIMITIVE ART IN EGYPT.
same which he does not appear to have adopted on a
idea,
finalanalysis. It is known, however, that this race penetrated
into France, and it is possible that they returned by way of

^
Egypt."
This impression appears at the first glance to be extraordinary ;
but we hasten to add that it is identical with that entertained
by all those who have examined these objects. M. de Villenoisy

"
writes ^
: The excavations at Brassempuy have effected the dis-
covery of a series of ivory statuettes representing women with
whose head-dress there is nothing analogous except in Egypt,
Fig. 124.
— Steatopygous Clay Figures.
Ashmolean Museum.
and whose physiological characteristics are found only in Africa,

among the most ancient inhabitants of the soil the duellers in :
the land of Punt (now Somaliland) in the time of the Egyptian
Queen Hatasu (eighteenth dynasty), Abyssinians and Bolofs (who

must at one time have been neighbours of Egypt), Bushmen
and Hottentots. The insistence with which M. Piette pointed
out, on the Pyrenean palaeolithic figures, peculiarities which
'
FouQUET, Redierches sitr les cranes de I'epoque de la picrrc taillec en Kgypte,
in De Morgan, Kcchcrchcs sur les orighies^ ii.
p. 378.
^
De Villenoisy, Lhiatus prehisiorique et les decoiivertcs dc M. Ed. Piette,
in tlie Bulletin de la Societc de spelcologie, April to June and July to September,
1896, pp. 97, 98.
among women of contemporary races are found to be exclusively
African, did not at first succeed in fixing attention ;

it was
considered that they were merely the result of accidental circum-
stances, or lack of skill on the part of the sculptor. great A
step in advance was taken when, at the meeting of the Acadeniie
dcs Inscriptions, November 23rd, M- Maspero recognized
1894,
the great similarity that exists between the legless figures of
Bassempuy and those deposited in the tombs of Egypt. He
believes them to be inspired by the same religious conception."
Fig. 125.
— Steatopygous Figure in Clay (complete).
Berlin Museum.
in F AntJiropologie} expresses himself in the same

M. Boule,
"
way with regard to the Hierakonpolis figures The comparison :
may have very slender foundation, yet I cannot resist finding

a certain resemblance between some of these reproductions and
those on the sculptures found by M. Piette at Mas d'Azil, and
I received the same impression on examining the steatopygous
female figures Tound by Professor Flinders Petric and Mr. Quibell
at Naqada and Ballas."
•
V Anthropologic, xi. 1900, p. 759.
Notwithstanding Boule's doubts, it seems probable that this
resemblance is not without foundation. We find analogous
figures in the P^rcnch caves/ in Malta,-' in the regions of Thrace
and Illyria, at Butmir, Cucuteni, Sereth, in Poland/ in Greece/
and the Aegean Islands, notably Crete."''
But by the side of these steatopygous figures,

in Egypt as also in France, statuettes of another
type are found, characteristic of a race of less

bulky proportions.'' The best specimen that
can be quoted is the figure decorated with
paintings already reproduced (Fig. 5). There

are statuettes of this type in clay, ivory, and
lead, where the legs are summarily indicated.
Frequently the arms are merely represented by

means of a nip in the clay, causing the shoulder
to project. Occasionally the breasts are clearly
indicated ;
at other times there is not a trace
of them. We must notice a curious specimen,
Petrie, Naqada, p. 34, where he quotes I' Anthropo-

'
logic, vi. 1895, 129-151. HoERNES, Ufgcsc/iic/i/e dcr bildett-

deii Kunst, pi. ii. figs. 9-13. Reinach, S., Statuette de femme
luic decoitverte dans tine des grottes de Menton, in l' Anthro-
pologic, ix. i8g8, pp. 26-31, pi. i. ii.
-
Mayk, Die vorgeschichtlichen Denkiniilcr von Malta,
in tlie Abhandlungcn der k. baycr. Akadonie dcr ll'iss.,
i. CI., xxi. Bd., iii. Abth. Mi'mchen, 1901, pp. 699-703, and
pi. X. 2, xi. I and 2. Review by Arthur Evans, in Man,
1902, No. 32, pp. 41-44, reproduces fig. 2 of pi.
fig. 3, p. 43,
xi. of Mayr more clearly tatoo-marks are distinguishable.
Fig, 126. — Clay •'
;
HoERNES, Urgeschichtc dcr bildcndc7i Ki/nst,\). 192 and

Female Figure.
pi. iii. The statuette of Cucuteni (Rounuuiia) and that of
University Col'ege, Iceland are reproduced in Reinach, en
I.a sculpture
S.,
London.
Europe avant les injiriences greco-romaines, fig. 94 and 95
(separate reprint, p. 39). Compare especially tlic figure from Poland with those
of our Fig. 23. 1
^
Perrot & Chipiez, Histoii'c de Part dans rantiquitc, vi., Jm Grece
piimitive, I'art mycenien, fig. 325, p. 736, and figs. 333 and 334, p. 741.
^
Evans, Arthur, The Neolithic Settlcjnent at Knossos and its Place in the
History of Early Aegca?t Culture, in Man, 1901, No. 146, pp. 184-186, and fig.
They appear again in Egypt in the eighteentli dynasty. See MacIver & Mace,
El Atnrah and Ahydos, pi. iv. D 8. Garstang, EJ Arabnh, London, 1901,
pi. xix. E 178.
^
of unknown provenance, at University College, London, where

the hands are clasped as though to hide the lower part
of the body (Fig. 126). There is also a
specimen which isalmost perfect at the Berlin

Museum in vegetable paste, No. 14167 (Pig.
127).
Another very early example (sequence date
38) in vegetable paste moulded on a reed core is
painted red and black. The lower part of the
face appears to be covered with a veil. Round
the thighs there is a belt curved at the lower
edge both ends so as to form a point between

at
the legs when joined^ (Fig- 128, No. 11). There

is specimen in the Petrie Collection,
a similar
University College, London, as well as another

in lead (Fig. 128). Tlie excavations at Diospolis
have furnished other examples, notably, from
tomb B loi (sequence date 34), a small figure
with the arms carefully carved- (Fig. 128,
D. B loi).
In same necropolis, in tomb
the B 83
(sequence date 33-48), excavations have brought
to light a female statuette, already worked
more in detail, where the legs and also the
hair arc at least indicated (Pig. 128, D. B 83). fig. i27.-Female
The arms are still represented in the same Figure in Veget-
^^^^
rudimcntary fashion as in the figures of the
Berlin Museum.
Aegean Islands."*
In the series of ivory female statuettes the progress is enor-

mous. Unfortunately there has been no specimen found in the
course of scientific excavation to furnish a relative date for these
objects. The examples we can (ûote present a great variety in
Petrie, Naqada, pi. lix. 11; Diospolis, p. 26. Now at the Ash-
moleaii Museum, Oxford. Identical fragments \\\\Diospolis, \A. v. B mi, and
P- 33-
'
Petrie, Diospolis, yX. v. p. 33.
^
lb. pi. vi. B 83, p. 32.
1 66 PRIMITIVE ART IN EGYPT
Fig. .
128. — Female Figures in Pottery, Ivory, Lead, and Vegetable Paste.
the position of the arms. Sometimes they hang down the
body ;
sometimes only the right arm is pendant, while the
left appears to support the breasts. One figure has the arms
folded on the breast ;
others have one hand placed on the
stomach, while the second hides the lower part of the body.
Most have the head shaved some, on the contrar}', wear the ;
hair long, with two locks hanging down in front over the
Fig. 129.
— Female Figures in Ivory.
shoulders, framing the face. On some specimens the hair

on the lower part of the body is crudely rendered by a
series of holes, arranged fan-shape. The e\-es are sometimes
^
carved, sometimes inlaid with round bone beads (I'igs. 128
and 129).
Some of these later figures have a tenon at the base, by
means of which they were fastened to stands, similar to
'
British Museum, 32,125, 32,139-42. Budge, A History of E<rypt, i. p. 52.
University College, London see our Fig. 128 :
MacGregor Collection Navilll", :
Fi>rurhirs c_<(v/)ficiincs de Icpoquc arc/iai'f/itc, ii., in tlie Rccucil dc travai<xrclatifs

(} la
f'hilolo'îe ct a I ardicoloiîe cgyptifiiftcs ct assyricnnes, xxii. 1900, pi. iv. of
V liicli our Fig. 129 is a reproduction.
1 68 PRIMITIVE ART IN EGYPT.
those of some of tlic Hierakonpolis ivories which wc are about
to consider.
The British Museum (No. 32,143) possesses a statuette of a
woman standing, wrapped in a large cloak, the upper edge of
which is fringed, leaving the left breast uncovered on her ;
shoulder she carries a child, whose body is hidden beneath the

folds of the cloak ^ (Fig- 130).
Thetype of the woman
carrying her child also occurs
in an ivory figure in the Berlin
Museum (No. 14,441) of ex-
tremely rough style of woi 1-:
(Fig. 130-
At Hierakonpolis we find
the same female figures, and
these enable us to decide that
the examples described in the
preceding lines, which are of

uncertain provenance, are to be
considered as belonging to the
Fig 130.— Figure of a Woman carrying of
A Child on her Shouledrs. age shortly befoie the rise
the first dynasty. There is, in

British Museum.
fact, progress made between
one group and the next, and altliough the pose and the arrange-
ment of the hair mav be the same, one is conscious that the
artist has a feeling for the individuality of the type which is
completely absent in the earlier

preceding
figures. Like the
examples, a fair number of these statuettes have the e^'es inlaid.

I cannot
attempt to describe all these carvings. I'hcy present
but few varieties beyond those I have mentioned. In higs. 132
and 133 are reproductions of the best ivories found at Hierakon-
polis, and now at the Ashmolean Museum. Oxford. wish I
however, to draw attention to the figures wrapped large in
cloaks which we have already dealt with, and also to remark on

two small statuettes, on bases,^ identical in sts'lc with an ivory
1
Budge, A E
History of gyp/, i. p. 53, No. 7.
^
For tlie Hierakonpolis ivories see Quibell, Hierakonpolis, i.
\)\.
ix. x.
statuette discovered during the winter of 1902-3 at Abydos,
and dating from the first Egyptian dynasty. These are figures
of children carved in excellent style, and free from conven-
tionality^ (Fig. 132, Nos. I Stand 21, and Fig. 133,

No. 2).
The same excavations at
Abydos have contributed other
carvings of children, with the
fineer in the mouth, a traditional

attitude^ which we had previously
met with in a figure from Hiera-
konpolis carved in chrysocolla.''
Also, at Abydos, two ivory

statuettes of women were found,
one of which shows a strong
affinity to the Hierakonpolis
carvings'* (Fig. 128, Ab 5) while ;
the other, according to Dr. Petrie,
already shows signs of the forma-

list style of the Ancient Empire."''
There are various other figures

which are unimportant, with the
exception of some specimens in
clay and glazed pottery," and the

pretty statuette in gla/cd pottery
reproduced to illustrate hair-
dressing (Fig. 15). Fig. 131. -Ivory Figure of a Wom.\n

CARRYING A ChiLD.
Finall}', to terminate this list
Berlin Museum.
of female figures, we must mention
an interesting statuette in lapis-lazuli, discovered at tlicrakonpolis.
The position of the hands, the slender proportions of the body,

•
IÊTRIE, Abydos, ii.
\A. ii.
1,
and j). 23.
*
lb. pi. ii. 7, 8 18.
ii. iii.
; ])1.
' xviii. 4.
QuiuELL, Hierakonpolis, i.
])1.
••
Petrie, Abydos, ii.

pi. ami j). 24. The same is the casse with the
ii.
5
female fitûres fouiul in the royal tombs at Abydos. Petrie, Royal Toi>d>s, ii.
pi. and p. 21.
\\\.b, 8, Amelineau, Les nouvelles foi/illt:s d' Abydos, 1895-6.
comptc rendu in cxlenso, T'aris, 1899, pi. xxxi.
Petrie, Abydos, ii. pi. ii. 2 and pp. 23, 24.
•''
"
Ih. ii. pi. ix. 184, xi. 23c.
lyo PRIMITIVE ART IN EGYPT.
o
cu
z
o
<
w
X V
O
E~
3
U
3
01
O
in
<
IN
CO
-J
o
z
o
< ^
a
w o
S
> 3
o o
u in
11
^ "1
5 <
o
>
172 pRiMirivi': ART IN i<:GYi'r
and the bciKliiiL^f of tlic knees recall to an astonishing degree the

small figures of the Greek Islands^ (Fi^- ^34)-
I have intcntionall}' omitted a class of male
and female figures, because they represent ana-
tomical malformations which suggest rickets.
Some curious specimens
-
have been published,
and these at once elicited a comparison with the
"
figures f>f Ptah in embryo" (A the historic age.''
There are two examples in ivory in the Petrie
C(;llcction, University College, London. We shall

])rcscntl)' have occasion to enquire what was the
meaning of these deformed figures, and for what

reason they were deposited in the tombs and
temples H'îg. 13SJ.
We must also class in a separate category the
Fk;. 134.— S.mall statuetteswhich represent human beings either

Figure IN Lapis-
I.AZULIFROM squatting or in positions which seem to be im-
inr.KAKOM'oi.is. possible. This is the case with men represented
AFlimolean standing
'
or kneeling, with the arms bound behind

Museum. .Li u Ti i-\ .•
the back, and apparently captives. is an
1
i here
1
ivory figure, very instructive with regard to this point, in the

Ashmolcan Museum, O.xford it was brought from I'^gypt in ;
1891 by Greville Chester (159-91 J,

and is stated to have been
QUHJELL, Hierako7ipoUs, i. pi. xviii. 3, and i>. 7 ii. p. 38.

'
;
Navu.le, Fijjûrines egypiienncs de iepoque archait/ue, ii., in the Recueil de

"•
travanx rclatifs a la philologie et a Varcheologie cgyptieimes et assyriennes, x.\ii.

1900, pi. 5. 13UUGE, A History of Egypt, ix. p. 52, 2. Quibell, Hicra/conpolis, i.
pi. xi. and xviii. 7, 19, and \). 7 ;

ii.
i)p. 37, 38. Petrie, Abydos, ii.
i)l.
v. 44, 48 ;
X. 213, pp. 25, 27.

'
See Vn^cHOW, Die I'hokovtelen ufid das Barcinvciby in the VeJ-hatidlungcn
der Gcsetlsdiaft fm- Antliropologie, Jithnologie und Urgeschichte, 1898,
berl.
pp. 55-61, uith fig. and |)late. Dk. Parrot, Sur I'originc d'tme dcs fortnes du
dicii I'tali, in tiie Rcciicit dc travaux telatifs a la pliilologie et a I'archcologic
cgyptiennes et assyricfutcs, ii. 1880, pp. 129-133, and plate (reproduction I'rom the
Bulletins de la Societe d' antliropologie de J'aris, 1878, p. 296). Dr. Eifer,
L'Achondroplasic, in tin? Correspo7tdant medical, vi. 120, September 15th, 1899.
See .SchweinI'URI 11, Ueber wcstafrikanischc Figiiren aus 'I alksidiicfcr, in the
Verhandlungen der berl. Gescllscluift fiir Anthropologic, Jiilinologie und
Urgeschichte, 1901, pp. 329, 330 and fig.
" "
•
SciiAEFEK, Neue Altertilnier der new race aus Negadah, in the Zeitschrift
filr Hgyptisrhc S/>rarhe, xxxiv. 1896, p. 159, and fig. 3, p. 160

SCUTJ^TURE AND PAINTING. 173
found at Thebes. The main interest of tliis

f;l>jcct lies in the
well preserved leather belt, which represents the tightly drawn
thony that held the captive crouching position. In all in his
other specimens this leather thoni^ has disappeared, but this
example shows how similar statuettes should be interpreted (type

of our Fig. 132, No. 19;.
The Hierakonpolis ivories give several examples of these
Ik-;. 135.
-
iv(ji'.y J- iolkls (if Dwaki...
captives, the arms bound beliind the- back '
(Fig. 14). Objects of

the same type, but in glazed pottery, were found at Hierakonpolis
and Abydos.^ There is al.so a small figure to be noticed at
University College, London, in a hard red limestone, with eyes

of rock crystal, and another fragment of crystal inlaid (>\\ the
top of the head.-' Objects of the first dynasty, where scenes
'
fjuiBELL, JJieraUoiipolis, i.
pi. xi. xii,
F-'etkik, Ahydos, ii. pi, v. 37, and p. 25.
'^
Jb. i.
pi. xxi. 2, 3, xxii. 3.
•''
I'ETRIE Prehistoric Egyplian Figures, in Matt, 1902, No. 14, p. 17, pi. Ii, 1.
occur representing captives, and which we shall consider farther

on, afford proof of the accuracy of this interpretation.
Finally we will deal with the statuettes representing servants.
At Naqada, in a tomb (No. 271), Petrie discovered a row of four
ivory statuettes placed upright, on
the east side of the tomb, several
centimetres apart. They represented
personages (whether male or female
itis difficult to
say) having a vase
on the head. The eyes are indicated
by beads
^
(Fig. 119, No. 7). One
of these is at University College,
London, and also the head of a
similar piece in alabaster.
There are some specimens at the
Berlin Museum, which arc supposed
to have come from Naqada, which
must be included in this list of
statuettes, although they are of a

Fig. 136. — Figure of a Woman Some of these
STANDING IN A LaRGE JaR.
very different style.
formed part of the crew of a boat
(Fig. 119, S3, 8, and 11). One of the most curious is the figure
of a woman
standing in a large jar, occupied in crushing some-
thing under her feet. The left hand is upon her hip, and with
the right she supports herself by resting it on the edge of the
vase ^ (Fig. 136).
I have reserved for this chapter some vases of human form
1
Petrie, Naqada, pi. lix. 7, and p. 21 ; Diospolis, p. 26, where the sequence
date 38 is given. Compare Heuzey, Musee national dit Louvre, Catalogue des
antn/uites chaldeettyies, sculpture ct gravure a la pointe^ Paris, 1902, pp. 96, 97,
105, III, 305, 306, 313-318.
^
ScHAEFER, Neue new
*'
Altertibfter der 7-ace''' aus Negadah, in i\\c Zeitschrift
fiir dgyptische Sprache, .xxxiv. 1896, pp. 160, 161. A fragment of a similar figure
has been found Naqada — see Petrik, Naqada, pi. xxxvi. 95, and p. 41 id.
at ;
pi. unknown provenance (Fig. 119); an unpublished

xxxvi. 96, another piece of
piece at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, and a head at University College,

London. It seems that the woman, standing in the jar, is occupied in the
preparation of beer, made by means of bread. See Borchardt, Die

Dii'ucrstatuen aus den Grdbcrn des alien Reiches, in the Zeitschrift, xxxv. 1897,
pp. 128 et seq. and lig. p. 129; Kat. 1895, No. 91.
published by M. Naville as belonging to the primitive period,

and which appear to belong rather to sculpture than to decorative
art. The first of these are two vases of hard stone and the
Fig. 137.
—Vases in Form of Women.
fragment of a third vase belonging to the fine collection of Mr.
MacGregor. One is a kneeling woman, holding in her hand an

object resembling a horn. 1 was struck with the analogy which
this object presents with the attribute that appears on a large
number of European prehistoric sculptures.^ The other is a
dwarf of a t)-pe already known, while the fragment appears to
be part of a female figure.- M. Naville compares these with
two terracotta figures in the Athens Museum. With Erman
and Petrie, I do not hesitate to attribute them to the eighteenth
dynasty.^
As
regards the figure of the standing woman, bought by
M. Naville at Luxor and published at the same time as the two
preceding ones, I have difficulty in believing it to be Egyptian
work, and I am inclined to connect it with the school of
ceramic art which produced the black incised pottery with
whitish paste, of which we have spoken earlier (P'ig. 137).
Figures of animals are extremely numerous. strange to It is
remark that the primitive artists in general understood better the

rendering of animals than of human figures. They carved a great
variety of animals, and sometimes in materials both hard and
valuable. Of these we will note the most interesting specimens,
classifyingthem according to their species.

The hippopotamus has been found in almost all the excava-
tions —
at Plierakonpolis, Abydos, Diospolis, and at Gebelein
Sometimes it is in clay,' sometimes in glazed pottery," and also,

at times, in stone'' (Fig. 138), There is a figure of a hippo-
•
Reinach, S., La sculpture en Europe avant les influences greco-romaines,
Angers, 1896, pp. 13, 18-20, and figs. 26, 28, 44, 46-49.
^
Naville, Figurines egyptiennes de I'epoque archatque, ii., in tlie Recucil de
travaux relaiifs a la philologie et a I arclieologie egyptiennes et assyriennes, xxn.
1900, pp. 65, 66, pi. i.-iii.
'
Naville, ib. xxi. 1899, pp. 212-216, pi. ii. iii. These vases may be compared
with those fonnd at Abydos. See Garstang, El Arabali, pi. xix. K 178.
MacIver & Mace, El Anirali and Abydos, pi. xlviii. and notice of J. L. 1 ,
Myres, ib. pp. 72-75.

pi. v. B 101 (Ashmolcan Musenm, Oxford); Abydos,
*
Petrie, Divspolis, i.
pi. liii.
35 (Musees royanx de Bruxelles), and p. 26; ii. pi. ix. 188, and p. 27, x.
225. Von Bissing, AltagyptiscJie Gejdsse im Museum zuGise, in the Zeitsclmfi

fur iigyptische Sprache, xxxvi. 1898, p. 124,and fig. MacIver & Mace, El
Amrali and Abydos, pi. ix. 5.
(Ashmolean Museum
•^
QuiBELL, Hierakonpolis, i.
pi. xviii. 18 (see xlviii. (i^)
Oxford). Petrie, Abydos, ii. pi. vi. 70, 71, 73, and p. 25.
Limestone Petrie, Diospolis, pi. v. B loi, and p. 33 (Ashmolean Museum)
''
:
;
Naqada, pi. Ix. 22, and p. 46 (bought at Gebelein, University College, London).
Calcite: QuiBELL & Green, Hierakonpolis, ii. pi. Ixiv. 5, and \i. 50, tomb 153
potamus which merits special attention ;

it
belongs to the
museum at Athens, where it forms part of the Di Demetrio
Collection. It is carved in black and white granite, and is
extremely polished. The beast is scarcely disengaged from the

block the head only has been treated with some
;
detail. The
Fig. 138.— Figures of Hippopotami in Clay, Glazed Pottery, and Stone.

University College, London, and Ashmolean Museum.
whole effect is heavy and thickset, but nevertheless it is not

without character. Professor Wiedemann, who drew attention
to this curious piece, does not hesitate to attribute it to the
(Ethnograpliical Museum, Cambridge). Alabaster Petrie, Ahydos, ii. pi.

:
226, .\-.
and p. 27, a specimen in quartzite in the MacGregor Collection, Tamworth (3,334).

Three similar pieces belong to the Randolph Berens Collection at the South
Kensington Museum.
12
Naqada period^ (Fig. 139), and this impression is confirmed by-

comparison with the figures of lions belonging to the primitivê
period which were discovered by Dr. Petrie at Koptos.^
The
type is specially interesting. The earliest
lion pieces
were discovered by Mr. Ouibell in a tomb at Ballas. They
are in ivory, and show the animal lying down, the head
low, and the tail twisted over the back. It is considered
that they formed part of a game.^ Other specimens, almost
Fig. 139.
— Hippopotamus in Black and White Granite.
contemporaneous, were purchased by Dr. Petrie, and arc now

at University College, London. They were probably found at
Gebelein, w^hcre there is a vast prehistoric necropolis, which un-
fortunately has not yet been subjected to regular and scientific

excavation. These lions in limestone are of a type similar to
the Ballas lions but already one sees in two of them a
;
movement of the head which is found in almost all the later
Wiedemann, Zu Nagada
'
Periodc^ in the Orientalisiisdic Litteraturzeitung ,
iii.
1900, col. 86.
(one of these at the Ashmolean Museum,.
^
Petrie, Koptos, pi. v. '5, and p. 7
Oxford).
^
Petrie, Naqada^ pi. vii. Q711, pi. Ix. 12, 16, 17, and pp. 14, 35, 46.
SCULPXaRE AND PAINTING. 179
ones^ (Fig. 140). Another example of uncertain provenance is

more massive, and is scarcely disengaged from the block of
limestone.^ The royal tomb of Naqada, apparently contemporary
with Menes, yielded two figures of
has lions — one of rock
crystal, of crude work, recalling the earlier pieces'^; the other of
Fig. 140.
— Small Figures of Lions.
ivory, in whichsculptor has endeavoured

the to render the
details, carefully indicating the ears and mane.^
'
Petrie, Naqada, pi. Ix. 24-26.
'^
Ib.,^\. Ix. 23.

^
De 'M.owGhn^RcchejxJics sh?- Ics oriifincs,\\-'^'^-loo,T\.w(\ pp. 193, 194. There is a
second example, probably also from Naqada, in tlie MacGrcgor Collection (No. 533).
*
De Morgan, Recherches siir Ics origines, ii. figs. 699 « and b, and pp. 192-194.
Von Bissing, Les origines de I'^gypte in l'A7ith7-opologie, ix. 1898, pi. iii. 8, and
p. 249. A similar specimen is in the collection of Mr. Hilton Price, London.
See Hilton Price, Notes i/pon so?ne Pre-dynastic and Early Dynastic Antiquities
from Egypt in the writers collection, in Archceologia, Ivi. 1899 (published
separately, p. 5, fig. 5/;, and p. 10). Tliere is another specimen in the MacGregor
Collection (No. 504).
i8o PRIMITIVE ART IN EGYPT.
The ivory lions discovered in one of the private tombs
which surround the tomb of King Zer, show a further improve-
ment in form. On one of these Professor Pctrie notices two
spots marked above the eyes. This peculiarity is not met
with on Egyptian work, but is frequently observed in that of
Mesopotamia he also points out that the position of the tail
;
Af.^3
Fig. 141.
— Small Figures of Lions.
in this figure, twisted over the back and curved at the end, is
identical with those of the prehistoric carvings.^ The final
peculiarity to be observed is that two lines in relief clearly

define the outline of the muzzle (Fig. 141).
The excavations of Amelineau, in the same tombs at
Abydos, had previously produced a lion in ivory,- and also a head
'
Petrie, Royal Tombs, ii. pi. vi. 3, 4, and p. 23.
-
Amelineau, Les tioiivel/cs fouillcs d' Abydos, 1895-6, Compte reiidit in
extenso, Paris, 1899, pi. xxxi.

SCULPTURE AND PAINTING. i8i
on which the two h'ncs of the muzzle are inore clearly defined.^
There an example of larger size in which this peculiarity
is
is of special interest. This is a limestone statue discovered by

Petrie at Koptos, which reproduces the principal characteristics
of the small figures TFig. 142). One would gladly assign it to
Fig. 142.
— Limestone Statue of a Lion from Koptos.
Ashmolean Museum, O.'cford.
the age of Zcr, and this date would equally apply to the
hippopotamus at the museum at Athens. These si)ecimcns are,
however, not sufficiently abundant to enable us to fix with
certainty the appearance of a type.-

'
Amelineau, Les nouvelles foiiilles dÂhydos, jil.
xlii. p. 307, where they are
quoted as figured on pi. xli.
Petkie, Koptos, pi. V. 5, and
^
p. 7.
I 82 PRIMITIVE ART IN EGYPT.
In the Randolph Berens Collection, now deposited at the
South Kensington Museum, there arc two large lions in black
granite and in alabaster found at Abydos. They bear witness to
an art far more powerful than that of the great lion of Koptos,
and they should be attributed, I think, to the first dynasty.
The excavations carried on in the temple of Osiris at
Abydos during the winter 1902-3 yielded a series of ivory lions
Fig. 143.
— Ivory Carvings of a IJog '
and of a Lion- from Abydos.
Brussels Museum.
of excellent workmanship. Dr. Petrie, from the style, attributes

them to a date later than that of Zer or Menes. Two of them
are lionesses, and, strange to say, they arc wearing collars. Did
the artist intend thus to indicate that they were domesticated
animals? Another has the eyes inlaid with chalcedony.^
1
Petrie, Abydos, ii.
pi. iii. 22, p. 24. CArAUx, Antiquites de Vcpoque
thhiites in the Bulletin des Musees royaux des arts decoratij's et indiistriels
a Bruxcllcs, iii. 1904, p. 83, fig. 2.
^
Capart, ib. p. 83, fig. 4.
^
Petrie, Abydos, ii.
pi. iii.
23-29, and p. 24. Lionesses : 26 and 28. Eye
in chalcedony 29. :
The excavations at Hierakonpolis led to the discovery of a

remarkable figure of a lion in terracotta, which we shall have
opportunity to discuss in connection with the earliest Egyptian

antiquities. To conclude our examination of figures of lions,
ue must notice an example in glazed pottery, which also comes
from Abydos.^
Figures of dogs are less numerous. They must be divided
into two principal —
groups the more archaic type, represented
by glazed pottery figures discovered at Hierakonpolis and Abydos,-
h^ 13. H.iO
Fig. 144.
—Figures of Dogs.
and the later type represented by ivory carvings, which already

suggest a resemblance to the lion figures of the time of the
the first dynasty^ (Fig.
earliest sovereigns of 143). These dogs
have a collar round the throat (Fig. 144)-
Petrie, Ahydos, ii. \i\. xi. 246, and p. 28.

'
pi. xx. 13 and p.

*
OuiBELL, Hierakonpolis, i. 13 (monkey) ;
ii.
p. 38 (monkey?).
Petrie, Ahydos, ii. pi. vi. 67, 68 (?j, and p. 25.
^
De Mokga.x, RccJicrches stir Ics origincs, ii. figs. 698 rz and and p. 192. l>,
Von BissiNG, Lcs origines dc V Egypt, in I'Aiithropologic, ix. 1898, pi. iii.
figs. 7, 9, II, and p. 249. Petrie, Royal Tombs, ii. pi. \\.a, xxxiv. 21, 22, and
p. 37 ; Ahydos, ii. pi. ii. 13, iii. 22 (Mnsees royanx de Bruxelles), and p. 24.
There is also a specimen in tlie MacGrcgor Collection, Tamwortli (No. 534).
There are two breeds of dogs to be distinguished a kind of :
mastiff, strong and powerful, which was employed in lion-hunting^ ;
and breed of large running dogs, of slender build, with

also a
pendant ears, the head much like our modern foxhound, and
with a coat either black and white, or white and reddish brown. ^
It is to this class of animal that the dog belongs which is
represented by ivory an carving discovered at Hierakonpolis,

now in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford^ (Fig- HS) I
^'so two
rough fragments in clay, which Mr. Ouibell recognizes as dogs.^
Fig. 145.
— Part of an Ivory Figure of a Dog.
They are specially interesting from the analogy they present

with European figures'' (Fig. 144). These are almost all the
examples of this species which have been found.
^
Petrie, Abydos, ii.
pi. ii.
13. Ouibell, Hierakonpolis, i.
pi. .xi.x. 6, and
Fig. 68 of this book.
^
See Lenormant, Fr., Sw les animaicx c7?iployes par Ics anciens ligyptiens
a la cJiasse et a la guerre, in the Cumptes rcftdits dcs seances dc V Acadhfiie des
sciences dc Paris, October 31st, November 7th, I4t!i, and 28th, 1870. Reprinted
in h'otcs sur itn voyage en fi.gypte, Paris, Gauthier-Villars, 1870.
^
were carved separately and are now missing. It is the dog of
'Ihe feet
which was publislied by Quibell, Hierakonpolis,
a portion only ]il.
xii. 7. i.
The same breed is found, especially at Beni Hasan, under the twclftli dynasty.
.See Newberry, P. E., Be7ii Hasati, i. pi. xxx. See on the dogs of Egypt,
besides Lenormant's article,quoted in tiic preceding note, Bn<CH, TJic Tablet of
Antefaa //., in tlie Transaciioiis of the i>ociety of Biblical Archceology/w. 1S75,
pp. 172-195, and fig. pi.
''
Ouibell &
Green, Hierakonpolis, ii. pi. Ixiii. 7, 10, and p. 50.
Reinach, S., La sculpture en Europe avant les influc7tccs greco-romaincs,
*
fig. 366, p. 125. Hoernes, Urgeschichte der bildenden Kunst ini Europa, pi. xv.
I
-14, and p. 522.
I The figure, fiicrakoftpolis, Ixiii. 7, appears to me to represent
In the Hierakonpolis, as in that of Abydos,

temple at
enormous numbers of figures of apes were found, in stone and

ivory, and also in glazed pottery, white and brown, light green,
and blue or purple.
The most pieces are blocks of stone from Abydos,
curious
barely roughed out, and of which the head only is clearly indi-
cated (Fig. 146). By the side of these there was a natural flint,
with a projection bearing a vague resemblance to the head of
a monkey. Petrie remarks that this likeness was the cause of
Fig. 146.
— Natural Flints roughly worked to resemble Baboons.
Found in the temple of Abydos.
"
its being preserved. The great natural flint seems to have
been kept," he says, "as being like a quadruped, and [another]
for its likeness to a baboon. No other large flints were found
in the whole temple area, and these must have been brought a
mile or more from the desert. As they were placed with the
rudest figures of baboons that we know, it seems that we have
here the primitive fetish stones picked up because of their like-
ness to sacred animals, and perhaps venerated before any
a hull,and should be compared with those discovered at tlie station of Argar, in

.Spain see Siret, H. & L., Lcs p7'eviicrs ages du metal da/is Ic sud-est dc l' Kspairjic,
:
Anvers, 1887, pi. xvii. 1-3, and pp. 123, 124; also with those discovered at Cncuteni.
See BuTZUREANO, Gr. C, Note sur Couconteni et plusieurs autrcs stations dc la
Moldavie du nord, in tlie Conipte 7'cndu du Cong7rs intcniational d' antln'opologie
et d'areheologic prr/iistoriqiirs, tenth session, at Paris, in
1S89, Paris, 1891,
pp. 299-307 and pi. ii.
17, 18. — Informatinn idntrihuted by the Baron de Loc.
1 86 PRIMITIVE ART IN EGYPT.
images were attempted."

artificial Wc will not insist on this ^
point, which touches on the purpose of these figures a subject

—
with which we will deal later.
From the temple of Hierakonpolis there is another very
rough stone figure.^ The species of monkey here represented is
the c\'nocephalus, seated on the ground, the fore-paws resting
on theFigures of this class are extremely numerous,
knees.
always copied from the same type, sometimes summarily, some-

times worked with careful observation and a regard for detail
which is quite remarkable.^ One group gives the figure of two

small apes seated in front of a large one.^ All these statuettes
are in glazed pottery, except one, which is in ivory'' (Fig. 147).
We must mention, as exceptions to these, another kind of
monkey which inspired the primitive artist to a remarkable
degree. These were found at Hierakonpolis and Abydos, and
represent a monkey who holds her young one tenderly in her
arms,^ the turning its head round and looking back
little one
with a gesture of alarm. Or, again, there is the ape seated,
its fore- paws
touching the ground. In this last example the
artisthas completely separated the paws, which rest in a perfectly
natural manner on a small square base." There is also a figure
of a baboon walking, where the gait has been seized and
rendered with much spirit** (Fig. 147)-
The head of an ape in pottery, now in the Ashmolean
Museum, Oxford,
appears part to have formed of a more
finished specimen than the numerous examples just quoted in
glazed pottery.^
'
Petrif, Ahydos, ii.
pi. ix. 190-196, p. 27.
^
OuiBELL &
Green, Hierakonpolis^ ii. pi. xxxii. i, and p. 43.
'
Petrie, Abydos, pi. liii. 7-9, 1, and p. ;j5
i. ii. pi. vi. 50-61, 64, 65, and p. 25
1
;
— ;
ix. 197, 202, and p. 27 x. 217-219, and p. 27;

xi. 233, 235, 238, 247, 24S, 253, and ;
p. 28. OuiBELL, Uiaakonpolis, pi. xxi. 10, 11 xxii. 11, 12.

i. ;
Petkie, Abydos, ii. pi. vi. 49, and p. 25.

<
lb. ii. pi. xi. 12, and p. 24.

'••
"
lb. ii. pi. iv. V. 41, and p. 25 (glazed pottery). OuiBELL, Hierakonpolis,
i. pi. xviii. 1
(stone).
'
Petrie, Abydos, ii.
pi. iii. 16, and p. 24 (ivory).
*
lb. ii.
pi. i. vii. 86, and p. 25 (glazed pottery).
•'
Qun-!ELL & Green, Hierakonpolis, ii.

pi. Ixii. i, and p. 49.
Fig. 147.
— I'lGUKiis or Wonkkys.
Representations of bulls, cows, and calves were already

in use in the prehistoric cemeteries, as was proved by the
discoveries of Mr. Maclver at El Amrah. These animals are
sometimes grouped in rows of four on the same base. Most
frequently they are simply formed of unbakedmud, and so
extremely friable that it is difficult to preserve thcm.^ Occa-
sionally one or two are found which have been baked. At
Diospolis and Abydos other pieces have been discovered, where
pig^ (Fig. 148), the jackal,- the antelope,^ the bear,' the hare," and,
finally, of the camel, which up to the present has been considered
an animal introduced into Egypt at a very recent period."
Two camels' heads were discovered at Ab\-dos and Hiera-
konpolis, in terracotta, where the characteristic movement of
the lower lip leaves no doubt as to its identity (Fig. 149).
Fig. 149.
— Camel's Head in Clay, found at Hierakonfolis.
The camel must, therefore, have been introduced into Egypt at
the commencement of the historical era, only to disappear
'
MacIver & Mace, El Amrah and Abydos, pi. ix. 4 (?). Petrie, Abydos^
ii.
pi. vi. 66, and p. 25. Quibell, Hicrakonpolis, i.
pi. xxi. 7
= xxii. 8, and p. 8 ;
ii. and p. 39.

-
Quibell, Hicrakonpolis, and p. 8 (dog ?) ii. p. 39 (hyena ?).
i.
pi. xx. 12, ;
•''
Jb., i.
pi. xxi. and p. 8 ii. p. 39.
13, xxii. 13, 17, ;
Petrie, Abydos, ii. pi. ii. 15, and p. 24.

"'
M. F. de Zeltner writes to me on
"
this subject L'ours ne semble avoir jamais existe (en Afrique) que dans les
:
montagnes de I'Atlas, ou il n'est d'ailleurs pas 6teint, quoique tres rare."

'
Petrie, Naqada, pi. vii. Ix. 17, and pp. 14, 35.
"
See, for the latter view, Von Bissing, Znr Gcschicliic dcs Kaniels, in the
Zcitschrift fiir a<(yptisc/ic Sprachc, xxxviii. 1900, pp. 68, 69. To the books
referred to by the author must be added. Bulletin dc I'lnstifiif i\<^y/<ficn, first
series. No. 14, 1875-8, pp. 57, 61, 62.

promptly, leaving practically no trace. According to the theory

of M. Zippelius, it appears that it was the same with the
horse.^
Small figures of birds make their appearance with the com-

mencement of the primitive period. The specimens discovered
arc in quartz, glazed pottery, stone, bone, and lead.^ The hawk
is the most frequently represented, without feet, as though it
were mummified, in the position so often found on Egyptian

monuments, more especially on the stelae of Hierakonpolis.^
A fair number have been discovered at Hierakonpolis ^ and
Abydos." The feet are occasionally folded back under the
body, as figure found at Koptos, now in the

in the limestone
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford." These representations appear to
have been little modified during the first dynasties, to judge
by the models of birds found at Medum, in the temple of the
pyramid of Sneferu, which Petrie attributed, even at the time
of their discovery, to a very remote age.' Does this indicate
that they were copied from a fixed t}'pe, and that the artist did
not venture to depart from the model? The proof appears to
OuiBELL & Green, Hierakonpolis, \\. pi. Ixii. 2, and p. 49, where it is
^
considered as the head of an ass. Petrie, Abydos, ii. pi. \. 224, and pp. 27, 49
(read Zippelius instead of Zippelin). Zippelius, Das Pfcrd i7n Pharaoiicnlande,
in the ZcitscJirift filr Pferdekimde und Fferdezucht (Wiirzburg), xvii. 1900,
pp. 125-127, 133-135, 142-144, 149-151-
2
Petrie, Naqada, pi. Ix. 14, 15, 18-20, and p. 46 (Ashmolean .Museum,
Oxford, with the exception of 20, which is at University College, London).
Diospoiis, p. 26.
^
QuiBELL, Hierakonpolis^ i.
pl. xlvi. 7, 11.
•*
lb., i.
pl. xxi. 14, xxii. 14, 15. Ouibell & Green, Hierakonpolis, ii.
pl.
xxiii.(beads of glazed pottery in form of birds).
Petrik, Abydos, i. pl. liii. 6 (limestone) ii. pl.
•''
;
vii. 79-83 (glazed pottery), 84
(quartz) pl. ix. 198 (?), 199 (limestone)
;
the base ;
is hollowed to allow of the
figure being placed on a staff or at the top of a standard. See p. 27 xi. 242 ;
(glazed pottery). See also Petrie, Diospolis, pl. vii. (no precise description
in the text). There is a specimen of imcertain provenance in the MacGregor
Collection (No. 3,813), and three others of unusual dimensions in tlie Randolph
Berens Collection, deposited at the South Kensington Museum.
^
Petrie, Koptos, pl. v. 6, and p. 7.
"
Petrie, Medum, London, 1892, pl. xxix. t-5, and p. 9, 35
'
Glazing of No. 3, :
a clear light purplish blue, with dark purple stripes, is also early, and cannot be of
the eighteenth dynasty, nor Iiardly of the twelftii. I think probably, therefore,
that these are contemporary with the decease of Sneferu, and tlie oldest small
figures known" (1892).
be found in a small fi<ûre from Hierakonpolis,' which shows

the admirable way which the hawk was represented when
in
the artists were not forced to adhere closely to a model.

Finally, the excavations at Hierakonpolis yielded a statuette,
which is unique, of a pelican, or perhaps a turkey, in glazed
pottery- (Fig. 150).
In the great tomb at Naqada M. de Morgan discovert d a
series of fish in ivory, pierced at the mouth for suspension. On
Fig. 150. —Figures of Birds and of Griffins.

Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, and University College, London.
several examples lines are carefully inscribed on the surface to
supply the details.'' Ancjther fish in glazed pottery comes from
Hierakonpolis.' The same excavations have also contributed

the model of a basket in steatite decorated with fish," and from
'
OuiBELL, Hierakonpolis, i.
pi. xviii. 5 (schist), p. 7 (Ashmolean Museum,
" Found
Oxford) ;
ii.
p. 38 :
temple, hut not in main deposit, it is doubtless
in tlie
of later date tlian the rest, and has been put in this place by error, as a fragment
of a diorite bowl v\ itli the name of Khufu incised. . . ."
-
OuiBELL, Hierakonpolis^ i.
pi. xxi. 15, xxii. 16, and p. 8.
'
De Morgan, Rccherches stir les origines, ii.
figs. 701-713, and p. 193.
Capakt, Aoies sur les origines de VRgypte d'apres les fouilles reccntes, in the
Revue de VUniversitc de Bruxellcs, iv. 1898-g, p. 128, note 4 and fig. (separate
reprint, p. 28). A similar fragment was discovered at Abydos. Petrie, Royal
ToniOs, ii. pi. iii. «, 10, and p. 21.
'
OuiBELL, Hierakonpolis, i. pi. xxi. 16, xxii 18.
lb. i. pi. xix. 2 = XX. 7, and p.

•''
8.
192 PRhAlITIVE ART IN EGYPT.
the excavations at Abydos come figures of crocodiles in glazed
pottery.^
Figures of scorpions in carnelian are frequently found at the
close of the primitive period (sequence dates 70-80) ^ they were ;
found in large numbers in the temple of Hierakonpolis, and are

made in various materials — serpentine, rock crystal, haematite,
and glazed pottery^ (Fig- iSO-
Figures of frogs are found, commencing at the primitive
period/ They are of frequent occurrence at Hierakonpolis'' and
Abydos,'^ both in stone and in glazed pottery (Fig. 151).

In conclusion, we must mention a curious figure of a feline
creature with a bird's head, discovered at Naqada." A similar
specimen is at University College, London ;

the body of the
animal is ornamented with two gold bands. This may be
identified with the weird animal tt

^^.
or —— h K\ S, sga or
sag, which in the twelfth dynasty was still represented by the

Egyptians in hunting scenes'* (Fig. 150).
A fair number of these animal figures are pierced for
suspension, admitting supposition the that they were used as

amulets. We
have already seen in Chapter III. that several
schist form present the same characteristic.
palettes of animal
We will, therefore, now admit provisionally that several of these
figures had either a magical or a religious purpose. Amulets of
this description, representing crocodiles, frogs, fish, birds, scorpions,
1
Petrie, Abydos, i. pi. vi. 74-76, and p. 25 ; Diospolis, p. 26, figures a crocodile
in serpentine, sequence date 52.
-
PEruiE, Diospolis, p. 27, and pi. iv.
^
QuiBELL, Hierako7ipolis, i.
pi. xviii. 5 (serpentine), 16 (crystal), 22 xix. 5
= XX. 10 (haematite); xxi. 4 = xxii. 4 (glazed pottery); — ii.
pi. xxiii. (glazed beads)
;
xxxii. (haematite).
*
Petrie, Naqada, pi. Iviii. ; Diospolis, p. 26 (sequence date 65).
''
QuiBELL, Hierakonpolis, i.
pi. xviii. 10, 11, 14.
•^
Petrie, Abydos, ii. pi. vi. 72 (glazed pottery); x. 214 (glazed pottery);
xi. 240, 245 (glazed pottery). Several stone specimens in the Petrie Collection,
University College, London, and three examples in the Randolph Berens
Collection, deposited at South Kensington Museum.
^
Petrie, !\'aqada, pi. Ix. 13.
®
CiiJ^BPiS,£tiides sttr Paniiquiie histofique, Paris, 1873, pp. 399-400. Maspero,
Lectures historiques : Histoire ancienne, Paris, 1892, pp. 116, 117, and fig. 67.
SCULPTURE AND PAINTING. 19:
jackals, lions, etc., are found among the antiquities of classical
Egypt.
As we are speaking of amulets, I will quote what Dr. Petrie
has said with regard to a class of objects which are in the form
"
of bulls' heads : The oldest form of amulet found is the
bull's head. . . . The origin of this form was a puzzle until an
example was found at Abydos, on which the flat front and
Fig. 151.
— Figures of Frogs and of Scorpions,
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, and Univcrsitj' College, London.
muzzle form of the lower end left no doubt that it must be

copied from a bull. It begins at sequence date 46, or earlier,
and continues in use till sequence date 6"], when it is vcr}-
degraded. A
form, ai)parcntly continued from this, is found in
blue marble with beads of the twelfth dynasty, so it may c\en
iiavc lasted on as late. Jût the connection with the bull's head
had disappeared early, while the idea of such an amulet seems
to have continued, as we find well-made bull's head amulets
13
194 PRIMITIVE ART IN P:GYPT.
of carnelian at about the close of the prehistoric [era], and
such continued to be used in the fifth and sixth dynasties,
gradually dwindling in size." Dr. Petrie compares with this

"
factthe painted skulls of bulls discovered in the pan graves,"
"
and continues Looking to the West, we find
: bronze bull's
head amulets in Spain, and
large bronze bulls' heads to
hang up on buildings in
Majorca {Revue arcJieologique,

1897, 138). Gold bull's head
amulets are found in Cyprus
and Mykenae, and at present
cows' skulls are hung on houses
in Malta, and fruit trees in
Sicily and Algiers, to avert the
evil eye. The whole subject of
bucrania is opened by these
prehistoric bull's head amulets."^
Fig. 152.
— Bulls Head Amulet in
A fine in
Ivory.
very specimen
ivory belonging to the Berlin
Berlin Museum.
Museum (No. 14,964) shows
clearly that it is intended for a bull's head (Fig. 152).
^
Petrie, Diospolis, p. 26 Naqada, pi. Iviii. Prelusioric Egypticai Carx'ings,
; ;
in Mail, 1902, No. 14, p. 17, pi. B, 8-16; Abydos, i. pi. li. 4, 5, and p. 23;
pi. .xiv. 2cSi, and p. 30. ScHAEFER, Neue Altertimier der nezv race'^ aus
''
ii.
Ncgadah, in the Zcitsc/ir/Jf fiir iigyptische SpracJic, xxxxv. 1896, fig. 6, p. 180.
On the subject of bucrania in Egypt see Wiedemann, Zii Petrie s nciicn Fmidcii,
in the Orientalistische Litteraturzeitung, ii. 1899,001. 182-184; Compte rendu dc
Hierakonpolis, i. ib. col. 331. Golenischeff, l.cttre a M. G. Maspero siir irois

pctitcs trouvailles egyptologigues, in tlie Recueil de traTaux relatifs a la philnlogie
et a Varclieologie egyptien/irs et (issvrieiutes, xi. 1889, p. 98. Lefebure, Les Huttes
de Cham, in the Museo/i, xvii. 1898, p. ^yô et sc(/.\ Rites egyptiens : Constructio7i
et protection des edifices {Pi/blicatiotts de PJicole des lettres d' Alger : Bulletin de
coiTCSpondance africaine), Paris, i8go, p. 20 et seq. Naville, The Festival

Hall of Osorkon II. in the great temple of Bubastis, London, 1892, pi. ix. 9, and
p. 21. Daressy, Catalogue gateral des mitiquitcs cgyptiennes du Musce du Cai?c;
Ostraca, pi. v. No. 25,019 Crevers), and p. 5. Masi'ERO, La Pyramidc du roi Ounas,
in the Recueil de travaux relatifs a la philologie et a Varclieologie egyptiennes et
assyrienfies, iv. 1883, p. 48, line 423 and the variants in La Pyramidc du roi Teti,
;
ib. V. 1884, p. 29, line 242. Capart, La fete dcfrapper les Anou, in the Revue de
rhistoire des religions, xliii. 1901, pp. 252, 253 (separate reprint, jip. 4, 5).
These bull's head amulets bear sufficient resemblance in their
general aspect to a Mykenean ornainent, to render it

interesting^
to note the analogy^ (Fig- I53)-
European prehistoric remains have furnished a large number
of figures representing " animals back to back, with the bodies
united at the croup, so as to present the appearance of a single
body terminated by two heads, forming a pendant.""

Most frequently these are small bronze pendants, formed of
f\i..i3^
S.6
^
^ — VJ
Fig. 153.
— Bull's Head Amulets.
two bulls, back

back as M. Salomon Reinach remarks,
to ;
there is
scarcely an important museum which does not possess
some of them. Similar figures arc also found in primitive Egypt,
more especially on the cylinders. They will be found in our
Fig. 114 (M 560), and also upon a palette with figures in relief
which we shall deal with later. The Hilton Price Collection,
London, includes three curious ivories representing these double

bulls, where the feet are not indicated. Like some of the
'
Perrot & Chipiez, Histoire de Vart dans Vantiquiti'^ vi., La Grccc
primitive, /'art myccniaiy fig. 223, p. 546.
Reinach, S., La sculplurc en Europe avant
-
Ics influences grcco-romaincs,
pp. II 3- 5, and figs. 320-327.
1
1
European figures, they have a tenon in the middle of the back

to permit of their being suspended^ (Fig. 154).
In certain tombs of the earHest primitive period, between the
sequence dates 3^ and 44, there is found a pair of ivory horns

or tusks. One is always solid, the other hollow. They are
Fig. 154.
— Double Bull's Head Amulets.
Hilton Price Collection.
sometimes quite undecorated, ending in a point," and pierced at

that end for suspension sometimes at the pointed end there
;
is
a groove and ring. In this case there are two eyes, and lines
indicating a beard engraved on the surface of the horn in some ;
^
Hilton Price, Some Ivories from Abydos, in the Proceedings of tlic
Society of Biblical Archcrology^ xxii. igoo, p. 160 and plate. The block of onr
Fig. 154 has been lent by the kindness of the Society of Biblical Archaeology.
'^
Petrie, Diospolis, p. 21. MacIver & Mace, El Amrah and Abydos,

pi. vii. 2, and p. 48.
instances the eyes are represented by beads. Occasionally, also,

^
and this is the most interesting form, the horns terminate in a

human head, worked with care. On the top of the head there
is a ring for suspension- (Fig. 155).
The precise purpose of these objects is difficult to determine.
Fig. 155.
— Magical I.nstruments (?) in Ivory.
University College, London, and Ashmolean Museum.
Dr. Petric supposes that they formed i)art of the equipment of a

sorcerer, or medicine man. The horns remind him of the belief
of the negroes of the Gold Coast, who imagine that white men
can by enchantment catch the souls of the natives in horns.
•
Petrie, Naqada^ ])1. Ixi. 34, 35 |)]. Ixiv. <Si, and jij). 19, 21, 47.
;
-
Hilton Price, Two objects fro?n prehistoric tombs, in the Zcitschrift fiir
(igypt/sc/ie Sprache, xx.\vii. 1899, p. 47 and fig. Notes upon some Predynastic
and Early Dynastic Anti(jii/tics from Egypt in tlie writer's collection, in
Archaologia, hi. 1899 (separate reprint, p. 2, and fig. 1).

and convc}' them thus to their own country to make them
toil for them.^ In the Congo certain negroes believe that the
sorcerers possession of human souls, enclose them in
can gain
ivory horns, and sell them to the white men, who make them
work in their country on the sea coast. They imagine that a
large number of labourers at the coast are men who have been
procured in this manner. When one
of the natives goes there for purposes
of commerce, he frequently searches
anxiously for his dead relations. The

man whose soul is thus given over
to slavery will die rapidly or in-
stantaneously."
would gladly connect with this
I
belief the custom observed by Alice
Werner in British Central Africa. An

old woman carried round her neck a
hollow ivory ornament, about 3 inches
in length and in the form of a round
peg, pointed at the top, with a slight

groove by which it could be suspended.
This object, which exactly corresponds
to the Egyptian ivories, was called
by this woman her life, or her soul.
Fig. 156.— Magical Instrument Naturally, she WOUld not part with it;
MADE OF Horn, from Katanga.
,, .
^ „ .
^ ,
a
1
colonist
•
, .
tried
•
1
•
in vam
•
.1buy
to it
of her.^
This interesting ethnological comparison appears to be con-
firmed by an object said to come from Katanga, which I have
recently had the good fortune to acquire (F"ig. 156). The magic
instrument is made of horn the patina which covers
; it, as well as
the deep grooving formed by long use in the suspension holes,
indicate that it dates back a very considerable number of years.
It is now at University College, London.
'
Petrie, Naqada, p. 47; DiospoUs, p. 21.
Frazer, The Golden Bough, 2nd ed.

-
i.
p. 279.
^
lb., 2nd. cd. iii. p. 407, note 4.
Certain of the prehistoric tombs of Naqada contain cla}'

models of boats, sometimes decorated with paintings (Fig. 157).
We have already seen that one of these boats was painted in
an unsophisticated fashion on the edge with small human
figures representing rowers.^ The crew was also represented
at times by small clay figures- (Fig. 158). According to
Professor Petrie, these
paintings show
they were not that
intended to represent boats built of wood, but those made of
Fig. 157.
— Models of Boats in Clay and Ivouy.
reeds or papyri tightly bound together, such as were in use
throughout the whole of the historical period in Egypt.'' A

specimen in alabaster, from the ro\al tombs of Abydos, distinctly
shows this method of construction.'
Similar boats have been discovered in the excavations at
Petrie, Naqada, pi. xxxvi. 80, ^\ a and h, and y\K ij, 41 pi. Ixvi. i, and
'
:
p. 48. De Morgan, Recherches siir Ics origincs, ii. p. 91, figs. 235-237, p. 90.
- " "
ScHAEFER, Nc7tc Altcrtumer dcr nczu race aus NegadaJi, in tlie Zeitschrift
fur (igyptlschc Sprachc, xxxiv. 1896, pp. 159, 161, fig.
^
P2rman, Life in Ancient Egypt, p. 479 et scq.
'
Petrie, Aliydos, i.
pi. ix. 4.
EI Amrah^ and at Abydos.- They also occur frequently in the
great find of ivories at Hierakonpolis. The shape of one of these
specimens strangely Venetian gondola^ (Fig- I57)- The

recalls the
presence at these various sites of boats in clay and ivory is of

very great importance. We shall have occasion to refer to it
again, more in detail.
A clay model of a house, discovered at El Amrah, gives

us an idea of the habitations of the primitive Egyptians, and
Fig. 15S. — Pottery Boat with Figures of Men.

BerlinMuseum.
shows that they were made of beaten mud, probably covered

with strips of palm wood imbedded in clay wattle and mud. —
A door is inserted in the wall at one end, and at the other
end arc two windows ;
the door already shows the principal
characteristics of the door-shaped stelae of the Ancient Empire'
(Fig. 159)-
'
MacIver & Mace, El Amrah and Abydos, pi. ix. 8, and p. 41.
^
Petrie, Abydos, ii.
pi. iii. 20, and p. 24 (ivory) ;
vii. 89, 90, and p. 26 (glazed
pottery).
^
QuiBELL, Hierakonpolis, pi. v. and p. 6. i.
^
MacIver, a Prehistoric Cemetery at El Amrah in Egypt: Preliminary
Report of Excavations, in Man, 1901, No. 40, p. 51, and fig. i, p. 50. MacIver &
A tomb discovered DiospoHs contained fragments of a

at
model of a fortified enclosure, with figures of two men looking
over the walP (Fig. i6o).
Wehave now completed our examination of the principal
pieces carved in the round, and we should proceed to study
the primitive drawing and painting. We must, however, not
Fig. 159.
— Clay Modki. of a Hol'sf. discovkkkd at Ki. Amkaii.
omit to mention the carvings in low relief described in the
chapter on ornamental art reliefs on

— the slate palettes, on
handles of knives, on fragments of furniture, and on vases in
pottery and stone. We shall see in the following chapter that
Mace, El Ainrah and Abydos, pi. .\-.

1-3, and ]>. 42. .Soo, 011 the houses of tlie
primitive age, Petrie, T/ie Sotirces and Growth of Architcctior, in the Journal
of the Royal InsttUitc of British Architects, third series, viii. 1901, pp. 341-343,
and figs. 1-4.
'
Petkie, Diospolisy pi. vi. B 83, and ji. 32 (Ashmolcan Musi'inn, ().\fnrd).
this art developed greatly at the commencement of the historical
period, and that it produced masterpieces of extraordinary power.
The primitive drawings and paintings arc to a large extent
already known to us. We have met with them in personal
decoration, on the slate palettes, on the vases, and principally
upon the pottery. In this chapter it only remains for us to

examine two classes of drawings, the graffiti engraved on the
rocks and the paintings of a prehistoric tomb discovered by
Mr. Green not from Hierakonpolis.
far
Upon the rocks of the Arabian and Libyan mountains
Fig. 160. — Clay Model of a Fortified Enclosure.

there has been observed and copied, although unfortunately in

a very incomplete fashion, a scries of drawings of men, animals,
and boats in a style identical with that of the pottery marks and
the paintings on decorated pottery.^ This has led to the legitimate
'
Wiedemann, Lcs tnodes d'cnsevcUsscmciit dans la nccropolc de NcgadaJi et
la questio7i de I'origine die peuple egyptien, in De Morgan, Recherches sicr les
oiigines de I'J^gypie, ii.

p. 222, and note i, where the following works are
quoted :
— De Morgan, loc. cit. i.
p. 162 ct seq. and figs. 487-492. Golenischeff,
Utie cxcHi'sion d Bcraiicc, in the Rcciieil dcs traiumx rchitifs a la philologic et
n Varcheologie cgyptieiities et assyriennes, xiii. i8go, j)l.
iv. 17, pi. vii. 62.
Petrie, Teti Years' Digghigy 1881-91, London, 2nd ed. 1893, p. 75, fig. 57 :
"To judge by the weathering of the rock, it seems probable that they were
begun here long before any of the monuments of Egypt tliat we know. The
usual figures are of men, horses, and boats, but there are also camels, ostriches,
and elephants to be seen."
conclusion that they also belong to the primitive age. These

drawings are frequently mixed with representations accompanied
by hieroglyphic inscriptions, and in some cases it is extremely
difficult to establish a clear line of demarcation between the
primitive graffiti and those of more recent date.^ In some
cases, however, there is no possible doubt. I must quote
as specially noteworthy respect 'some graffiti copied by
in this
M. Legrain at Gebel-Hetematt,^ which closely resemble those at

Silsileh noticed by Dr. Petrie.-''
The most important graffiti, which appear to me

to belong
to the primitive period, will be found in Fig. 161. Their analogy

with pottery marks in P'ig. 1 1 1 is
the particularly remarkable.
Some of these animal figures are arranged in squares, as on the
red pottery with white paintings. Certain curious representations
may perhaps indicate the use of the horse. This remark should
be taken in conjunction with the theory of M. Zippelius, to
which we have recently alluded.
One of these graffiti merits special notice. A man is
apparently thrusting a harpoon into an animal's hide, which

seems to be stretched on the ground, with another harpoon
already fixed in it. In this representation I see an analogy with

that of an ivory tablet discovered in the tomb of King Den
Setui, of the first dynasty.'

In Wady Hammamat, the great road which connects the
Nile Valley with the coast of the Red Sea, M. Golenischeff

has noted several graffiti which also seem to belong to the
primitive period, notably representations of the ostrich,
and even
'
The
primitive graffiti can be distinguished
from those of the hiôric period
by patina which covers them.
the See SchweinI'L-rth, G., Aegyptischc
"
Ticrbildcr ah Kicsclartefakte, in Die Umschau, vii. 1903, p. 806: Diese
Tierbilder versetzen uns im Geiste in jene Zeiten, da die Urbewohner von
Acgypten und Nordvvestafrika iihnliche Zeichnungen in die Felsvvande
einkratzten, die in den Sandsteintalern Oberiigyptens hiiufig angetroffen warden
und von deren hohem Alter die briiunHche Patina Zengnis ablegt, mit der die
Linien bedeckt erscheincn, wilhrend datierte Inschriften aus der Zeit der 5. und
6. Dynastic (bei el Qab), die z. T. iiber di^ alteren liinweg eingeritzt wurden,
aussehen von gestern, wie Prof. Sayce bezeugen kann."
als vvaren sie
-
De Morgan, Recharhcs siir Ics ori;îiies dc Vligyptc, i. fig. 487, p. 162.
Petrie, Ten Years' Digging in Egypt, p. 75. ^g- 57-

•'
Petrie, Royal Tombs, ii. pi. vii. 11 Ahydos, i. pi. \\. 8.

'
;
^r-^
Fig. i6i. — riKAriTii irom thk Rocks of Ui'pkr Ecypt.

The three figures at the bottom arc from the soutli of tlic province of Oran.
sculpturp: and painting. 205
of a man lassoing an ostrich. We must also mention a boat

which occurs here, although not absolutely identical with it is
the primitive boats, and it should perhaps be attributed to the

Ancient Empire.^ The quarries of Silsileh have also furnished
a large number of similar graffiti, personages, ships, animals,
etc.- In conclusion, we must mention the graffiti of ¥A Kab,
and more especially of a boat which is an exact counterpart of
those of the tomb of Hierakonpolis, which we shall presently
consider.^
It is scarcely necessary to mention that similar graffiti have
been found peoples differing widely from each other
among ;
among the Australians,' the Bushmen,^ and even in the French
prehistoric graves." A most striking resemblance exists between

the Egyptian graffiti and those in the south of the province of
Oran here the identity is almost absolute.
;
The comparison,
when extended to the designs engraved on the vases (Fig. iii),
isexceedingly striking, and we
find here a new proof of the close
connection between the primitive Egyptians and the Libyans.^
M. Zaborowski has attempted to demonstrate that these graffiti
" "
constitute the embryonic forms
of hieroglyphic writing.** What
we have already said on the subject of primitive hieroglyphs will
^
GoLENiscHEFF, Inscripiio7is dii Oiiady Havwianiaf, in the Mcmoires de la
Section orientate de la Societe itnpcfiale russc d\irchcologie (in Russian), ii. 1887,
pi. V. 1-3, pi. xiii.
-
Antiquities in Egypt: Prehistoric Rock Drawings, in the Graphic,
January ist, 1898, fig. 7, with four photos.
Green, Prehistoric Draivings at El
^
Kal), in the Proceedings of the Society
of Biblical ArchfBology, xxv. 1903, pp. 371, 372, witli pi. and fig.
Crosse, Les Dclnds de I' Art, pp. 125 et scq.

•*
'"
Crosse, ib. p. 138 et scq. and ,

pi. iii. Christoll, Fred., An snd de
VAfrique, Paris, 1897, Co mptc rendu in V Anthropologie, xi. 1900, p. 78 et scq.
^
See, among others, L. Capitan, L. &
H. Breuil, Les gravnres sur les parols
des grottes prchistoz-iqites, la grotlc dc Combarcllcs, in the Rc7/uc de I'Ecole
d'anthropologie de Paris, xii. 1902, pp. 33-46.
du snd Oranais, in tlie Revue
'
Bonnet, Les gravtircs snr roches
d^cthtiographie, viii. 1889, pp. 149-158 and fig. Compare fig. 6 with our Fig. in;
"
P- 155 Ouelqucs personnages ont les bras leves dans I'attitude de I'admiration
:
on de priere. Csell, Les nwnunicnts antiques de PAlgcrie, i. Paris, 1901,

la
pp. 41-54, and figs. 10-14. i'lie ram bearing the disc on his head, fig. 13, p. 46,
may be compared to our Fig. 1 1, Am 19. 1
Z.vborowski, Origines africaincs de la civilisation de Pancicnne ligyptc,

**
in the Revue scientifique, fourth series, xi. 1899, pp. 293, 294.
2o6 PRIMITIVE ART IN EGYPT.
probably be sufficient to show how small a foundation there is
for such an explanation.

The graffiti, moreover, the earliest of which may probably date
back to show points of resemblance with the
palaeolithic times,
pottery marks, which, as wc have already seen, are more especially

met with on the vases of the black topped, and of the red polished
pottery. It is, however, with the scenes on the decorated pottery
that we should compare the paintings in the prehistoric tomb

disco\'ered in 1899 by Mr. Green
at Hierakonpolis.' In the course
of the second season of excavations in this locality, a workman
living in the neighbourhood reported that, at the extreme south-

east of the prehistoric cemetery, there were walls with traces of
painting. The tomb had unhappily been pillaged two or three

years previously, but it nevertheless contained sufficient pottery,
which had been judged valueless by the pillagers, to render it
possible to date the tomb, approximately at least, to sequence
date 63.-
The tomb was entirely constructed of bricks, plastered over
with mud mortar, 5 millimetres thick. The walls were finally
washed over with yellow ochre or whitewash. Some of these
walls were decorated, and at the present time one of the sides,
happily the longest, has retained its decoration in fairly good

condition.^ The lower part was painted blue-black to a height
of about 27 centimetres. This lower part was separated from
the scenes by a line of red ochre, of a width of about 2 centimetres.
The task of copying these invaluable representations was extremely
difficult, damaged by the action of time and by
the wall being
pillagers, and we cannot be sufficiently grateful to Mr. Green

for the care which he brought to the execution of the work.
His work in various places was rendered more difficult by

the primitive artist, who, having made his sketch in red, had
sometimes effaced it, and in doing so stained with red the yellow
ground, on which he once more drew the figure. After an
attentive study of all the details, Mr. Green came to the very
'
OuiBELL & Green, Hierakonpolis, ii. p. 20 ci sc(j. pi. Ixxv.-lxxviii.
-
//a ii.
p. 54 ; note, by Professor Petrie.
•'
//'. ]). 21, pi. Lwiii.
important conclusion that the artist apparently did not attempt

to arrange his figures in any definite order the different scenes
;
are inserted where he found room to place them, after finishing

the larger objects, such as the ships.
We
will now examine these representations somewhat closely
(Figs. 162, 163). The first objects which strike us arc the six large
boats which occupy the greater part of the space, and which
remind us of the boats on the decorated pottery, and also of the
terracotta models which we have already described. The difference
which distinguishes these boats from those painted on the vases
is that wê see no more of the parallel lines which start from
the lower edge and descend vertically. At the bows we notice
the cable for tying up the boat on the deck some palm branches
;
cast a shade over a small erection. In the centre two sliszht
constructions serve as cabins. On one of the drawings the

hinder cabin seen surmounted by a post, a kind of small mast,
is
to which emblems are attached. This is also met with on the

drawings of boats on the decorated pottery. In the stern of one
of these boats a man is seated, working a long oar, ending in
an oval blade, which acts as rudder.
As we have hitherto studied all the objects relating to boats, we
may refer to a very serious objection which has been raised on
and which, I think, is refuted by successive discoveries.
this subject,
Basing his remarks on the drawings of boats on the decorated

pottery published by M. de Morgan and Dr. Petrie, and also
on the specimens at the British Museum and at the Ashmolean
Museum, M. Cecil Torr considered that " the long curved lines,
which have been considered as representing ships, are in rcalit}'
indications of a rampart ;
that the straight shorter lines, the
so-called oars, indicate a species of glacis ;
that the gaj) which
can be observed in this row indicates the approach to the
rampart and, finall)',

; objects considered as cabins arc
that the
in reality small towers
placed on the two sides of the entrance
to the rampart." ^
i\I.Lorct has resumed M.Cecil Torr's arguments, but modif)-ing

'
Cecil T(iRK, Sur (/itclqucs prcicmiiis navircs cgypticns, in I'
Anthropologic,
ix.
1S98, p. 35.
208 rRIMITIVE ART IN EGYPT.
" "
his conclusions to some extent. I believe," he says, that these
so-called vessels represent, with less dexterity in the drawing
and greater awkwardness in the perspective, the same thing as
the sign (
^^^ £^
r;^
. . The curve represents part of the
circumference of the Kdiii ^ — all that a spectator facing it would

be able to view at one glance ;
the lines are intended for a
palisade, interrupted in front of a gateway, which opens between

two fortified buildings. The presence of the palms on the slope
î^ ^. 4k ^^<f \fhh^,
Fig. 162. — Paintings on the Primitive Tomb of Hierakonpolis.
are accounted for quite naturally, and also the standard bearing
the emblem or totem of the tribe inhabiting the Kom." -
Some arguments employed by these scholars are of

of the
great importance, it is very desirable to mention them here, in
order to refute them as far as possible.

To
begin with, there is one fact important to note. It is the
discovery of a drawling on a vase of a sailing vessel (Fig. 91),

the general form of which resembles closely one of the repre-
sentations of the Hierakonpolis tomb.^
'
K61H or Tell : mound, hillock.
-
LoRET, Lc mot fl
{
u^^^
c^ ^;~^ Paris, 1902, p. 7.
— Extract from
the Revue Egyptologique, x.

'
Compare the hieroglyph of the boat in Lepsius, Deitkmdler, ii. 18, where
Torr and Loret object that, although gazelles and ostriches

are found above and below these so-called vessels, fish and
aquatic animals are nc\er represented.
On this point it is only necessary to refer to our Figs.
84 and 93, where the boats are surrounded by hippopotami,
crocodiles, and fish.
"Rowers are never seen figured," they say, "and the vertical or
oblique they represent oars, should start from the upper

lines, if
line of the hull, and not from the lower part."
The oarsmen, in fact, are not represented ;

but as we have just
said, on one of the boats in the Hierakonpolis tomb, there is a
,^S^
.*
Fig. 163.
— Paintings on the Primitive Tomb of Hierakonpolis.
sailor managing the rudder. Again, it may be admitted, without

in any way disproving the identification of these drawings, that
the vertical lines are not oars. Even at that date M. de Morgan
was inclined to consider them rather as fishing tackle.'
An argument of far greater importance is supplied by Dr.
Petrie, who has found these same lines in Egyptian representa-
tions, where it is
impossible to doubt that the}' are intended
to represent a ship. In fact, in one of the halls of the temple
of Seti I., at Abydos, there is a very careful drawing of the
bark of the god Sokaris, and the prow, which is very high, is
the prow rises well above the cabin. SeeSrEiNDORKr, Eiuc ncuc Art agyptischcr
KuHst, in Aegyptiaca, Festschrift fiir Georg Ebcrs, p. 125.
De Morgan, Rccherches sur les origines, ii. p. 91.
•
14
actually decorated with a series of lines recalling those that

we find on the primitive boats.^ It is a curious fact that the
sacred bark has three oars with broad blades, acting as rudder,
such as seen on one of the prehistoric representations.-
is The
temple of Denderah also presents a bark of the god Sokaris, of
later date, where the lines we speak of have almost disappeared.'^
As palm branches placed in the bows, thc\- shade the

to the
place where the pilot is seated.^

With regard to the emblems placed on a post above the
cabin, wc must agree with Dr. Petric and M. dc Morgan in
considering them to be signs indicating either the proprietor of

the boat, the tribe, or the port of sailing.^ Petrie, in this
connection, recalls a story told by Strabo of the sign of a ship
Fig. 164.
— Standards on the Primitivk Boats.
lost in the when exposed in the market-place

Red Sea ;
at
Alexandria it was recognized by a mariner of Gades (Fig. 164).

In the space unoccupied by the boats various figures are
represented, principally hunting relating to wild beasts, which

are las.soed, or caught in a trap shaped like a wheel. The trapped
animals are gazelles of various kinds (Fig. 165), and this drawing
recalls the decoration of a cup discovered by Mr. Maclver at
*
Petrie, Archao logical Notes, in Caulfield, The Teinple of the Kings at
Abydos, London, 1902, pp. 15, 16, and pi. vi.
^
See Fig. 91.
Mariette, Denderah, iv. pi. 64 (after Petrie).
•'
"
Petrie, Naqada, p. 48. Budge, A History of Egypt, i.
p. 71 et seq., where
the question of barks thoroughly discussed. De Morgan, Rcchcrches sur les
is
origines, ii. figs. 240-264, and p. 92. The author believes rather tliat it is intended
for the sign of the tribe to which the proprietor of the vessel belongs.
*
De Morgan, Recherches sur les origincs, ii. p. 93, and fig. 247-264.
SCULPTURE AND PAINTING. 21 I
El Amrah, now University Museum, Oxford.^ On the

in the
upper part of the wall, to the left, a man brandishing a club

attacks a lion (?). Another personage is drawing a bow. Farther
on, antelopes of various kinds, which it would be rash to
attempt to identify precisely, are scattered here and there, and

also birds, one possibly a bustard. It is very tempting to
recognize equidê in the figures on the right and to do so would ;
be perfectly in accordance with the observations we have already

made.
On one of the boats, above the stern cabin, there are two
P'iG. 165.
— Gazelles caught in a Trap and Religious (?) Representations.
Painted tomb of Hierakonpolis.
smallhuman figures roughly sketched ;

above the boat three
women arc standing, their arms raised in the attitude characteristic
of dancing.
The most interesting scenes are depicted under the boats in a
line immediately above the painted base of the wall. On the
left we man
holding a cord, which is tied round tiic necks
see a
of three crouching captives, whom he is preparing to snn'te 01^
the head with his mace. This is an important representation,
'
MacIver & Mace, loc. cil. pi. xv. 17.
which gives us the prototype of the monuments of the Ancient
Empire, such as the bas-reliefs of Wady Magarah or of Sinai,
where the king of Egypt brandishes his mace over a vanquished
enemy. In front of this group there are two personages, each

of whom holds in his hand the sceptre which in the historic age
is the attribute of divinities and of the king, and which does not
appear any other capacity, except in the hands of shepherds.^

in
Immediately afterwards one comes to a strange group consisting

of a man standing, holding two lions (?) by the neck while they
stand on their hind feet. We have already spoken of a similar
figured engraved on the ivories discovered in the temple of
Hierakonpolis (Fig. io8). It is difficult to avoid recognizing in
this group a religious scene, especially when one compares it
with analogous representations of the Aegeo-Cretan people.
Continuing the examination of the wall to the right, we see

an antelope caught by a lasso (the hunter has disappeared) ;
then, a man, who appears to be dismembering with his hands

another antelope which is lying on the ground with the feet tied,
in we know already on the two pieces discovered at
the position
Hierakonpolis and Abydos. May we not recognize in this scene

the capture of the victim by means of the lasso, as Seti I. depicted
it at Abydos," and then the dismemberment of the animal
probably before a religious symbol. It is difficult to identify

exactly what is the object in front of the man who is
sacrificing.
I am much inclined to recognize in it the pillar 111, which
would confirm an hypothesis which I

put forward in a former
work ' (Fig. 164).
'
V. ScuEiL, To7nbeaux thchains, h Tomheaii d'Apoin, in tlie Mi'moircs publics
paries i/icmbrcs dc la Mission a?-cheologique franfaisc du Cairc, v. p. 610, and pi. ii.
-
Mariette, Fouilles exeaitees en Rgypte, en Nubie et an Soudan, Paris,
1867, ii. pi. 50. On comparing the te.\t of Unas, 423, and Teti, 242, with these
scenes, I am disposed to rt'cognize the hunting of Apis quoted on tlie Palermo
stone. See Masfero, review of Pellegrini, Nota supra ufia Iscrizionc Egizia
del Museo di Palermo, in the Revue ciitique^ 1899, P- 4- Naville, La piefTe
de Palermo, in the Reciieil de travaux, xxv. 1903, p. 71. Schaefer, Ein
BruchstUch altdgyptischer Annalen, Berlin, 1902, pp. 21, 23.
Capart, La fate de frapper Ics Anou, in the Revue de I'liisloire des
^
7-eligions, xliii. 1901, pp. 266, 267. Spiegelberc, Dcr Stabkultus bei den Aegypten,
.in the Recucil des travaux, xxv. 1903, p. 190, note 3.
Following this scene of dismemberment \vc find two groups

of combatants, of which we have already given a reproduction
(Fig. 26), and three women (?) crouching on the ground.

We would also point out, on another wall of the tomb, two
figures of men walking, the style of painting having already
progressed. Both carry a staff curved at the top, and also the
sceptre 1 forked at the base.^
The information given on the subject of the colours employed

is The ground, as we have already stated, is yellow
as follows.
ochre or white. " The blacks are a blue-black, and do not seem
to be pounded charcoal. All the boats, except one, have been
painted white, over which a wash of bright green, granular in
structure, probably pounded malachite, had been put. The
exception is a boat with a high prow and comparatively low
stern, which is painted blue-black. The outline of the figures
was drawn first in red ochre the white of the dresses has in
;
many instances overlapped this outline. The eyes were put in
v/ith a thick
pasty lump of white ;
the pupil being represented
^
by a blue-black spot on this."
If we attempt to recapitulate, in a few words, the scenes
depicted on the paintings and graffiti, we should say that they
consist of
hunting scenes, navigation, and possibly, as at
of
Hierakonpolis, of religious scenes. We must remember that on

the decorated pottery, independently of the skcuomorphic designs,
we have only found representations of similar character.
We may ask P'gyptian inscribed such
why the primitive
scenes on the rocks, on the sides of tombs, and on his earthen-
ware vases? VV'as he obeying an imperative artistic craving?
The question has recently been solved, at least in part, in an
important article by Al. Salomon Rcinach on LWrt ct la magic
a propos des pcintnrcs ct dcs gravurcs dc I'dgc du rcnnc? The
primitive Egyptian culture, we believe, contributes invaluable
evidence on this subject, and perhaps it will not be without
interest if we linger over it for a short time.
'
OuiBELL & Green, Hierakonpolis, ii.
pi. l.xxix.
-
lb. p. 21.
'
111
rAittliropologie, xiv. 1903, pp. 257-266.
214 PRIMITIVE ART L\ EGYPT.
M. Salomon Reinach thus expresses himself on the subject
"
of the art of the cave-men : To begin with, I have estabHshed
what has long since been observed, that designs borrowed from
the animal world are by far the most numerous ;
also what
appears to me to be new, that the animals represented may be
termed exclusively such as are used for food by tribes of hunters
—
and fishermen these animals being desirable, while others which
were not thus used may be classed as undesirable. These un-
desirable animals include the great feline tribe, such as the lion
and tiger, the hyena, jackal, the wolf, and various kinds of snakes,
etc. From the establishment of this fact an important deduction
is arrived at — the knowledge that the troglodytes, in drawing, in
painting, and in sculpture, did not merely seek to occupy their

leisure, or to fix their visual memories in order to gain from
their companions admiration for their dexterity. The severe

choice which presided over their artistic activity implies for this
same activity some object less trite than those which have been
alleged up present. They knew what they were doing

to the
and why they did it. They were not idlers and dreamers, in-
scribing or painting any familiar silhouette, no matter what,
following the fancy of the moment."
Availing himself, therefore, of the contributions of ethnology,
the French scholar recalls the fundamental principles of magic,
as established by Frazer's grand work. In magic, two very
simple and logical ideas serve as the basis of all ceremonies,
"
and of all
manipulations. The first is that
produces like, like
"
or that an effect resembles its cause"; and second, that things
which have once been in contact, but have ceased to be so,
continue to act on each other as if the contact still persisted."
'
In the first case we have imitative magic ;

in the second, sym-
pathetic magic. Imitative magic consists in representing a being,
an object, or an action with the object of bringing into existence
the being or the object which is represented, or to provoke the
action which is imitated, perhaps at times independently of
sympathetic magic sympathetic magic, on the contrary,

;
is always
combined with imitative magic.
Frazer, The Golden Bough,
'
i. p. 9, 2nd ed. 3 vols. 1900.
In the case we are considering the distinction is not easy,

as regarded of view of primitive mentality.
from the point
When we speak of drawing an animal figure in order to bring
that animal into existence or to act upon it, we actually
believe that we are dealing with imitative magic, while for
primitive man there is nothing of the sort. In fact, if the repre-

sentation has any influence on the being which is represented,
it is owing to the fact that this representation is
entirely
something which has emanated from that being, absolutely as
would be the case with his reflection in a mirror or in water.
"
One
of the consequences of this idea is to inspire people holding
this beliefwith a dread of being represented in effigy, a fear
which is widespread and which certain forms of religion have
taken into account in forbidding the painting or sculpture of
the human figure."
^
These general ideas of the fundamental principles of magic

among primitive people need development but this branch of ;
study would lead us far from our subject. I can only refer to
Frazer's work,- requesting the reader to forgive my being unable
to lay before him more completely the proofs of my assertion.
French primitive man, according to M. .Salomon Reinach,
must have drawn and inscribed figures of the desirable animals
upon the walls of the caverns, with the object of procuring
"
the like, of multiplying the species.
or It is the expression
of a very crude but very intense religion, consisting of magic
•'
practices having for their sole object the supply of daily food."
An interesting confirmation of this method of viewing the
matter has been supplied by the researches of Messrs. Spencer
and Gillen among the aboriginal tribes of Central Australia"
" "
These tribes," as M. Reinach relates, periodically celebrate a
ceremony called inticliiunia, differing according to the various
clans, but having the immediate object of multiplying the par-
ticular species, whether animal or vegetable, which is the totcin
Reinach, La sculpture en Europe avant

'
Ics injluences i^rcco-ronianus.
p. 260. Frazer, loc. cit. i. p. 295-297.
Frazer, The Golden Bough, 2nd ed. 3 vols
-
Macinillaii, London, 1900.
^
Reinach, loc. cit. p. 265.
2i6 PRIMITIVE ART IN EGYPT.
of the tribe. Describing the ceremonies of the emu clan, they
(Spencer and Gillen) state that certain of the clan let their own
blood drop on a .surface of three square metres until the soil is
well impregnated with it. When the blood has dried they take
pipe-clay, yellow ochre, and charcoal, and on the area reddened

by the blood they paint the sacred image of the eiiin totem
with yellow and black circles, which represent the bird's eggs
either before or after they are deposited. It is round this figure
that the men of the clan come to crouch

in chorus, and sing
while the chief, or master of the ceremonies, explains the details
of the drawings. Having been told the object of these rites,
we have an incontestable example of the magic use of a painted
^
image to induce the multiplication of the model."
Sometimes these figures are painted on the sides of rocks

in places which are strictly taboo for women and children. Among
these representations there arc animals, human heads, and the
imprints of the footsteps of Vv'omen of the mythological period

of Central Australia.-
" "
Certainly," says M. Reinach, it would be rash to postulate
for the troglodytes of the reindeer age totem cults identical

with those of the Aruntas of Australia at the present time ;
but, short of wishing to renounce all attempt at explanation, it

is more reasonable to search for analogies among hunting tribes
of to-day than among the agricultural people of Gaul or of

historic France. Now the representation in the depths of our
caves, of animals suitable for food, to the exclusion, as I have

already remarked, of carnivora, will clearly show whether the
religious condition of the troglodytes was similar to that of the
Aruntas, as studied by Messrs. Spencer and Gillen."-^
Do the primitive Egyptians, with the numerous artistic
manifestations that we have studied in the preceding pages,
permit us to maintain or to upset this theory? Can wc, on

'
Reinach, Ioc. cit. p. 262.
*
Spencer &
Gillen, The Native Tribes of Central Australia, London, 1899,
figs. 124 and 132. See, on the subject of the ititic/iiuma ceremonies, the work
by DURKHEIM, E., Siir le totanisjne, in the Annce sociohîqite, v. 1902, pp. 82-121.
Compte rendu by S. Reinach in I'Anthropologie, xii. 1902, pp. 664-9.
^
Reinach, Ioc. cit. p. 263.
coming to the close of this chapter, say that the representations

"
of the Egyptians
primitive will clearly prove whether their
religious condition was similar to that of the Aruntas"?
The patina which covers the graffiti of the rocks of Upper
Egypt testifies remote age to which they must be attri-
to the
buted. As we have already said, animals and boats are most
frequently found represented. Their object was to ensure success
to the primitive hunting, and also possibly to supply the tribe
with a numerous flotilla for fishing, or even for warlike expedi-
tions. The tribes of nomad hunters could easily transport
themselves to fresh localities in the Nile Valley, if they were
in possession of a flotilla. These boats possibly had also a
religious object, and were used in magical ceremonies.^

It should be remembered, with reference to this subject, that
the Egyptian divinities are frequently represented in barks,
and that the sacred barks play an important part in Egyptian
See the curious by Salomon Reinach, Le navirc dii cholera, in

'
article
I Anthropologic, xiii. 1902, p. 788.G. A. Dorsey, The Dzvamish Indian Spirit
Boat and its use, \\\ the Free Afiiseion of Science and Art, Department of
ArchcBology, Utiiversity of Pennsylvania, Bulletin, iii. 1902, p. 227, with five plates.
Comptc rendu by Dr. L. LLaloy], in V Anthropologie, xiv. 1903,] pp. 349-351.
M. Salomon Reinach quotes an ivory boat of tlie prehistoric age, belonging to a
private collection at Munich, in which, instead of men seated, there are birds.
He adds '' I have often questioned whether the boats on the vases published
:
by M. de Morgan, which Mr. Cecil Torr has attempted to identify as enclosures

with ostriches, are not intended for funerary barks where the large birds repre-
sent the deceased persons. The part played by the ostrich egg in the ancient
religions of the East would be in favour of my hypothesis the personages on ;
the vases in question might be interpreted, moreover, as mourners, either male

I must also
or female. say that the birds are not depicted as iti the boats, but
above them, a fact which is scarcely explained by any other interpretation vvliich
has been adopted on this subject." Review of Weigher, Der Seelcnvogel in der
alte?t Litteratnr ntid Kunst, L,fi\\:)Sic^ 1902, in the Rev ice Archcologiquc, 1903, ii.
pp. 378-9. must be remembered that the bark of the god Sokaris, already
It
mentioned, is ornamented at the prow with bird figures. 1 think that wlicn
ostriches and gazelles are placed above as well as below the boats, it is because
the artist has distributed his smaller figures in the vacant spaces after drawing
the principal ones. On the subject of the part played by ostrich eggs, I will add
to what 1 have stated in the chapter on personal adornment that Wilkinson
infers that they were suspended in tlie temples of the Egyptians as they still
are in the churches of the Copts. Marshall, James, Some points of resemblance
between ancient ?iations of the East and IVest, in the Proceedings of the Society
of Biblical Archccology, xiv. 1^9 1-2, p. 6.
2i8 PRIMITIVE ART IN EGYPT.
religion.^ It is permissible to suppose that, under certain circum-

stances, the tribes assembled in certain localities sacred to the
cult in the same way that the Australians celebrate the inticJiiinna
in certain localities, which are always the same.- Greek authors
relate how^ numerous barks laden with entire populations habit-
ually went to Bubastis to celebrate the feast of the goddess.^
The ideas of death entertained by all primitive people render

it easily comprehensible why the walls of tombs were inscribed
with scenes analogous or identical with those found on the rocks,
the purport of which savours of magic. If the living multiplied
paintings and sculptures of useful animals and made representa-

tions of boats with a utilitarian object, the deceased, who in his
tomb lived a life scarcely different to that of the living, would have
a similar desire to benefit from the result of these representations.
The tombs in Egypt were extremely small, and could scarcely
contain the contracted corpse. Thus the walls could not suffice
for the representation of scenes necessary for the dead. They
were, therefore, drawn on the sides of the jars which contained
his provisions, and it is for this reason that so many vases
are painted with boats and animals. The plants that we
find, and that we have already mentioned, are aloes, which
are cultivated in pots, and still retain in Egypt to the present
day the property of averting the evil eye. As to the dancing
scenes we believe we have recognized, they would be
which
explained by the funerary and magical nature of primitive dances.
We will speak of them in a special chapter.
Certain figures of the Hierakonpolis painted tomb, moreover,

confirm the religious nature of these representations, and they
reproduce, as we suppose, the ceremonies of the cult.^

When Pharaonic Egypt makes its appearance in the paintings
^
See, for example, Lefebure, Rites egyptiens: Construc/ioii et protection des
edifices, p. 86 et seq.
2
Spencer & Gillen, loc. cit. fig. 24, p. 171, and fig. 33, p. 195.
*
Herodotus, ii. 60. See Wiedemann, Herodots zwcitcs Buck mit saclilichen
Eriduternitgen, Leipzic, 1890, p. 253 etscq.

''
On the subject of tlie cult of tlie pillar
Hj,
I am struck with the frequent
appearance of the pole in Australian ceremonies. See Spencer & Gillen,

loc. cit. passim. Index, "Pole."
and sculptures of the tombs of the Ancient Empire, it seems

that things arc butchanged. h"ttle Figures of animals and
also scenes of navigationoccur repeatedly. Here, where
still
doubt is no longer possible, we are certain of the reason of these

representations. They exist solely for the purpose of procuring
for the deceased the realization of the objects depicted on the
walls tomb. The religious formulae which accompany
of the
these show the Egyptian of historic times employing
scenes
magic methods in order to ensure to the deceased a peaceful

and happy existence, methods which in reality arc only the de-
velopment of those employed by his primitive predecessors. No
•doubt this is numerous primitive sculptures.
the explanation of
We have mentioned models of boats, and also of animals.
•On this point a grave objection may be made to the theory of
M. Salomon Reinach. In Egypt it is not only desirable animals
that are represented. As we have seen, there are also figures
of the undesirable animals — the
hippopotamus, crocodile, scorpion,
frog, lion, jackal, monkey, and even the griffin with the body
of a lion and the head of a bird.
The answer which meets this objection appears to us a simple
one. The primitive Egyptians, when we first know them, are
already advanced to such a degree of civilization that we may
be justified in supposing that, in addition to magic formulae, the
object of which was to secure a supply of food, they also possessed

religious beliefs of higher development, such, for example, as the
animal cults. The monuments of ancient Egypt afford sufficient
;proof of the existence of such cults at thecommencement of
Egyptian history to enable us to recognize, in the hippopotamus,
^
•the goddess Thueris ;
in the crocodile, the god Sebek ;
in the
scorpion, the goddess Selkit ;

in the frog, the goddess Hekit ;
in
The figures of the hippopotamus are perhaps intended to enable the

'
deceased to enjoy the pleasure of hippopotamus hunting. See Prisse

D'AvENNES, Histoire dc Part egypticn, atlas ii. \A. x. At the British Museum there
is a statue in breccia of the
goddess Thueris in liippopotamus form, wliicii was
at first attributed to the Sai'tic period, then to the arcliaic age but as doubts
;
have been raised as to its authenticity, I have not dared to make use of it as
.a proof. See Budge, A History of E}(ypf, ii., i^gypt under the Great Pyramid
Jitiilders, fig. p. 5, Britisii Museum, No. 35,700.
Sekhmet god Atum
^
the lion, the goddess or the in the jackal, ;
thegod Anubis ;
in the ape,- the god Thot in the griffin, the
;
god Mentu, etc. The cults of these divinities apparently did not
exist at this age with all their later developments ;
but I see in
the fact that these Egyptian divinities of the historic age were
represented by these animals, the proof that from primitive times

they had been the object of a cult. If it were possible for me to
enter here into details of theories relating to fetishism such as

is practised by the negroes of the coast of Guinea, or of totemism,.
it would be easy to make
it clear how it could happen that
these animals, on was supposed that the well-being
which it
and existence of the entire tribe depended, became actually

desirable. Thus the theory proposed by M. Salomon Reinach
finds a striking confirmation among the primitive Egyptians.
Models of boats frequently occur in Egyptian tombs of
Pharaonic times, and also models of houses have been found.
The primitive tombs have yielded representations of servants,
of women, and of dwarfs, whose presence may be explained in
the same way. The servants are given to the deceased to
accompany him in the other life, and the numerous statues of
servants found in the mastabas of the Ancient Empire bear witness
to the persistence of this custom. Wives accompany their
husbands, and a statuette discovered at Naqada, with a model
of a bed,'^ recalls similar representations of Pharaonic times.
Dwarfs and deformed persons served to amuse the deceased^
as did the buffoons for the living and here, again, the repre- ;
sentations on the tombs of the Ancient Empire confirm this view.

The religious texts indicate the importance of dwarfs in the
next world.'
The figures of captives, which we have previou.sly mentioned
would be more difficult to explain if the foundation rites of
On the subject of lions and apes see also Lefebure, Kites cgyptlens :
'
Construction ct protection des edifices, P- 5^ et seq.

^
The figures of apes are perhaps intended to provide the deceased with pet
anirnaliJ. See Lepsujs, Doikindlcr, ii. 13.
'
Naqada, pi. xx.xvi. 83, and p. 4I.
FÊTKiE,
•
Maspero, 6ur line formule die Livre des Pyramides, iu tlie fUudcs de
tnytliologie et darcheologic cgyptienncs^ ii. pp. 429-443.
tombs, of temples, and of houses amongst the primitive people

did not come to our aid and indicate the motive for their
presence.^ These are victims sacrificed as guardians of the
monument, and Egyptian civilization did not succeed in entirely
banishing this custom. The representations on a Theban tomb

of the New Empire furnish us with a conclusive proof of this.-
It may be considered surprising that the primitive temples
of Hierakonpolis and Abydos contribute so many objects similar
to those found in the tombs. This coincides with the conception
—
of the Egyptians not to say of all primitive nations of the —
house, the temple, and the tomb, between which there seems
to be no essential difference. The tomb is the house of the
dead ;
the temple is probably cither the house of the living
god or the tomb of the dead god. Unfortunately we can only
without entering into the develop-
briefly indicate these points,
ments which are not directly connected with our subject.
The results of our investigations in this chapter tend to show
that of radical differences any between the
there are scarcely
sculptures and paintings of the primitive Egyptians and those

of Pharaonic times.
The
following chapter, devoted to the earliest Pharaonic
monuments, will show that if the style of art productions was
transformed, this transformation was effected in so gradual a
manner that we can follow it
step by step. New elements were
introduced, but the primitive art was only changed by them
in the same manner as that in which a nation itself alters b}'
frequent admixture of foreign blood.
1
M[onseur], E., review of Sebillot, Les travaux publics ct Ics mines dans
Ics traditiotis et Ics superstitions de torts les pays, Paris, 1894, in the Bulletin dc
Folklore, ii. fasc. iii. iv. 1893, p. 177, where the bibliographical indications
relating to this point are to be found. The same primitive beliefs may also
" Le but de ces sacrifices est de
explain certain animal figures. procurer a la
construction un genie protccteur."
-
Maspero, Le tombcau dc Mcntouhikhops/iouf, in the Manoires publics par
les mcmbrcs de la Mission arc/icologique fraufaise an Cairo, v. fasc. 3, pp. 435-468.
222
CHAPTER V.
THE EARLIEST PHARAONIC MONUMENTS.

the winter of 1893-4, in the course of excavations
DURING
on the site of the temple of Koptos, Petrie and Ouibell
discovered number of stone monuments " quite apart from
a
anything known in Egyptian work."

^
They comprised three
human statues considerably over life size, three lions, and a
bird, and are entirely hammer-worked, showing no trace of the

chisel or of any metal tool.
Wehave previously had occasion to speak of the lions and
the bird, and we have seen that, owing to recent discoveries, it
is possible to assign them their position in the classified series
of remains, extending from the primitive period to the first
Egyptian dynasties (Figs. 142 and 150).

The three statues represent a personage standing in the
characteristic attitude assigned by the
Egyptians to the god
Min. The legs are parallel and joined, and are marked only
by a slight groove in front and behind ;
the knees are scarcely
indicated. The arms, roughly worked, project but little from
the body ;
the position of the right arm differs from that of
representations of the god Min in the classical period instead ;
of being raised to hold a whip, it is hanging down the side.

The fist is clenched, and a hole pierced through the hand shows
that the figure should hold some kind of emblem, possibly the
whip The
itself. only garment indicated is a girdle formed of
a piece of material wound eight times round the body one end ;
falls down the right side, broadening to the base (Eig. 166).
'
Petrie, Koptos, p. 7.
THE EARLIEST PHARAONIC MONUMENTS. 223
On this end there arc various designs, indicated by outHnes

more deeply hammered, and which probably are an attempt at
rendering embroidery.
In the first statue the designs are a stag's head fixed on
Fig. 166. — Statues of the god Min discovered at Koptos.

a stake, the of which enters the mouth of the animal

top ;
below this aretwo ptcroceras shells.

On the second statue there are also two ptcroceras shells,
two saws of the saw-fish of the Red Sea, and, finally, two
poles, on the top of which arc fixed emblems identical with
the sign which later on was used for writing the name of
the god Min, and recalling the sign engraved upon a slate
palette discovered at El Amrah, of which we have given a
reproduction (Fig. 6^).

On the third statue the designs are more complex. The two
poles with the Min emblem are separated, as in the preceding
specimen, by the saws of saw-fish, the teeth of which are in this
case worked with a flint-knife instead of being hammered. A
knotted pole is joined to one of the Min emblems, and below
the other there is a drawing of an ostrich. In addition, there
are two large pteroceras shells, an indefinite figure, then an
elephant, a hyaena (?), and an ox, the feet of which are placed
on small triangular objects^ (Fig. 167).
We have already had occasion to notice similar figures on
the decorated pottery, Vihere we find men hunting animals
whose feet are placed on a succession of triangles, apparently
intended to represent mountains (Fig. 88). On a fragment of

sculptured ivory from Hierakonpolis elephants are likewise seen
standing on these triangles (Fig. 109). We may, then, connect
these archaic statues with the primitive remains, even though
they are manifestly intended for a representation of an Egyptian

<iivinity. Without insisting here on the deductions which have
been drawn from the presence of these statues at Koptos, we
may say, in passing, that they provide a powerful argument to
those who wish

bring the dynastic Egyptians from the land
to
of Punt, situated on the east coast of Africa, on the borders of
the Red Sea.-
With the exception of Professor Petrie, the discoverer of these
statues, the only scholar who has attempted to determine their
age is Professor Steindorff, of Lcipzic. Judging from their style
he attributed them to the prehistoric period.^ Petrie, on the
Petrie, Koptos, pi. iii. iv. and pp. 7, 8. The head of one of the statues has
•
•been found, but it is much mutilated. It shows that the god was bearded. The
face has sufiered most. See Pktru:, ib. pi. v. 4 (Ashmolean Museum, Oxford).
^
Petrie, Koptos, pp. 8, 9. History of Egypt from the Earliest Times to the
Sixteenth Dynasty, 4th ed. Loudon, 1899, p. 12.
Steindorff, Eine neue Art dgyptlscher
•'
Kiinst, in Aegyptiaca, Festschrift

yur Georg Ebers, pp. 130, 140, notes i, 41.
Fig 167.
— Hammered Designs on the Archaic Statues of the god Min.
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (l and 2); Cairo Museum (3 and 4).
15
contrary, in a recent article, considers them as the earliest work of

the dynastic race.^ This divergence of opinion cannot be ignored.
At Hierakonpolis an
archaic statue similar to those from
Koptos was discovered, which had been used as the threshold

of a gateway in the wall of the ancient town. According to
Mr. Green, this represents a man standing, the left leg slightly
advanced. The knees are summarily indicated the left arm is ;
laid horizontally on the breast, and the right arm, dispropor-

tionately long, hangs down the side. The clothing consists of
a large cloak, which reaches to the knees, fitting close to the
figure and supported by a broad band, which, passing over the

left shoulder, leaves the right side of the chest uncovered. As
in the statues of Min, the right hand is pierced horizontally to
hold a sceptre or staff.- The original, now in the Ashmolean
Museum, Oxford, gives rather the impression of the statue of a
woman (Fig. i68).
The same excavations
at Hierakonpolis led to the discovery
of two very important monuments, which have been the means
of dating a whole series of similar objects dispersed in various
museums, and about which there had been much divergence of

opinion. These objects consist of fragments of slate palettes,
on which figures of men and animals are sculptured in very
low relief. M. Heuzey, the learned custodian of the Louvre
Museum, insisted on the resemblance of style between these
fragments and the monuments of Chaldean art. M. Maspero
observed points which were completely Egyptian, and believed
that for one of the fragments he could assign a date during the
rule of the Libyan kings of the twenty-second dynasty (Sheshonk
and his successors). Dr. Budge, the keeper of the Egyptian
department of the British Museum, in his turn considered them
to be Mesopotamian works imported into Egypt as presents
offered by the Mesopotamian princes to the kings of the
eighteenth dynasty. Finally, Professor Steindorff, in the article
we have already mentioned, came to the conclusion, after a
'
Petrie, The Rise and Devclop?netit of Egyptian Art^ in \.\\q Journal of the
Society of Arts London,
^ June 2isf, 1901, p. 594.
^
QuiBELL & Green, Hierako7ipolis, ii.
pi. Ivii. pp. 15, 16, 47.
minute examination of the entire group, that these objects were

indeed Egyptian, but of the prehistoric age.^
It was at this time that Ouibell discovered at Hierakon-
polis two pieces of the same class. They were complete, and
furthermore, on one of them was inscribed in hieroglyphic
characters a royal name. Unfortunately, the name does not
Fig. 1 68. — Archaic Statue discovered at Hierakonpolis.

correspond with any of those known to us from the royal lists

of later date, and present time opinion is still divided
at the
as to the exact position that should be assigned to it.- It is,
'
M. de Morgan arrived at the same conclusion. See De Morgan, RecJierchcs
sur les origincs, ii.
pi. ii. iii.
fig. 864, and p. 263 ct where M. Jequier compares
scq.,
them with the knife-handles shown in our Figs. 33 and 35.
-
Petrie, History of Egypt from the Earliest Titnes^ etc., 5th ed. 1903,
pp. 7-9. FoucART, Les deux rois iticonnus d^ Hierakonpolis, in the Cojnptcs
rendus de V Acadc7nic dcs inscriptimis et belles lettres, 1 90 pp. 24 1 -249. Naville, 1
,
Les plus ancietis 7fio?uimeitts egypliens, iii., in the Recucil de travaux, etc., xxv.
1903, pp. 206-208, 218-220.
nevertheless, incontestable that this king, who is called Nar-Mer

by general agreement, belonged to the earliest period of Egyptian
history. He deposited several objects in the temple at Hierakon-
polis, among them a great slate palette and an enormous mace-
head, both decorated with scenes which supply us
in low relief,
with an instance of common objects diverted from their ordinary

use to become ex-votos.^ Their discovery dispelled all doubt as
to the age of similar objects, and henceforth they must be dated
from the close of the prehistoric times, or the commencement
of the dynastic era.
impossible to give here a detailed description of these

It is
interesting pieces, as it would be necessary to raise extremely

difficult questions, the solution of which would occupy many
pages-; nor can I

attempt to indicate the facts relating to the
history of primitive Egypt which have been drawn from the study
of these objects.^
I must content myself with giving illustrations
of them, and adding some remarks on the analogies which we
notice between these pieces and those of primitive times or of
the historic period.
style, we should place first on

Basing our selection on the
our a fragment at Cairo (Fig. 169), published by Professor
list
Steindorff.'* It represents a boat similar to those known to us
Capart, La fete de frappcr les Anon, loc. cit. xliii. 1901, pp. 251, 252.
1
Naville, Les plus ancients momiments egyptiens, iii. loc. cit. p. 223.
Legge, The Cafved Slates f7vm Hlerako7ipolis and elsewhere, in the Pro-
*
ceediiigs of the Society of Biblical Archa;ology, xxii. 1900, 125-39, with nine plates;
Another Carved Slate, ib. pp. 270, 271, with one plate; A NewCa^'ved Slate^
loc. cit. xxvi. 262, 263, with oneSteindorff, Einc iieiie At't dgyptischer
plate.
Kunst, in Aegyptiaca., Festschrift fiir Georg F.bers, pp. 122-141. J. L. ]VI[yres],
review of Legge, Carved Slates from Hierakonpolis and clsewhei'e, in the
Journal of the A7ithropological Institute, xxx. 1900; Anthropological Reviews
und Miscellanea, pp. 15, 16, pi. Capart, La fete de frapper les Anoti,
B, C, D.
in the Revue de riiistoirc dcs religions, 1901, where an almost complete
xxii.
bibliography will be found of the great palette of Hierakonpolis. M. Bencdite,

in a work on the new palette at the Louvre, gives a summary study of the whole
group. Benedite, Une nojivelle palette eti schiste, in \.\\e Monutnents ct memoires
pjitblics par l' Academie des inscriptiojis ct belles lettres, x. 1903, pp. 105-122
and
pi. XI. See also Jolles, Die antithetischc Gruppe, in the Jahrbuch der Kaiserlich
deutschen Archeologischen Institut, xix. 1904, p. 37 et seq.
3
Newberry & Garstang, A Short History of Ancient Egypt, London, 1904,
pp. 14-19.
^
Steindorff, loc. cit. fig. p. 124.
from the prehistoric remains. This is surmounted by two signs

one of which is the bird which we have met with
'^^, rekhyt,
already on a vase with relief decorations from Hierakonpolis,
in what may be a pictographic inscription (Fig. T"^. Professor
Steindorff, with perfect accuracy, noted the resemblances which
exist between the boat here represented and those figured in
the earliest hieroglyphs.
A fragment at the Louvre and two others at the British
Fig. 169. — Fragment of a Slate Palette.

Cairo Museum.
Museum belong together, and united form almost a complete

palette^ (Fig. 170). In is a round cavity, in-
the centre there
tended apparently to contain the green paint by means of which
the divine statue or the king officiating in the temple was painted.
Surrounding the cavity are traced hunting scenes. To the right

and left of the palette, two bands of huntsmen are chasing the
animals of the desert ;
at the top there is a lion offering a vigorous
resistance. The type of lion gives us at least a clue to the date
'
Heuzey, Egyptc OH Chaldec, in the Comptcs rcndiis de I'Acadcviic dcs
inscriptions et belles le tires, i8gg, pi. of p. 66, and pp. 62, 63.
of the palette. The working of the mane recalls very exactly
the figures previously described of lions contemporary with the
kings of the first dynasty (Fig. 141). The eyes of the hunts-
men, as Steindorff remarked, are hollowed to contain a bead,
as in the prehistoric figures. All the men represented wear the
tail attached to the girdle, and most of them have one or two
ostrich feathers in their hair. Their weapons are characteristic
of prehistoric times. ^
If it were possible to verify the hypothesis which I put forward
several years ago on the subject of the two figures inscribed on
the upper end of the palette, we should in this palette have one
of the earliest instances of the use of hieroglyphic writing.^
Here, again, we see standards formed of a pole, on the top
of which an emblem is fixed, recalling the ensigns of boats of
the primitive age (Fig. 164). The figures of animals, similar
to those on the decorated pottery, resemble also other pieces
which are more accurately dated, especially a palette discovered
at Hierakonpolis, the top of which is decorated with two running
jackals, the silhouette of the two animals following exactly the

outline of the palette.
In this other palette, also, the central cavity appears to
constitute the essential part of the piece. Here our attention
is by the weird figures of feline animals with enormously
attracted
long necks, which we have already seen on the Hierakonpolis

ivories (Fig. 108), and which we shall meet with again. The various
animals represented here are somewhat surprising. There is the
same mixture of real and imaginary creatures, as in the hunting
scenes depicted on the walls of tombs of the twelfth dynasty^
One of the British Museum fragments is figured, with reference to the

^
shape of the bow, in Schurtz, Urgescliichte der Kjtltiir, Leipsic, 1900, p. 345,
"
witii the astounding description, Assyrischc Jagdssenc."
2
Capart, Melanges, § 2, Remarqtte siir une des palettes archatqiies du Musee
Britattniqtte, in the Recueil de travaux, etc. xxii. igoo, pp. 108-110. Budge, A
History of Egypt, ii. 1902, p. 11, where the author is not acquainted with
the preceding work. Max Muller, W., Nachtrag zu Louvre, C, in the
Orientalistische Litteraturzeitiing, iii.
1900, col. 433.
*
OuiBELL & Green, pi. xxviii. and p. 41.
Hierakonpolis,
ii. Heuzey, l^gypte
oti Chaldee, loc. cit. 1899, pi. of p. 66, and pp. 66, 67. A fragment of the lower
part of a similar palette is in the MacGregor Collection at Tannvorth.
X
\^l /
^
-^
-^ fV:^. ,-f.
^v^ n^-'
1V
Fig. 170.— Slate Palette with Hunting Scenes.
Louvre and British Museum.
(Figs. 171 and 172). Mr. Ouibell, from information supplied by

Captain Flower, identifies antelopes, ibex, oryx, stags,
gazelles,
jackals, dogs, leopard, a vulture (more probably an ostrich),

a
a wild bull, a giraffe, and two fantastic creatures. One of these
Fig. 171.
— Slate Pai.ette with Representations of Animals (Recto).
is a griffin with a hawk's head, and with birds' wings rising

out of the middle of its back the other, a jackal (?), walking
;
on its hind feet, the body surrounded with a girdle, appears

^
to be playing a flute (?). Dr. Petrie remarks on the interest from
a zoological point of view presented by these representations
of animals, some of them of species which at the present day
are no longer to be found in Egypt.
Fig. 172.
— Slate Palette with Representations of Animals (Verso).
M. Beneditc has published a palette recently acquired by
'
Petrie, The Rise and Development of Egyptian Art, in \.hc Journal \of t/w
Society of Arts, xlix. 1901, p. 595.
him in Egypt for the Louvre Museum (Figs. 173 and 174). It
is closely allied to the small Hierakonpolis palette, especially

in the figures of animals whose outlines form the contour of
Fig. 173. —Slate Palette (Recto).

Louvre Museum.
the object, but with this difference, that in this case there are
four jackals (?) instead of two on each face. Here appears for
the first time a curious design treated very awkwardly namely, ;
two giraffes facing a palm tree. We shall find this motive

brilliantly developed on a palette of which there are fragments

at the British Museum and at Oxford.^
If we attempt to characterize the style of these last palettes,
Fig. 174.
— Slate Paletie (Recto).
Louvre Museum.
which show so much similarity in the ornamentation, wc shall
say with M. Heuzey

-
: "As to the st}'le, it is in cvcr>' respect
^
Benedite, Une notcvelle palette en schistc, in the Moiit07icnts et Memoircs
publics par VAcadcJiiie des inscriptions et belles lettrcs x. 1903, pp. 105-122,
pi. xi. Legge. See p. 228, note 2.
-
Heuzey, loc. cit. p. 64.
2^6 PRIMITIVE ART IN EGYPT.
such as we have defined from the first, a reaHsm which is crude
but of energy, which attempts to render movement, and at
full
the same time robust forms with salient muscles, not only in
human figures, but also in those of animals even of the lightest
and most agile species, such as the ibex and antelope. Nothing
can be farther from the Egyptian style, as it exists early on
monuments of the Pyramid tim.es, and if any one of these
figures had been shown to us separately, without any indication
'
1.'*' ./^^."^S
Fig. 175.
— Fragment of a Slate Palette (Recto).
Cairo Museum.
of its origin, Chaldaa, or Assyria, or one of the countries

it is to
bordering on these, that we should have assigned it."

A small fragment at the British Museum should also be
included in this same category here at the top of the circular
;
cavity there is part of a recumbent animal, and below are two

ostriches identical with those of the two preceding pieces.
A second fragment at Cairo is carved with representations
differing very little from those on the preceding example. Instead,
however, of being scattered in haphazard fashion over the surface

of the palette, the animals are regularly separated into three
rows: in the first are bulls; in the second, asses; in the third,
rams.^ This decoration recalls the figures of animals on the
knife-handle in Fig. 35, in which Petrie recognized "the regular
^
Egyptian style of the tombs of the Ancient Empire." With
these must also be compared the Hierakonpolis ivories repro-
duced in Fig. 109. Below the third register there are trees almost
Fig. 176.
— Fragment of a Slate Palette (Verso).
Cairo Museum.
identical with those which appear in the hieroglyphs of the

beginning of the fourth dynasty.^
The that the Cairo fragment should be
strongest proof
•
DiJRST & Gaillai^d, Studicn iibcr die Gcschichte dcs iigyptischcn llaus-
schafcs, in the Rcciicil de iravaux, xxiv. 1902, p. 46.
2
^
Lepsius, Defikfftiilcr, ii. 7.
attributed to Pharaonic Egypt, notwithstanding its analogies
with primitive pieces, is in the representations on the second
face, where we see hieroglyphic writing, combined, it is true,
with pictography. —
The animals a lion, a scorpion, and a hawk
— treated in an archaic manner, destroy, by means of a hoe, the
crenellated walls on which they are perched (Figs. 175 and 176).
This system of pictography is seen again on a fragment at
the Ashmolean Museum ;
here standards, from each of which issues
Fig. 177.
— Fragment of Slate Palette (Recto).
a humanarm, seize the captives.^ The palette of which this

forms part has not been recovered entire the largest piece is ;
at the British Museum. On one of the faces two giraffes,
standing on either side of a palm-tree, are eating the leaves.
The beauty of execution of this group is admirably described
This same symbol of standards furnished with arms is frequently found on

>
monuments of the classic period. I quote one example from among a thousand.
Lepsius, Daiktndler, iii. 74 c/.
by M. Beneditc. "The palm branches," he says, "form a

decoration of great elegance. The cluster of fruit at the top
adds a motive which assumes singular importance in the midst
of the simplicity of detail affected by the remainder of the
palette. Finally, in this
fragment impossible not to be
it is
struck with the interest presented by the position of the head of

the gigantic animal. Seeking its food at the summit of the tree,
it appears to inhale with extended nostrils the appetising scent
Fig. 178.
— Fragment of Slate Faleite (Verso).
of the fresh palm branches and of the pollen of the blossom."

Above the body of one of the giraffes a large bird vaguely
suggests that on the painted tomb of Hierakonpolis (Fig. 162).
The other face evidently depicts a field of battle strewn with
corpses, which arc being torn by birds of prey. lion has A
seized one of the corpses by the abdomen, and is attempting
to tear out a piece. The inert body, which entirely abandons
itself to being seized, is most happily rendered. The lion bears
THE EARLIEST PHARAOXIC MONUMENTS. 241
16
a resemblance to the figures we have previously described,

principally in the lines of the muzzle and the two spots on the
forehead (Fig. 141). Above this scene of carnage, a person
wrapped in a large embroidered mantle, recalling that of the
Fig. 181.—Fragment of Slate

Palette (Recto).
Louvre Museum.
small ivory statuette of Abydos (Fig. 122), pushes before him

a prisoner, whose arms are bound behind his back, while a
heavy stone is hung round his neck (Figs. 177 to 180).

(?)
The living standards play a direct part in the scene engraved

on a fragment of a palette from the Louvre. Five ensigns
surmounted by emblems of gods, among others of the god Min,
end in a human hand grasping a strong cord. This is, in reality,
an actual
pictographic inscription, as which
is also the scene
constitutes the upper part of the palette a bull vigorously ;
trampling a man under his feet, and about to transfix him with
Fig. 182. — Fragment of Slate

Palette (Verso).
Louvre Museum.
his horns. This, as Schaefer was the first to recognize, is already

" "
an instance of a king Strong Bull overthrowing his enemies.^
Steindorkf, Elne neiie Art d^yptischcr Kunst, he. cit. p. 131, note i. Mr.
'
Offord remarks that " in the epilogue to tlie Code of Hammurabi, the king, in
boasting of his victories, calls himself the mighty steer who overthrows tlie
'
"
enemy.'
;r:.-j*-r
Fig. 183.
— Slate Palette of Nar-Mer (Recto).
Cairo Museum.
Fig. 184.— Slate Palette of Nar-Mer (Verso).

Cairo Museum.
The type of the vanquished enemy should be observed, also the
hair and the curled beard, as well as the girdle from which the
karnata is
suspended. On
the reverse of this palette the principal
scene is repeated, but this time the place of the animated standards
is occupied, as in the second Cairo fragment, by crenellated
walls representing fortified towns. In the centre of these walls
hieroglyphic signs give the names of cities (Figs. 181 and 182).
Fig. 185.
— Fragment of Slate Palette.
Louvre Museum.
The symbol
of the king, "Powerful Bull," destroying his enemies,
occursagain on the great palette discovered at Hierakonpolis,
where the bull has overthrown with his horns the crenellated
walls of a town. This palette, with the name of King Nar-Mer,
raises discussions of extreme complexity, for which we must
refer to special works published on this subject.^ We observe,
'
They will be found recapitulated in Capart, La fete de frappe?- les Atiou,
loc. cit. See also Naville, Les plus anciens inontime7its egypiiens, iii.
appendix, in the Recucil dc travaitx, xxv. 1903, pp. 223-225. Weill, K.,
however, the great h'on-like animals with serpents' necks, which

are also found on a Chaldêan "
cylinder at the Louvre.' Such
an identity," says M. Heuzey, "between two motives, both of
which arc of such precision and complexity, cannot be the effect
Fig. 186. — Great Mace-head of King Nar-Mer.
Hieraconpolis ct les origines de VEgypte, in the Kevne archc'ologique, 1902, ii.
pp. 119-121. (juiBELL & Green, Hiera/co?tpolis, ii.

pp. 41-43.
'
Heuzey, Egypte ou CJialdcc, in the Cot/tptes reiidus dcs seances de
V Academic des inscriptions ct belles leilres, 1899, pp. 66-68 and pi. of p. 62.
The leopard (?) witli tlie neck and head of a serpent is not without parallel in
Egyptian art. It is the fantastic animal named 'ft. seilja, which is ligured
cJii
in Imntmg scenes at Beni Hasan. See Newberry, Jkni Hasan, ii. pi. iv. It
also occurs on tlie magical ivories of the twelfth dynasty. See Capart, La fete
de frapper les Anoit, lac. cit. p. 264.
of chance. It can only be explained by very close relations
between primitive Chaldaa and the Egyptian civilization. earliest
The explanation only and emphasis if one admits

gains in force
that a race originally Asiatic arrived on the banks of the Nile

and founded the earliest dynasties, bringing to the black popu-
lations of Africa the elements of an art which had already
taken form. simple and rational in itself, not only
This fact is
conforming to the traditions of humanity, but also to the laws

of history and to that which we know of the great currents
followed by the human race" (Figs. 183 and 184). On this
palette we find a use of hieroglyphs similar to those of dynastic
Egypt, and, nevertheless, pictography has not entirely disappeared.

On the recto, above the head of the barbarian smitten by the
king, singular group is sculptured, composed of a human
a
head, a bunch of papyrus stems, and a bird. Opinions are

unanimous with regard to this it is intended to signify that ;
the god Horus, or the goddess Nekhbet, vanquished or seized

six thousand foes, or perhaps that they overthrew the people
of the north. ^
There is also a small fragment in the Louvre Collection,
extremely archaic, representing a group of people on the march,
which was bought at Beyrout " by Ary Renan. There is no
doubt that the fragment must be placed with the earliest of this
class of objects (Fig. 185).

We must not leave this series of objects without observing
to what extent details are found which are allied to primitive

Egyptian art, by the side of others which are characteristic of
Pharaonic monuments. The ivories of Hierakonpolis and Ab}'dos
stand alone in supplying a convincing and satisfactory succession,
forming a link between prehistoric and historic work. We must

bear mind what we have already mentioned, that before
in
anything was known of primitive Egypt, Professor Steindorff,

with his perfect knowledge of Egyptian art and archaeology,
arrived at the conclusion that these palettes belonged to the
'
C APART, ib. p. 256.
-
Lettre de M. Ary Renan a M. G. Parol, in the Revue aixhcologique,
tliird scries, ix. 1887, pp. 37, 38, with fig.
prehistoric period. Now

that we possess, owing
to the Hierakonpolis
discoveries, a palette
bearing the name of an
Egyptian king, we are
forced to recognize that
we are confronted with
actual Pharaonic monu-
ments. The hesitation
one feels in pronouncing
judgment on these slate
palettes appears to me
to be the best proof
that there was not at
any given moment in

Egypt a sudden change
of direction in artistic
conceptions. We have
already had occasion to
remark this, and we will
return to it when we
have to formulate our
conclusions.
King Nar-Mer, who

dedicated the great
palette of Hierakonpolis,
also deposited in the
temple the head of a

mace of colossal size,
inscribed with scenes in
low relief. Several of

the personages on this
palette may still be
recognized
— the servant
carrying the sandals,

another on the identity
of whom writers are not agreed/ and the men carrying the
standards. The mace-head show a roughness of
reliefs on this
workmanship which denotes a less practised hand (Figs. i86 and

187) than that which carved the great palette."
Without entering into a detailed study of the scenes on this
mace,^ we must notice the three bearded men dancing before
the king, who is seated under a dais placed on a platform, to
which a ladder affords access. Both before and behind these
dancers three crescent-shaped objects are represented. When
these objects make their appearance in the classical period, they
have acquired a regular form. It is difficult to say what they
represent. We must be content to observe that in the texts
" "
these crescents occur in the composition of the titles of certain
officials.^
The remains of a second mace of more perfect type bear

the name of a king who has hitherto not been identified with
any certainty." Among other scenes we here see the king pre-
siding over public works (Figs. 188 and 189). Can this be the
opening of a dyke
"
? On one of the canals there may be
seen the prow of a vessel which recalls those of the primitive
period. In the lower angle at the right the remains are
Naville, Les plus ancicns vionunioits cgyptiens,

'
iii. loc. cit, xxv. 1903,
pp. 223-225.
*
OuiBELL, Hicrakoiipolis, i. pi. xxvi. b.
G., La plus vieillc Egyptc, ii., Les niottiwicjits com7ncmoratifs
^
P'oucART,
dti Scd a Hieraco7ipolis, in the Sphinx, v. igoi, pp. 102-106. Moret, A., L)n
Caractere religieux de la royaute pha7-ao7iiqiie, Paris, 1902, p. 242, and fig. 71,
p. 240. Weill, R., Hicraco/ipolis et les 07'igi7ies de r£gyple, in the Revue
arckeologique, 1902, ii.
pp. 121, 122.
•
Lepsius, ii.
DeTt/cTniiler,
129. Newberry, Bent Hasa7i, i. pi. xxxv. p. 41.
ScHiAPARELLi, Musco a7-cheologico di Fire7ize, A7itichita egizie, i. pp. 266, 267,
369, 468. See Griffith, Hic7-oglyphs, pi. iii. 36, and p. 64.
FoucART, G., Les deux 7ois i7ico7i7ius d''IIieraco7ipolis, in the CotTtptes
•^
rcndus des seances de V Acadetnie des inscripiio7is et belles leiires, 1900, pp. 230-241.
Naville, Inc. cit. xxv. 1903, \>. 218.
^
Quibell, Hie7-akunpalis, i. pi. xxvi. c, pp. 9, 10. M. Maspero here recog-
nizes, with sufficient probability, the ceremony of Khebs to, "digging out the
ground," which took place at tiie foundation of temples. See Maspero,
Ma/iual of Egyptian Archceology, 5th ed. London, 1902, supplementary
chapter, p. 353, note. Lefebure, Rites cgyptie/is : Const7'uctio7i et protectio7i
des edifices, p. 32. Mariette, Denderah, p. 133, and i.
pi. 20. Brugsch, Die
Aegyptologie, p. 425.
distinguishable of a small vaulted construction similar to that

found on the top of the slate palette reproduced on Fig. 170.
In the middle register, to the left, some persons are being carried
in palanquins, as on the mace of Nar-Mer, and men wearing a
long tress of hair hanging down their backs are executing a dance.
Dancers with this same tress may be seen on the fragment of
a third mace, which is too much mutilated to allow of an accurate
idea of the whole design.' These maces, which again differ in
Fig. 1 88. — Great Mace-head of an Unidentified King.

style from the Egyptian classical monuments, introduce us, never-

theless, to scenes which reappear at subsequent periods.
It is the same with a fiiirly numerous series of objects
discovered in the royal tombs of Abydos. These are small
plaques, of ivory or wood, engraved with shallow lines sometimes

filled in with a blackish
paste, showing a great variety of scenes
and inscriptions (Fig. 190).
The largest of these plaques was discovered in the tomb of
the king whom scholars are apparently agreed to identify with
Menes, the first king of the first dynasty, according to the

'
QuiBELL, ilierakonpolis, i.
pi. xxvi. a, aiui p. 8.
2 "52 PRIMITIVE ART IN EGYPT.
Fig. 189.
— Detail of the Principal Scene on the Great Mace-head
OF an Unidentified King.
I'.lock lent by the Egypt Exploration Fund. See Archceolosiciil Report, 1897-8, p. 7, plate.
historians of the classical period.^ The scenes and descriptions

are divided into four superposed registers. In the first at the
iiil
mi V^Ca-jHTiS!*. «!«-'»
r >vj*-' "-
^j^:.
\'^ j:'!i
-oy:^
'l^
Fig. 190.
— Specimens or Small Ivory and Woouex Plaques discovered ix
THE Royal Tombs of the First Dynasty at Auydos.
254 PRIMITIVE x\RT IN EGYPT.
which there are two boats. In the next register is another
sanctuary with a sacred bird, similar to one of the figures on
the mace of Nar-Mer before
temple is a bull hastening
;
the
into a net, fastened ground with two pegs, thus recalling
to the
a scene of the Vaphio goblets. The two lower registers are
occupied by figures of boats and by inscriptions.^
On another tablet, that of the king Den-Setui, (or Semti or
Hesepui), we find a similar scene to that on the mace of Nar-Mer.
The king is seated under a slight canopy, on a platform, to
which access is afforded by a ladder. Before this small pavilion
the king himself again appears, framed in two groups of three
"
crescents," performing a dance." This scene, as well as that of the
Hierakonpolis mace, has been recognized as a representation of
the feast of Heb-Sed, which was celebrated throughout the whole
duration of the
history of Egypt.^ fragment of a plaque A
with the name
of the same king shows the king walking, holding
the staff and mace, and preceded by the standard of the jackal
Anubis or Apuat.'* Here we feel that we are approaching very
closely to the classical representations of the Pharaoh, such as

we find in the first place on the rocks at Wady Maghara, in
Sinai. An
ivory plaque MacGregor in the Collection, with the
name King Den, is especially instructive on this point.^
of
Special stress must be laid on the important discovery of M.

Weill, who has succeeded in identifying the king of one of the
bas-reliefs at Sinai with King Mersekha of the first dynasty."
'
pi. iii.a, x. and pp. 21, 51. Naville, Les plus
aiiciens monuments cgyptieiis, ii., loc. cit. xxiv. 1902, p. 120.
-
Petrie, ib. i.
pi. xi. 14 = xv. 16, and pp. 22, 40, 41.
'
MoRET, A., Du Caraclere rcligicux dc la royautc pharaoiiqjie, fig. 86, p. 262.
Dr. Budge, who regards the seated figure as Osiris, draws from it curious
conclusions. See Budge, The Book of the Dead {Books on Egypt and Chaldea),
London, 1901, i. pp. xxxiv.-xxxvii. A History of Egypt, i. p. 194-198.
;
Petrie, Royal Tombs, i. pi. x. 84 = xiv. 9, and p. 21.

*
Spiegelberg, Ein neues Denkmal aus dcr Fruhzcit der dgyptischen Kunst,
'•>
in the Zeitschrift fur dgyptische Sprache und Alterthumskunde, xxxv. 1897,
pp. 7- II, and fig.

Weill, Un nam royal egyptien de la periode thinite an Sinai, in tlie
''
Comptes rendus de V Academie des inscriptions ct belles lettres, 1903, pp. 160-162 ;
I/isCriptions I'gyplicnncs du Sinai, ii., Lcs bas-reliefs thinites du Ouadv MagharaJi,

in the Revue archcologi(/ue, 1903, ii. pp. 230-234. M. Naville questions the reading
Finally on Fig. 190 there are various other fragments

representing captives, servants, possibly and
vanquished, the
bringing tribute and rendering homage to their conqueror.^

The resemblance between these captives and those on the slate
Fig. 191.
— Small Plaque in Glazed Pottery discovered at Abydos.
palette of Oxford and of the British Museum is important to

note, as also the representation of the personage in the long
of the name of this king and also the position that he occupies in the dynasties ;
he reads Khesket, and considers he is not earlier than the second dynasty. See
Naville, Lesplus anciens monuments egypiicns, iii., loc. cit. x.w. 1903, pp. 219, 220.
i, 2, and iv. 4-6, 11, 12, and pp. 21, 22.
•
Petrie, Royal Tombs, ii. p. iii. rt:,
A fragment which tits on to that published by Petrie, pi. iv. 11, was discovered
earlier by Amelineau. See Amelineau, Lcs noiivclles fouillcs d' Abydos, 1895-6,
Co?7ipte rendu in cxtenso, Paris, 1899, pi. xlii. and p. 307, where the fragment is
described as being on plate xli. It is now in the l^russels Museum.
mantle on the same piece. The strange method of arranging the
hair which we notice on Fragment 5 of our figure is seen also
on two of the Hierakonpolis maces. Petrie, in his classification
of the archaic races of Egypt, is inclined to see in these figures
Fig. 192.
— Private Stel^ from the Royal Necropolis of the First
Dynasty at Abydos.
men of the hill tribes of the eastern desert (Gebel Dorkhan and
Gebel Ataka).^
An object very curious as regards style was dis-
which is
covered in the course of Petrie's excavations at Abydos during

the winter 1902-3. It a small plaque or tile of green glazed
is
pottery, bearing in low relief a figure of a man walking, his
Petrie, The Races of Early Egypt, the Journal of the Anthropological

'
in
Institute, x.xxi. 1901, p. 253, and pi. .xi.x.

13, 15.
staff in his hand. An inscription, also in relief, occupies part of

the space left unoccupied in front of the figure (Fig. 191). Petrie
writes thus on the subject "It has no groove or dovetail on
:
the back, but is quite plain ;

it does not seem, therefore, to have
been intended to insert in a wall, but rather as if made for a
votive offering. The figure is of a low type, the negroid variety

of the prehistoric people, and neither of the pure Libyan or
dynastic races. P^rom the inscription we must attribute him

to the Anu, who are known as an aboriginal people in Egypt. He
appears to be a chief called Tera-Neter, devoted to God,' of the '
fortress of the Anu in the town of Hemen." ^

The reading of
the hieroglyphic inscription is very uncertain, at least as regards
several of the signs of which it is composed.^' The extreme
rudeness of the modelling recalls the carving in low relief on
the private stelae discovered round the royal tombs at Abydos,
of which we give some specimens^ (Fig. 192).
If it were desirable to characterize in a few words this series of
objects, might be said that they betray indecision. The artist

it
appears to hesitate as to the manner in which he should dispose

of his figures ;
the hieroglyphs are carved without order, very
different from the fine regularity of the inscriptions of the Ancient
Empire. These objects betray the awkwardness of the mason,

who copies signs without understanding their meaning. The
variants of the same sign are considerable, and the publication
of hieroglyphs of the first dynasty, announced by Mrs. Petrie,
will stronglyemphasize striking when
this fact. The contrast is
one examines the hieroglyphs on the royal stelas of the first

dynasty, which have not at any age been surpassed for dignity
and beauty.^
It was evidently at this period that the fusion occurred between
the primitive art and that which the Pharaonic Egyptians may
have possessed at the commencement of their occupation of the
Nile Valley. It was at this time also that the Egyptian style
Petrie, Abydos, ii. pi. i. v. 33, and p. 25.

'
-
Athcna-um, October 24th, 1903, p. 544.
'
Petrie, Royal To?nbs, pi. xxx.-xxxvi.
i. ii. ; pi. xxvii.-xxx. r?.
'
lb. i.
frontispiece; ii.
pi. xxxi. Amelineau, Lcs notivellcs foiiilles
d' Abydos, 1895-6, p. xlii.
17
258 PRBIITIVE ART IN EGYPT.
first declared the royal workshops, before it was possible
itself in
to impress it on the whole of the recently acquired and unified
kingdom. Long afterwards, on the private stelae, one can detect

the same opposition to official Pharaonic art.^ As a t}'pical
example I will
quote a stela in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford^
of a person named Hekenen. A priest of the double, mentioned on
the stela, bears the name of Persci/, a name which occurs on
inscriptions of the fourth and fifth dynasties^ (Fig. 193).
The same rivalry which we have observed in the case of
carving in relief as existing between the official Pharaonic art
Fig. 193.
— biELA of Hekknen.
and that of private individuals, may also be found in the
statuary, at during the three first dynasties. The exca-

least
vations at Hierakonpolis have furnished us with proofs of this.

Two found representing a man, one knee on the
statues were
ground, and of a somewhat strange type. Of these one only

proved po-ssible to preserve, and it is now at the Cairo Museum.
'
See ScHWEiNFURTH, J)ic ncucstcn Grahcrfundeii hi Obcr-Ac;j;yptcii i/iid
die Stellitiig dcr noch lebenden IViistcn-Sliiiiime zii der all(igyj>iischcn
Bcvolkcrung, in the Vcrhattdlungcn der berliner anthropologischcii Gescllschaft,
'
1898, pp. 184, 185, where the author speaks of "Bauernkunst" and ''Herrenkunst.
De RouGt", Rcchcrches sur Ics 7)wimmcnts qu'on pent attribiccr aiix six
^
premieres dynasties dc Mancthon, p. 53. Lefsius, Dcnkmiiler, ii. 83. Makiette,

Les mastabas de V Ancien Empire, pp. 299-301, Paris, 1899.
The man wears his hair cut short above the shoulders. This
mode of cutting the hair and the short beard resembles, as
Petrie remarks,^ the type of one of the standard bearers on the
great palette of Nar-Mer. The clothing consists of a girdle to

which narrow strips are attached, which hang down between the
Fig. 194.— Limicsto.ne Statue of a Libyan.

Cairo IMuscum.
legs, a costume which is found on the palette of Nar-Mer and

on the bas-reliefs of the Ancient Empire.-'' Professor Schweinfurth
draws special attention to the shortness of the neck, which appears
to agree exactly with the length of the head, and the considerable
'
In OU113ELL, Hicfakonpolis, i.
p. 6.
Capart, La fete de frapper
-
Ics Anoii^ in the Rev it c de lliistoirc des rclig/ons,
xliii. 1901, p. 255.
development of the P^rom the ethnographic point of v'iew,

lips.^
Dr. Petrie considers that the type presents elements other than
Libyan and Negro (Fig. 194).'-
This is not the case with another crouching statue, of which

the head only could be preserved (Fig. 195), where the same
scholar definitely recognizes the mixed
Negro-Libyan type.
"
The short half curly hair and the thick projecting lips clearly
come from the Negro ;
while the long face and well-formed
nose are due to Libyan blood." ^
The eyes are inlaid, and no
Fig. 195.
— Head of a Libyan in Limestone.
trace of colour can be distinguished. Dr. Petrie records that

while travelling he met an individual who was absolutely iden-
tical in type. He learnt from him that he was from America,
obviously from the Southern States, and of Negro-European
origin.
A comparison should be made between the first of these
ScHWEiNFURTH, 84, and fig. pp. 182, 183.

^
/oc. ctt. p. 1
^
i. and
QuiBELL, Hierakonpolis, pi. ii. p. 6
i. ii.
j)!. ; p. 35.
'
In OuiBELL, Hierakonpolis, i. p. 6, and pi. v. vi. ii.
p. 36. ;
Petrie, The Rise and Develop77ient of Egyptian Art, in

*
tlie Journal oj
the Society of A7-ts, xlix. 1901, p. 594.
statues and one Museum (No. i) which M. Maspero

at the Cairo
attributes to the third
dynasty. He has made some remarks
on this subject which I consider necessary to give here. "The
workmanship," he says, "is archaic, but still more coarse than
Fig. 196.
— Black Granite Statue.
Cairo Museum.
archaic. One knows what differences in technique and in style

may be presented by works belonging to the same reign, according
to whether they were executed in the immediate
vicinity of the
.sovereign, in a large civilized town, or in a locality remote from
262 PRIMITIVK ART I\ EGYPT.
Fig. 197.
— Statui; of a Princess in the Tuiun Museum.
THE KARLIIvST PHARAOXIC MOXUMKXTS. 263
Fig. 19S.
— Statue in the Brussels Museum,
the court. ... In order to appreciate the relative antiquity of
any object it is necessary to take into consideration the locaUty

from whence it comes, and the importance of that locaHty at the
time when the object was made. Memphis, or the town which
preceded it, was very obscure before the fourth dynasty, and
royalty did not yet reside there. One must not, therefore, be
astonished if its monuments are ruder than those discovered in
cities frequented by the Pharoah
— Thinis-Abydos or at Kom el-
—
Ahmar, for example and it would be a mistake, in comparing
them with the carefully executed bas-reliefs of Khasakhmui,
or with the palettes dedicated by Besh, to conclude from their
inferiority that they are far older than the latter objects. Our
statue a provincial work, and perhaps its importance lies in
is
the fact that it does not so much indicate a remote antiquity

as that it is a proof of the want of skill of the artists who
"
Memphite nome
^
were then living in the (Fig. 196).
impossible better to express the dualism that existed

It is
between these rival arts the official art, the art of the masters,
;
and the art of the subject, the peasant art, to adopt Schweinfurth's
expression. The peasant art is the logical sequence of the art
of the primitive population, and at the commencement of the
Egyptian occupation, it was not radically transformed except

in the immediate neighbourhood of the residence of the ruler.
A similar phenomenon might be proved in the history of the

rise of Theban art, when the political power was moved to
Thebes, from Memphis. Quite recently. Professor Spiegelberg of

Strasbourg has published an excellent history of Egyptian art,
where he explains its successive developments by the constant
struggle between popular art (Volkskunst) and the art of the
court (Hoflûnst), between profane art (Profankunst) and
religions art (Religosckunst)."
J
Maspero, text of Le miisee egypticn, i. p. 13. The statue is figured on
pi. xiii.See also De Morgan, Rechcrches sur Ics orfgincs, ii. pi. iv. and
pp. 253, 254.
Spiegelberg, Gescliiclitc dcr ngyptisclicn Kiinst im Alniss dargcstcllt,
-
" "
Leipzic, 1903. I include under the name of profane art artistic works created
by the popular religion, following the beliefs of primitive times, in opposition to
the official religion of tlie Pharaonic invaders.
Fig. 199.
— Statuh: ok Nesa, in tiii; Lulvki:
266 PRIMITIVK ART IX EGYPT.
With the statue of the Cairo Museum, there must be con-
nected a whole series of sculptures, to which
I have alluded at the commencement of this
book. They are the archaic statues preserved
in various European museums — Bologna,
London, Berlin, Turin, Le}'den, Brussels,
Naples, and Paris. These lead us on by
gradual gradations to the realistic master-
pieces of the fourth and fifth dynasties.^

We give various specimens of them in
Figs. 19; to 199.

There is another object which should be
mentioned, a stone door
sill or socket found at
Hierakonpolis, decorated
with a human head. Here
the artist evidenth' in-
tended to represent a
captive crushed b}- the
weight of the door.-

We have
now seen t he
Fig. 2CO. — St.\tue of

sculpture of the
Khasakhmli. first d)'nasties
Aslimolean Museum, with the excep-
Oxford.
tion of the
official works of art. Up to
the present the royal statues

are onl}' know to us by
two specimens. They are
sufficient, however, to show

the wide difference that Fig. 201. — Statue of Khasakhmui.
existed between them and Ashiiiolcaii Museum, O.xford.
'
Capart, I\ccjicil de i/ionm/iciils cgypticiis, notice of plates ii. and iii.
Steindorff, Uebe7' ai'chtiische dgyptlsche Statitcn, in tlie Archiiologischer

Anzciger, in the Jahrlnirli dcs kaiscrlich deutsclicn arckaologisclicn I/istit/it, \iii.
1893, pp. 64-66.

-
OuiBELL, Hierakonpolis, i.
]>!.
iii. and p. 6 ;
ii.
p. 36.
THE EARLIEST PHARAOxNIC MOxXUMENTS. 267
the private sculptures

—a difference analogous to that which we
have already established in the carving in relief. These two
statues were discovered at Hierakonpolis, and bear the name
of a king who appears to have reigned towards the end of
the second dynasty or the beginning
of the third' (Figs. 200, 201, 202).
M. Weill has given a very precise
description of these statues. ". . .
Two small seated statues, of strange
workmanship, so delicate as to be
almost fragile, exceedingly unlike the
somewhat massive statuary of the
early part of the Ancient Empire.
The first statue, of limestone, is
broken, and the upper part of the
body is
missing the head, part of
;
which has been recovered, is remark-

ably expressive, young, melancholy,
and serious. Tlic attitude and
the costume arc the same as
in the other statue, which is
of slate and almost intact. The
body is draped in a flowing
Fig. 202. — Head of the Statue of
Khas.\kiimui.
garment widely open on the
chest, with sleeves which cover
the arms to the wrist. . . . The
left arm is folded over the bod)', and the right hand rests on
the knee and holds the end of a sceptre. On the head is the
great white crown. . . . The bases of both statues are surrounded

with unconventional designs engraved with the point, which
represent the routing of multitudes and figures of men over-
thrown in singularly unexpected and varied positions. The
Maspero, Guide to the Cairo Museimi, English ed. 1904, p. 244. Navillic,
'
Les plus anciens juoiiumeiits egypt/ens, iii. loc. cit. x.xv. 1903, pp. 237-239, "of tlie
third dynasty." Iêtkie, History of Egypt, 5th ed. 1903, pp. 27, 27*, 28, 28*
i.
29, who distingnislies two kint^s, tlie eighth

and ninth of tht- scrontl dynasty.
QuuiELL, Hierakonpolis, p. 5 "After tlie first dynasty, and probably not before
i. :
"
the middle of the second
numbers of the slain enemies are also recorded on these small
tablets, and in front of the feet of the statue there is the
cartouche of the Horus Khasakhmui." ^
It has been remarked
that the eye is painted with lines of colour continuing to the
ear, a fashion which, according

to a theory published some
years ago by Borchardt, did
not make its appearance until
the sixth dynasty.- These

painted lines, which are obvious
in the photograph taken at
the time of the discovery,
have now left only a few
traces on the surface of the
stone, a fact which may be
ascertained by examining the
Figs, 200, 20 1 and 202, taken
from the original at the Ash-
.^„,â
.'^^^
^^^^^^^1
-v^^^^Bp^T^H
molean Museum. It is prob-
îÎq î-^^^ ^y^
study attentive
of the royal statues of Hiera-
konpolis would throw fresh
light on the question of the
age of the royal statues of

the fourth dynasty at the
—-Pottery Museum, and that this

Cairo
Fig. 203. Figure of
A Lion. study would to some extent
Asbmolean Museum, Oxford. modifv the conclusions arrived
at by several scholars.^
We
have already observed the frequent occurrence of figures
of animals in the primitive period, and with what perfection
'
Weill, HieraconpoUs et les origincs dc Vfigypt, in the Revue archeologique,
1902, ii. OuuiELL, Hicrakonpolis^ i. pi. xxxix.-xli. and p. 11 ii. p. 44.
p. 123. ;
-
BoRCUARDT, Uebcr das Alter dcs Sphinx bci Gisc/i, in tlie Silzungsbcrichte
der koniglich preussischen Akadc7)iic dcr Wissenschaften zu Berlin, xxxv. 1897,
pp. 752-755-
'
Borchardt, Uebcr das Alter der Chefrenstatnen, in the Zcitschrift fiir
dgyptische Sprache t(nd Altcrthumskunde, xxxvi. 1898, pp. 1-18.
IS
u
the artist seized the character of each kind of animal he repre-
sented. Beside the fine ivory dog, an illustration of which is
given on Fig. 145, the excavations at Hierakonpolis yielded a

magnificent figure of a lion in red pottery. The circumstances in
which it was found enable it to be assigned without any serious
hesitation to the period which precedes the fourth dynasty.^
Fragments of figures of the same material and technique have,
according to Dr. Petrie and Mr. Quibell, been found at Koptos,
at the Medinet Habu, and at Abydos." The
Ramasseum, at
comparison made by Mr. Quibell between the Hierakonpolis

lion and the lion figures which decorate a table of offerings
at the Cairo Museum, adds a powerful argument in support of

those who attribute this lion statue to the archaic period.'^
Better than any description, Fig. 203 will enable the reader
to appreciate the vigour with which this fine piece of work has
been executed.
We
have thus rapidly passed in review the principal monu-
ments which can be attributed to the period which separates
the primitive Egyptians from those contemporary with the
fourth dynasty. Before attempting to draw conclusions from
the collected results of our researches, we should briefly examine
the evidence which enables us to gain at some idea of
least
the arts of movement in primitive Egypt— dancing, music, and

poetry.
But before closing this chapter I cannot resist the pleasure
of reproducing here three views of the head of a small ivory
figure, discovered during the winter 1 902-3

at Abydos, and
which gives us a portrait of King Cheops, the builder of the
Great Pyramid at Gizch (Fig. 204). As M. Maspero wrote, in
^
an article published in 1901 "Barely six years ago Egyptian

:
history could penetrate no further than the age when the Great
'
Quibell &
Green, Hierakonpolis, ii. pi. xlvii. and p. 45.
pi. v. and p. 5. See Quibell, Hierakonpolis,
-
Petrie, Koptos, pp. 11, 12. i.
''
BoRCHARDT, loc. cit. xxxvi. p. 5, fig. 3. Wiedem.\nn, Compte rendu of
Quibell, Hierakonpolis, i., in the OrientaUstische Littcratiirzeitung, iii.
1900,
col. 333; Zjir Nagada Pcriodc, ih. col. 85.
*
Petrie, Ahydos, pi. xiii. xiv. and p. 30. The Ten Tejnples of Abydos, m.
Hatpcr's Monthly Magazine, No. 642, November 1903, fig. 6, and pp. S39, 840.
Pyramids were The Colossi of Gizch appeared to inter-

built.
pose their between

bulk the plane of the world in which we
live and the remote distance of bygone ages. The pick of . . .
the excavator has suddenly made a breach in the obstacle which

hid the primitive dynasties from our view." ^
That which only
a short time ago appeared to be the starting point of a world,
may now be regarded with certainty as the result of the

evolution of an entire civilization.
Maspero, Lcs premiers tetnps de Fliistoire d'Egyptc d'apres

'
les dccoiivertes
rccentes, inThe Lotus, Alexandria, No. 4, July 1901, p. 185.

2/2
CHAPTER YI.
DANCING, MUSIC, AND POETRY.

the origin of the arts of repose —
decoration, painting, and
IN sculpture — we have found a utiHtarian purpose which was
generally magical. A stud)' of the arts of movement — dancing,
music, and poetry —
leads us to the same result. must not We
afford ourselves the long delay necessary to a complete and
detailed demonstration of this ;
it will be sufficient to quote some
typical instances.
"
An Madagascar informs us that, While the
old historian of
men are at the wars, and until their return, the women and girls
cease not day and night to dance, and neither lie down nor
take food in their own houses. . . .
The}- believe that by dancing
they impart strength, courage, and good fortune to their husbands.
This custom they observe very religiously." ^
"
Similarly, among the Thompson River Indians of British
Columbia, while the men were on the war-path the women per-
formed dances at frequent intervals. Those dances were believed
to secure the success of the expedition. The dancers flourished
their knives, threw long sharp-pointed sticks forward, or drew
sticks with hooked ends repeatedly backward and forward.
Throwing the sticks forward was symbolic of piercing or fighting
supposed enemy, and drawing them back was symbolic of
off the
drawing their men from danger. The stick with this hooked
end was the one supposed to be the best adapted for the latter
purpose. The women always pointed their weapons toward the

-
enemies' country."
Frazer, The Golden Bough,

'
i.
p. 31.
-
n>. addenda p. 465.
i.
DANCING, MUSIC, AND POETRY. 273
Lucien observes: "You cannot find a siniÎe ancient mystery

in which there
not dancing. This much all men know,
is . . .
that most people say of the revealers of the mysteries that they
" '
'
dance them out {eôp')(ela6aL). Clemens of Alexandria uses
"
the same terms when speaking of his own appalling revelations."
So closely connected are mysteries with dancing among savages,
that,when Mr. Orpen asked Qing, the Bushman hunter, about
some doctrines in which Qing was not initiated, he said, " Only
the initiated men of that dance know these things." ^
We must also keep in mind the animal dances of Australia,

and the dances performed at funerals among most savage nations.-
These dances are almost invariably accompanied by very
primitive musical instruments. Some of these are intended to
give rhythm to the movements, and most frequently they consist

of instruments of percussion, of sonorous wood struck in cadence,
tambourines, etc., which simply serve to supplement the clapping
of hands.^ Others have a somewhat different origin. Speaking
broadly, one might say that they are intended to produce by
vibration a buzzing or a hissing, in which the primitive mind
would see something sacred or mysterious. As an instance of
this we must quote the bow, the gora of the Kaffirs and
" " "
Bushmen,' and, above all, the bull-roarer or Schwirrholz,"
the geographical distribution of which is so wide."' Occasionally
the instruments are intended to drive away evil spirits during
the celebration of ceremonies ;
the sistrum is one of these.
Another characteristic fact is that in certain parts of Africa
the chief is
accompanied on his expeditions by a band of
'
Lang, Myth, Ritual, attd Religion, new edition, London, New York, and
Bombay, 1899, p. 272.
-
See, for example, Kingsley, Mary H., Travels in West Africa, London,
1900, p. 331-
*
See, on tliis subject, the book by Bucher, Arbeit iind Rythmus, 2nd ed.
1
Leipzic, 899.
Deniker, Les races dc la
'
et les peiiples tcrre, figs. 70, 71, pp. 250 251,
and tig. 135, p. 495.
*
Frazer, The Golden Bough, iii. p. 424, note. Lang, loc. cit. p. 272.
Cook, A. B., Les Galets pcints dii Mas d'Azil, in r Anthropologic, .\iv. 1903,
pp. (357-659. Schurtz, Urgeschichtc der Kiiltur, Leipsic, 1900, p. 50 et scq.
and p. 512.
IS
"
musicians. Each performer, regardless of the discordance, blows
rings, bangs, or rattles on his own account, interpreting a very
short air which forms the dominant note in this direful din." ^
Fetish men are often very skilled musicians.
There
no doubt that both music and dancing very rapidly
is
acquired a pleasurable use in addition to their utilitarian and

magical purposes. The various examples which have just been
quoted show that there is no doubt as to the magical character
of these arts in their origin, although in the special instances
we meet with it may not be possible to determine precisely
what is the object of the musicians or dancers.
Under various aspects we have already had occasion to refer
to dancing scenes. I may mention first the Tukh statuette repro-
duced on Fig. 5, where the dancer has both arms raised above
her head. The decorated vases have shown us figures of women
in the same position (Figs. 91, 94). They arc sometimes accom-
panied by men who appear to beat time to the dance by clapping

pieces of wood —
together a species of castanettes (Pig. 92). Two
female figures from the painted tomb of Hierakonpolis, also, by
the position of their arms, suggest these dancers (Fig. 162).
At funerals the dancing men and women were employed
to execute dances, accompanied by lamentations ;
and if, with
Professor Erman, we examine the representations in the tombs
of the Ancient Empire, we shall at once recognize that this custom

persisted long after the rise of Pharaonic Egypt.- The terracotta
figures discovered the Greek tombs show the same funerary

in
dancers and mourners, and the appearance of this type in Egypt

in the earliest times must
certainly be of a nature to modify
to an important extent the conclusions in a recent work by
M. Collignon.^
Notes a7ialyti(]ues stir Ics collcctiofis ethnographiqucs du Musee du Congo

'
{Annalcs du Musec du Congo, Ethnographie et anthropologie, Serie iii.), vol. i.

fasc. i.
pp. 17, 18.
-
Erm.\n, Life in Ancient Egypt, p. 245 et seq. "Dancers were almost
always present at the Feast of Eternity — that is, the feast held in Iiononr of the
deceased." P. 246. —
^
CoLLiGNON, De Vorigine du type dcs plcureuses dans I'art grcc, in tiie
Revue dcs etudes grecques, xvi. 1903, pp. 299-322.

On the earliest monuments of Pharaonic Egypt wc have

observed several instances of these religious dancers. They are
to be seen on the Hierakonpolis maces (Figs. 186 to 188) and
on the plaque of King Den (Fig. 1 90), to which the monuments
of the Pharaonic age afford numerous parallels.
Without waiting to describe the scenes
of funerary dancing
in the bas-reliefs of Pharaonic Egypt, it appears to me that
two of these representations should for a moment hold our
attention.
In the tomb of Anta, at Deshasheh,^ there is a series of men
dancing, holding in their hands short curved sticks, which end
Fig. 205. — Dancers from the To.mb of Anta, at Deshasheh.
in gazelles' heads (Fig. 205}. has compared with Dr. Petrie-

these accessories of dancing certain fragments of decorated ivory
found at Hierakonpolis, two specimens of which are shown in
P"ig. 109 of personal property and furniture.
among remains
A fact which lends very special interest to this scene is that the
^ ^
Pyramid texts mention the people of the Tuat,
C^-
The determination of this name is composed of an arm holding
an instrument which terminates in the head of a gazelle. We
may, therefore, question whether the dancers of Deshasheh were
not also people of the Tuat, and whether in the Egyptian period
'
Petrie, Deshashehy pi. xii. and p. 8.
^
In OuiBELL, Hiera/cotipolis, i. p. 7.
3
Maspero, La Pyramidc dtt roi Pcpl I., in the Rcciicil de Iravutx, vii. 1SS6,
pp. 148, 1.
245.
the task of performing funerary dances was not reserved for
them. The people of the Tuat are the inhabitants of the Tuat,
one of the underworlds of Egyptian mythology ^ and in that ;
case we should be witnessing the dance of inhabitants of that
mysterious region. In the Tuat we are inclined to recognize the

modern name of the oasis of Tuat, which is situated, it is true,
at the north-west extremity of the African continent. This is
not a unique example of tribes now extremely remote, who in

ancient times were in close contact with Egypt. According
to M. Lefebure,- several tribes appear to have left traces of
migrations no less considerable (Macae and Maxyes, Berbers and
Barabras, Numidians and Nobadae, etc.).
The conclusion to be drawn from these remarks would be

that the region of the dead — the Tuat — may originally have been
a real and actual country, and this result would fit perfectly with
M. Maspero's researches as to the Great Oasis, the field of reeds,
and those of M. de Chassinat on the Isle of the Double and
the Land of the Manes.^ We must remember that as late as
the eighteenth dynasty Libyan dances were still portrayed at
Deir el Bahari.^
'
I find in a recent work a strange piece of information, related by a traveller,
which had not hitherto been given to the world, and which therefore may be of
some importance. Writing of his visit to the royal tombs at Thebes, the author
says : "Tous ces corridors sont remplis de peintures, de reliefs, qui representent
Thades {s/c), dans le Touat, ou, si vous le voulez,
ce qu'il y a dans les livres de
plus simplement dans I'enfer. La premiere fois que j'ai oui parler de Touat,
cetait a Tunis je voyais un Touareg dont la presence causait un veritable
;
evenement, meme parmi les indigenes. Sa figure, completement voilee par une
son manteau d'un brun ionce causaient un vrai
etoffe noire tres epaisse, sa mise,
rassemblement. Ouelqu'un du pays me dit C'est un Touareg, c'est un diable
'
:
vomi par I'enfer dont il porte le nom Touareg vient de Touat, qui veut dire
:
enfer.' Je conte cette anecdote qui m'a paru curieuse, sans me faire I'editeur
responsable de cette 6tymologie, et je reviens aux Egyptiens." Baron du Gabe, —
iLclicUes du Levant, Impressions d'n>i Franrais, Paris, 1902, p. 84.
'•*
Private letter of January 25th, 1903.

G., Le notn antique de la Grande Oasis et les idees qui s'y
•'
Maspero,
ratiaclicnt, in the iLtndes de niythologie et d'archeologie egyptie7ines, ii. [Biblio-
tlieqiie cgyptologique, ii.), pp. 421-427. Iês Hypogces royauxde T/iches, ih. p. 12
ctseq. Chassinat, Ca et Id, § iii. in tiie Recueil de travaux relatifs a la philologie

et a rarchcologic cgypdicnnes et assyrienjics, xvii. 1895, p. 53.
• "
Naville, Tlie Tejuple of Deir el Bahari, iv. pi. xc. and p. 2 : It is curious
that in other festivals the dancing is done also by these Africans, the Tamahu, as if
Among the numerous representations of dances observed and

described by Professor Erman, there is one which shows women
whose clothinc^ is merely a loin-cloth, a garment reserved for the
men, and whose hair is dressed in imitation of the white crown
"
of Upper Egypt.' The dance executed by them is called under
the feet," and is simply a somewhat burlesque copy of the scene
of the king raising his mace to strike the head of a vanquished
barbarian, such as we observed on the great palette of Nar-Mer.
The name of this dance, says Professor Erman, is taken from the
saying of the king, which is ordinarily given
on inscriptions accompanying this scene, that
"
all nations bound together are struck down
beneath his feet."
This curious dance should apparently be

compared with the similar scene on the
painted tomb of Hierakonpolis (P'ig. 162),
and we thus acquire one more example of
traditions uninterrupted from prehistoric times
down to the twelfth dynasty."
Fig. 206. —Steatite
Professor Erman remarks that music con- Figure from Hiera-
sisted almost exclusively of accompaniments konpolis.
to dances. We have just mentioned the scene Ashmolean Museum,

Oxford.
of castanette players on a prehistoric vase.
Under the Ancient Empire we likewise observe flutes and
harps as musical instruments presenting a funerary or religious
character. In the excavations at Hierakonpolis^ there was found
a small seated figure in steatite (Fig. 206). Below the mouth
they had some national propensity to that art, like the Hungarian gipsies in
modern times." See, in addition, Lekj^bure, La politique religieuse des Grecs
en IJhye (extract from the BuUctin de la Socictc de geographic d' Alger et de
VAfrique du Nord, 3rd and 4th trimestres, 1902), Algiers, 1902, vi., Le caracterc
de la religion libycnne, cote orgiaqiir, \)\). 30-34.
'
As Professor Wiedemann remarks to me, these dances are in reality panto-
mimes, the first germ of theatrical representations.
-
Also later. See Benedite, Un gucrricr libyen, Jigiirine egyptiennr en
bronze incruste d'argenf^ co/isert>ce an Alitsee du Louvre, in iha Afonumcnts ct
Mcmoires puhlies par V Acadcmie des hiscriptious el Belles Lcttres (Fondation
Piot), ix. 1903, p. 123 et scq.
*
QuiBELL & Green, Hierakonpolis, ii.
pi. xlviii. /', left-hand column.
a hole is pierced ;
the two arms, now broken off near the body,
were outstretched, and it is
probable that the iigure was that of
a flutist. This may be compared to the stone figures of the
Greek islands belonging to the Aegean period, which represent
a flutist and a harpist.^
funerary purpose of these musical instruments v/ere

If the
"
questioned, a painted scene at Beni Hasan might be quoted in
proof (Fig. 207). On the side of the stela, which is in the form
of a door representing the entrance intended for the use of the soul,
various people are bringing offerings. The two lower registers
are occupied by women engaged in a musical performance. Two
play on the harp, while three others clap their hands in cadence
as an accompaniment to the singing behind, a woman is shaking ;
a sistrum, while another is using a strange instrument. This is

certainly intended for songs and music of a religious character,
performed in The presence of the
honour of the deceased.
sistrum, an instrument used at ceremonies of the cult in order
to drive away evil spirits, may suggest a similar use for the other
instrument which accompanies it. It consists of a kind of small
board attached to a stem, which revolves in a handle held by the
performer. It must have produced a kind of deep buzzing sound.
In many countries an instrument is in use which is of the

same character as our Egyptian apparatus. This is what English
" "
ethnologists term a bull-roarer," and Germans a Schwirrholz,"
"
terms which have no exact French equivalent. The Schwirrholz,"
says Professor Schurtz,^ consists of a long, thinnish piece of wood,
1
Perrot & Chipiez, Histoirede Vart dans Vantiqidte, vi., La Grece primitive,
Vart mycenien, pp. 760-762, and fig. 357, 358. Koehler, Prcehistorisches von den
griechisclicn Jnscln, in the Mittheilnngen der kaise?iich deiiischen archeologischen
Instiiitts, AtJioiische Abteihitig, ix. 1884, pp. 156-162, and pi. vi. See a stone
sarcophagus with painted scenes, discovered by Paribeni, near Phsestus, in
Kako, Altkreiische Kiiltslatte7t, in the Archiv fiir Reiigionwissenschaften, vii. 1904,
p. 130, note I.
''
Hinter dem Opfertisch steht ein Flotenbliiser." (Information
—
communicated by M. J. de Mot.) Here is already the origin of the paintings of
the Attic lecythi, where harpists and flutists are represented in their funerary
ceremonies. See Pottier, Ktude siir les lecythes blattcs attiques a repi'esentations
fimcraires {Bib/iothrque des ecoles fraiiâises d'Athencs ct de Rome, fasc. xxx.),
Paris, 1883, specially pp. 73, 74.

^
Betii Hasatt,pi. xii. iv. ])1. xvi. and p. 5.
i. ;
ScHURTZ, Urgeschichte der Ktclltir, Leipzic,

•''
1900, p. 50.
which is shaped like a fish, or decorated ,with engraved

either
or painted ornaments. A string is fastened to the end, by
means of which it is whirled round in the air, producing a
buzzing noise.
We must add that the object thus described is never
Fig. 207. — Musical Instruments, from a Painting at Bkm PIasan.
employed as an amusement, or to respond to any musical require-

ments. The tribes who use it consider there is something super-
natural in the booming it
produces, and it is principally used
in the feasts for the dead, or in other ceremonies to wliich
only the initiated have access.

I am very much inclined to see in the instrument depicted
at 13eni Hasan a musical instrument analogous to this "bull-
^
roarer."
We must also briefly notice the use of music, in general, for
accompanying and regulating work done in combination. At the

present day we still preserve this use for stimulating and
regulating the march of soldiers. The Greeks made use of it
to give a rhythmic swing to collective work. Also in reference
to this point we can cite a group in terracotta from Boeotia,
published by M. Pottier, who refers to the careful studies of
"
Biicher on work and rhythm." ^
As an accompaniment to dancing and music the human voice
is forced to submit to the obligations of rhythm. Thus the
incantations or funerary songs of primitive people, habitually
characterizedby repetitions and assonances, are actual poems.
The meaning of these is generally extremely obscure, and the
various songs of savages which have been noted are not of a
nature to give us a very high idea of the poetic instinct of
primitive people. On the inscribed monuments of the Ancient
Empire there are several songs which vary only slightly from
these rudimentary poetic efforts.
It would be hazardous to attempt to assign a prehistoric
origin to these Nevertheless, M. Maspero has
Egyptian songs.
translated from the Pyramid texts several incantations against
serpents, to which he does not hesitate to assign a very remote
antiquity. He thus writes on the subject : "The number of
prayers and of formulae addressed to venomous animals show

with what terror the serpent and the scorpion inspired the
Egyptian. Many of them are written in a language and with
combinations of signs which do not appear to ha\"c been com-
pletely understood, even by the scribes under Unas and the
two Pepi. Eor my part, I believe that they belong to the most
C APART, J., Sur deux livres rccents rclattfs aiix anclcns hieroglypJies et
•
aux ancienties representations figurees de r£gypte, in tlie Bulletin de la Societe

d' anthropologic de Bruxellcs, xx. igoi-2, Brussels, 1903, p. xiii.
*
Pottier, Les Sujets de genre dans les figurines archaicjues de terre cuite,
correspondance hellenique^ xxiv. 1900, pp. 519, 520, and

in the Biclletin de pi. ix.
BiJCHER, Arbeit uiid Rythmus, 2nd ed. Leipzic, 1899.

ancient ritual, and that they date back to a time before the
reign of Mena. Some of them are evidently cadenced, and were

all of them
probably originally the songs of snake-charmers ;
may be included, more or less, in the class of what with us is

called gibberish. 'The serpent entwines; it is the serpent that
twines round the calf. Oh, thou that art on thyself, who issuest
from the womb of the earth thou hast devoured that which
;
Cometh forth from thee ; serpent that descendest, lie down

castrated! Fall, slave!' Here is one of the most comprehensible,
" ^
from which the others may be judged !
We have now studied in succession all the classes of objects

to which ethnologists have attributed an artistic character. We
have, therefore, arrived at the conclusion of our study, and it
only remains for us briefly to sum up the general results which
appear to us to flow from it.
'
Maspero, Premier rapport a Vlnstitut egypticn sur Ics fouillcs execiitees
JtLgypte dc iS8i a iSSj, in the Etudes de mythologie
en et d' arch co logic
egyptietmes, i. {Bibliotheque cgyptologiquc, i.), pp. 153, 154. La religion

egyptienne d'apres les pyra?)iidcs de la V^ et de la VP dynastic, in the Revue
de lliistoire des religions, xii. 1885, pp. 125, 126, where the same passage is
reproduced word for word.
282
CHAPTER VII.
CONCLUSIONS.
attempting to draw general conclusions from the foregoing

IN study, it appears to me that there are two different orders
of ideas which we must take into consideration. In the first
place,general ethnology; in the second — and

this it is which
—
has more special interest for us the origin of Egyptian art as
we find it at the commencement
of the fourth dynasty.
From the ethnological point of view the results of the dis-
coveries of the last few years appear to show that the artistic
manifestations of primitive Egypt are closely allied with those
of other nations which have been observed at an equal stage
of civilization. In applying to the primitive inhabitants of the
Nile Valley the theories and methods of M. Grosse, in Les Debuts
de I'Art, there is nothing which forces us to modify these theories
and methods, at any rate in their main outlines. In my opinion
the evidence of these Egyptian discoveries enables us to establish
the utilitarian origin of those manifestations, which we group
together under the term "aesthetic." This utilitarian purpose

is in almost every case confused with a religious, or rather
with a magical, purpose. In this respect Egypt affords us most
valuable evidence, as we can follow the development of beliefs,
from their most rudimentary form, until in historical times
they constitute an actual body of doctrine. But at this point
we enter on the domain of special conclusions, and these require
to be exhibited methodically.
At the beginning of this book we showed that at the com-
mencement of the fourth dynasty Egypt heid already developed :
her language, writing, administration, cults, ceremonies, were all

constituted. Another fact which struck us forcibly was the
CONXLUSIOXS. 283
extreme realism of the artistic productions, a realism which brought

us face to face with this alternative ;
either art was imported
into Egypt with all the other manifestations of civilized life —
"Minerva issuing armed from the brain of Jupiter" — or else it
was the result of a slow and progressive evolution, the work
of several previous centuries. Here it is that the discoveries
of the last few years come to our aid. Is the evidence which
they have brought to light sufficient to allow us to decide on

this question ? The task of replying shall be left to more com-
petent pens ;
but I am
inclined to think that, before attempting to
give categorical answers to this question, we should await the

result of excavations which arc now being carried on, and which
will certainly occupy several years longer. In the meantime, it
appears to mc that the solution — if it is ever arrived at — will

not be absolutely on one side or the other. We shall probably
distinguish in the formation of art, as of the entire civilization
of the Egyptians, many contributions from different sources.
Nevertheless, without feeling obliged to give numerous biblio-
graphical references, I should like to sketch the problem of
the commencement of art in Egypt, as it presents itself to my
mind at the present time. I do not attempt to conceal the
hypothetical character of this outline, which can only be definitely
shown when the origins of Egyptian civilization are completely
known — and, unfortunately, that day is yet far distant.
If we ask anthropologists to what race we should assign the
earliest inhabitants of the valley of the Nile, we shall at the
very conunencement meet with a divergence of opinions and a

multitude of contradictions.
From the pala;olithic period, Egypt —-or, rather, the cleft in the
north-east plateau of Africa, which later was to be partially filled
by the alluvial deposits of the Nile was inhabited by tribes of —

nomadic huntsmen. The flints which formed their tools have
been found cither simply utilized by them or chipped into shape.
It is also possible that some of those rude graffiti found on
the rocks, which afford, as we have already said, such striking
analogies with the graffiti of South Oran, may be their work.

We may well suppose that there was originally a population
284 PRIMITIVE ART I\ EGYPT.
composed of black races, which were insensibly driven back

towards the south by the white races, which " from earliest
antiquity were settled on the Mediterranean borders of the
Libyan continent, and who perhaps themselves came from

Southern Europe. They would creep into the valley from the
^
west or south-west."
It is Libyan people that we should attribute the
to these
brilliant neolithicwhich the prehistoric cemeteries
civilization
have made known to us, and whose productions we have been

studying in detail throughout the course of this book.
At different times we have had occasion to insist on the
analogies which has been thought might be established between
it
this earliest Egyptian civilization and that of the Libyans of
the historic period. Many of these must have been driven out
of Egypt, and greater numbers, again, must by degrees have
become "Egyptianized" by the Pharaonic invaders entering from
another country. Under the earliest dynasties we frequently find
the Libyans on the threshold of Egypt, and the earliest kings
at war with them. An account of a journey undertaken at the time
of the sixth dynasty tells us that the Libyans were established in
the oases as far as the neighbourhood of the first cataract of
the Nile. The string of oases extending along the valley of the
Nile to the plateau of Barca remained entirely in the possession
of the Libyans until the time of the twelfth dynasty.
This primitive Libyan civilization of the Nile Valley was fre-
quently in communication with the Mediterranean civilization,
perhaps actually by means of this route along the oases. The
Greek traditions, referring to the relations of Greece and the
Cyrenaica, need only a passing reference at later times, when ;
the maritime nations attacked Egypt, it was through the Libyan

frontier that they penetrated into the country.
This fact is of itself sufficient to explain the intercourse so
frequently established between the Egyptian primitive civiliza-

tion and the Aegean civilization. The relations between these
countries diminish after the conquest of the valley of the Nile
'
Maspeko, Ilistoire aticienne des peitplcs dc I'Ofient, 6th ed. Paris, 1904,
p. 19.
CONXLUSIONS. 285
by the Pharaohs until the twelfth dynasty, when they again

occur frequently. Mr. Evans has noticed in Crete numerous
facts which confirm this theory.^
These relations also explain the presence in Egypt of the
" "
black incised pottery and the alphabetiform marks which we
have studied in an earlier chapter.
If we follow — as we have hitherto done — the

sequence dates
as originated by Dr. Petrie, we are forced to agree with that
brilliant archaeologist, in recognizing a decadence in the primitive
civilization towards the end of the prehistoric period. There does
not seem to mc to be any difficulty in accounting for this.
We see inthe result of the period of trouble and insecurity

it
which accompanies the arrival of bands of invading foreigners.

Were these invasions sudden, or the result of a gradual infiltra-
tion which continued many years, not to say centuries? Did
these invaders arrive by one single road, or did they come,
some by the Isthmus of Suez, others by the Upper Nile, or, again,
by the desert which separates the Red Sea from the valley
of the Nile? Did the invaders all belong to one and the
same group of nations, or did they form part of groups which
sprang perhaps from one but which had been separated
race,
for centuries ? These are questions which cannot be answered
without further evidence than we possess.
I am, however, disposed to believe in frequent invasions
of successive groups, relatively few in number, penetrating into
Egypt by different routes. I have already said in another
publication that I believe, with E. dc Rouge, that there are in

the texts traces of a great called the Ann, which must
tribe
have occupied Egypt in the same manner as the Hyksos did
later. It is
probably to them that we should attribute those
religious conceptions that had for their centre the town of
Heliopolis, which, according to a tradition related by Plin}',"'
was founded by the Arabs.

Petrie, Methods and Amis in Archaology, London, 1904, p. 163 ct seq.
'
Maspero, Histoire ancicnnc dcs peuples de r Orient, p. 16.

^ l^rofessnr
Wiedemann writes: "Nach einer spiiten Notiz war Heliopolis eine Griindung dor
Araber, worunter an der betreffenden .Stelle ein semitischer Stamm zii verstehen
ist, dieser Angabe konnte selir wolil ciii riclitiger Kern zu Grande liegen, und
It is probably also to this invasion of the Auii that the
decadence in the primitive industries towards the close of the
prehistoric period should be attributed. These industries did
not, however, entirely disappear, and we have several times
followed their footsteps in historical P^gypt. Further than that,
we have seen that there nothing which permits us to enter-
is
tain the belief that there was a hiatus, a sudden cleavage, between
primitive Egypt and Pharaonic Egypt. On the contrary,

analogies between them are so numerous that they have con-
vinced certain writers that the Pharaonic civilization is only a
development of that of primitive Egypt.

I think, rather, that this phenomenon should be attributed
to the actual character of the invasions of the Pharaonic
Egyptians. They movements of nations who destroy

are not the
and sweep away from before them a whole civilization, but rather
a slow infiltration of groups of people of a higher civilization
into a population which had already attained a certain degree
of development. A
point to be noted with regard to this is the
strange power which the soil of the Nile Valley possesses of
absorbing the invader, a power which has been recognized at
all periods of its history. Foreigners have never changed the
Egyptian population it is ;
the country which has always rapidly
transformed its invaders, and has adapted them to its environments.
It is clearly as a result of this principle that the Pharaonic
Egyptians were irresistibly influenced to continue the traditions

of primitive people, both
the in regard to art and in their
religious and funerary beliefs.

At a given moment, however, there is a new element which
appears in Egypt, and which requires explanation.
this it is
On several occasions we have insisted on the contrast between

the private and the royal monuments, between the style of the
court and that of the people, between religious and profane art.
We have also shown that the primitive Egyptians were not
acquainted with hieroglyphic writing, and that it suddenly made
Ileliopolis und seiii Soniienkult eiiier vorhistorischen Semiteneiinvanderung in

das Delta ihren Ursprung verdanken." — Orlaiialistischc Littcfaturzeitiing, April,
1904, col. 146, 147.
CONCLUSIONS. 287
its appearance thoroughly formed. This ofificial style attached

to an official religion, and this
complicated system of writing,
were brought into the country from without, completely con-
stituted : this we may assert without hesitation. But from what
country were they brought ?
In these final pages I cannot enter into a complicated

controversy, anthropologywhere comparative philology and
almost alone can I can merely say that apparently
intervene.
the Pharaonic invaders came from Asia, perhaps from Yemen,
and that they had common origin >vith the ancient Chaldeans.
This theory would explain the analogies which are established
between the earliest Pharaonic remains and those of Chaldea^ —
more especially, the use of cylinders, which disappeared fairly
quickly in the Nile Valley. One fact is very clear the Semites :
did not pass direct from Asia to the Nile Valley they were ;
"Africanized" before penetrating into Egypt, properly so-called.

The clearest proof of this has been obtained by the examina-
tion of the fauna and flora represented in the hieroglyphs,
the African character of which is striking. A glance at the
map of Africa shows where the Semites must for a time have
taken up their abode before penetrating into the valley of the
Nile. The two coasts of the Red Sea, towards the southern
end, resemble each other very considerably both in climate and
in their productions. Any tribes leaving Yemen would naturally
at first occupy
country differing a possible from as little as
the regions they had abandoned. A study of the population,
the languages, and the customs of Ethiopia shows the close
which exists between that country and the south of Arabia.
affinity
One part of these regions, situated on the coast, appears to
have been designated by the Egyptians of the classical period
by the name of Pniit. The Egyptians, in writing the name of
this country, did not follow it with the determinative sign of

"
a foreign land ; they called it the Land of the Gods," and
1
See Heuzey, Constntcllon antcrieiirc a Our-\i/ui, notes complc-
L.,
mentaircs d'apres les decouvertcs dc M. dc Sarsec, viii., Comparaisoits avcc
ViLgyptc primitive, in the Revue d'assyrioIo<îe ct d'archcologic orientate^
v. 2,
1899, pp. 53-56.

—
Note contributed by Mr. Offord.
derived from it the origin of a certain number of their most
ancient divinities. Also, the Egyptians at all times maintained
pacific relations with this country, and when its inhabitants
are represented on the monuments, they appear as a mixed
race : the superior race is similar to the Egyptians in physical
type, beard, and costume, while the other portion shows the same
type crossed with negro blood. The proof of the rela-
earliest
tions between Egypt and Punt is furnished by a representation

of an inhabitant of Punt in the tomb of a son of Cheops of
the fourth dynasty.^
A list of gifts to the temples, drawn up towards the end of
the fifth dynasty, mentions enormous quantities of objects brought

from Punt.
The journey from Punt to Egypt was very far from easy.
By road it was
necessary regions of
to traverse the desert
Upper Nubia, formidable a

journey even at the present day.
By water it was necessary, first of all, to reach the Nile by

means of one of the valleys which extend from the Red Sea
In historic times the route most frequently chosen
to the river.
was the Wady Hammamat, which unites Kosseir and Koptos.
Now Koptos is precisely the site where Professor Flinders Petrie
discovered what he considers to be the earliest remains that can
be attributed to the dynastic race — the statues of Min. This
route is long and dangerous. It could not have been accessible
to hordes of human beings attempting a tumultuous invasion
into the midst of tribes already civilized. It is this consideration
which induces me
represent the arrival in Egypt of the
to
dynastic Egyptians as a slow and progressive infiltration.

To return for a moment to our former subject, the Egyptian
Semites had made
long stay on African soil before dis-
a
covering and following the route to the valley of the Nile. There,
in the country occupied by the Gallas, the Abyssinians, and the
Somalis, we may one day hope to discover remains which will
reveal the history of the development of Pharaonic civilization

in the earliest periods of its evolution.
The invaders brought with them hieroglyphic writing illus-
'
Lepsius, Dcnkmciler, ii. 23.
CONCLUSIONS. 289
by them. They also brought religious

trating the language spoken
conceptions which were already extremely developed, and which
constituted the basis of the official religion of Egypt at the
classical epoch. Their funerary beliefs differed from those of
the autochthones, so far, at least, as the destiny of the deceased
kings and perhaps wc may here find the ex-

was concerned ;
planation of the absence in the royal tombs of representations

similar to those that cover the walls of mastabas, and of which
we have seen the prototype in a prehistoric tomb.
Egyptian ritual is constituted in the same manner.

Repre-
sentations, such as thoseon the palette of Nar-Mer and on the
plaques of the royal tombs of Abydos, show how far this ritual
already resembled that of later times. Connected with these
religious and funerary beliefs and with this ritual we find a
system of art which is already considerably advanced, and even
to some extent already hieratic and fixed. This is the official
art, which contrasts in such a striking manner with the naturalistic

art of the primitive people.
What was the result of the contact of these two forms of
art, arrived at such different stages of development and inspired
with such contradictory tendencies ? The answer to this question
we have already indicated, and it is needless for us to insist
greatly on this point. The meeting of these two systems produced

that duality of art of which Professor Spiegelberg has again
reminded us in so clear a manner by his recent publication.'
We shall find that the more widely the central power exerted its
more is
influence the the official art in favour. We can understand
how came about
it that under the Ancient Empire at the com-
mencement of the fourth dynasty the private art is still so
free and naturalistic, and in some measure we shall even be
prepared to justify the remark made by Nestor I'Hote, quoted
in the earlier pages of this book: "We know Egyptian art only
in its decadence."
'
Spiegelberg, Geschichte dcr dgyptischcn Kunst im Abriss dargestellt,
Leipsic, 1903. See Wiedemann, Winckebnann s Vrtheil iiher die agyptische
Kintst und die Profankiinst der alien
Argypier, in tlie JaJirhiidicr dcs Vcreiiis
Ton Altcrtliiimsfrciindcn im Rlicinlandc, Ix.xvii. 1884 (separate reprint, p. y
et s €(/.).
19
Our conclusions arc as follows :
Egyptian art, as it is revealed
to us at the commencement of the fourth dynasty, appears to
be composed of various elements. Primitive art, which had its
birth in the north of Africa and developed during the course
of centuries, was only to a small extent affected by foreign
influences (Aegean and Anu ?). This art, the principal object
of which was utilitarian and magical, should by virtue of this
very object represent nature with all possible fidelity. The

funerary ideas which it was intended to serve may be found in
their full
development in the funerary beliefs of the Egyptian
Empire, entirely dominated by the great formula of imitati\'e

"
magic, Like acts on like."
The second element is the art of the Pharaonic Egyptians,
of which the earliest stages of evolution still completely elude us.
When it reaches Egypt it is thoroughly fixed, and serves to

express religious conceptions of advanced development, which
survive in PLgypt, with only very slight modifications, until the
close of the Pharaonic period.
Thestruggle between these two forms of art, and the reciprocal
influence that they exerted upon each other, are similar to those
we establish between the popular religion and the official religion,
between official language and vulgar idioms. The story of the
struggles in these various domains reaches back to the earliest
period of the Ancient Empire.

I do not attempt to conceal the fact that these last pages
bear a decisive character very far removed from the uncertainties
which reality are present in crowds, and I have hesitated
in
greatly before allowing them to assume such a character. I

hope
I may not incur severe blame, after
having brought some modest
materials to the foot of the scaffolding, if I have indulged for
a moment dream of a splendid palace which may one day

in a
arise, and of which perhaps they may form a part when utilized
by an architect of genius.
INDEX
PAGE PAGE
Aahmes 27 Amon-Ra •
32
Abadiych . . .
5, 121, 127, 128 A??iorgos . . . .
156
Abydos 6, 19, 38, 42, 49, 57, 58, 68 Amulets .
49, 53, 73, 85, 192, 193
100, loi, no, 112, 117, 133, 134, 135 Ancient Empire .
2, 39, 42, 52, 53, 55
136, 144, 146, 149, 153, 159, 160, 169 169,200,205,219
56, 58, 115, 144, 160,
173, 176, 180, 182, 183, 85, 186, 188 J
220, 237, 257, 259, 267, 277, 280, 289
190, 192, 193, 199, 200, 209, 212, 221 Andaman Islands I4> 52
. .
242, 248, 251, 256, 257, 270, 289 Animals 5, 21, 41, 52, 69, 71, 99, 102
Abyssitiiaiis . . .
162, 288 no, 112, n7, 126, 129, 136, 138, 140
Accessories of dancing . .
275 142, 152, 176 et seq., 202, 203, 210
Administration . . .
i, 282 215, 216, 218, 219, 224, 229, 230, 234
Aegean civilization and art 156,
284, 290
.164
165
Animals, aquatic .... 236, 237, 268
.182
209
„
„
Ae<{eo-Cretaii
Islajtds
period
.
.... . .
146,
278
212
„ domestic
,,
„
edible
fantastic
.... . .
69, 136, 230,

216
232
(See Greek.)
Aftica.
„
4, 40, 162, 248, 273, 287
British Central
.
198 . .
,,
,,
,,
indeterminate
pet
sacred
....
....
82, no, 140
220
185
Agathodemon . . .
.134 with long necks
,, 132, 136, 23c
Aha-Menes (see Menes). (See Feline animals.)
Alabaster .
93, 96, 100, 174, 1S2, 199 Anklets . . . .
49, 50, 51
Alawanyeh . •
155 Ansairiych . . . .
.129
Aleutians 14 Anta 275
Alexandria . . 210 Antelope 21, 48, 69, 71, 72, 78, 79, 1 10
Algeria 30. 194 117, n9, 140, 153, 189, 212, 232, 236
Alligator . 60 Antelope (Addax)
Aloes .
116, 119, 218 ,, (Bubalis) 153
Alphabet, Libyan •
149 Anu 257, 285, 290
„ linear, Creto-Aegean .
146 Anubis or Apuat 220, 254
„ Phcenician origin . .
147 Apes .
185 et seq., 220
,, primitive . .
145 Arab .
12,46, 285
"
Alphabetiform" characters I45etseq. Archangel . •
154
Architecture .
64
AMf:LINEAU .
6, 105, 134, 180, 255 Argar . .
185
Amenophis I
32 Arms of chairs 136
IV 32 Art •
9.65
America 154 ,,
decorative 59 et seq., 138
Atnericati, Soiitli, oC Negro- ,, otlicia! .
258, 264, 2S7, 289
European parentage 260 ,, of movement .
16, 272 et i;e(].
291
292 INDE}^.
PAGE Page
Art of repose 16 Beard .
43 et seq., 155, 157, 196, 246
of the Court . 264, 286 259
,,
masters 264 ,,
covered in sign of mourning 45
,, peasants 264 ,, covering for . .
44, 157
,, subjects 264 Beds 134, 220
made
ornamental
plastic
,,
.
animated
.
59 et seq.
16
17
Beer,
Benedite
Beni Hasan.
....
with bread
.
184,247,278,280
.
233, 239
.174
„ free .
17 Berbers . . .
.106, 276
popular .
264, 286 Berens, Randolph 177, 182, 190, 192
profane .
264, 286, 289 Berger 147
religious 264, 286 Berlin 5, 33, 71, 77, 94, 99, 122, 151
Theban 264 153, 157, 160, 161, 168, 174, 266
Arufitas
Ashmolean Museum (see Oxfoj'd).
Asia .4. 142, 143' 248, 287
. .
216 Besh
Betis
Beyrout
...... 264
39
248
„ Minor .
148 Birds 41, 73, 76, 80, 81, 90, loi, iii
Asparagus retroflexus 115 112, 119, 121, 122, 129, 140, 153, 190
Ass
Assuan
Assyria
190,
.
•
237
106
236
Birds of prey
,, representing deceased per-
....
et seq., 211, 222, 229, 239, 248
239
Aten
Aikefts
Alias .
. •
177. 181
.
32
189
,,
Black
sons
sacred ....
.217
. . .
254
213
Atum 220
.
(See Blue-black.)
Australia 14, 215, 216 Blackish })aste . . .
']'], 251
Australians ,
Central
12, 21, 205, 218
216
Blocks of stone, roughed out
Blue-black .... 185
206, 213
Boat or bark 69, 99, 120, 122, 132, 135
.
Balias .
25, 99, 163, 178, 179 140, 154, 174, 199 et seq., 202, 205
Bfiraby-as .
276 207 et seq., 217, 218, 220, 228, 250
Barbarian, v anquished . .
277 254
(See Capt ives, Enemy, Prisoners.) (See Ship, Vessel.)
Barca .
284 . BOECKH •
17
Bari . . 121 Boeotia . 280
Bark, funerary .
217 Bolof . . 162
,, magical .
217 Bologna . 5. 35. 266
,, sacred 210, 217 Bone . 49, 76, 167, 190
Basalt . •
93 B07lgOCS .
50
Basket maker 62, 64 I5oomerangs 1
140
19,
work 45, 64, 98, 104, 105 et seq. BORCHARDT 142, 268
109, 134, 138, 139 Bosnia •
149
Baskets 64, 105, 191 Botocudos .
14- 54
,,
for milk . .
115 BOULE. .
163
„ for paint . 28 Bow 100, 211, 230, 273
Bayet. . 160 Boxes, decorated pottery .
131, 134
Beads .
47, 49, 51, 83, 99, 167, 174 Bracelets 38, 49. 50. 5 1
Bear .... 190, 193,

.
230
189
Brasscmpny
Breccia 93. 114
.
219
162
INDEX. 293
Bricks
British
......
Museum 56. 93, 122, 131,
PAGE
206
153
Castanettes
(See Wood, sonorous.)
. .
.119,
PAGE
274, 277
168, 207, 229, 230, 235, 255 Cattle 188

Brocatel •
35 Caves .
22, 164, 205, 214, 215, 216
Bronze 194, 195 Cephalic index . . . .161
Brugsch . 17 Ceremonies, i, 71, 217, 218, 250, 282
flriissels 5, 176, I
S3, 263 ,, religious 212, 218
Bubasiis . 218 (See Cult.)
BiJCHER . 280 Ceylon .
14
Bucrania •
^33. 195 Chabas I
(Sec Bulls heads.) Chalcedony . . 182

Budge 17, 226, 254 Chaldea 236, 248, 287
Buffoons 220 ,, art .
69, 136, 226
Bull 95, 134, 188, 193, 232, 237, 243 ,, cylinder •
247
246, 254 Chalk .
36
Bull-roarer . . .
273, 278 et seq. Chairs .
. 105
Bulls' heads 73, 75, 76, 95, 153, 194, 195 ClIAMPOLLION-FlGEAC . 17
(See Bucrania. ) Charcoal 132, 133. 213. 216
Bulls" heads, double . .
-195 Chassinat . .
276
BUNSEN 17 Chellcan . 18
Bt/slimeu 14, 48, 161, 205, 273 Cheops 270, 288
Bustard . 21 1
(See Khufu.)
Butmir .
164 Chequer pattern . 116
Butterfly . 128 Child .
37, 168, 169
Cabins
Cable
.... 207, 210
207
China
CJiiriqui
.
.
41
60
17 et seq.
Chronology .
Cairo 3, 5, 28, 32, 33, 39, 68, 69, 71 Chrysocolla . .

169
128, 138, 228, 236, 237, 246, 258, 261 Cinders •
133
266, 270 Cingalese •
14
Calcite 176 Civilization . 12
Calf
Cambridge
Camel
.
.
189, 202
188
177 Claws
Clay 21,
.....
Clapping of hands
155, 161,
in
164,
cadence 273, 278
169,
48, 49
176, 184
Cameleon 117 199, 200
Canal .
250 „ pipe 216
Canoe .
15 Clemens of Alexandria . .
273
Canopy 254 Cloak . . .
56 et seq., 168, 226
Cappadocia .
45 (See Mantle.)
Captives 95, 127, 136, 172 et secj., 211 Clothing 47, 52
. . et seq., 159
220, 238, 255, 266 (See Cloak, Mantle.)

Club 211
(See Barbarian, Enemy, Prisoners.)
Carapaces of tortoises 48 .
Carnclian
Carnivora
Carpet.
Carving in relief
Casque
(See Crown.)
294 INDEX.
Colour.
Columbia
...
..... 26, 27,
PAGE
213
60
„ British. . . .
272
Combatants. . . .
35, 213
(See Warriors.)
Combs 37, 39, 40, 41, 72 et seq., 155
„ magic . . .
41, 66, 74
Congo .
1 12, igS
Copper •
45
Cop/s .
.
217
Cords .
40, 52, 63 64, 95, 173, 243
Corpse •
239
„ contracted . 218
Cow . 188
Crescent 122, 250, 254
Cfrie . .
146, 149, 164, 285
164,
I.
INDEX. 295
PAGE I'AGE
Mut, Neith, Nekhbet, Ensigns of vessels 88, 210, 230
Osiris, Ptah, Sebek, Selkit, Equidjc . 211
Sokaris, Taurt, Thot, (See Ass, Horse.
Thueris). Erman 52, 176, 274, 277
Door
„
....
Dogs 95, 102, 153, i83etseq., 232, 270
sill or socket
200, 266, 278
. 266
Esquhnaicx
Ethiopia
European
.
figures
. . .
21,23
184, 196
287
Double hammer .
94, 95 Evans .
145, 146, 156, 285
„ bull .
195 et seq. Evolution of Clothing .
52
Duck . . 28 Ex-votos . 228
Dwarf 172 et seq., 176, 220 Eyes, inlaid 99, 167, 168, 173, 174, 182
.
Dyeing the hair

.
...
.
35, 36 197, 260

Dyke . .
.
.250 ,, painted . . .
.213
Dynasty I. 5, 17, 19, 30, 42, 49, 57, 85
88, 96, 108, 146, 149, 168, 169, 173 Fan
182, 203, 230, 251, 254, 257
Dynasty II. . . .
5, 255, 267
III. 4, 5, 96, 151, 261, 267
IV. I, 5, 18, 25, 28, 42, 93
96, 139, 237, 258, 264, 266, 270, 282
288, 290
Dynasty V. . .
42, 58, 105, 139, 194
203, 258, 266, 288
VI. 32,97, 139, 194, 203,268
284
XII. 34, 97, 146, 149, 150, 152
184, 190, 192, 193, 230, 247, 277, 285
Dynasty XIII 149
XVIII. 96, 97, 146, 149, 150
162, 164, 176, 188, 190, 226, 276
M XIX 55
XXII 226
Eagle 142
Ear (see Deformities).
El Ahartvah
El Amrali 7, 18, 68,
.... 88, 94, 105, 119
6
El Bcrshch
El Kab or El
.....
132, 157, 188, 200, 211,
(Jab . . .
224
26
205
Elephant 78, 82, 102, 140, 143, 202, 224
Emblems 88, 207, 208, 210, 223, 230
2 J.2
Embroidery. .
57, 159, 223, 242
Enemy, vanquished .
212, 246, 267
(See Barbarian, Captives, Prisoners.)
Engraving with the point
Ensigns
(See Standards.)
.... 267
121, 242
. .
296 INDEX.
INDEX. 297
Hebert
298 INDEX.
INDEX. 299
PAGE PAGE
Mantle 52, 55, 56 et seq., 168, 243 Mortar. . 206
(See Cloak.) Mountains 5, n6, 126, 131. 224
Marble .
114 Mourners 2 17, 274, 275
,, blue. •
193 Mummy of priestess •
32
Margone 106 Munich .
217
Mariette . 2, 4, 17 Music .
17, 273, 274, 277 et seq.
" "
Marks, alphabetilbrm .
146 Musicians .
n9, 274
„ family •
31 Mut . •
143
,, geometric . 146 Mutilation •
34
pottery 33, 133, 144 et seq., Muzzle 181, 242
203, 206 Mycenae 136, 150, 194, 195
property .
.15, 65, 139, 210 (See Ornaments, Painting the body,
,, tatoo- (see Tatooing). Tatooing.)
„
Marseilles
Masd'Azil
tribal
.
.
.
.
.
15, 31, 65,
.
163
-54
210 Myres
Mysteries ..... 40
273
Maspero 4, 17, 28, 29, 31, 42, 56, 128
163, 226, 250, 261, 270, 276, 280 Naga-ed-Der

Mast .
121, 207, 210
Mastabas . 220
Mats .
55, 104, 105, 135
Maxyes .
276
Media . . no
Medinct-Habti .
270
Mediterranca7i 40, 114, 148
,, civilization . .
284
Medum . . .
2, 3, 4, 190
Mc7nphis 264
Men 26, 35 et seq., 45, 109, no, n7
121, 123, 126, 132, 136, 138, 139, 140
154 et seq., 201, 202, 203, 205, 2n
et seq., 224, 243, 250, 256, 258, 267
274
Menes or Mena 18, 19, 88, 179, 182
281
Mentu 220
Meri-Neith 30. 31
Mersekha •
254
Mesopotamia 180, 226
Mestem . •
29
Metal .
47. 54
Mexican statue 160
Min 5, 39, 88, n6, 144, 222 et seq.
226, 242
Mincopies 14
Mississipi . . . .
-154
Moba 55
Models of ostrich eggs 39 . .
(See Fortified enclosure, Houses.)

ôo INDEX.
PAGE
Ornamentation dt \vea[)ons and Pantomime . •
277
utensils .
17 Papttan. •
15
Ornaments .
15.63 Papyrus 142, 199
,, body .
46 et seq. Paribeni .
278
forehead .
45 Paris . •
5i 33
Ornamentation, geometrical (See Louvre.)
,,
in relief 99 Patina .
198, 203, 217
,, Mycenaean 194 Pavilion -
254
,, symmetrica 65 Peacock, Taus . 1
29
Orpen. 273 Pebbles, polished .
25
Oryx . Pelican .
191
,,
beisa .
117 Pendant 47 et se([., 51, 76 et seq. 155
,, leucoryx 117- 143 195
Osiris 254 Pepi 280
Ostrich 117, 121, 122,
eggs .
132, 202, 205, 209
217, 224, 232, 236
.
39, 40, 217
Persen
Pcsth
Petrie
......
5, 8, 18, 19, 24, 32, 36, 39, 41
258
32
enclosures 217
.
43- 48, 49i 501 55. 58, 69, 71, 88, 95
feathers .
39' 40, 230 97, 98, 99, loi, 108, 114, 121, 127
Owl •
143 129, i33i 134. 139. 140. 144. 146, 147
Ox 22J. 148, 149, 152, 155, 158, 159, 161, 163
Oxford I-},, 25, 39, 41, 43, 63, 72, 84, 94 169, 176, 178, 180, 181, 182, 185, 190
122, 125, 133, 140, 161, 165, 168, 172 193, 194, 197, 199, 203, 207, 209, 210
174, 176, 178, 184, 186, 190, igi, 207 222, 224, 233, 255, 259, 260, 270, 275
211, 224, 226, 232, 238, 255, 258, 268 285, 288
Padan .
45
Petrie,
Petticoat
Phacstus
Mrs
.....
.....
257
52
278
Pakhome 107 Phcvnicians . . . .
147, 148
PalaiKjuiu Pictographs, Cretan . . .
146
Palermo Pictography 32, 100, 136, 229, 243, 248
Palettes, as amulet 85 PlETTE 162, 163
incised . 81 et seq. Pillar 212, 218
slate 25, 39, 54, 78, 144, 192 Pilot 210
195, 202, 224, 230, 251, 255 Pig 189
,, votive . . 226 et seq. Pins . . .
39, 41, 73, 75, 121
Painting .
26, 199, 202 et seq., 214 PlTT-RlVERS . . .
.69
,, the body 21, 26etse(], . J'1 Pitt-Kivers Collection (see Oxford).
,, ,, among the Plaiting 116
Greeks 34 (See Hair.)
,, ,,
in pre-Mycen- Plants 116, 117, 126, 138, 139, 140, 142
aean Greece 218
,,
,,
,, Roman generals
the bones of the dead
with red .
27
26
,,
Plaques .....
of the south
glazed pottery
. .
.
.144
32, 135
275
the eyes 23, 27 et seq., 268 135, 251 et seq.
Palms
,,
Palisade . . .
.133, 208
,, ivory
shell
wood
.
. ...
.
11
Panels,
.
wood ....
140, 207, 208, 210, 238, 239
4
„
Platform .
.
.
.
.
135, 251 et seq.
.
250, 254
INDEX. 301
PAGE PAGE
Pleyte •
50 Quartz 190
Pliny . . . . .
285 OUIBELL 6, 8, 71, 90, 99. 101, 134, 163
Poetry . 17, 272, 280 et seq. 178, 222, 227, 232, 270
Poland . 164
12, 62 Races
Polynesia7ts 256, 283
Porphyry
Pottery
(See Terracotta.)
120, 133,
96
134, 155. 202, 270
93. Rahotep
Ram
Ramcsseiwi
.... 95, 205, 237
270
3
Pottery, black incised 108, 149, 151, 176 Rampart 207

285 Ranefer 28
„ black topped .
123 et seq. 140
206
Red
,,
....
Roman generals painted
26, 27, 2o()
.
27
cross-lined 108, 140 Sea 203, 210, 223, 285, 287, 288
. .
„ „
decorated 113 et seq., 138, 202
Reeds . 128, 165, 199
206, 207, 224, 230, 274 Reinach, S. 214 et seq.
glazed 169
32. 47. 58- i35. 155- Reisner 6
188
173.176, 183, 18S, 186, Rekhyt 229
190, 191, 192, 256 60, 66, 289
Religion
kabyle 108, 114, 116 — —
Religious scene
. .
.- 1 »
, ;)
of 64, 104
making, origin Renan, Ary 248
.
.
,,
126
rough-faced 61 et seq., 273, 280
.
I.
Rhythm
POTTIER 280
.
Rib of animal 4B
.
Prayer . . . .
• .
205 Rickets .
172
Prehistoric remains (European) 176 38, 49. 50
Rings .
195 ear •
34
„ .
Ka
Prism
Prisoners
.....
Priest of the double or
....
. .
.
258
70
99, 242
,,
„
finger
lip .
47. 51
•
35
(See Anklets.)
(See Barbarian, Captives.) Ritual . 28, 289
Production 12 et seq. .
. . .
Rivets .
.
69
Prophetess of Hathor . . . 3^ Rock crystal 3. '79. 192
„ Neith . 31 Rosettes 69, 71
22 1
Protecting genius Rowers o, 199, 209
—
Provisions the dead
Ptah ....••
....
.
218
33
Royal workshops
Rudder
258
207, 209
.
,,
Pteroceras
Public works
in embryo
....
.... 223, 224
172
250
Russia .
. 154
/'oiinf 39, 50, 161, 162 Sacramental win 129

Punt, Poini, or
Sacred rites 129
224, 288
....
.
Sacrifice 212, 221

Tupil of the eye 213
68
Pyginics . . • . •
H Saghel-el-Baglieh
.
208
.Sailing vessel
.
Pyramid texts 39, . 275, 280 et seq.

162 Sails of boats 120, 121
Pyrennean paloeolitliic figures .
Sanctuary .
•
254
Sandals .
249
12
273 Sandwich hhvidc rs
QiNG .
Sanlorin 109
Ouadrupeds 74
Ouarries 205 Sarang, Indo-Mal ly 52
302 INDEX.
INDEX. 303
PAGE
Statuettes 21 et seq., 30, 33, 38, 56, 57 Tliebcs .
53, 173, 264
119, 155, 158, 160 et seq., 270, 274 Tliinis .
264
Steatite 70, loi, 191, 277 (See Abydos.)
Steatopygy . .
127, 160 et seq. Thiti .
27
Steindorff ,
8, 224, 226, 228, 248 Thongs of leather 47
Stela . .
200, 258 et seq., 278 Thot .
220
Stones 49, 76, 91, 96 et seq., 155, 176 Thothmes III 32
185, 186, 192, 266 Thueris 219
hard.
,, soft sandstone
.
...
49, 95, 108, 115, 139
94
Thrace .
Thread round the waist

163
53
Stone-working
Stool .... .
50, 96
105
Tifinagh
Tiger .
147
214
Strabo
Straw
....
Stoppers lor leather bottles 47
....
et seq.
45,
106, 115
210
Tiles
TbniJiu -.3, j^,
135
277
(See IJhyaiis.)
Studs for the ears 34,35 Togo .
55
,,
Sues ....
or toggles for cloaks
Sulphide of antimony
57.58
285
21
Tombs .
(See Graves.)
TORR
206 et seq., 218, 22 1
. .
207, 217
Sun worship, origin 286 Torres Straits 65
Syenite 91 Tortoise 79, 94, 1 12
Symbol of divinity 31 ,,
shell 65
,,
of the king 246 Totem .
208, 215
,, religious .
15, 212 Totemism . 220
Symmetry
Syria .... .
.
62, 73
114
Touaregs
Toupis
Towers
45, 147, 276
28
207
Table of offerings .
270 Trap in shape of a wheel 210
Tablet, ivory •
203 Trees .
117, 118, 234, 238
Taboo . . 216 Triangles 16, 122, 131, 133, 224
Tails of animals 54, 55, 230 Tribal marks 15
Tambourine 273 Tribute 255
Tatooing 3, 30 et seq. Tripoli 40
among the Greeks •
34 Troglodites . .
214, 216
at Malta .
164 Tuat . •
275, 276
decorative 33 et seq. Tukh . 22 et seq., 274
in pre-Mycenoean Greece Tunis .
40
medical Ttirin .
5. 23, 32, 35- 266
,, religious 30 et seq. Turkey or pelican
191
Taurt 70 Tusks . •
48. 198
Tchoiiktdiis .
14 Uazu .
29
Teeth .
48 Unas .
280
Tehuti-hetep 26 Unger 17
Tcl-cl-Aynarna 32 Unguents 49
Temples .
221, 253, 254 Univei-sity Colleg e (see London).
Tendons .
48 Urine .
36
Terracotta .
176, 189, 207, 274 Urccus .
143
(See Pottery.) Utensils for grinding paint .
:5
Tettiges . 78 Uzait 29
304
INDEX.
PAGE PAGE
Vaphio goblets . •
-254 War .
.
217
loi Warriors .
54, 55- 99
Vases, ivory . • •
Water 120
pottery, black incised 108, 149 .
„
II I
151 ,. ripples .
black-topped I22etseq. Weapons . •

230
of state 66
140, 206
.
,,
with Weill. .
148, 254, 267
design in relief 122 Werner, Alice .

198
et seq. Wcsic?-n Sudan •
55
„ ,,
cross-lined .
108, 140 Whip .
140, 222
„ ,,
decorated 113 et seq. White clay . 21
202, 206, 274 paint

,,
in imita- Whitevvasli . . 206

tion of hard Wiedemann 17, 32, 11 2, 177, 277, 285
stones 108, 1 14, 115 Wigs .
37.42
„ „ of fantastic forms 126 Wilkin .
7,8
et seq. Wilkinson .
17, 217
,, rongh faced . .126 Window . 200
M ,,
white painted (red Wolf .
.
214
polished) 108 et seq W'olters •
34
140, 206 Women 21, 23, 37, 38, 39, 40, 45, 51
160
stone 96etseq., 201 et seq., 56, 57, 119, 121, 127,
cylindrical 97 . . et seq., 162, 175, 211, 213, 220, 226

fantastic forms 101 et seq. 274, 277, 278
Wood
Vaulting
Veddahs
.
251
14,
164
52 ,,
.
sonorous
(.See Castanettes.)
.
....
.
.4-54. 135. 139
273
Vegetable paste . .
"
"
Veil .
45, 46, 165 Worshippers of Horus . .
144
Vessel 250 Writing 15. 66, 142
Egyptian . .
i, 282
sailing
(See Bark, Flotilla.) „ hieroglyph 4, 85, 88, 142 et
Vibration 273 seq., 288
Vladinm' . . . 1
54 ,, primitive . .
15'
Volossovo 154 (See Hieroglyphs, Inscriptions,
Von BissiNG 74, 108, 112, 128, 129 Marks, Pictography, Signature.)
142, 144
Votive objects 66, 90 et seq. . . Yellow .
27, 206
(See Maces, Palettes.) Yc??ich . .

287
Vulture 42, 129, 142, 232
. .
Zaborowski •
144, 205
Wady-el-Shcikh .
51 Zer .42, 49, 180, 182
„ Haminaffiat 203, 288 Zigzag . 22, 40, 109, III, 120
Magarah 212, 254 ZiPFELIUS .

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Jean Capart Primitive Art in Egypt

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Jean Capart Primitive Art in Egypt

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PRIMITIVE

TRANSLATED FROM THE REVISED

WITH 208 ILLUSTRATIONS

PROFESSOR W. M. FLINDERS PETRIE

d' Archdologie de Bruxelles, vols, xvii.-xviii., 1903-4.

I have been much gratified by the offer of Messrs. H.

Grevel & Co. to issue an English translation of a revised

and enlarged edition. In this way my book will naturally

be brought before that public which is

prepared both to receive and to criticise it.

The works of English ethnologists, more especially of

Lubbock, Tylor, Lang, Haddon, Frazer, Spencer, and

appearance of a compilation, borrowed from the works of

the publications ot two English societies, the Egypt

from their pages I have gathered a large number of facts

of the greatest importance.

I owe very special gratitude to Professor Petrie, who,

permitted me to study and to photograph the relics of

primitive Egypt, gathered together in his collection at

University College, London. I cannot express how much

of the Egypt Exploration Fund. If my book is of a

nature to render any assistance to students, it is in the first

instance to Professor Petrie that thanks are due.

Two visits to Oxford have enabled me to complete my

am happy to have this opportunity of thanking Mr. Evans

Owing to the kindness of Professors Erman and

The cordial hospitality received from the Rev. W.

The Egypt Exploration Fund, the editorial staff of the

AUDERGHEM, December 1904.

Chapter II. Personal Adornment 21

Painting the Body 21

Transformation of a Natural Design into a Geometric J) sign

Transformation of a Useful Object into an Ornament 64

„ „ „ Hard Stone 108

Chapter III. {continued').

Pottery Marks '39

Chapter IV. Sculpture and Painting '52

Quadrupeds — Various 189

Magical Instruments with Human F gures 196

Chapter V. The Earliest Pharaonic Monuments

Louvre Palette .....

Small Fragment at the British

PYagments at the British Museum and Ashmolean

Great Palette of Hierakonpolis .

Small Fragment at the Louvre .

Votive Mace- heads of Hierakonpolis

Cairo Statue, No. I.

Fragment of one of the Panels

Fragment of one of the Panels of Hosi

Ivory Box in Form of a Duck

11. Fragment of a Statuette with Tatoo-marks on the Breast and

From Naqada and Hu

Animal and Bird Figures .

18. Band of False Hair. From the Tomb of King Zer 42

Figure from the MacGregor Collection ..... of Seti I. .

Bracelets, and a Spoon with a Handle in Form

Columbian Art. From Holmes .....

Straits, in imitation of the

Fish-Hook (a). From Haddon 65

Boat on a gold Knife-handle

36. Ivory Knife-handle. Petrie Collection .....

Small Flint Knife with Ivory Handle. Petrie collection

Slate and Ivory Pendants decorated with Derived Designs

,, 49. Stone and Ivory Pendants with Incised Line Decoration 82