Bible -- Antiquities; Bible. Old Testament -- Evidences, authority, etc.
Strangely, in view of the consistent demands of the evolutionary school,
we find no evidence of human evolution in the land of Egypt. More than
this, the doctrine that man began with a brutish intellect and gradually
developed his high and peculiar culture, is refuted by the evidences
from this country. In fact, the contrary is strikingly the case. Instead
of proving a process of evolution, the history of man as found in the
archeology of Egypt is a consistent record of degeneration.
The eminent Sayce, one of the ablest archeologists in the whole history
of that great science, expressed his wonder and amazement at the high
stage of culture met with in the very earliest records of the Egyptian
people. Other authorities, such as Baikie, have written voluminously
upon this subject. It had been hoped that when excavators finally
reached undisturbed tombs of the first dynasty, they would find
themselves in the dawn of Egyptian culture. It was our fortunate
privilege to be at Sakkara a year ago when the first complete and
unmolested tombs of the first dynasty were uncovered. It was our
privilege to keep a close check and watch upon all that was done at that
time, and the conclusions and postulations of hopeful theorists were
utterly shattered in such discoveries as were made.
Indeed, we can no longer start Egyptian culture with the beginning of
the dynastic ages. Through the first tombs, we peer back into an older
preceding culture that dazzles and amazes the human understanding.
Instead of finding the dawn of a developing humanity, we see mankind
already in the high noon of cultural accomplishments. Instead of nomadic
dwellers in shaggy tents, we look upon works of enduring stone. Instead
of brutish, Egyptian ancestral artifacts, we find a pottery culture that
is really superb. It almost seems that the farther back we go into
Egyptian antiquity, the more perfect was their culture and learning. The
art of writing was the common possession of the Egyptian in the
pre-dynastic period.
It is true that there was a so-called stone age in Egypt, which preceded
the first dynasty. We are showing here, however, a photograph of one of
the most ancient open burials ever discovered in Egypt. This is
accompanied by various heads of mummies, to show the state of
preservation. (See Plate 5.) Before the art of embalming was invented
and the dead were mummified, they were buried by intrusion in the dry
sands. You will note the perfection of the culture of this people as
depicted by the pottery undisturbed in this grave. In contrast to this
type of burial, the mummies shown in this same plate are no better
preserved than the earlier burial. Indeed, there is no evidence to show
that these cultures were consecutive rather than contemporary. In
various sections of Egypt it is quite probable that different burial
customs prevailed simultaneously, and it is a pure speculation to say
that the more primitive type of burial is ages older than the advanced
style.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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