Transcriber's note: Italic text has been marked with _underscores_. Please see the end of this book for further notes. HUMAN ORIGINS _HUMAN ORIGINS._ Published July 1892, 1500 copies. Reprinted August 1892, 1500 copies. Reprinted September 1892, 2000 copies. HUMAN ORIGINS BY S. LAING AUTHOR OF "PROBLEMS OF THE FUTURE," "MODERN SCIENCE AND MODERN THOUGHT," "A MODERN ZOROASTRIAN," ETC. With Illustrations _FIFTH THOUSAND_ LONDON: CHAPMAN AND HALL, LD. 1892 [_All rights reserved_] RICHARD CLAY & SONS, LIMITED, LONDON & BUNGAY. CONTENTS. PAGE INTRODUCTION 1 PART I.--EVIDENCE FROM HISTORY. CHAPTER I. EGYPT. Historical Standard of Time--Short Date inconsistent with Evolution--Laws of Historical Evidence--History begins with Authentic Records--Records of Egypt oldest--Manetho's Lists--Confirmed by Hieroglyphics--Origin of Writing--The Alphabet--Phonetic Writing--Clue to Hieroglyphics--The Rosetta Stone--Champollion--Principles of Hieroglyphic Writing--Language Coptic--Can be read with certainty--Confirmed by Monuments--Manetho's Date for Menes 5004 B.C.--Old, Middle, and New Empires--Old Empire, Menes, to end of Sixth Dynasty--Break between Old and Middle Empires--Works of Twelfth Dynasty--Fayoum--Thirteenth and Fourteenth Dynasties--Hyksos Conquests--Duration of Hyksos Rule--Their Expulsion and Foundation of New Empire--Conquests in Asia of Seventeenth and Eighteenth Dynasties--Wars with Hittites and Assyrians--Persian and Greek Dynasties--Summary of Evidence for Date of Menes--Period prior to Menes--Horsheshu--Sphynx--Stone Age--Neolithic and Palæolithic Remains--Horner, Haynes, and Pitt-Rivers 5 CHAPTER II. CHALDÆA. Chronology--Berosus--His Dates mythical--Dates in Genesis--Synchronisms with Egypt and Assyria--Monuments--Cuneiform Inscriptions--How deciphered--Behistan Inscription--Grotefend and Rawlinson--Layard--Library of Koyunjik--How preserved--Accadian Translations and Grammars--Historical Dates--Elamite Conquest--Commencement of Modern History--Ur-Ea and Dungi--Nabonidus--Sargon I., 3800 B.C.--Ur of the Chaldees--Sharrukin's Cylinder--His Library--His Son Naram-Sin--Semites and Accadians--Accadians and Chinese--Period before Sargon I.--Patesi--De Sarzec's find at Sirgalla--Gud-Ea, 4000 to 4500 B.C.--Advance of Delta--Astronomical Records--Chaldæa and Egypt give similar results---Historic Period 6000 or 7000 years--and no trace of a beginning 42 CHAPTER III. OTHER HISTORICAL RECORDS.