The migrations of early culture: A study of the significance of the geographical distribution of the practice of mummification as evidence of the migrations of peoples and the spread of certain customs and beliefsSmith, Grafton Elliot
History
The migrations of early culture: A study of the significance of the geographical distribution of the practice of mummification as evidence of the migrations of peoples and the spread of certain customs and beliefs
Smith, Grafton Elliot
Ethnology; Human beings -- Migrations; Mummies
The great migration of the “heliolithic” culture-complex probably began
shortly before 800 B.C. [Its influence in the Mediterranean and in
Europe, as also in China and Japan, is merely mentioned incidentally in
this communication.]
Passing to the east the culture-complex reached the Persian Gulf strongly
tainted with the influence of North Syria and Asia Minor, and when it
reached the west coast of India and Ceylon, possibly as early as the end
of the eighth century B.C., it had been profoundly influenced not only by
these Mediterranean, Anatolian and especially Babylonian accretions, but
even more profoundly with Eastern African modifications. These Ethiopian
influences become more pronounced in Indonesia (no doubt because in
India and the west the disturbances created by other cults have destroyed
most of the evidence).
From Indonesia the “heliolithic” culture-complex was carried far out
into the Pacific and eventually reached the American coast, where it
bore fruit in the development of the great civilizations on the Pacific
littoral and isthmus, whence it gradually leavened the bulk of the vast
aboriginal population of the Americas.
[When this communication was made to the Society my sole object was
to put together the scattered evidence supplied by the practice of
mummification, and other customs associated with it, in substantiation
of the fact that the influence of ancient Egyptian civilization, or a
particular phase of it, had spread to the Far East and America. Since
then so much new information has come to light, not only in confirmation
of the main thesis, but also defining the dates of a series of cultural
waves, that it will soon be possible, not only to sketch out in some
detail the routes taken by the series of ancient mariners who spread
abroad this peculiarly distinctive civilization, but also to identify the
adventurers and determine the dates of their greatest exploits and the
motives for most of their enterprises. In collaboration with Mr. J. W.
Perry I hope soon to be ready to attempt that task.
I have deliberately refrained from referring to the vexed question of
totemism in this communication, although it is obvious that it is closely
connected with the “heliolithic” culture. I have used the expression
“serpent worship” in several places where perhaps it would have been
more correct to refer to the serpent-totem; but so far from weakening,
the consideration of totemism will add to the strength and cogency of my
argument.
When I assigned (p. 65) a comparatively late date for the extension
of the “heliolithic” culture to the western Mediterranean and beyond I
was not aware that Siret (_L’Anthropologie_, T. 20 and 21, 1909-10) had
arrived at the same conclusion.]
FOOTNOTES
[1] These figures refer to the bibliography at the end.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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