Transcriber’s Note Italic text displayed as: _italic_ THE ROMANCE OF EXCAVATION [Illustration: SOME OE THE ROMANCE OF EXCAVATION IS BROUGHT OUT BY THIS BUSY SCENE AT THEBES SHOWING A SMALL ARMY OF NATIVES DIGGING AMID THE RUINS OF A TEMPLE] THE ROMANCE OF EXCAVATION A RECORD OF THE AMAZING DISCOVERIES IN EGYPT, ASSYRIA, TROY, CRETE, ETC. WITH TWENTY-NINE ILLUSTRATIONS BY DAVID MASTERS LONDON JOHN LANE THE BODLEY HEAD LIMITED _First Published in 1923_ MADE AND PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY MORRISON AND GIBB LTD., EDINBURGH TO A. A. WHO SAVED MY LIFE FOREWORD Now and again the world is stirred by a discovery such as that of the Tomb of Tutankhamen by Mr. Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon. In the following pages I have sought to reveal some of the romance of excavation, to tell the fascinating story of the men who have gone out into the desert places and dug up long-lost cities and the fabled treasure of ancient kings. Brilliant men, who have played their part in unearthing the glories of the past, have written many volumes on the subject which is nearest their hearts, and if, after closing this book, the reader and student feel a desire to seek them out, I shall be content. In conclusion, I wish to thank Major Kenneth Mason, M.C., R.E., The British School at Athens, and The Trustees of the British Museum, for their kindness in allowing me to use various illustrations in this volume. DAVID MASTERS. 1923. CONTENTS CHAPTER I PAGE The Story of the Rosetta Stone—How it was found by the French and passed into possession of Great Britain—The puzzling picture writing of the ancient Egyptians which no one could read—The English medical man, Dr. T. Young, who began to tear the secret from the Rosetta Stone, and the astounding work of François Champollion, who built up the first hieroglyphic dictionary 1 CHAPTER II The Ruins of Egypt—Men who are using their eyes to bring back to us the glories of the past—Papyrus, the paper of olden times, and how it was made—Bits of pottery worth their weight in gold; how they act as calendars—The cleverness of native thieves 12 CHAPTER III Shifting 70,000 tons of rubble to find the tomb of Tutankhamen—The dreadful monotony of digging in vain—A lucky decision which led to the discovery of Tutankhamen’s dazzling treasure—The genius of Professor Flinders Petrie, and his great finds at Abydos which the French overlooked—The mystery of a Cretan pot 22 CHAPTER IV