the story of mankind-第5章

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lest　he　freeze　to　death。　He　learned　how　to　dig　holes　and　cover

them　with　branches　and　leaves　and　in　these　traps　he　caught

bears　and　hyenas；　which　he　then　killed　with　heavy　stones　and

whose　skins　he　used　as　coats　for　himself　and　his　family。



Next　came　the　housing　problem。　This　was　simple。　Many

animals　were　in　the　habit　of　sleeping　in　dark　caves。　Man　now

followed　their　example；　drove　the　animals　out　of　their　warm

homes　and　claimed　them　for　his　own。



Even　so；　the　climate　was　too　severe　for　most　people　and

the　old　and　the　young　died　at　a　terrible　rate。　Then　a　genius

bethought　himself　of　the　use　of　fire。　Once；　while　out　hunting；

he　had　been　caught　in　a　forest…fire。　He　remembered　that　he

had　been　almost　roasted　to　death　by　the　flames。　Thus　far　fire

had　been　an　enemy。　Now　it　became　a　friend。　A　dead　tree

was　dragged　into　the　cave　and　lighted　by　means　of　smouldering

branches　from　a　burning　wood。　This　turned　the　cave　into

a　cozy　little　room。



And　then　one　evening　a　dead　chicken　fell　into　the　fire。　It

was　not　rescued　until　it　had　been　well　roasted。　Man　discovered

that　meat　tasted　better　when　cooked　and　he　then　and　there

discarded　one　of　the　old　habits　which　he　had　shared　with　the

other　animals　and　began　to　prepare　his　food。



In　this　way　thousands　of　years　passed。　Only　the　people

with　the　cleverest　brains　survived。　They　had　to　struggle　day

and　night　against　cold　and　hunger。　They　were　forced　to　invent

tools。　They　learned　how　to　sharpen　stones　into　axes　and　how

to　make　hammers。　They　were　obliged　to　put　up　large　stores

of　food　for　the　endless　days　of　the　winter　and　they　found　that

clay　could　be　made　into　bowls　and　jars　and　hardened　in　the

rays　of　the　sun。　And　so　the　glacial　period；　which　had　threatened

to　destroy　the　human　race；　became　its　greatest　teacher

because　it　forced　man　to　use　his　brain。







HIEROGLYPHICS



THE　EGYPTIANS　INVENT　THE　ART　OF

WRITING　AND　THE　RECORD　OF

HISTORY　BEGINS





THESE　earliest　ancestors　of　ours　who　lived　in　the　great

European　wilderness　were　rapidly　learning　many　new　things。

It　is　safe　to　say　that　in　due　course　of　time　they　would　have

given　up　the　ways　of　savages　and　would　have　developed　a

civilisation　of　their　own。　But　suddenly　there　came　an　end　to

their　isolation。　They　were　discovered。



A　traveller　from　an　unknown　southland　who　had　dared　to

cross　the　sea　and　the　high　mountain　passes　had　found　his　way

to　the　wild　people　of　the　European　continent。　He　came　from

Africa。　His　home　was　in　Egypt。



The　valley　of　the　Nile　had　developed　a　high　stage　of　civilisation

thousands　of　years　before　the　people　of　the　west　had

dreamed　of　the　possibilities　of　a　fork　or　a　wheel　or　a　house。

And　we　shall　therefore　leave　our　great…great…grandfathers　in

their　caves；　while　we　visit　the　southern　and　eastern　shores　of

the　Mediterranean；　where　stood　the　earliest　school　of　the

human　race。



The　Egyptians　have　taught　us　many　things。　They　were

excellent　farmers。　They　knew　all　about　irrigation。　They　built

temples　which　were　afterwards　copied　by　the　Greeks　and　which

served　as　the　earliest　models　for　the　churches　in　which　we　worship

nowadays。　They　had　invented　a　calendar　which　proved

such　a　useful　instrument　for　the　purpose　of　measuring　time

that　it　has　survived　with　a　few　changes　until　today。　But　most

important　of　all；　the　Egyptians　had　learned　how　to　preserve

speech　for　the　benefit　of　future　generations。　They　had　invented

the　art　of　writing。



We　are　so　accustomed　to　newspapers　and　books　and　magazines

that　we　take　it　for　granted　that　the　world　has　always　been

able　to　read　and　write。　As　a　matter　of　fact；　writing；　the　most

important　of　all　inventions；　is　quite　new。　Without　written

documents　we　would　be　like　cats　and　dogs；　who　can　only　teach

their　kittens　and　their　puppies　a　few　simple　things　and　who；

because　they　cannot　write；　possess　no　way　in　which　they　can

make　use　of　the　experience　of　those　generations　of　cats　and

dogs　that　have　gone　before。



In　the　first　century　before　our　era；　when　the　Romans　came

to　Egypt；　they　found　the　valley　full　of　strange　little　pictures

which　seemed　to　have　something　to　do　with　the　history

of　the　country。　But　the　Romans　were　not　interested　in　‘‘anything

foreign''　and　did　not　inquire　into　the　origin　of　these　queer

figures　which　covered　the　walls　of　the　temples　and　the　walls　of

the　palaces　and　endless　reams　of　flat　sheets　made　out　of　the

papyrus　reed。　The　last　of　the　Egyptian　priests　who　had

understood　the　holy　art　of　making　such　pictures　had　died　several

years　before。　Egypt　deprived　of　its　independence　had

become　a　store…house　filled　with　important　historical　documents

which　no　one　could　decipher　and　which　were　of　no　earthly　use

to　either　man　or　beast。



Seventeen　centuries　went　by　and　Egypt　remained　a　land

of　mystery。　But　in　the　year　1798　a　French　general　by　the

name　of　Bonaparte　happened　to　visit　eastern　Africa　to　prepare

for　an　attack　upon　the　British　Indian　Colonies。　He　did

not　get　beyond　the　Nile；　and　his　campaign　was　a　failure。　But；

quite　accidentally；　the　famous　French　expedition　solved　the

problem　of　the　ancient　Egyptian　picture…language。



One　day　a　young　French　officer；　much　bored　by　the　dreary

life　of　his　little　fortress　on　the　Rosetta　river　（a　mouth　of　the

Nile）　decided　to　spend　a　few　idle　hours　rummaging　among

the　ruins　of　the　Nile　Delta。　And　behold！　he　found　a　stone

which　greatly　puzzled　him。　Like　everything　else　in　Egypt

it　was　covered　with　little　figures。　But　this　particular　slab　of

black　basalt　was　different　from　anything　that　had　ever　been

discovered。　It　carried　three　inscriptions。　One　of　these　was

in　Greek。　The　Greek　language　was　known。　‘‘All　that　is

necessary；''　so　he　reasoned；　‘‘is　to　compare　the　Greek　text　with

the　Egyptian　figures；　and　they　will　at　once　tell　their　secrets。''



The　plan　sounded　simple　enough　but　it　took　more　than

twenty　years　to　solve　the　riddle。　In　the　year　1802　a　French

professor　by　the　name　of　Champollion　began　to　compare　the

Greek　and　the　Egyptian　texts　of　the　famous　Rosetta　stone。　In

the　year　1823　he　announced　that　he　had　discovered　the　meaning

of　fourteen　little　figures。　A　short　time　later　he　died　from

overwork；　but　the　main　principles　of　Egyptian　writing　had

become　known。　Today　the　story　of　the　valley　of　the　Nile　is

better　known　to　us　than　the　story　of　the　Mississippi　River。

We　possess　a　written　record　which　covers　four　thousand　years

of　chronicled　history。



As　the　ancient　Egyptian　hieroglyphics　（the　word　means

‘‘sacred　writing''）　have　played　such　a　very　great　role　in

history；　（a　few　of　them　in　modified　form　have　even　found　their

way　into　our　own　alphabet；）　you　ought　to　know　something

about　the　ingenious　system　which　was　used　fifty　centuries　ago

to　preserve　the　spoken　word　for　the　benefit　of　the　coming

generations。



Of　course；　you　know　what　a　sign　language　is。　Every

Indian　story　of　our　western　plains　has　a　chapter　devoted　to

strange　messages　writter｛sic｝　in　the　form　of　little　pictures　which

tell　how　many　buffaloes　were　killed　and　how　many　hunters

there　were　in　a　certain　party。　As　a　rule　it　is　not　difficult　to

understand　the　meaning　of　such　messages。



Ancient　Egyptian；　however；　was　not　a　sign　language。　The

clever　people　of　the　Nile　had　passed　beyond　that　stage　long

before。　Their　pictures　meant　a　great　deal　more　than　the　object

which　they　represented；　as　I　shall　try　to　explain　to　you　now。



Suppose　that　you　were　Champollion；　and　that　you　were

examining　a　stack　of　papyrus　sheets；　all　covered　with　hieroglyphics。

Suddenly　you　came　across　a　picture　of　a　man　with

a　saw。　‘‘Very　well；''　you　would　say；　‘‘that　means　of　course　that

a　farmer　went　out　to　cut　down　a　tree。''　Then　you　take　another

papyrus。　It　tells　the　story　of　a　queen　who　had　died　at　the　age

of　eighty…two。　In　the　midst　of　a　sentence　appears　the　picture

of　the　man　with　the　saw。　Queens　of　eighty…two　do　not　handle

saws。　The　picture　therefore　must　mean　something　else。