the story of mankind-第6章

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

saws。　The　picture　therefore　must　mean　something　else。　But

what？



That　is　the　riddle　which　the　Frenchman　finally　solved。

He　discovered　that　the　Egyptians　were　the　first　to　use　what

we　now　call　‘‘phonetic　writing''a　system　of　characters　which

reproduce　the　‘‘sound''　（or　phone）　of　the　spoken　word　and

which　make　it　possible　for　us　to　translate　all　our　spoken　words

into　a　written　form；　with　the　help　of　only　a　few　dots　and　dashes

and　pothooks。



Let　us　return　for　a　moment　to　the　little　fellow　with　the　saw。

The　word　‘‘saw''　either　means　a　certain　tool　which　you　will　find

in　a　carpenter's　shop；　or　it　means　the　past　tense　of　the　verb

‘‘to　see。''



This　is　what　had　happened　to　the　word　during　the　course

of　centuries。　First　of　all　it　had　meant　only　the　particular　tool

which　it　represented。　Then　that　meaning　had　been　lost　and　it

had　become　the　past　participle　of　a　verb。　After　several　hundred

years；　the　Egyptians　lost　sight　of　both　these　meanings　and

the　picture　｛illust。｝　came　to　stand　for　a　single　letter；　the

letter　S。　A　short　sentence　will　show　you　what　I　mean。　Here

is　a　modern　English　sentence　as　it　would　have　been　written　in

hieroglyphics。　｛illust。｝



The　｛illust。｝　either　means　one　of　these　two　round　objects

in　your　head；　which　allow　you　to　see　or　it　means　‘‘I；''　the　person

who　is　talking。



A　｛illust。｝　is　either　an　insect　which　gathers　honey；　or　it

represents　the　verb　‘‘to　be''　which　means　to　exist。　Again；　it

may　be　the　first　part　of　a　verb　like　‘‘be…come''　or　‘‘be…have。''

In　this　particular　instance　it　is　followed　by　｛illust。｝　which

means　a　‘‘leaf''　or　‘‘leave''　or　‘‘lieve''　（the　sound　of　all　three

words　is　the　same）。



The　‘‘eye''　you　know　all　about。



Finally　you　get　the　picture　of　a　｛illust。｝。　It　is　a　giraffe

It　is　part　of　the　old　sign…language　out　of　which　the　hieroglyphics

developed。



You　can　now　read　that　sentence　without　much　difficulty。



‘‘I　believe　I　saw　a　giraffe。''



Having　invented　this　system　the　Egyptians　developed　it

during　thousands　of　years　until　they　could　write　anything　they

wanted；　and　they　used　these　‘‘canned　words''　to　send　messages

to　friends；　to　keep　business　accounts　and　to　keep　a　record　of　the

history　of　their　country；　that　future　generations　might　benefit

by　the　mistakes　of　the　past。







THE　NILE　VALLEY



THE　BEGINNING　OF　CIVILISATION　IN　THE

VALLEY　OF　THE　NILE





THE　history　of　man　is　the　record　of　a　hungry　creature　in

search　of　food。　Wherever　food　was　plentiful；　thither　man　has

travelled　to　make　his　home。



The　fame　of　the　Valley　of　the　Nile　must　have　spread　at

an　early　date。　From　the　interior　of　Africa　and　from　the　desert

of　Arabia　and　from　the　western　part　of　Asia　people　had

flocked　to　Egypt　to　claim　their　share　of　the　rich　farms。

Together　these　invaders　had　formed　a　new　race　which　called

itself　‘‘Remi''　or　‘‘the　Men''　just　as　we　sometimes　call　America

‘‘God's　own　country。''　They　had　good　reason　to　be　grateful

to　a　Fate　which　had　carried　them　to　this　narrow　strip　of　land。

In　the　summer　of　each　year　the　Nile　turned　the　valley　into　a

shallow　lake　and　when　the　waters　receded　all　the　grainfields

and　the　pastures　were　covered　with　several　inches　of　the　most

fertile　clay。



In　Egypt　a　kindly　river　did　the　work　of　a　million　men　and

made　it　possible　to　feed　the　teeming　population　of　the　first

large　cities　of　which　we　have　any　record。　It　is　true　that　all

the　arable　land　was　not　in　the　valley。　But　a　complicated

system　of　small　canals　and　well…sweeps　carried　water　from

the　river…level　to　the　top　of　the　highest　banks　and　an　even

more　intricate　system　of　irrigation　trenches　spread　it　throughout

the　land。



While　man　of　the　prehistoric　age　had　been　obliged　to　spend

sixteen　hours　out　of　every　twenty…four　gathering　food　for　himself

and　the　members　of　his　tribe；　the　Egyptian　peasant　or　the

inhabitant　of　the　Egyptian　city　found　himself　possessed　of　a

certain　leisure。　He　used　this　spare　time　to　make　himself　many

things　that　were　merely　ornamental　and　not　in　the　least　bit

useful。



More　than　that。　One　day　he　discovered　that　his　brain　was

capable　of　thinking　all　kinds　of　thoughts　which　had　nothing

to　do　with　the　problems　of　eating　and　sleeping　and　finding　a

home　for　the　children。　The　Egyptian　began　to　speculate　upon

many　strange　problems　that　confronted　him。　Where　did　the

stars　come　from？　Who　made　the　noise　of　the　thunder　which

frightened　him　so　terribly？　Who　made　the　River　Nile　rise

with　such　regularity　that　it　was　possible　to　base　the　calendar

upon　the　appearance　and　the　disappearance　of　the　annual

floods？　Who　was　he；　himself；　a　strange　little　creature　surrounded

on　all　sides　by　death　and　sickness　and　yet　happy　and

full　of　laughter？



He　asked　these　many　questions　and　certain　people　obligingly

stepped　forward　to　answer　these　inquiries　to　the　best　of

their　ability。　The　Egyptians　called　them　‘‘priests''　and　they

became　the　guardians　of　his　thoughts　and　gained　great　respect

in　the　community。　They　were　highly　learned　men　who　were

entrusted　with　the　sacred　task　of　keeping　the　written　records。

They　understood　that　it　is　not　good　for　man　to　think　only　of

his　immediate　advantage　in　this　world　and　they　drew　his　attention

to　the　days　of　the　future　when　his　soul　would　dwell

beyond　the　mountains　of　the　west　and　must　give　an　account

of　his　deeds　to　Osiris；　the　mighty　God　who　was　the　Ruler　of

the　Living　and　the　Dead　and　who　judged　the　acts　of　men

according　to　their　merits。　Indeed；　the　priests　made　so　much

of　that　future　day　in　the　realm　of　Isis　and　Osiris　that　the

Egyptians　began　to　regard　life　merely　as　a　short　preparation

for　the　Hereafter　and　turned　the　teeming　valley　of　the　Nile

into　a　land　devoted　to　the　Dead。



In　a　strange　way；　the　Egyptians　had　come　to　believe　that

no　soul　could　enter　the　realm　of　Osiris　without　the　possession

of　the　body　which　had　been　its　place　of　residence　in　this　world。

Therefore　as　soon　as　a　man　was　dead　his　relatives　took　his

corpse　and　had　it　embalmed。　For　weeks　it　was　soaked　in　a

solution　of　natron　and　then　it　was　filled　with　pitch。　The

Persian　word　for　pitch　was　‘‘Mumiai''　and　the　embalmed　body

was　called　a　‘‘Mummy。''　It　was　wrapped　in　yards　and　yards

of　specially　prepared　linen　and　it　was　placed　in　a　specially

prepared　coffin　ready　to　be　removed　to　its　final　home。　But

an　Egyptian　grave　was　a　real　home　where　the　body　was　surrounded

by　pieces　of　furniture　and　musical　instruments　（to

while　away　the　dreary　hours　of　waiting）　and　by　little　statues

of　cooks　and　bakers　and　barbers　（that　the　occupant　of　this

dark　home　might　be　decently　provided　with　food　and　need　not

go　about　unshaven）。



Originally　these　graves　had　been　dug　into　the　rocks　of　the

western　mountains　but　as　the　Egyptians　moved　northward

they　were　obliged　to　build　their　cemeteries　in　the　desert。　The

desert　however　is　full　of　wild　animals　and　equally　wild　robbers

and　they　broke　into　the　graves　and　disturbed　the　mummy　or

stole　the　jewelry　that　had　been　buried　with　the　body。　To　prevent

such　unholy　desecration　the　Egyptians　used　to　build　small

mounds　of　stones　on　top　of　the　graves。　These　little　mounds

gradually　grew　in　size；　because　the　rich　people　built　higher

mounds　than　the　poor　and　there　was　a　good　deal　of　competition

to　see　who　could　make　the　highest　hill　of　stones。　The

record　was　made　by　King　Khufu；　whom　the　Greeks　called

Cheops　and　who　lived　thirty　centuries　before　our　era。　His

mound；　which　the　Greeks　called　a　pyramid　（because　the

Egyptian　word　for　high　was　pir…em…us）　was　over　five　hundred

feet　high。



It　covered　more　than　thirteen　acres　of　desert　which　is　three

times　as　much　space　as　that　occupied　by　the　church　of　St。

Peter；　the　largest　edifice　of　the　Christian　world。



During　twenty　years；　over　a　hundred　thousand　men　were

busy　carrying　the　necessary　stones　from　the　other　side　of　the

riverferrying　them　across　the　Ni