Abstract
MR. DE RUSTAFJAELL's book is a curious mixture, as its title shows. It consists chiefly of a description of various Egyptian objects, some apparently owned by the author (though this is not made quite clear), others bought by him and sold later to the British Museum. These objects are illustrated by fine photographs. They are strung together by means of a general talk compiled by the author from various authorities, which is intended to give an idea of the “light” shed by Egypt upon early civilisation. So far, so good, and the work is not badly done; but the author also launches out into one or two theories of his own, which are hazardous. We may instance his supposed discovery of limestone “vessels” of “Palæolithic” age found with (undoubted) Palæolithic flints on the Theban plateaux. These objects are not artefacts at all, but merely either the hard matrices of flint nodules or else weathered siliceous masses. They are common enough on any Egyptian gebel of rough stones. Mr. de Rustafjaell has discovered nothing here. The translation by Mr. Crum of the Coptic manuscript sold by Mr. de Rustafjaell to the British Museum, and included by him in his book, is interesting. The Nubian manuscript also originally obtained by Mr. de Rustafjaell, to whom Mr. Griffiths sends a summary description of it, has already been published in facsimile by Dr. Budge for the Trustees of the British Museum. It is of great importance linguistically.
The Light of Egypt, from recently discovered Predynastic and Early Christian Records.
By R. de Rustafjaell. Pp. x+169. (London: Kegan Paul and Co., Ltd., 1909.) Price 10s. 6d. net.
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The Light of Egypt, from recently discovered Predynastic and Early Christian Records . Nature 83, 247 (1910). https://doi.org/10.1038/083247b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/083247b0