the story of mankind-第5节

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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。　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　t