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make¡¡use¡¡of¡¡the¡¡experience¡¡of¡¡those¡¡generations¡¡of¡¡cats¡¡and

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In¡¡the¡¡first¡¡century¡¡before¡¡our¡¡era£»¡¡when¡¡the¡¡Romans¡¡came

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

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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¡£



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the¡¡year¡¡1823¡¡he¡¡announced¡¡that¡¡he¡¡had¡¡discovered¡¡the¡¡meaning

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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¡£



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generations¡£



Of¡¡course£»¡¡you¡¡know¡¡what¡¡a¡¡sign¡¡language¡¡is¡£¡¡Every

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what£¿



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hieroglyphics¡£¡¡£ûillust¡££ý



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who¡¡is¡¡talking¡£



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The¡¡¡®¡®eye''¡¡you¡¡know¡¡all¡¡about¡£



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developed¡£



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¡®¡®I¡¡believe¡¡I¡¡saw¡¡a¡¡giraffe¡£''



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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¡£



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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¡£

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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

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