THAT COLD BLACK MUMMY

Dr. Reisner of the Harvard-Boston Egyptian Expedition has been careful to point out that the inscription: "Lord-of-the-Two-Crowns, Sneferuw, the Horns Neb Ma'at," which was discovered on the gold mat of the new tomb at Giza does not apply at all to the person buried there. The point is a nice one and well taken. Sneferuw probably was either a term of endearment or a bill of lading. It is altogether too colloquial and common a word to take its place beside the great unpronounceable of Egyptian anthology.

There is no one who seems able to identify the strange little mummy that the expedition discovered. For a while there was strong suspicion that it was some relation of Amenhotep III, but his ears seemed a little too large. Undoubtedly, however, he has the Toothmes chin and the Hotshepsut eyebrows, which leads to the shocking conclusion that he may not have been quite legitimate. It seems too bad to bring such a thing to light, particularly after so many years, but the matter must be looked at frankly.

Dr. Reisner seems curiously troubled by the absense of the man's name, but it is really a very simple thing indeed. The choreographers who were to do the engraving couldn't decide how many is there were in the first syllable of his name. Some said four and some said five, but no one really cared very much.

By that time the man had been dead some four or five years, and it seemed advisable to complete his coffin as soon as possible. The head undertaker ordered them to put "Sneferuw," or any old name, on the gold mat, and so it was done. It didn't matter much anyway.