Page 228 - Records of Bahrain (2)(ii)_Neat

554 Records of Bahrain

09. Tho walls of tho tomb woro of rough hewn stone and unmortared, so
that dust had drifted into tho chambers, sifting in between tho stones and cover­
ing most part of tho floor to a depth of sovcral inches.
100. I oponed from tho eastward and camo upon the central passage lying
about cast and west, a fact that I have since utilized iu beginning my work
on tho larger mound.
101. On carrying away tho earth we found no entrance, but made one by
removing largo blocks of stone, luckily in tho very centre of tho l)ig passage.
Prom hero wo had lo step down about three feet six iuchcs.
102. On creeping in under tho huge slab abovo us I was sickened by a
smell, whioh I cannot describe, and boing now to tho tradoof body-snatching was
assailed by somo qualms of conscience as to tho propriety of my conduct. On
reflection, however, I camo to tho conclusion that the golden rule of lifo was,
“do unto others, Ac.” Applying this practically, and putting myself iu tho
place of tho dofuuct Phoenician, 1 thought that if I could think, under the
circumstances, I should probably not mind being disturbed after boing shut up
for somo thousands of years. So 1 went in bravely, “co n’ost quo lc premier
pas,” and sinco then I lmvo become hardened and keep several of tho gentle­
men’s bones in a basket in my room. I was however disturbed, not to say
distressed, at hearing thorn begin to rattlo in tho dark, but found on timid in­
spection that the noiso proceeded from tho intelligent roscarchcs of a very nice
bull pup that I have. I remonstrated with him, ns I thought that he might have
drawn tho lino at such very innutritivo substances, hut tho matter gavo food for
further reflection. I thought that such a subject might almost have supplied
Moutaigno with a text for one of his humorous philosophical essays, and that
treated by Artcinus Ward or Mark Twain, the Castor and Pollux of modem
wit and humour, it might almost become ludicrous. It everting, however, to
my previous argument, I returned to bed.
103. However wo went in, as I said, to the tomb, and found in tho first
compartment to tho right (and north) the skull and bones of a man. Unfortu­
nately a slight shake was givon to the basket after I had placed it carefully on
one side, and the skull, though propped in dust, fell to pieces. Judging by the
thigh bones tho man could not have stood much, if at all, over ftvo feet uino
inches.
104. Thcskull seemed a very small one, specially low in the forehead, with
a good development of tho orbital ridge, narrow and more developed in length
than iu breadth, but oven here, a small skull. It lay betwcou the thigh bones,
one of which was broken, as I had to uso some (very little) forco to break tho
other for packing, and there wero no stones fallen into this part of the grave it
is odd. This position of the skull, however, in conjunction with tho lowness of
Amongst others Herodotus mention* tllC chamber, and its Waut of depth, Would seem to
timt this was a Libyian practice. show that the corpse was buried in a sitting posture.
This I believe was a common practice with many tribes.
105. In tho 6mnll compartment facing tho first, we found tho bonos of some
small animal, probably a gazelle or a shcop, and some romains of a ratlior delicate
clay drinking vessel, whilst scattered hero in tho dust of the central passage
woro a lot of small shapeless pieces of oxidized motal, brass or copper, aud some
fragments of a vessel of coarse red earthenwaro. An intelligent Native roranrked
to mo that these could no longor bo mado, as tho colour of the earth had
changed, ho had found old bits before and always red, but now they can only
make dirty whito and light yellow. I suggested that ago in tho pots thomsolves
might account for tho ebango of colour, but ho would not oonsont to the pro­
position.
100. In too western and corresponding side obambors, both partially block­
ed with one or two .large stones, nothing was found, except dust and a few
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