PUNTITE CHARACTERISTICS name of a portion of Africa which lay far to the south of Egypt, and at no great distance from the western coast of the Red Sea, and, as many of the Egyptians appear to have looked upon this country as their original home, it follows that, in the early period of dynastic history at least, the relation between the black tribes of the south and the Egyptians in the north were of a friendly character. Certain it is that the tradition that the Egyptian civilization sprang from the • Ethiopians, or Blacks, was believed by some classical writers, who had opportunities of finding out what the best informed people of the day thought about the subject, and there is little doubt that this tradition was based upon statements made by the ancient Egyptians themselves. Wfijnay note in passing that the plaited, turned_-up . beards which is a cKaracteristic of the Egyptian gods, is found to have been worn by the inhabitants of Punt inj tie time of Queen Hatshepset ; and also by the Egyptians of the 1st DynastytiQiigh never at a later date.

Reminiscences ofthe wars which the Egyptians probably carried on against the black tribes of the south may be found on the green slate objects of the early period, about which so much has been written in recent years. To what use these objects were put need not trouble us here, and the reader who wishes to investigate this point will find it discussed in a sensible way by Mr. F.

Legge in his valuable paper ' on these interesting antiquities ; but it is important to note that they are sculptured not only with hunting scenes, but also with representations of fights and of the defeat and slaughter of enemies. The men who are vanquished have curly wool for hair, and are bearded and naked, and it is evident that they were circumcised. On one of the objects of this class preserved in the British Museum" we see a naked captive in the hands of an official who wears a garment which reaches down nearly to his ankles; the wretched creature had a weight, a portion of which is visible, suspended before him from his neck, a method of punishment which is, I am told, in use in the Sudan to ' Proceedings Soc. Bibl. Arch., May, 1900. See also a very interesting paper by Prof. Naviile in Comptes Rendus of the Academic des Inscriptions for 1906, entitled, Le Dieii de VOasis.

- No. 20,791, Third Egyptian Room.

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