“ Of two Pelasgic heads, one is perfect, and well characterized in most of its proportions.
It has an internal capacity of 93 cubic inches, and a facial angle of 80°. . . .
“ The solitary Semitic head has rather the common Arab than the Hebrew cast of features.
It measures internally 87 cubic inches, and has a facial angle of 79°.
“ The ages of the individuals to whom these seventeen skulls pertained may be proxi-
mately stated as follows: 5, 7, 1'8, 20, 20, 25, 80, 40, 40, 40, 50, 50, 50, 50, 50, 50, 55.”
“ The result derived from this series of crania sustain, in a most gratifying manner, those
obtained from the greater collection of 100 skulls sent me from Egypt, by my friend Mr. G.
R. Gliddon, and which have afforded the materials of my Crania JEgyptiaca; and, without
making further comparisons on 'the present occasion (for I design from time to time to
resume the subject, as facts and materials may come to my hands), I shall merely subjoin
my Ethnographic Table from the Crania JEgyptiaca, so extended as to embraoe all the
ancient Egyptian skulls now in my possession.
Ethnographic Table of one hundred and seventeen Ancient Egyptian Crania.
Sepulchral Localities. No. Egypt’n. Pelasgic. Semitic. Mixed. Negroid. Negro. ■ Idiot.
Memphis.......................... 26 7 16 1 1 1
Ghizeh............................... 17 11 2 1 1
Maahdeh...................... 4 ' 1 1 2
Abydos............................. 4 2 1 1
Thebes............................. 55 30 10 4 4 5 ‘ :’v2'
Ombos ............................. 3 3
Philm................................ 4 2 i 1
Debod ............................... 4 4 ... ...
117 60 31 7 7 ' 9 1 2
I n t e r n a l Ca pa c ity of th e C r a n ium .
The part of Dr. Morton’s work bearing this superscription, I regard
as one of bis most valuable contributions to science, and it
demands a close examination.
“ As this measurement,” says he, “ gives'the size of the brain, I have obtained it in all
the* crania above sixteen years of age, unless prevented by fractures or the presence of
bitumen within the skulls; and this investigation has confirmed the proverbial fact of the
general smallness of the Egyptian head, at least as observed in the oatacombs south of Memphis.
Thus, the Pelasgic crania, from the latter city, give an average internal capacity of
89 cubic inches; those from the same group from Thebes, give 86.’ This result is somewhat
below the average of the existing Caucasian nations of the Pelasgic, Germanic, and
Celtic families, in which I find the brain to be about 93 cubic inches in bulk. It is also
interesting to observe that the Pelasgic brain is much larger than the Egyptian, which last
gives an average of but 80 cubic inches; thus, as we shall hereafter see, approximating to
that of the Indo-Arabian nations.” 469
“ The largest head in the series measures ninety-seven cubic inches: this occurs three
times, and always in the Pelasgic group. The smallest cranium gives but sixty-eight cubic
inches; and this is three times repeated in the Egyptian heads from Thebes. This last is
the smallest cranium I have met with in any nation, with three exceptions a Hindoo a
Peruvian, and a Negro.”
Morton tben reduces bis measurements of 100 ancient Egyptian
erania into tbe subjoined tabular form: —
Ethnographic Division.
P elasgic F orm. . . . -
Semitic F orm.,
E gyptian F orm
Negroid F orm.,
Negro ,
Locality. Number of
Crania.
Largest
Braih.
Smallest
Brain. Mean.
Memphis ....... 14 ' 97 79 89
Abydos *........ 1 89 89 89
Thebes ........... 5 92 82 86
Philse.............. 1 74 74 74
Memphis ....... 1 88 88 88
Abydos........... 1 - 69 .69 69
Thebes ........... 3 85 79 79
Memphis ....... 83 m 79
Abydos........... 2 96 85 90
Thebes ........... 25 95 68 80
Ombos............. 2 77 68 73
Debdd.............. 3 82 70 76
Maabdeh ...... 1 71 71 '71
Thebes........... 5 88 71 81
Philse............. 1 73 73 73
An examination of tbis table again brings to view tbe fact tbat tbe
Pelasgic beads (wbicb are foreign to Egypt, and possibly belonging
to some of tbe so-called Hykshos,) predominate at Memphis; tbe
point wbicb invaders from Asia would first reacb, and where tbey
would be- most likely to settle in ancient, no less tban in present,
times. Tbe Pelasgic are bere as 14 to 7, compared witb tbe Egyptian
form.
[Thus, Cuiro, on the eastern bknk, has but replaced Memphis on the western; at the
same time that Tanis (Zoan), Bubastis (Pibeseth), and Heliopolia.( On), owing to their proximity
to the Isthmus of Suez, ever thronged with Asiatic foreigners. Here too, after the
pyramidal period and the Xllth dynasty, was the land of Goshen— also, the shepherd
capital, Avaris; the frontier province whence issued, with Israel’s host, that GouM-aRaB
(exactly the same as Goum-el-Arab), “ Arab-levy,” 470 mistranslated “ mixed multitude;”
and the scene of incessant Arabian relations, from Necho’s canal down to Omar’s, from the
wars of Sesostris down to Mohammed-Ali’s. In Coptic times this eastern province, now the
Sherqleyeh, was the Tarabia (the-Araby); in Saracenic, the Khecuf;471 and here, at this
day, the modern Fellahs' are almost pure Arabs.—G. R. G.]
At Tbebes, bigber up tbe river, tbe reverse is observedtbe Egyptian
form prevails over the Pelasgic in tbe proportion of 2.5 to 5. It
is evident, also, tbat tbe size of tbe brain in tbe Pelasgic heads is
much greater tban tbat of tbe Egyptian type ; and at Ombos, and
Debod in Nubia, tbe crania are still much smaller than those of tbe
Egyptians. Such facts afford much plausibility to tbe idea, that tbe
Pelasgic, as Dr. Morton terms them, or at least some large-beaded
superior race, bad come into Egypt across tbe Isthmus of Suez, bad