Types of mankind or, Ethnological researches : based upon the ancient monuments, paintings, sculptures, and crania of races, and upon their natural, geographical, philological and Biblical history, illustrated by selections from the inedited papers of Samuel George Morton and by additional contributions from L. Agassiz; W. Usher; and H. S. Patterson / by J. C. Nott, and Geo. R. Gliddon.

  • Josiah C. Nott
Date:
1854
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Types of mankind or, Ethnological researches : based upon the ancient monuments, paintings, sculptures, and crania of races, and upon their natural, geographical, philological and Biblical history, illustrated by selections from the inedited papers of Samuel George Morton and by additional contributions from L. Agassiz; W. Usher; and H. S. Patterson / by J. C. Nott, and Geo. R. Gliddon. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Leeds Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Leeds Library.

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    retrogressive leap, over the ITyksos-period, from the XVIIth to the X 11th dynasty, and inquire, What was the type of Egyptians under the Old Empire — that is, backwards, from about the twentieth century before Christ? But before doing so, fairness renders it incumbent on the part of one of the authors [G. R. G.], whose province it is to superintend Types of Mankind as it passes through the press, to give place to some general observations of his absent colleague. The former, immediately in contact with their lamented friend, Dr. Mor- ton, at Philadelphia, until within a few weeks of his demise in 1851, naturally became more conversant with the great ethnographer's matured views; whereas Dr. Nott's residence at Mobile restricted his studies within his own resources: so that what of merit and origi- nality may attach to the following analysis of the Old Egyptian type, belongs to his individual ratiocinations. [On the publication of Dr. Morton's Crania JEgyptiaca, we studied it carefully, and compared it, step by step, with the works of Cham- pollion and Rosellini. ISTo other conclusion than the one adopted by him, viz., that the physical traits which he had assumed as character- istic of the Egyptians were really and truly typical of the first settlers of Egypt, resulted from our researches ; but, after several years, the DenJcmuler of Lepsius, (the first livraisons of which reached us about two years ago,) essentially modified our former conclusions. Exami- nation of these plates, and a more thorough investigation of the sub- ject, have satisfied us, that the Egyptian type as known in 1844 to Morton, existed no longer in its pristine purity, but, after the XLTth dynasty, was absolutely an amalgam of foreign (chiefly Asiatic) stocks, engrafted on an antecedent and aboriginal African type; that the latter, although not Negro, was Nilotic; and that it constituted the true connecting grade between African and Asiatic races. When Mr. Gliddon and the writer again met, at Mobile, above eighteen months ago, after five years' separation, we mentioned this conclusion to Mm; and he placed in our hands various letters, received by him between the years 1846 and 1851, from Morton; through which it became evi- dent that the Doctor himself had also so far changed his opinions as to feel assured that the primordial Egyptians were not an Asiatic, but an aboriginal population, indigenous to the Nile-land, although he says nothing of their primitive Negroid type: the ultimatum which our personal researches had then attained. We afterwards wrote to Chevalier Lepsius, informing him of the impression his Old Egyptian portraits had left on our mind, and were much gratified to learn, from his reply, that our new convictions accorded with his own. A very, obliging letter also, from Mr. Birch, enables us to add his valid