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.

  • Nott, Josiah C. (Josiah Clark), 1804-1873.
Date:
1860
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.

    723/800 (page 667)
    years; but, without some more mathematical indication of the astronomical date of the birth of Jesus, those Egyptian calculations made at the Royal Observatory must be pregnant with error; and, at present, seem as valueless to chronological science, as are the hiero- glyphic malinterpretations that originated such a waste of official labor and of nationally- important time. To us, however, the forms “ b. c.” and “ a. d.” are merely conventional. No astrono- mical certitude is implied by their use. This year, which is the LXXVIIth of the Indepen- dence of these United States, may be, for aught we know, “a.d. 1850” or “a. d. I860;” although vulgarly termed “ the year 1853.” IVhen we use the customary era, chronologi- cally, it simply means one thousand eight hundred and fifty-three years backwards from the present day; and “ b. c.” signifies whatever number of years the necessities of illustration compel us to place before the 1853d year thus specified. We leave Astronomy to astronomers. With this proviso constantly present, the reader will understand that the only ancient chronological era, positively fixed, is the Nabonassarian—“February 26, b. c. 747.” All other dates in ancient history are to this subordinate; although, for ordinary purposes, eave when phenomena in the heavens can be historically connected with human events passing on the earth, “ b. c.” is both usual and adequate to the requirements of archaeological science; still more of ethnological, wherein precision of specific eras is less imperative. Our object, in this Essay (III), is to lay before the reader a general view of the relative positions which Egypt, China, Assyria, Judaea, and India, now occupy, in the eye of the monumental chronologist, on the tableau of different human origins. Like every other science that of chronology is progressive: in the cases of Egyptian and Assyrian time- registry essentially so; for, at the present year, 1853, the former study is immature, the latter scarcely commenced. That of China must be accepted upon the faith (which there is not the slightest reason to impugn) of what Chinese historians who, having no theological motives for unfair curtailment or for preposterous extension, have rebuilt from the archae- ology of their own country. There is but one nation of the five of which the utmost limit can, nowadays, be absolutely determined, and that is the Judaean; whose chronicles, in lieu of the first place still claimed for them by ignorance, now occupy, among archaeologists, a fourth place in universal history. For Greece, Rome, and more recent populations, according to the criteria of their own annals, we refer the reader to well-known histories. It will be remembered that, in “ Types of Mankind,” chronology is only one element out of many; and that we here profess merely to present the results of those chronological laborers who are now reputed to be the most scientific, and consequently the most accurate. CHRONOLOGY — EGYPTIAN. “ Un certain public, ce public qui tour il tour admet sans preuve ce qui est absurde, et rejetto sans motif ce qui est certain, satisfait dans les deux cas, parce qu’il se donne le plaisir de trancher les questions en s’epargnant la peine de les examiner; ce public qui croit aux Osages quand ils viennent de Saint Malo, mais qui no croit pas aux Chinois, quand ils vicnnent de Pekin: qui est fermement convaincu de l’existence de Pkaramond, et n’est pas bien sflr que le latin et l’allemand puissent etre de la ineme famiUe que le Sanscrit; ce public gobe-mouche quand il faut douter esprit fort quand il faut croire, hochait et hoche encore la tete au nom de Champoiaiox, trouvant plus commode et plus court de nier sa decouverte que d'ouvrir sa fframmaire.”(3~l) “ Quant aux hommcs Ominens qui ont conquis une belle place dans la carriere des ftudes Ggyp- ticnnes, il ne peut etre question ici d’analyser leurs livres: il suffit que Pon sache bien que tous ont marcke franchement dans la voie ouverte par Champollion, et que la science qui a dQ sa pre- miere illustration aux Young, aux Champollion, aux Humboldt, aux Salvolini, aux Xestor PHOte et dont la r(-alit6 a 6t6 proclam 6e sans rfetinence par les Sylvestre de Sacv et les Arago, compte aujourd’hui pour adcptes fervens et convaincus, des hommes tels que MM. Letronne, Ampere, Biot M6rimee, Prisse, K. Burnonf, Lepsius, Bunsen, Pcyron, Gazzera, Baruechi. Gliddon, Leema’ns — [Abeken, Birch, Biickh, Bonomi, Brugsch, Brunet de Presle, De Saulcy, De Rouge, Harris, Hincks, Kenriek, Land, Lenormant, Lesueur, Mariette, Maury, Morton, Nott, Osburn, Perriug, Pickering Raoul-Rochette, Sharpe, Ungarelli, Wilkinson,] Ac.—On connait maintenant les amis et les onnemis du systeme do Champollion.” (372) “ In short, the little spring of pure water which first bubbled from the Rosetta Stone has, in twenty-three years, now swoln into a mighty flood; overwhelming all opposition; (371) AmpHre: Recherches en £gypte et en Nubie; 1st art.; Revue des Deux Mondes, Aug. 1846; pp. 390,391 • —• see also, Ibid.: Promenade en Amtrique; Rev. des D. Mondes, June, 1853, pp. 1225,1226. (872) De Saclct: De I'Ctude des Hiiroglyphes; Rev. d. D. Mondes, June, 1S46; p. 983.