Abstract
LONDON
Ethnological Society, December 21.—Prof. Huxley, LL.D., F.R.S., president, in the chair. An ancient calvaria, which has been assigned to Confucius, was exhibited and described by Prof. Busk, F.R.S. This calvaria was formerly set in gold, richly ornamented, and mounted on a tripod, probably for use as a drinking vessel. It was taken from the Emperor of China's Summer Palace at Peking. The author has discovered four figures upon the skull in faint relief; that upon the frontal portion being the letter A in a Tibetan form of Sanskrit, referable to about the seventh or eighth century of our era. The skull was evidently that of a male advanced in age, but all the evidence tended to show that it ought not to be attributed to Confucius. The President suggested that those portions of the skull which now appear sculptured in relief might have been originally covered with some solid material which would have served as a protection, while the surrounding surface was worn down by constant handling. The Australians still use calvarise, ornamented in a like manner. Mr. Fergusson alluded to the character of the workmanship displayed by the ornamentation, which had been barbarously removed. He regarded the skull as that of a distinguished personage — either a friend or a foe of some Chinese emperor; and thought that its use as a drinking-cup was supported by a passage in “ Herodotus.” Mr. Mummery, the present owner of the calvaria, explained the curious manner in which it came into his possession. Dr. Campbell referred to the Buddhist practice of using human thigh-bones as trumpets for calling to prayers. Mr. Donovan regarded the skull, from its small size, as belonging to an uneducated female.—At the same meeting Major Millingen, F.R.G.S., read a long paper on the ”Koords and Armenians,” in which he gave his reasons for identifying the modern Koords with the ancient Karduks mentioned by Xenophon. The language spoken in Koordistan is entirely different from either Persian or Turkish, and is said to be divided into several dialects. The Koords were described as a rapacious and faithless people, rejoicing in plunder and slaughter; and not the least interesting part of the paper was the description of a peculiar system of female brigandage. The Koordish race were said to be remarkably handsome, and to exhibit a great variety of complexion; a dark skin, with black hair and black eyes, is the most common, but light hair and blue eyes are also to be seen.
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Societies and Academies . Nature 1, 247–250 (1869). https://doi.org/10.1038/001247a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/001247a0