Archæology of the Caucasus

Abstract

THE late Prof. Reginald W. Fessenden, author of “The Deluged Civilization of the Caucasus”(see NATURE, 113, 317, March 1, 1924), who had devoted forty years to the study of the prehistory of the Caucasus and had collected hundreds of thousands of references to the area, left much material still unpublished at the time of his death. Additional chapters of his book and a number of collected papers have now been privately printed—unfortunately for purposes of reference, under the same title. In these the author had put forward further applications of his theories which were based upon an intensive study of the mythology of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia and Greece, of names, both personal and place-names, and of ancient geography. He again aimed at showing that there is evidence to support his view that not only was the Caucasus the land of the Book of the Dead, the original home of the Egyptians, the scene of ancient stories such as that of the labours of Hercules and the place of origin of Abraham; but also that it is the centre from which sprang all the great civilisations of antiquity, as well as the place of differentiation of the white and black races from a negrito stock.