cal or dynastic age. Strictly speaking, the Egyptians remained
in the "Chalcolithic" period till the end of the XIIth Dynasty, but in
practice it is best to speak of this period, when the word is used, as
extending from the time of the finest flint weapons and pottery of the
prehistoric age (when the "Neolithic" period may be said to close) till
about the IId or IIId Dynasty. By that time the "Bronze," or, rather,
"Copper," Age of Egypt had well begun, and already stone was not in
common use.

The prehistoric pottery is of the greatest value to the archaeologist,
for with its help some idea may be obtained of the succession of periods
within the late Neolithic-Chalcolithic Age. The enormous number of
prehistoric graves which have been examined enables us to make an
exhaustive comparison of the different kinds of pottery found in
them, so that we can arrange them in order according to pottery they
contained. By this means we obtain an idea of the development of
different types of pottery, and the sequence of the types. Thus it is
that we can say with some degree of confidence that the black and red
ware is the most ancient form, and that the buff with red designs is one
of the latest forms of prehistoric pottery. Other objects found in the
graves can be classified as they occur with different pottery types.

With the help of the pottery we can thus gain a more or less reliable
conspectus of the development of the late "Neolithic" culture of Egypt.
This system of "sequence-dating" was introduced by Prof. Petrie, and is
certainly very useful. It must not, however, be pressed too far or be
regarded as an iron-bound system, with which all subsequent discoveries
must be made to fit in by force. It is not to be supposed that all
prehistoric pottery developed its series of types in an absolutely
orderly manner without deviations or throws-back. The work of man's
hands is variable and eccentric, and does not develop or evolve in an
undeviating course as the work of nature does. It is a mistake, very
often made by anthropologists and archaeologists, who forget this
elementary fact, to assume "curves of development," and so forth, or
semi-savage culture, on absolutely even and regular lines. Human culture
has not developed either evenly or regularly, as a matter of fact.
Therefore we cannot always be sure that, because the Egyptian black and
red pottery does not occur in graves with buff and red, it is for
this reason absolutely