The Nilometer And The Sacred Soil PDF Download

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1869 edition. Excerpt: ...known as Belzoni's tomb, is the largest and most interesting of all. I had been misled by the French guide-book, which states that this is the tomb of the great Rameses or Sesostris, while Wilkinson and Champollion agree that it contained the body of King Sethi or Osirei, who was the father of Rameses the Great. This tomb is remarkable for its sculpture, and the freshness of its paintings, executed 3300 years ago. One of the most interesting scenes, sculptured and painted, is in a square room supported by four pillars, being an allegorical representation of a procession of the four parts of the world assisting at the funeral of Sethi: the Egyptian race is painted red; the northern has light skin, blue eyes, and long beards; then comes the black race, the negroes; and then the people of the East, having also long beards, white skin, and the Jewish type of countenance, long noses and black hair, dressed in flowing robes very richly ornamented. In a similar room adjoining, the scenes which were to adorn the walls are only designed in black; probably the king had died before they could be completed. In the last room, larger than all the others, and supported by six columns, stood formerly an oriental alabaster sarcophagus, which is now in the English museum. 'No. 11, known as the Harper's tomb, which we then visited, is exceedingly interesting by reason of the subjects represented in its paintings; depicting almost all the social life of the ancient Egyptians. This was the tomb of Rameses III., chief of the XXth dynasty (toward 1200). The total length of the hypogee, which is considerably less than that of Belzoni, is one hundred and twelve, and the depth about thirty feet. We inspected very carefully all the little rooms which are on either...