The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1854-04-06

able to distinguished the elaborate mytho-
logical embellishments that some English
tourist with better eyes than mine, have so
pompously described.
| shall enter into nothing like detail OF
the sculptures which | have seen at Den
dera; one of the outer walls Of the tenn
pie represents the whele Pantheon of
Egypt; monstrous hybrids, calculated to
excite the derision, rather than yenerahon
human forms with the heads of rams, of
COWS. of hawks, of vultures, of chacal S,
of crocodiles, of theses, of monkeys,
crowned with the mtors of priesthood or
royalty. The many strange caricatures of
course cover a hidden meaning, and are
merely symbols, but if symbolical imagry
was required to vail the mysteries of the
Egyptian worship, why not have chose n
one of q more exalting-more awe-inspi-
ring description? An Arab town now
deserted and in ruins has been built upon
the roof Of the temple of Dendara, and all
around its outer wall to a considerable ex-
extent and the rubish of the falling tene-
ments, together with that extraordinary
accumulation of broken pottery which is
to found in the immediate vicinity of every
Egyptian temple, (and which makes one
fancy that every water-jar and the pipe
bowl fractured since the deluge, has been
amassed in that individual spot, renders
the act of either riding or walking round
the great edifce, both toilsome and diff
cult. We managed to achieve it, howev-
er, and peeped into the little Typhonium
stand near to it, and which is of the same
date; but the walls of its two chambers
are SO begrimed with smoke that we did
not even endeayor to decypher their orna-
ments. The columns of the portico and
of a colonade that originally surround it
are surmounted by quadrilatral capitals
each side bearing full length figures of the
monster Typhon, the destroyer Ositis,
and the presiding diety of the place.
To the above have but one criticism to
offer. Although the Ptolemies and Cleo
patra may have caused devices to be ad-
ded to the wall of Dandara, the body of
the temple is not Ttolemiac nor Roman,
but decidedly Egyptian of an earlier date.
Bartlett of the Nile Boat speaks of the
temple, thus:
"The first opening view entirely disap-
pointed me, nor could I help contrasting
/ the effects of Greek and Roman ruins, of
the temples of Athen, and Gingenti, and
Baalbee, their ranges of columns and
half ruined porticoes, rising in pictur-
esque disorder, against the sky, with the
heavy square walls and fiat roof of the
Egyptian temple, cutting background of
yellow sand. Nor did nearer approach
altogether remove this unfayorabe i'm
preston, the facade, though vast, seemed
heavy and half barbarous, and inspired
none of that mingled awe and delight
which l had anticipated. On entering,
however, one can not fail to experience
the emotions produced by Egyptian arch
itecture, feeling of gloomy sublimity
which awes rather than elevates, and
which to the ordinary spectator, is great
ly heightened by the sculptures and heiro-
glyphics which every where cover the
walls in mute, mysterious meaning, lead
ing back our ideas to the recondite relig-
ious idea which they symbolized, and in
spring deep and almost trembling curl
osity as to the sites which were calculated
in the recesses of these soul-subduing
temples. The fiat roof in its dusky OBJ
security, and the grand portal Of simple
and heavy proportion, with the inner
chambers reeeding into utter darkness,
and the effect of this first impression.
The columns of the portico of which
there are twenty-four, are peculiar, al
least there is no other instance of them on
this scale Capitatats, whose forms and
details are generally borrowed from the lu
tus and palm, and other plants and flow,
ers, consist here of the head Of the god.
dess, Athor, the Venus of the Egyptians
repeated fourfold, with superintendent
addition which gives heavy and shape.
less character, to the entire column. O.
the faces scarcely one remains entire
which very much impairs the effect doubt
less intended to be produced by the uni
versal presence of the face characterized
as Sir F. Henniker by ''bewitching hal
modesty," /" which everywhere beamed up
on the intoxicated worshipper Of the ge
NAL power. The great portico, compare
lively, very modern specimen of Egyp
| tian art was added in the reign of Tiber
ius
"On its ceiling" observes Mr.. Sharpe
l Sin the well known Zodiac, which our an
tlquarles once that was Of q great antiqui
: ty, but the sign Of the Scales in the Zodi
ac might alone have taught them that i
could not be older.than the reign of Au
; gustus who gave the group of stars which
before formed the spreadinr claws of th.