The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1874-08-29
rchaologists that it was built by King

princess Ne.cr-t. who may have been
either his wife or sister. The size of
life, they sit side by side on plain mas
slve chairs; but the attitudes are easy
and natural and the hands are not
lald upon the knees Only the drapery
Ia loln cloth for the man and simple
white garment, without folds for the
woman, is stiffiy and awkwardly repre-
sented. The muscles of the chest and
limbs, the joints, hands and feet are
carefully modelled, and the heads
might he boldly set beside the best
portrait busts ever made. Ra -Hotep's
flesh Is painted a fresh, ruddy c,,lor,
and Nefer-t's pale olive yet the fea-
lures indicate that they belonged to
the same race. Nothing can be finer
than the delicate indivuality expressed
III the two faces. He is strong, proud,
asserting authority; hers kind, SYM
pathetic, yet carried with the air of one
TO whom respect is inevitably paid
The type is the same as that of the "vil
lage magistrate, but greatly finer and
nobler. The eyes are inserted in the
same manner, and are even more add
mirable workmanship for they fairly
CLEAN and sparkle, and there are mo-
denly lights up the face.
1t is a remarkable circumstance, and
one over which the ethnologists will
doubtless break their heads, that these
remains Of the earliest, freest, and high
est arts yet discovered in Egypt should
represent a quite different physical type
from that of the later dynasties. That
they are Caucasian, or Aryan, is evident
at the first glance; that they possess
ed intelligence, energy, and those NOR
al qualities which we express by the
word " character" seems equally GER
tain. Docking at Ra-Hotep's face,
your first impression is Here is a
gentleman " The remains of the An
cient Empire suggest a certain amount
of freedom, continuous development,
among both rulers and people; those
of the Later Empire, on the contrary,
are rigidly stamped with the seal OF a
priestiy despotism.
Here, for instance, is a splendid
granite statue of King Sha-fra (Ceph-
renes, the builder of the Second Pyra-
MIDI, which Marietta found at the bot
tom Of a well III the very ancient granite
temple which he discovered eight years
ago, near the Sphinx. 1t bears all the
marks of the same ardent, struggling
art which we detect IN the wooden and
i'll the limestone statues. The head is
slightly lifted the features are modelled
with i care which attests to us the ex-
actness of the portrait; the eyes look,
and do not simply dream, as i'll the
forms of the Later Empire and while
one hand rests but not fatty, upon the
knee, the other is closed and brought
down upon the thigh, as who should
says, Such is my will - The figure
speaks and commands, while the late
IhOthmes and Rameses sit, like Brah
ma, in endless passiveness. 1t will be
found, I an sure, that the cadence Of
the art of Egypt, during her most illus
trious historical periods, was due to the
despotic limitations of her religion. It
was the same spirit which, during the
Middle Ages and since, has compelled
The artists to give a particular color to
the drapery of each apostle, and to de
sign annunclatlOns, assumptions, trans
figurations, judgments, according to
one easily recognizable pattern.
Varieties discoveries, thus far, have
thrown less light upon the sojoIlrn of
the Israelites in Egypt than many
might have expected or wished. We
are apt to forget, III the great impor-
lance which the Biblical narrative pos
sesses for us, that asmall, subject race,
like the Jews, could only be accident
ally mentioned in the annals of such n
proud and powerful people. A few
strange probabilities, however, are
worthy of being noticed. The coniec-
tured period of Joseph's arrival i'll
Egypt corresponds with that of the
Hyktos, or Shepherd Kings, who. being
strangers themselves, would the more
readily confer high authority upon a
stranger Moses, almost certainly, was
educated as an Egyptian priest under
the reign OF Rameses lind, aud the
Pharaoh of the Exodus was the latter's
son, Meneptah, a suprrb bust of whom
is in Varieties museum. The name,
Moses, is the Egyptian Mesu, signify
ing child" or "boy." A recently
deciphered papyrus contains an official
report concerning a certain "Mesu, ="
who is declared to have much influence
over 1.-the foreign people" as the de-
scendants of the Hyksos, the Israelites,
and other Semitic tribes settled in the
Delta, were collectively designated.
Bricks, made with and without straw,
are to be found in quantities among the
ruins of Babastis and other Egyptian
cities in the Land of Goshen.
IT is difficult to make an end. while
so much remains undescribed, yet /
must try to avoid the formality of
catalogue A large glass case in one of
the eastern rooms is quite filled with
magnificent jewels of the queen, tab
hopet (of the NNlIlth dynasty, abont
! 1,7OOB. O., supposed to be the mother
Of King Amosis, who overthrow the
Hyksos. The splendid gilded coffin is
found intact, only three or four feet be-
low the soil, at small village near
| Thebes. 1t appears to have been sto-
len from the sepulchre by thieves, who
were pursued or became alarmed, and
hastily buried it by the way. No mod
ern queen would hesitate to wear the
exquisite chains, diadems, earrings,
and bracelets, of this Theban woman.
1t would require professional jeweler
to do Justice to the admirable quality
of the workmanship.
OF even greaterinterest are the house
hold articles, implements of trade,
food, &C., which like the spoils OF
POmpeii, restore for us the domestic
life of the people. Here, for instance,
are stools, cane-bottomed chairs, and
work boxes, 1000 years old, yet no
more dilapidated than ii it came out OF
garnet OF the last century; nets,
knives, needles, and toilet ornaments
glass bottles, and drinking cups, as
clear as if just blown earthenware,
glazed in yellow and blue patterns, the
very counterpart of old ATaiolica; seeds,
| arnc and bread STRAW baskets aud :,