Weekly Chillicothe crisis., 1880-01-08
EGYPTIAN EXCAVATIONS.
Hints of New MarveIs for the Museums ol
the World.
Ernrn tho Nau York Herald

w @NtN -htlNtlH ioT iht vi /
the World. (
From the New York Herald.
At late meeting of the Academic dCs
Inscriptions ct Bellies Lettres, an impor-
tant paper was read by Mariette Bey on
the excavations which it would be necessa-
ry to make in Egypt in order to further
our knowledge OF Egyptian history. At
present we derive our information chiefly
from the historical inscriptions and funeral
tablets. 1t is hardly conceivable how
much is still hidden in the sand. Several
places where excavations are certain to be
successful remain quite unexplored. TO
these NJ. Mariette directed the attention of
the academic, reviewing the three great
periods Of Egyptian history in connection
with the places where excavations should
be made. Beginning with the old empire,
we are very fairly acquainted with the
fourth. fifth and sixth dynasties. The
tombs opened at Guizeh and Sakkarah by
Lgpsus and Mariette Bey have thrown
much light upon the history and civiliza-
ton of the constructors of the great pyra- |
mids. We know hardly anything about
the first three dynasties except the names
OF the kings, who, Judging from the
pyramid Of Sakkarah, the work Of
Ouenephes of the first dynasty, were
very far from being barbarlans. On the
contrary, it is certain that Menes, whom
tradition reports to have started from This,
or Thinis. in Middle Egypt, and to have
founded Memphis, was the sovereign of
kingdom very similar to that which ex-
cited the admiration of the Greeks. NJ
Mariette does not hesitate to say that the
history of those ancient dynasties might
be discovered by excavations made near
the pyramids of Sakkarah, Aboo-Roasch,
AbOosir and Meydoom and on the site Of
| This or Thinis, the city from which Menes
originated, and which NJ. Mariette believes
to be opposite Girzgh. Passing rapidly
over the monuments Of the dynastes ".
to W., NJ. Mariette dwells on third group
of monuments, which he calls 'the group
of the unknown, " viz; The monuments Of
the dynasties VIII. to y. From the end
of the sixth dynasty to the beginning Of
the tenth, there is gap OF 436 years,
which we are at present absolutely unable
to fill. No tablet, no fragment of
any kind, remains of those four
dynasties. Manetho quotes only one
king from series represented by
eighteen names engraved ON the list of
Abydos. We know that two OF those dy-
nastics were settled at HeraceOpolis, Il
large city OF which extensive ruins remain
at Ahnas ell Medineh, a spot which has
been completely neglected by explorers.
II is expected that researches made among
those ruins would help, if not to fill the
gap, at least to shorten it, and it would
> settle the question whether some Of those
lynasties were local and contemporaneous
with the soyereigns reigning at Thebes OF
Memphis. At San may be seen consider
able remains Of a city which was one o.
the largest in Egypt. Its temples anC
! ! tombs are still under the sand, and the in
tcrest of the discoveries to be made there
: would extend far beyond the narrow
circle of Psychologists, as it is like
: ly that it was at the court o
= lanis that Joseph lived under on,
of the last Hyksos kings. With tn,
N eighteen dynasties we enter upon the nev
! empire and the reigns Of those warlill
: kings whose conquests reached as far a
S MesopotamA, and who delighted to de
IL scribe their battles on the walls Of tn
7 great temples which they erected in mem
II Ory OF their victories. NJ Marlette men
10 tons only few places where he woul
II attempt excavations IN connection wit
70 this period. 1t is true that some would b
n undertakings on Il very large scale. II
is first recommends careful survey Of Bibar
N el Molook and the adjacent valleys; for
le is certain that we have not yet discOvere
h, all the tombs Of the kings who have bee
ID buried there. The work, however, @
e, which NJ. Mariette insists most urgentl
S. is the clearing of the two great Theba
lie temples, Luxor and Medmet Habo
il Every traveller who has been
n, Thebes knows how little we see OF Luxo
~ The tops Of pylons and of immen
ne columns are Just visible above the hu
s. which cover the whole area of the bull,
IS ing; and Psychologists look with envy
ht important inscriptions, such as the poe
by Of Pontaour, a small part Of which only
ut accessible. OF course the difficulties wou
d. be great; a good part of the village
in Luxor, including the house Of the Britt
II. consul, and, above all, the local mosqu
III would have to be pulled down. But J
w Mariette met with the same obstacles
ch Edioo, and overcame them. Luxor,
Pnamonic temple, completed under Ale
a ander, would at least equal in importan
ire the Ptolemaic temple Of Edfoo. As
he Medinet Haboo, NJ. Mariette declares thi
'as when freed from sand and accessible in
me parts, it will prove the most precious a
RS the most instructive temple in Egypt.
he is the great historical book OF the victor
ter of Rameses III