Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1881-09-21
W. m. 3 m. 8 m. Tyr.
Space.
Extraordinary Discovery In Egypt.

The interest of srot 90 Jogists and Bible stu
dents hes been excited by the ci,covery Of o
large number of mummies sId a vast store OF
rtl!cs # antiquity in cave 10 tito mountains
near tho Temple of Dair 81 Bahari, about four
miles from the Nile to tic east of Thebes. The
number Of numnies is twenty rinc, and they
are ell of royal aud p:iestl7 persouageS Who
lived between tho time of Abraham and the
time of Solomon.
TEe !d.rtly Of twenty liz Of tao bod,es has
baen asoertsiuod beyond dispute by tho iLscsip
tlous upon tho munmy oases. ard there ,s DOT
q eouot that the Very Pnarsoh Tho reduced
tho l:raeitts to b,ndsgs, sod whose dau shtar
dew Moses oct Of the river, is DOW lying 10 the
BOulsk Museum near Cairo. whore the cufiosi
Ties have beer removed. As that king is not
designated in the book of Exodus otherwise
than by tho general name Of Pharaoh, students
Of ancient Egyptian history have b,en obliged
to rely upon collateral evidence to establish bis
fu ramo ard dyoassy. lie is considered to
have oocn Kanses H., tho third king Of the
niaetsenth dynasty, AID it is tho mummy of
this ktg that has coz beeo fourd. The follow.
lDg is the description OF il:
The mummy is 10 perfect steto Of p.cser.
walton, but OF the threo mummy cas,s 10 which
II ULc, probably cepused, only oue romans.
Ibis mummy case Is of plain sycamore wood.
uupointed and uuVarnlshgd. 1t is carved to
represent Rsuses 10 the position OF Osiris. The
crossed aruas rest upon the breast. Ia the right
hand is the royel whip. acd ia the left is tho
royal Doek. Tbs features sso nos! beautifully
ard deiicAteiy c.rved, aDd are surmounted By
tho Gown OF Upper aud Lower Egypt, with
The % Is serpent. The mummy case is 3 most
graceful aud animated speclneu of sculpture, dis
playing, in all its purity. tho firm aud wing
lines OF the period of the Egyptian Renaissance.
"IEe nomen aud plD1omen oarscuches Of
Rsmsss are written 10 plain black Characters
upon the mummy case, which bears 30 other
ttXt or representations whatever, ard 10 its
beautiful simplicity contrasts strangely with the
rompous aud exaggerated dedicatious of almost
all other Inscriptions which mention tho name
of Ramses the Great. The mummy itself is
| wrapped in rose colored and yellow liuon of
texture finer than the fnest Indisn muslin,
\ upon which lotos 1)Wers arc s.rswn. Oae OF
| tho bauGs which pass across the shrouds to
keep them In place bears hiera.ic inscription
stating that this, the mummy of Ramses IL,
was Concealed 10 pit at time when foreign
! army Invaded Egypt"
| The cases of the other mummies present CON
siderable variety in their carving and cooriug,
oil belag distinguished by the most c)stly and
tasteful. style OF ornamentatioD. Several of the
| mumUl3s ere queens and princess OF ancient
| dgnssties that re,goed in Egypt
| There are also four pspyri, or rolls of ancient
| Egyptian paper, covered with herogyphic
writing, which may prove to be the most valu-
able part OF the discovery. 1t possible that thew
| will throw light upon the history of Genesis and
E1cdus by confirming the sacred narrative of
Israeps captivity IN Egypt, or they may furnish
new evidence that the highest civilization of the
world was in times which it is custoh ary TO call
primitive and that the savage state was not the
original state of man. but that it represents de-
| terioration from the remarkable race of men
chapter of Genesis
| The dlscoverY was brought about in simple
wsy. One of the urkish provincial governors
Of Egypt noticed in the early part of Ihe sum.
mer that the sale of relics to foreign tourists Was
brisker than usual: so no arrested several of The
| BedsWeens and by means which are familiar to
Oriental justice e1torted from them the infor
nation that they had recently lighted upon q
| cave which contained the treasure. The gov.
ernor had the intelligence TO telegraph tho news
| to the khediye, and he TT oncs directed Herr
Emil Bfugsch, of the Boulak Museum, to 20 TO
| tho place and take charge of whs. the csvo con-
| tanned.
The manner in which tho relics came to be in
the cave is explained by inscriptions in the
| mummy cases which record the fact that the
| priests removed the most precou5 of the mu n =
| mics in tuer charge 10 the cave for security
| when Cambyses invaded snd conquered Egypt
in ihs yeer $50 B q. The munmies wers at
least thousand years old at that time snd they
| have remained concealed in the cave 24J0 years.
II w. ~