, 1881-03-06
A Monument Consecrated to
the Sun-God.
Decipherment Of the Hierog|yfics on the
New York Pillar.
Commemoration of the Two Greatest
Pharoahs of Egyptian History.
The Oldest Dating Back to Sixteen Hun"
dred Years Before Christ.


Park will desire to know the meaning Of the
strange signs carved upon it, aud Of the work
itself. There is sonle variation i'll the decifer-
lnents made by learned scholars, but the most
trustworthy doubtless is that of DR.. Heinrich
Brngsch Bey, which has been Translated by
the New York Herald. The distinguished
Psychologist observes: Obelisks have their
origin in the very earliest period OF Egyptian
antiquity. It Is true that no obeEisks, either
whole or in fragments. dating from so remote
an age, are now known 10 be extant; but the
inscriptions which cover the mortuary
chnpeIs and monuments Of the fourth anu
fifth dynasties-tl,at is, from 3700 to :,Soo
years 3. C.-proye beyond any doubt that the
Egyptians Of those days wore familiar With
the use of obclisks, which we're
coSsEcRATED TO THE SUN.
the most ancient as well rs the most natural
symbol Of that One Eternal Divinity wor-
shipped by the Egyptians.
These inscriptions moreover bear out the
traditions described By 1'1iny, who expressly
SAYS that obelsks were always So placed MS
to bc in symmetrical proportion to the rays
Of the sun; and Egyptian hieroglytics
prove that the shape Of these singular morll-
mcnts WIS intended to recall tile form Of the
suns rays, which, emerging from given
point and spreading over tile surface OF the
earth, seem to awaken nature and give re-
newed life to all animate beings. This oon-
nection between obeIisks and the sun is still
farther shown by the fact that all known
Egyptian obelisks are dedicated to the sull
and to solar diynities, such rs Ra and Iuln
at Hc!iopois, and Amon-ra 1T Thcocs.
The great city of obelisEs was
on, Or nE1.1opoL1s,
with its renowned Temple Of the Sun-sod,
bearing the name "ri-tum THAT is. the
'elIouse Of Tum.'' This name was also APP
piled to the city itself, which thus bore the
sacred appcllation OF "Pi-Tum.' The
sanctuary In question was composed
of vast number Of pylons, halls,
and chambers, among which tile texts
often mention ''The Hall Of the Two One
lisks ''-in Egyptian Iut-beben, where tho
sun was worshiped under tile two names Of
Ita and Tnnl-that is, The rising sun and the
setting sun. The mast glorious ktngS OF
Egypt all made 4 point Of adding to the
splelldor of this sacred city. the still :inger-
tic s.,naid fc]ah Nillagc of AIatarieh. about
eight miles distant from Cairo. These Kings
caused ubelislls to be erected ilarkillg both
sides of the various pylolts or entrance gates
to the Sun Temple of On. Une OF these still
relifains standing upon the same spot where
it was erected, nearly twenty-five centuries
before the birtl, Of Christ, by the King. Usor-
tasen I. Each of tile four faces Ut this mon'-
1ne1lt, of Syenite grant, bears q single long
line Of hicrogiyfS The Inscription contains
merely the liye appellatons Of Usnrtasen l.,
TO which Is added Il formula of Astronomical
signihcation
NAV is well here remark that all Egyo-
tian Kings had five distinct appellatiolls,
which were always preceded BY
FIVE TITLES.
These titles are:
l. The Name Of the Royal Standard, pre-
cete! and indicated BY the words, ''llorlts,s'
? The Official Title, preceded by the words,
THE King Of Upper anl Lower Egypt,'' Or
Lord Ut the Two Worlds
J. The Crown Title. preceded by the words,
"The I.ord OF the Diadenls uf tie Fulture
ard of the Serpent 0ur;1oS.'
j. The Family Name, indicated by the cx-
preston, The Son Of the sun"
:; The Title Of The Victorious" pre-
cedctt BY the words. The Golden liorus.
the moment Of their. coronation. These
names are always Inscribed np,n their nIo!l-
utne,ns. and the New York obuIsk is Eu eX-
ceptiun 10 this rule.
TIE FOLLOWING LITERAL. TRANSLATION
ut the text inscribed upon the oh.Iisk Of
Usorlasan l., still Standing 1T lleliup0'is
should he compared with that Of tile New
York obelsk:
.'Horus the Sun-The life Of that which is
born-'
1.-The King of Upper and Lower Egypt
kllcperka-rs tthat is. thy me to whom the.
sun gives and sustains littl.'
1.-The Lord Of The Eulture anu the Ser
pent Ouraios-The life OF that Which is
born.'
& The Son OF the Sun. (Usortascn)-Th
one beloved by the spirits (that is, ot the al-
life everlasting"
..'ihe Golden uorus-The life Of that which
is bnrn''
'Tlc Divine Benefactor, Kl>eper-ka-ra,
caustd this tnbelisl} tU be erected at tile
o'd3 Of thirty years. He who gives life ever
lasting"
One cannot fail to admire
TIE STRIKING SIMPLICITY
Of this inscription, which covers the four
sides of all obcisk Of such gigantic propOr-
tlons. 1t merely tells us the five nalnns Of
the King who caused the nbclis|S to b. erect.
Ell at the commencement of All astronomical
period, which WIS renewed every thirty
years. Tie mention Of the City OF On, 50
often spoken nf III the Bible, is of consider
an!e in!portancc, for we are thus assured
that this famous city was Situated upon the
plains near the modern village Of Mataricll,
Of the vast number ol obelisks which for
.neriy ornanenied the grand pylons of tic Sun
Temple at On only three renl;iil,-the me /
have Just described, and the two Alexandria
obe1isks now in London and New York. Tie
two last both .iatc frum the reign Of 'Thlt~
mes III. (about lGo0 B. C.), and once cnbel~
lishcd the Temple Of the Stln-God kn0wl By
the appellation Ut Tnm-1hc Setting Sun.
There Is i'll the centre Of Egypt-at the
boundary between Egypt properly sp2akin
and NuGia--
A WIDE ZONE OF GRANT
which crosses from east to west tile limestone
region Of which the long Valley of the Nile
is composed. Toward the east Of the Town
OF llsSot,at~-the ancient Sycne-iS found Il
broad site which ut eac!l step furnishes wi
uence of having been the great quarry from
which grant was obtained during The fir
distant periods Of Egyptian history. The
stone-whetller of the prevailing PINK ur the
rarer black hue-is that which tile classic a'l-
tl!ors have described as the grant OF Syene,
OF syenite, The numerous obclisks which
once orlancnted the gates of the sacred eli
hccs 0f Egypt, lis well rs other more solid
monuments which antiquities have handed
down to us, were made Of this grant, 4
most pafpable proof Of this exists to-day in
al obelsS often visited by modern tourists
which still remains partially unsevered from
rock Of this q,arry and which was aball-
honetl for reasons of which w. mist prs,ba-
bly, ever remain in ignorance. Lad this ohn-
lisk been finished it would have been the
lurgest in the world.
NUMEROUS DEnIC-tTORT INSCRIPTIONS