Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-12-31
ANCIENT EGYPT.
what a. Maspero is Doing TO Bring !.
10 the Light OF Modern Times.


Paris letter writer tells the New York
World that in connection with excavations,
an important fact for the archaeological
world lie the combination OF Mous4M aspero's
mission in Egypt. All the world knows the
name of his predecessor, Maliette Bey, who
died some time ago, but little has as yet been
said or written about MohA Maspero. who
will, if be not greatly mistakeD, surpass in
activity and scientific resaprch all that has
heretofore been done in Egypt. Mons. Mas
pero IL professor in the College of France
and has, among other remarkable works. writ
ted one as Interesting as a novel, entitled
R0niancc Of a Mummy, to which 1,heophile
Gautier wrote an admirable preface. When
Marietfe Bey created in 1865, the Museum of
Boulacq. he had many obstacles to contend
against, for although the Egyptian govern
ment allowed 800 000f year for the Franco
Egyptian archaeological researches, still DO
litical as well as religious difficulties pre-.
sented themselves at every step, and Mari
cite Bey, in spite of all his efforts, was but
= precursor to important discoveries.
Prof. Aaspero has just returned to
Egypt, resolved TO resume the excavation
works interrupted by the recent war. It is
IN the desert, divided into six circumscrip-
tions, which extends from the first cataract
10 Cairo, that NJ. Maspero intends concentra-
ting his efforts. The most valuable things
are to be found in the tombs, and the tombs
are generally 10 be reached by descending a
PIT more or less deep, according to the i'm
portancs OF those buried therein. For an
ordinary Egyptian the pit is rarely more
than fifteen to eighteen feet deep. NJ Mas
pero has, however, lately discovered one
near the village of Ssgus1ha nearly 100 feet |
deep. AT the bottom is the tomb OF Queen !
Nitocris, who lived seven centuries before |
the Christian era. About year ago, NJ. |
Maspero opened pit even deeper, at the
bottom OF which was a long gallery con-
Quoting to a hiding-plsce in an adjacent
mountain. This hiding place was empty. The
archaologist sought for some time, and at
last discovered a second hiding place, |
equally empty; and fually third, in which |
there were thirty-six coffins and mummies of |
which sixteen were pharaohs and queens. He |
likewise found on the walls Of this cenotaph |
Inscriptions, stating that the first tombs !
having been violated, the third bad been |
inside which future generations could not |
discover" and the sacrilegious culprits were |
put to death. In this tomb were found |
vignettes marvelously painted on pspyrus, |
ss aelicate and fresh as the c0lored missals |
oil the middle ages; a magnificent cataiaIque |
made OF hides, cut out in imitation of lace:
ard about 5000 figures about an inch high. |
painted blue, and covered with hieroglyphic |
inscriptions. These 6000 figures represented |
ihe servants OF the dead. There was also a
fN~s,,L " iooo5 MAJ teiously preserved by
tee old Egyptian embalming eystem, in bas-
kets, and so fresh that Prof. Maspero felt |
Obliged TO put vouchers upon them in the |
Boulacq museum, 10 avoid accusations of 4
trying to play joke on visi, ORE credulity.
II is an error TO think that all mummies are
black, ugly-looking things Such are the
mummies OF persons of no Importance. The
art Of the Memnonia embalmers consisted in
preserving not only the elasticity of the
teshs but likewise its color. 10 the Turin /
museum Il 70 be seen the mummy of
young woman, twenty-five years old, which,
with lie biuezglass eyes, looks more like
wax form than the body of woman dead
hundreds Of years ago Il have seen At Mons
house photographs of preserved |
which il is hard 70 believe do not |
represent living sleeping creatures.