The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1882-03-11

MARCH. IL. 1882.
SATURDAY
Buried Treasure.
(A5udged for The P. c. ADVERTISER from The
London TImes)

We have thus far been occupied with legal
documents relating to affairs concerning the
living. In now turning to those concerning the
dead, it mus, be promised that these are OF the
same period. ana mostly from the private archives
of the same families Of Choachyte priests a. the
contracts already described. In order to under
stand the drift Of the deeds which we are now
about to examine, 1t is necessary to describe the
duties and privileges Of the Choachytes Of the
period.
Supreme importance was attached by the
Egyptian OF all peri,ds 10 the rites of embalm-
ment aud sepuIture. 10 prepare his tomb,
whether pyramid or catacomh. was one o: the
main occupations oil Il rich mans life but even
the splendour OF his tomb was # less moment
than the preservation of his mummied corpse,
and the perpetuatiOn of those memorial services
upon which the ultimate reunion OF his body and
soul must depend. For that the soul after It's
term OF wandering and trial would hereafter re-
turn TO live again IN it's corporal home, and only
after repeated prOhaliOns IN both worlds would
become eternally one with Osiris, was the funda-
mental principle of the Egyptian belief, Hence
the necessity Tor preserving the very substance OF
the body, and for hiding it away in the very
bowels of the earth, or under mountains OF quar-
ried stone. Nor was it's preservation enough
Special services needed to be performed on certain
anniversaries in the chapel connected with the
tomb, during which an alta. was dressed with
food and drink, libations Were poured. and in
ceuse was burnt before the funeral statue, or IA
OF the deceased. In Phara0nic times the head Of
the family was his own chief priest, and these
memorial rites were performed by the eldest son
assisted sometimes by an attendant deacon. 10 all
these rites the pouring of libations played n pro-
minent part wine and water being almost inva-
riably enumerated in the monumental lists, while
milk and beer are less frequently mentioned.
From a religious point of view the most impor-
tant libation was that of water. Osiris himself
was resuscitated by the effusion of water and
in like manner the revivifcation of the mummy
depended on restored moisture. Water in fact
was deemed the essential principle of life ari-
dity was u synonym for death and the most
imperative duty that devolved upon "a son was
the pouring of libations to his fathers memory.
So indispensable was this rite, that II very an
cient Egyptian maxim counsels Il man to marry a
young wife in order that he may beget a numer-
Gus offspring, and So never lack male descendants
to perform his libations.
As time however went on and flial piety
waxed languid, these duties come to be wholly
~relegated to the Colchytes or Choachytes whose
name derived from chloe and chu0 signifies liba-
on-pourers. The Choachytes of Thebes called
themselves by the more priestly title of Pasto-
phori of Amen-Api and were especially anxious
not to be confounded with the Parachista and
TarIcheutes. The latter were tradesmen, the
Choachyte was a priest, and both got their living
by the dead. According to some authorities the
Parachist's Office was to open and cleanse the
cOrpse whereas tho TarIcfaut amhalma6 it hut
the rheban mummifers appear to have united
both businesses. The Choachyte was concerned
with the body only as it was destined once again
to become the dwelling-placc of the soul. He
was the representative Of the eldest son, whose
duties of libatinn and prayer he performed. A
prayer from IA hbation vase recently translated by
NJ. Pierret begins thus -" Oh Divine Father
First Prophet of Amen, Osoroer the justified
son of the Lady Nehem-s-Ra-tau priestess oil
Amen. ETC., thou receivest THE libation at the
hands Of thy son at the return Of each decade
when comes the holy Choachyte to perform the
rites of publication in the western quarter o.
Thebes. lie evokes the remembrance of thy per-
son, and saves thy body and soul for ever etc.
This shows that the son was supposed to be pres
ent in the person of the Choachyte, and that il
was the Iatter's duty to visit the tomb every ten
days.
Distinct as were the functions of the Taricheu,
and Choachyte, these two cIasses-eacl forming
a great corporation, or guild-had necessarily
many transactions in common and to these
transactions as well a 6 to their dealings with Gus
toners and clients. a. large number of the docu
ments contained in the jar of family archives
found at Thcbes relate. \ demotic papyrus il
the Egyptian Museum of Berlin contains the Cod
of Rules by which the corporation of Thebar
Choachytes was governed. This document show
: the singular point Of view from which these
: worthless regarded the duties Of their Office and
Z the still more singular way in which they per
5 formed them. The Code is composed by thre,
= divine fathers, HOr, Khons and Osoroer, anC
addressed to i" The Choaclytes inscribed upon thu
: Register of the Subterranean City" 1t would
u appear that the members of the guild were bound
to merge their perquisites in a common fund, anc
= fined if they were caught approlriating them t.
private use-an ordinary Choachyte's fine in suci
case being 10 argenteus, and a : divine fathers
, 25 argenteus. Here are a few of the rules =
IL. No man shall sell his stufs from his litur
gies.
T.. %. No man shall draw his allowance of wine
behind the backs of the singers. He shall taxi
his allowance and share with them.
80. No man shall take away the wine of thu
> services on the day when the two measures o
" wine are appointed to be drunk.
-. The man who has taken the wine of thu
services, if he be an elder of the guild, shall pa
:, an argenteus and repay the wine out of his allow
. ance Of wine hereafter due to him.
X IS. When ans man here inscribed shall die
N q bins Of wine shall be furnished to the Choa
chytes to drink for him There shall be giver
p them drink for two days" etc.
NJ. Revilout summing up this curious document
exclaims - In short the dominent idea of the
Choachytcs was-wIne. Their name in demotic
s. slgnifed pourers of water, but we may be GER
4, tain that if they poured water on the libation
they took good care to do quite otherwise will
S. the wine" To so low an ebb had come the Ger
- e -. IL: NJ CT