The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1884-04-13
% THE FIELD OF ZOAM."
ImpOrtant Explorations by an English
Archaeological.
(Boston Adyertiser.l

(Boston Advertiser
In the northeastern delta OF the Nile, on
the hanks of a canal which connects Zaga-
zi0 with Lake Menzaleh, are found TWO
nlaces named San-Arab San ana san
e,.Ua0ar. Arab San "a mere mud VII
Javel stands on the west bank al the
mouth of the canal, and on the shores
Of the lake. San-el-Hagar lies long
wav back on the east bank, amid a desc
late expanse OF mud and marsh, IN
accessible ia winter. and only to be APP
nroached when the surrounding quagmlre
i baked by the bot sun and drying winds
of spring. Arab San is peopled by race
Of stalwart, half-amphibious nshermen'
descended. ii is supposed, from Asla'lc
colonists OF remote antiquity. 5an-el-
HaCar--perhaps the most extraordinary
spot in Egypt lis city OF the DEAD II
was once a magnificent capital, more splen-
did in some respects than Thebes. The ca
nal WAS then noble river. The nelghb0r-
inc lake was fertile plain, studded
with towns and temples. Now, the city.
rs IFS name indicates, is heap Of ruins.
San.el-Ha0ar means "San Of the Stones"
It's ancient name was 'Tsan. We find il
so written in the hieroglyphs. The He
DleWS COlN Fuu INV A~NNHt
Greeks turneo it into Tanis. The canal,
now called Bahr San-el-Hagar, was the
Tanitic branch of the Nile. The MARSH
the desert, the lake-then rich In corn
lands and pasturage-were part OF tne re-
powned " field OF Zoan."
This site, historically and bibliCally the
most interesting in Egypt, is the least
known to visitors. Although inspected
by the great French Commission OF lbs,
lt remained UNEMPLOYED until the late Ma
riette Pasha, first in 1861, discovered u
vast treasure OF broken obelisks, sphinXes,
shorries, and statues. Some few OF these
have found their way to the Boulak mu'
scum and the Louvre, the rest, in count
less profusiOn, yet lie as when first I'M
unearthed. The Egyptian exploration
fund now in the second year Of
It's existence) has undertaken to eX-
Dlore this site, and has ntrusted
the task TO Mr.. w. Flinders Petrie. the
author Of 1.-The Pyramids and Temples OF
Gezele." Having begun with a prellml-
nary survey OF Heiiopolis, Bubastis, the
Wady Tumiat, and other parts OF the
delta, Mr.. Petrle accompanied by two OF
his old pyramid Arabs started for San
early il. February last. In his first gene
raj survey he took note OF various statues
and inscribed stones ranging over ms
tOrical period Of something like $3.50
wears; beginning, that IS to say. with
monuments dating from The reign Of
King Pepi Memira. or his successor sixth
dynasty circd, b. c. 3700), and ending with
monuments OF the latest priest-kings %. g..
9j0). He reports that the axis OF the great
red granite temple is Z" true TO less than
half foot from end to end" Lying in q
line right across the temple at opposite
sides of the axis, Is n row OF seven
colossal statues of the twelfth dynasty
kings Oh. c. 1904 to 2S51), besides multi
tude OF smaller statues. The seven cOlOssi
are all more or less broken, but for the
most part mendable. There are also In
Vulnerable statues OF Rameses The Great
and Of the Pharoah OF the Exodus. A de-
tached head of Rameses the Great, when
Young, is described as particularly beauti-
ful, Fragments Of statues OF the so-called
Hyksos, similar to the famous pair hold
ing fish-ofiering at Boulak, are also seat
tered about the ruins.
Mr.. Petrie has begun trenching along
the east end OF the great temple, where the
ground is yet comparatively undisturbed.
The ruins lie massed in the centre OF vast
area surrounded by an amphitheatre of
mounds, encircled by the remains Of an
enclosure wall built OF sun-dried bricks.
He Is also cutting two long trenches be-
tween the ruined Hypostyte hall and
the avenue OF obelisks fourteen in
number) by which 1t was approach
ed. He further intends "pricking" the
area outside the temple with shafts from
fifteen feet to twenty feet in depth. He
had not been many days at work when he
found an ancient limestone pavement. part
OF wall built by King Pisebkhanen
(tweuty-drst dynasty), part of an inscribed
statue, and the half OF an obelisk erected
by Rameses Ill. II would be unwise to ex.
pect or prophesy too much, but it is im-
possible not to lie very hopeful Of impor
tant discoveries before long.