Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1886-09-08
PHARAOH'S HOUSE.
An INTEREST," q Discovery In
Lower Egypt.
Unoarthing the Very Place Where Jers
miah Stood and Prophesied.


of dead nation, Mr.. Flanders Pctrc he
lighted upon tho ruins of n royal palace
The fortunate finder of Norcratis has nov
been working upon vast mound called
Tell Defenneh, which historians have
long identified with the Pclusiac Daphna
of the Greeks and the Tahpanhes of the
Bible. Here he has discovered the ruins
of that very palace to which, as recorded
in the book of the Prophet jeremiah,
Johanan, the son of Kcrcah followed by
all the captains and remnant of Judah,
brought the fugitive daughters of Zcdc.
kiah, then dcthroncd captive in Baby
lon. This flight of the Hebrew princcssc-
took place about 5s5 B. G., during tn.
reign of Ua-ab RI, whom the Hebrews
called Hophra aud the Gceks Apries.
The Pharaoh received the fugitives
kindry. To the mass of the Jewish i'm.
migrants he gave tracts of land, to the
daughters of Z2dekiah, his former ally,
he assigned this royal palace, which the
Bible calls "Pharaoah's House in Tah.
panhes."
Although this part of the Delta is now
a wilderness, half marsh, half desert
over which no traveller ever passes it
was at the time when these events took
place rich pastoral district, fertilized
by the annual overflow of the Nile. In
the midst of mud swamps have long
been observed some groups of ruins, to
one OF which was attached the name of
the Castle Of the jews Daughter
Hearing this from his natives, Mr.. Pe'ric
at once prcccived the interest which
must attach to the p acc, and the inteli-
gent labor which he has bestowed upon
1t has met with suitable reward. Not
only the architccturc's structure, but its
history also has been rescued from { bliy.
ion.
The building was at first a stronghold,
quadrangular, lofty, massive, like a cas-
tie keep. 1t contained sixteen square
rooms on each floor, both the outer and
partition walls being of enormous
strength. 1t is, of course, impossible to
guess OF how many stories it was origi-
nalIy composed, but it is of its fallen
stones that the mound is made.
This stronghold was built by
Psammoticus /, as is prov. d
by the deposits marked with
the royal name and titles placed under
the foundation walls. There were found
also the libation vessels, specimens of
ores, bricks, the bones of the OK and
bird sacrificed at the time and series of
tablets wi h Inscriptions. The rooms in
the castle were lined with slabs of fine
lime stone, covered with hieroglyphic3,
full of captives and the like, delicately
carved and painted. These are now
splintered and ruined, as the castle was
burned as well as battered down, and
very few objects of value were therefore
to be recovered. Bat the Easements re-
main in very perfect con ition, and in
the basement were the kitchen, buffers
pantry and scullery, and these domestic
offices become Of great interest when
they form part of an Egyptian palace
2550 years old. The kitchen of Pharaoh's
house in Tahpanhes is a big room which
served for drcssers. There were IA large
jars, and two large flut dishes, standing
unharned in their places, amid the gen.
eral destruction. A stone corn
crusher, large iron knife,
weights and three small iron spits
were found in this room. In the buffers
pantry, adjoining, were no iron jars, but
hundreds of jar lids and plaster shoppers,
some stamped with the royal ovals of
Psammeticus and some with those of
Necho, his successor. The empty jars,
with quantities of other pottery, mostly
broken, were piled in a sort of rubbish
closet outside, and next was small
room, sacred to the scuery maid or
dishwasher 1t contained n recess with
a sink, a bench to stand things upon
and reccsscs in the walls by way of
shelves. The sink was formed of
large clay jar with tho bottom knocked
out and filled with broken potsherds
placed on edge. The water ran through
this and then into more broken pots
below, paced one in another, all bottom.
less, going down to the clean sand below.
The potsherds were cloggcd with fish
bones.
In other chambers were found numbers
of carly Greek vases, ranging from $50 |
B. c., to 600 B c., some very finely
painted with harpics, sphuxcs, dancers
and TIC like; nearly all. however, were
broken, but some cAn be mcndcl. A
sword handle, some scale armor, bronze
rings, amu!ets, beads, seals, and cspcci-
ally two rings, engraved with the titles
OF a priest of Amen, have been found,
and many small tablets with inscrip-
tions.
Mr. Petric has looked diligently for
the stones which Jcrcmiah hid am?ng the
brick work, and some unhcwn stones
have been dug out from below the sur
face, but to identify them positively
would, of course, be impossible unless
the prophet had previously inscribed
them, which is unlikely. Egyptian in
scriptions say that Ncbuch dnczzlr did
come to Tahpanhcs, and spread ont his
pavilion on that very spo', as foreto!d in
Jeremiah's prophecy, but they say that
he was defeated; B,bylo inscrp-
tions state that he conquered, and the
truth is hard TO determine. Picayuns.