Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-03-26
rHINGs FouND Ar AssouAN.
Digging up Relies of Thirty Centuries
AGO.

IRON me LGnU0n tunes.
The archaeological season has begun In
earnest. No sooner do we record one
discovery than another turns up. Last
week it was Athens, followed by the
Egyptian delta; aud now we receive in
telligence OF an important series Of finds
at Assouan. The successful explorer this
time is Gen. Grenfell, who has had the
good fortuneto discover an ancient Egyp-
tain metropolis In the Libyan, or western
| desert, opposite AssOuan, on the left bank
OF the Nile. Among the tOmbs already
/ opened are several which date apparently
from the twelfth dynasty (circd Il. G..
/ 3OO0), and are constructed in the style Of
the great LycOpOitan eepulchres in the
mountain above Stout. They consist Of
two or more halls, or cham bers, connect
| ed by corridors, the roof being supported
! by columns, and the walls decorated with
/ cOlored bas-reliefs in brilliant preserva-
! tion. Several Of these tombs appear to
| belong to members Of noble, if not
royalty connected. family, the heads Of
which were probably Governors OF the
| Province. The largest is described as a
| truly magnificent sepulchre, measuring
40 feet in depth by 40 feet in breadth, and
containing 30 columns, some square, some
round. II purpOrts to be the tomb Of a
certain Prince OF Upper and Lower Egypt
who lived in the reign of one Neferkara,
and who Is represented in one OF the wall
! paintings as a lame man, leaning on a
crutch. A fine "shrine" p and an altar
(more correctly, perhaps, table for fun
erary oherings) occupy their original
position in the inBermOst chamber, and
are in perfect condition. The sculptures
are very curious, and the aspect OF the
whole tomb is reported as extremely
archaic. From the second to the end Of
the eleventh dynasty there were how
| ever, many Kings named Neferka ara; and
until the inscriptions are fully deciphered
u Is, OF course, impossible to say under
which ruler this lame functiOnary -four
ished. The tomb is attributed by those on
the spot to the third dynasty; but IL
seems, for many reasons, more likely to
date from the time of that NeferKara who
succeeded Merenra, of the sixth dynasty.
The founder OF this line. Att, was a ma
tive of the island of Elephantine, OPP
posite AssOuan, and the place first rose TO
Importance under his successors. 1t was
during the reign of Merenra, that Una, a
famous General and Prime Minister,
quarried the granite OF Assouan for the
sepulchre and sarcOphagus of his sOYe-
reign, and built fleet of IL vessels at
Elephantine for the transport of the same.
Pending further details, we should there
fore be inclined TO ascTibe the large tomb
to a nObleman OF that period, especially
if the neighbOring twelfth dynasty tombs
are those OF his descendants. In one Of
these latter there are found a series of
Osiride statues, representing the deceased
in mummied form, done In fbaked clay
or terra Gotta, and placed in re-
cesses along the corridor. This, at
all events, is an entire novelty in tomb
decoration.
The cemetery will probably prove to be
Of great extent, as there is evidence OF its
having been in use down to a late period.
The large tomb, usurped by later Corners,
was found piled TO the ceiling with num-
mics, mummy-cases, and furniture of RO-
man times, including upward of sixty
memorial stele. Gen. Grenfell is active
ly pursuing his work of discovery by the
help Of our English soldiers, who con-
tinue TO open and clear out tomb after
tomb.