The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1889-05-03
SECRETS OF A PYRAMID
THEY ARE DISCLOSED BY MIR, PETRIk
THE. EXPLORER.

| AAAL EAHAOkt1Ibs
The Sepulchre OF fAmenemhat III and
the sarcOphagI Placed There Cen-
turtles Ago.-The Name Of a New PrIn-
searches.
Tho London Times gives an account OF the
opening OF the Hawara pyramid by Mr.. Petrle,
q well-known explorer. and says he has sue
eeeded not only in cutting an entrance into
the sepulchral chamber OF Amenemhat III,
but in searching every accessible part Of the
structure. HE has thus turnedyevery fallen
block and cleaned away tho sand and mud
accumulated during many centuries. The
lost secrets Of the monument have, in fact,
been brought to light. !.
| In the sepulchral chamber had been found
F., two empty sarcophagi. The smaller of these
Mr.. Petrle ut first conjectured to have been
made for the kings son and successor,
Amenemhat ~, or possibly for the kings
| daughter, Sebaknefru, who succeeded her
brother, Amenemhat w., and ended the
twelfth dynasty. But it now proves. says
the writer in the London Times, to have been
|
fru, who probably died about the same time
as her father, or at all events, previous to
| the closing Of his pyramid. This Princess is
| new to the history; her name, Ptahnefru, or
"the perfections of Ptah," being composed
| on the same lines as that Of her surviving
sister, Sebrknefru,' or ''the perfections of
Sebak." A large alabaster vessel, IS inches
in length. curiously carved in the shape Of
nall n trussed duck, and engraved with
h1eroglyphic inscription signifying "the
royal daughter Ptahnefru," was found in
one OF the passages day or two after
the opening of the pyramid. and with
it three similar vessels, smaller and quite
plain.
Two days later, the work Of clearance
went ons a superb alabaster table of offerings,
surrounded by the broken fragments of nine
more alabaster duck vases, was unearthed
from beneath the rubbish in q kind of ante
room adjoining the sepulchral chamber.
This beautiful work of ancient art is des-
cribed by Mr. Petrie as "a rectangular block
measuring 26 1-2 inches in length by II In
breadth and 8 in thickness" 1t is bordered
all round by Itinerary invocation of the
ordinary type, praying for oblations of food
and drink for the ''Ka" of the royal daughter
Ptahnafru; the enclosed surface being carved
in low relief with ITO representations of min
iature vases, bowls, cups, plates, leaves,
cakes, birds, fruits and the like. Each OBJ
ject has its name engraved beside or above
it, thus giving a list of between 70 and 80 va
rieties Of wines, poultry, cakes etc., and plac-
ing US in possession of the complete menu
OF royal Itinerary feast crca B. G. 1850
Oddly enough, the ducks, geese, and other
birds shown in this interesting list are rep
resented without legs, probably for economy
of space. Mr.. Petrie says:
"There is q flake off one corner Of the
block, but it is otherwise as perfect as the
day when it was first engraved. It is lovely
monument, new In its details, and new as to
the princess whom 1t commentaries. 1t
also shows that Ptahnefru must have been
the daughter Of Amenemhat III and sister OF
Sebaknefru."
The mummies of the Great Pharaoh and
his daughter were burned to ashes by the
original spoilers of the pyramid, who shall
say how many centuries agop MIR. Petr1e
carefully cleared out the two sarcophagi with
his own hands, both being under water, and
found at the bottom of each nothing but "a
deposit Of charcoal mixed with grains OF
quartz and quantity Of scales of mica. Tho
charcoal showed that the wooden mummy
cases and their occupants had been burned.
but the quartz grains and mica scales puz-
zled him sorely. The discovery of a fine
lapis.laz1li inlay, carved in tho form of q
false beard of the kind represented on tho
chins OF gods and Pharaohs, explained the
mystery day or two later. 1t showed that
the destroyed mummy cases had been deco
rated with mosaic ornamentations in fne
stones, which, when calcined, would havo
produced precisely the residium found In the
charcoal.
The scattered fragments OF some six or
eight alabaster bowls and vases were also re-
covered from the rubbish on the flooded
floor OF the sepulchral chamber. These rep
resent the Itinerary vessels OF the great Pha-
raoh himself whose throne name was found
on O fragment flshed out Of the water when
the chamber was first opened. The newly
discovered pieces are mostly inscribed, and
as they are apparently mendable their le-
gends may once more be read, and will pos
slbIy be Of historical interest. These frag-
ments, together with an extraordinary num-
ber OF broken amphor@ of Roman date,
complete the brief list Of objects discovered
inside this pyramid, which it has cost the
explorer so much time and labor to open.
Tho scpulchral chamber OF Amenemhat
III. proves to have had no door and no en-
trance. The largest sarcophagus must have
been placed in position and the smaller one
constructed before the whole OF the roofing
slabs were laid on. the exit having been
closed when the Itinerary rites were ended
by dropping the last slab into its place
AS these slabs weigh from forty to fFty
tons each, the security of the dead might
we'll be deemed eternal. The presence of tho
Roman amphora shows. however, that the
passage from the labyrinth was open in tho
time Of the Caesars; and it is possible that
the pyramid may have remained inviolate up
to that period.
Benefits Of Going BarefoOted.
consider the following, taken from the