Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-07-04
Discoveries in Egypt.

The excavations and discoveries made
in Egypt during the past season show
that the Land of the Nile is still the
uneXhausted treasure house of history
Valuable finds have rewarded the la
Dor of explorers at Kuft, at DER ell Ba-
hart and at Memphis. AT kuft, the
ancient Coptos, Mr.. Flinders Petrie, by
digging at a temple site and turning
over all the debris, has found frag
ment of alabaster bearingthe cartonche
of Khufu, of the fourth dynasty; slabs
of a pavement of Thothmes Ill, with
sculptures of the eleventh dynasty; Ii
Goor-iamb O: Usertasen l of the twelfth
dynasty, and pillars Of the Ramesslde
period There was found also at K uft
a remarkable Roman inscription Civ
iuy IA list of tolls to be paid at the Red
sea gate of Coptos. The worship Of
K hem is illustrated by three colossi so
rude in style that Mr. Petre is dispos
ed to class them as professionalism
work of the first immigrants from Ara
bia, before Mena founded the fist
dynasty. The symbol, shells and ami
mails carved on these colossi are sup
posed to be such as to fix their period
at the dawn of Egyptian civilization
| At DER ell Bahart, near Thebes,- M.
Navlle working under the auspices Of
the Exploration Fund, has brought To
! light temple erected by queen to
serve as a Itinerary shrine for her faith
er, her husbands and herself. The tenn
pie was built on three terraces and all
three have now been cleared off A
UNIQUE and beautiful monument is re-
| vealed Sculptures, admirably design
ed and colored, depict the Queens ex-
ploits, her wars, her naval expedition
to Punt and the transportation of her
obelisks from Syene. The middle ter
race has fine colonnade, hypostyie
hall, with brilliant paintings and
portico adorned with scenes relating to
the Queen birth. These pictures will
bear comparison with any work Of the
eighteenth or nineteenth dynasty,
even that Of Seti | at Abydos. In the
temple were found Il high altar and il
magnificent ebony shrine of Thothnes
IL. The correspondent of the London
Times pronounces this terrace temple
''one of the most singular and beautl-
full monuments of antiquity"
OF even greater interest, perhaps, are
| NJ. de Morgan's finds at Memphis of
boxes of jewelry made 4, 800 years ago.
They were found in an underground
tomb near ruined brick pyramid at
Memphis The pyramid has been cut
up and almost demolished by ancient
treasure seekers. The same is to be
said of the underground tombs near
by. They had all been rifled. But hid
den beneath the pavement of one of
the latter were found silverencrusted
boxes, containing 165 pieces of gold,
24O beads of amethyst, 70 beads of en-
erald, lapis lazuli and carnelian and a
larger number of smaller beads of vari-
ons precious stones These were com
bined in articles of jewelry, of one of
which the Times's correspondent says:
"Whether for purity of design, eX
quisite coloring or absolute finish, it
equals any piece of jewelry in existence.
1t would be a chef d'@u0re of the gold
smiths art to day; made $500 years
ago, it is a marvel" Among the arti
cIes are necklaces, a kohlpencil in eX-
quisite gold bead work, bunch of gold
rose petals, finely cut scarab@i, a trooch
and royal pectOrals. One of the scara
bmi bears the name of Usertasen Ill.
One of the pectOrals has the cartrouche
of Usertasen II. Another represents
Amenemhat shifting the Asiatics. The
mosaic work in stones and gold in these
pectorals is very fine. There were be
sides cowrie-s shells in gold, rings, mir
rors with gold handles and a pencil
Afforded with pattern of gold beads
soldered on one by one-a marvel of
delicate work. Egypt, it appears, had
an extended knowledge of precious
stones and metals and the art of work
ing them !, 300 years before Homer sang
of the Trojan war and described the
famous shield of Achilles Baltimore
Sun.