The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-20
THE TOMB OF OSIRIS.
FRENCH sAVANT FINDS THE AN
GENT sEPULCHER AT ABYDoS.

This God Was IA Reality-One More
Story Taken From the Fold of
abIedOm-Instead of Being a
Myth Osiris Existed and Had
Home on This Earth.
NJ. E. Amelineau, the French Egyptolo-
gist, who announced recently the discov-
cry of the tomb of Osiris at Abydos, In
Egypt has sent to the Journal Egyptien
the following account of his find:
Everybody who has had little educa-
ton. or has read a little knows, or at
least has heard Of the legend of Osiris.
The benevolent god, benignant and charm
ing to whom is generally attributed the
progress of civilization in the Nile valley,
who taught his contemporaries how 10
cultivate the earth, to enjoy the rural
pleasures to charm their leisures and to
forget their fatigues with the help of sim
pie and touching songs, has been consid-
cred up to the present time more as
creation of the Imagination than as real.
mortal being The part which in the sue
eession of centuries the religious tradi-
tons of humanity made him play some
10000 years ago, was not calculated to in
crease the belief in his reality. But here
after it will be difficult to doubt that
Osiris, Isis his sister-wife, and Horus,
their son, lived in reality, and played at
least partially the parts with which leg
ends and traditions have credited them.
1.-THE Egyptian texts speak very often
of Osiris tomb, which is designated I'M
der the name of Staircase of the great
god They add that the high officials
that lived short time after that epoch
desired greatly to be buried near Osiris,
who had preceded them in life and death.
1 discovered on the LIST of January of this
year this famous staircase, which cannot
leave any doubt as to the destination of
the tomb which my excavations brought
to light
1.-TWO years ago I had already begun
very important work, if we consider only
the number of cubic meters of sand re-
moved, and my diggings on one side had
stopped at a point three or four meters
from large tomb. During my previous
excavations had found a great number
of traces of Osiris worship, but they
could be explained by the general devo-
ton that people of Abydos, as well as
the dead who was also sometimes called
the Universal Lord, because men are all
submitted to deaths law. During the
whole of last year my time was devoted
to works which l did not expect would
last so long and it was only this year
that l was able to resume what was left
uncompeted.
1.-THE hill under which was hidden Osi-
ris tomb is about $50 meters in length by
In l..
there seven or eight meters high. 1t was
composed of millions upon millions of
small jars or earthen vases, also some
large ones mixed up with sand and few
rare pieces of stone. From the first days
of the excavations, in December last,
pieces of pottery of all shapes, entire or
broken, were found, bearing Inscriptions
written in hieroglyphic or hieratic signs,
Large numbers of pieces mentioned the
name of Osiris and were due to the
priests, while a number of smaller pieces
bore the name of Amou-Ra. A few of
these Inscriptions mentioned the house
Of Osiris.
Among Egyptians a term generally
used to designate tombs was eternal
houses These discoveries impressed me
so strongly that as far back as Dec. , 7
recorded in the diary which / keep of my
excavations the belief that l was Going
10 come HcTOSS OSlfIS tomb. III nv dis
coveres had only related to a general wor-
ship ! would not have found the double
(Ka) name of King Menes among the de-
bris; l would not have found that the wor-
ship of the dead buried under the hin had
lasted until the end of the Egyptian en-
plre. In spite of all these proofs, lacked
yet the details given in the Egyptian texts.
'@The tonab was in shape of large rec
tangle, and on the four sides Of it were
series Of tombs which would number about
200. Moreover, the metropolis. known in
the country under the name of Om-cI-
Gaab-el-Gharby, contained the sepulchers
of persons of very high rank, among them
Kings the steles Of which l discovered
two years ago. So this first point was set
tied On Jan. l appeared this fortunate
staircase mentioned by the texts The
next day discovered a unique monument.
II was a granite monolith in the shape
of a bed decorated with the head and legs
Of a lion. On this bed was lying a mum
my bearing what is known as the white
crown, holding in his hands, which came
out of the case, a hagellum and pastoral
cane. Near the head were two HAWKS,
and two were at the feet. The dead v as
designated by the inscription; Osiris the
Good Being The hawks we're labeled:
'Horus, avenger of his father and the