The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-03-06
N. AMELINEAU'S STORY OF HIS
FIND AT ABYDOS, IN EG IPT

FAND ~ db1DOct 1N
Osiris, Isfs and Horus Were LiyinG PcrsonnEes.
According TO the Frcnch EEypioioEist-HiS
Rcnsoua for Thinking That ~ Is the
Tomb OF O~sIris-Detnils or the Discovery.
NJ. T.. Am6lineau, tho French Egyptologist
who announced recently tho discovery of the
tomb OF Osiris Mt Abydos. in Egypt, has sent 10
the Journal Egppticn the following account Of
his find:
Everybody who has had n little education,
or has read a1ittlc. knows, or at least has hoard
OF, the legend of Osiris. The benevolent god,
bcniSnant anl charming, to whom Is generally
attributed the progress Of civilization in the
Nile Valley, who taught his contemporaries how
to cultivate the earth. to enjoy the rural pleas.
ures. to charm their leisurcs and to forget their
fatiRues with the help Of simple and touching
songs. has Deen considered .sup to the present
tlme moro as n creation Of the imagination
than as q real. mortal being. Tho part which
In the succession OF centuries the religious ira.
dittons OF humanity made him play some ten
thousand years ago, was not calculated to in.
crease the belief Fin his reality. But hereafter
1t will be difficult to doubt that Osiris, Isis, his
slster-wife. and Horus, their son. lived in re.
atty. and played at least partially the parts
with which legends and traditions have credit
ed them.
THE Egyptian texts speak very often Of
Osiris's tomb, which is designated under tho
name Of staircase OF the great god They add
that the high officials that lived a short time
after that epoch desired greatly to be buried
near Osiris, who had preceded them In life and
in death. l discovered on the first OF January
of this year this famous staircase, and the
next day l struck q monument which cannot
lchve any doubt as 10 the destination Of the
tomb which my excavations brought to light.
Two years ago ! had already begun a very
important work, If we consider only tho num-
Der of cubic metres of sand removed, and my
diggings on one sidc had stopped at a point
three or four metres from a large tomb. During
my previous excavations Il had found a great
number of traces of Osiris worship, but they
could be explained by the general devotion
that people OF Abydos as well as other parts Of
Evynt had for tho god ~ Tho deo5 Nh go
also called sometimes the Universal Lord be-
cause men arc all submitted to deaths law
During the whole OF last year my time vas de-
voted to works which | did not expect would last
SO long. and it was only this year that l was
able to resume what was left ~uncompleted.
The hill under which was hidden Osiris's
tomb Is about $50 metres in length by 100 ne.
res In width and is here and there seven or eight
millions OF small jars and earthen vases. also
some large ones mixed up with sand and few
rare pieces OF stone. From the first avs of the
excavations. in December last, pieces of pot
terry of all shapes, entire or broken. were found,
bearing inscriptions written in hieroglyphic
or hieratic signs. Large numbers OF pieces men.
toned the name OF Osiris and were due TO tho
priests, while a smaller number OF pieces bore
the name OF Amou-Ra- \ few of these inscrip.
tons mentioned the house of Osiris. Among
Egyptians a term generally used to designate
impressed me 50 strongly that as far back as
Dec. = / recorded in the diary which | keep of
my excavations the belief that / was going to
come across Osiris's tomb. If my discoveries
had only related to a general worship | would
not 70 have found the double Cka, name of King
that the worship Of the dead buried under the
hill had lasted until the end of the Egyptian en-.
the details given in the Egyptian texts.
The :oLhb was in shape a large rectangle. and
which would number about 200. Moreover,
the Metropolis. known in the country under the
name of I'M Gaab-el:G harby, contained the
them kings. the st4les. of which l discovered two
yyears ago; So this first point was settled.
mentioned by the texts. The next day | dis.
covered a unique monument. 1t was II granite
the head and legs Of a lion. On this bed was
lying a mummy hearing what is known as the
olt of thecasc, a ttagellum and a pastoral cane.
Near the head were two hawks. and two more
were ut the feet. The dead was designated by
the inscription: Osiris the Good Being The
hawks were labelled: 'Horus. avcnger OF his
father and the goddess Isis is also designated
This monument is ! metre 20 in length and
about l metre in width and height. The tomb
itself has the shape OF a dwelling, with "a court
eAN 80 AAcA'Ns - Ntaa va lbpAll.s
and the staircase five rooms 10 the north, five
to the south, and four to the east. The west
ern face was open. Thct two cXtremitics. south
and north, were closed by q wall on the east
side. The tomb. was about u metres in length.
II metres in width, and y metres in depth,
There were evidences of fire In it. | found at
the bottom of the rooms indisputabe proof OF
the work OF spectators. This fact of the tomb
having been dest Dyed by fire has rendered
sterile a great part OF my labor. This is to be
iamented. and the case is hopeless, for what is
lost Is lost forever.
ut is not without adeep emotion on nv part
TO light by my workmen. who did not even sus-
pect the Importance of the discovery. Tho emo
lion i felt at the thought that / was touching
soil sacred for thousands or generations was
rendered more intense when | considered that
my discovery came just in time to prove that
what have been allied my theories, my theses.
were not pure. nnsupported:theorics and scnsa-
t'cna' theses. but unquesiiOnably realities
proved by facts. Such are in a nutshell the
main points OF my discoveries"
The journal Egyptien. in printing NJ. Am6li-
ncau's letter, makes these comments:
I'VE give the facts such as they are stated
by NJ. Anelineau.. We must remember that
Nlnlictte spent much time and money at Ahydos
In his researches for the tomb of Osiris. The
discovery of NJ. Amelineau, astonishing as 1t
may appear. is a possibility, and in accordance
with the records Of all the ancient authors ami
tho belief OF most Psychologists, unless this
ycstigatiOn OF the geographic documents eT-
humcd In he y sanctuary erected at II later
date to Osiris. II IL il the tomb of Osiris. II must
be still more archaic than the tomb Of Ncgadah
also much older in style than MI the rombs cN-
plorcd 30 far by Mr.. Amtlincau himself nj Aby-
dos. On these points more details are needed"
DENTISTS AND n kLONDIkE