The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-07-16
THEBEs's OLDEST TEMPLE.
High Artistic Development of the Eiev'
 enth Dynasty in Egypt.

THEBES'S OLDEST TEMPLE.
 High Artistic Development of the Flew enth Dynasty in Egypt.
 London Times.
 We have now cleared two-thirds or
 the temple of King Mentuhetep III or | the Eleventh Dynasty (B. C. 2,500), the
 oldest temple at Thebes. The discov-
 cries of this year have raised important questions as regards the development | of Egyptian art and architecture.
 We have unearthed the remains of building which at present is unique in | its type. It consists of a rock platform which was reached by means of a ramp, like the terraces of the neighboring temple of Queen Hatshepsu of the Eighteenth Dynasty. At the top of the ramp a granite doorway (of which the threshold only remains) led to triple row of octagonal sandstone columns. The columns formed a double peristyle, which ran along the four sides of a cen- tral costruction, the nature and pur- pose of which are not yet absolutely 1 settled. This construction Is a rectan- gular block, the outsidc of which was | formed by a casing of large limestone slabs. beautifully Joined and resembling those of the facing wall of the court discovered last year. Behind the cas- | ing is a wall of rough and heavy mo- | dulles of flint. and the middle Is filled ! with rubbish and loose stones, so that
 the whole was compact mass.
 | What Is most probable Is that 1t was
 basement or platform. with the usual | Egyptian cavetto cornice and a torus | or angle bead at each corner (of these we have found fragments), on which | was raised further construction of
 some kind. This cannot have been an | altar or a sanctuary. as in this case we
 should have found remains of step | way giving access to the top. But on l the basement may have stood small pyra mid, which gave to the building the | appearance of a itinerary monument of | type which we often see in the papyri. This monument may have marked the | presence of a tomb chamber at great l depth below in the rock, which could | not be reached from the top, but only l by a side passage opening some way | off, or 1t may have been merely an arr chitectural survival, a kind of atrophied | pyramid retained in the design of the l itinerary temple, and indicating no | tomb. This supposition that small pyramid stood on the central erection
 squares best with the Psychological l evidence, which demands a pyramid
 here. but the effect of the whole must l have been peculiar. since we have also
 an absolutely unusual arrangement; the | pyramid base was surrounded by triple row of columns. which certainly | supported a ceiling and formed hypo- l style passage or colonade. which must | have been quite dark. or nearly so Qike l the ambufatOrieS surrounding the | shrines in later temples), for the out | side was closed by thick wall the
 wall which was decorated with the | sculptured reliefs found both last year | and this. It would seem, judging from l the appearance of the columns. that the
 ceiling corresponded to the height of | the platform. but the ruined state of | the temple does not allow us to assert
 this more definitely. In any case we
 have here a new and interesting fact | in Egyptian architecture.
 | Between the enclosure wall of this | colonade, or passage, round the pyra- | mid and the edge of the platform. is an l outer colonade of square pillars, like | those in the lower colonades flanking the ramp. The outer, upper colonnade l was found last year: the actual pillars | themselves no longer exist, but their | shape and size are evident from the | traces left by them on the pavement | It contains a cemetery of peculiar
 kind tombs excavated in the rock ] lat form below the pavement, each consist
 ing Of pit, about twelve feet to ftf- | teen feet deep. leading to a small rec
 tangular chamber in which had orig | inally stood a limestone sarcophagus | These sarcophagi, several of which | were found intact, were not always | monolithic. but made of several pieces | lowered separately into the tomb, and | put together when the rSnmmy was | buried. Most of these tombs have been | rifled; some of them were reoccupied by | deceased persons Of later time, usually | of the Twenty-first Dynasty. Originally | they were made for number of wo- | men, all of whom bore this title: The
 royal favorite, the only one, the priest l ess of Hathor. N" All were queens or
 princesses belonging to the kings 1 harem; at the same time they were at l tached to the worship of the chief god | dess of the place, Hathor, represented as COW. Close to the tombs small 1 shrines dedicated to the priestesses had | been made in the thickness of the en- 1 closure of the colonnade. In them we | found beautiful fragments of colored l sculpture. showing the remarkable de- | velopment of art under the Eleventh | Dynasty, The priestesses or princesses
 are represented in relief in various | scenes. offerings are being made to 1 them, the holy cows and calves ot | Hathor are also represented It Is 1 worthy of remark that in each tomb
 was placed a skeleton of COW, the
 sacred animal of the goddess to whose
 service the favorites of Mentuhetep had
 been devoted during life. Two breeds
 of cows seem to be represented; one
 brown and horned the other dappled | and hornless. .-: s* %.:44 @~:+..
 For these priestesses were made the Limestone sarCophagi mentioned above, of which three were fdund intact. Che
 of these, which was made in six sep arate pieces. is most beautifully sCulp- l tured, but not quite finished; since 1t | is evident that color was intended to
 be added 10 the engraving. Kauit l by name, is seen in the representa- tions on it's sides living what was supposed to be her life in the other l world Offerings are being made to
 her. while an attendant dresses her | hair and artistically inserts hairpin
 into the coiffure A priest milks COW
 for her. and afterward brings her the
 cup saying, This is for thee. drink
 what I give" con a finely sculptured l and Colored slab from the shrine of an other princess, named Sadhe, priest l or courtier brings the deceased lady
 a bowl of beer. saying, Beer for thy l ghost"D This is the first time that
 sarcophagus has been found sculptnred | with scenes of this kind. This beau- ltiful and unique monument the finest
 of it's kind of the Middle Empire per- ] iod, and probably the finest relic yet | found of the Eleventh Dynasty, Is now | in the Cairo museum.
 Many new fragments of relics from the enclosure wall of the pyramid hall have been found this year; especial { ly noticeable is fragment of
 shrine with a relief depicting King | Mentuhetep and his wife. who would
 seem to have been a Nubfan, Judging
 from her portrait. The portrait of the