Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-08-11
AN AMERICAN EXPEDITION
Metropolitan Museum Party Excavates
Temple at Lisht.
TOMBS OF MIDDLE EMPIRE
Archeologists Discover Monuments
of the Twelfth Dynasty, When
Amenemhat I Was King.

In comparing some of the exploring expe-
ditions which have made New York their
starting point, several strange and interest
Ing contrasts offer themselves, yet in none
Is this more marked than in the one to be
undertaken by Commander Robert E.
Peary in his search for the north pole and
that of the Metropolitan Museum expedi-
ton, which has just suspended operations
until the return of cooler weather.
Peary's search for the pole will be carried
on in climate where the mercury often
crosses the mark at rs degrees below zero,
while the band Of workers who are out in
the interests of the museum have been pur-
suing their labors where the Thermometer
reaches 100 degrees in the shade without
seriously exerting itself.
The latter expedition, sent out under the
direction Of Albert NJ. Lythgoe, was made
possible through funds supplied by private
generosity. generous concession was
granted to the museum Authorities by the
Egyptian government. which, with a fiber-
alfty not to be found in other ancient
lands, has granted many liberties to foreign
institutions for, the purpose of scientific ex
cavation and has permitted the expectation
OF large share of sculptures and an
Equities yielded by such work
The labors of the American party are
centered on the two pyramids of Lisht,
near the southern end of the pyramid field,
at point thirty-fve miles south of Cairo,
says the New York Tribune. Both of. these
date from the middle empire. about POO
b. c., the northernmost having been iden-
tilted as belonging to King Amenemhat I
and the southernmost as that Of his son
and successor, Usertesen 1. These two
were kings of the twelfth dynasty, time
when art lacked little of the vitality of
earlier sculpture and yet in wlIch some
splendid works were turned out. The in
fuence of Egypt was extended by these
two to the lands on either side and more
and more information regarding this infiu-
ence and the accomplishments of the kings
OF that dynasty has been discovered as the
picks and spades of the workers slowly I'M
covered the ruins of the pyramid temple OF
Amenemhat, which was chosen for the
first investigation, because a French expe-
dition had previously eXcavated at the tenn
pie of USertesen.
Careful Excavation.
This work of unearthing an Egyptian
temple is rather different from digging a
tunnel or a city subway in Manhattan, for
neither dynamite nor steam shovel may be
used to facilitate the work Such energetic
methods have to be eliminated, as a jar or
false blow might shatter a treasure which
tells whole pages of history of age
when the world was still young. And so
sand drifts and debris must be removed
with the greatest care in order to preserve
from demolition those relics which 1t is the
for the eyes of future generations, that
in museum and private collections they
may instruct those students who are put
ting together piecemeal the history of an
age which In part has been forgotten and
lost.
Thus the work cautiously begun has been
so continued. A railroad was built up to
the base of the pyramid of Amenemhat and
work begun along the east side, for 1t was
on the side facing the Nile that the temple
stood in which the worship of the king was
perpetuated The work of excavation be-
gan with the removal of drift sand and dis
integrated limestone, which left a hard
packed surface of debris. This was scat
tered over the side of the pyramid general
ly, beneath 1t being house walls of brick
and other remains which proved, from
scarabs, beads and similar material found
in them. to date from the Roman period.
After photographs were taken of the re-
mains of Roman occupation. the labor was
continued without interruption, until recent
ly the complete excavation of the pyramid
temple was accomplished and the princi-
pal external features of the pyramid on
the eastern side were determined.
Thus far in the work Of clearing back to
the face of the pyramid itself important
material has been recovered which will
make a distinct contribution to the history
of Egyptian architecture and art during
this period of the middle empire. From
relies found it is probable that this temple
was reconstructed from earlier one,
tnOuSn the 1dCtS anu tlle udte O1 tHlS may
be more easily ascertained when the ex-
cavations have been carried further along.
Some Discoveries.
In this temple site, however, has been
found considerable amount of material
from the original temple Of Amenemhat,
from which the main features Of the struc-
ture may be determined. There are many
interesting fragments and complete blocks
of painted relief and of inscriptions One
Of the scenes on the temple walls depicts
Amenemhat receiving the gift of life from
the gods. This relief is delicate1y and
parts has it's color still freshly preserved
At the rear end of the temple two most
important objects were found, one being
granite temple altar, offering table, and
the other false door" or Offering stella
of the temple. The stella is the only one
of its kind that has yet been found, and
is therefore of Importance.
While these excavations and discoveries
have been going on in the pyramid temple,
considerable work has been carried on in
the cemetery west of the pyramid The
tombs are proving to be of important
twelfth dynasty types, both in their con-
struction and in the character Of their con-
tents, and their excavation has been an i'm
portant factor in the satisfactory results
of the year.
Through this work which Is now going on
in Egypt the recently established depart
ment of Egyptian art of the museum will
be enriched by many of the relics from
the tombs and temples of these kings of
ages past, and all of the really fine
things from the soil of Egypt are being
rapidly absorbed by the great public COL
lections the Metropolitan considers itself
especially fortunate at this time in being
enabled to enter the field so actively and