The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-10-16

ANCIENT EGYPTIAN BUILDING
DISCOVERED BY EXPLORER.
Vast Underground EdIfce, Described
in Earliest Writings Extant, Re-
veaIed Through Explorations
Made by Scientist.

Professor Naville has just discoV-
cred what he believes to be the most
ancient building extant in Egypt. The
professor believes that he has discov-
cred the place mentioned by Strabo,
who calls it the well, or fountain, of
Abydos. Below the Memnonium,"
says that ancient writer, lis spring
reached by passages with low vaults
consisting Of single stone and dis
tinguished for their extent and mode
of construction. This spring is con-
nected with the Nile by canal which
flows through a grove of Egyptian
thornacacias, sacred to Apollo"
The vast underground edifice, to
which the excavators first penetrated
on February 10, Is termed by its dis
coverer a reservoir, remarks the In
dianapoIis News. It is some ninety
feet long by sixty feet wide and sur
rounded by wall eighteen feet thick.
The construction Of the building is of
the cycIopean order. blocks of stone Of
enormous size being piled one on top
OF the other. A canal runs right
around the building under roof sup
ported by enormous pillars OF granite,
with a narrow stone towing path along
the sides The center of the construc-
ton seems to have been a sort Of is
| land, reached possibly by wooden
| bridge from the pathway.
The professor states: I'VE have still
no certain indication of the date of its
construction: but the style, the size
4 dol nd "a 00r
plete absence of all ornamentation all
/ indicate a very great antiquity. Up
to now the temple of the Sphinx at
Gizeh has always been considered the
most ancient edif1ce in Egypt 1t is
| contemporary with the pyramid OF
| Chefren. The reservoir of Abydos, OF
! a wholly analogous construction, but
built Of very much vaster material
| has a character still more archaic.
should not be surprised If it we're the
most ancient piece of architectural
work extant in Egypt. The pyramids
are possibly of the same age. but q
pyramid is only mass of stones, and
would not require so complicated
plan as the reservoir.
eff we have before US the most an
cient Egyptian building which has
been preserved, it is curious that 1t Il
neither temple nor tomb, but reser
voir, a great hydraulic piece of work
That shows US that these ancient PEG
pies knew very well the movement o
, subterranean waters and the law:
which govern their rise and fall. 1t Il
quite probable that this reservoir
played some part in the cult Of Osiris
The cells along its sides are possibl.
those that appear in the Book OF thu
] Dead; it is also possible that the wa
tiers were held to have curative quail
ties and that they were used by sicl
: persons who came thither to seek
e cure. 1t may be that sometimes tn
s boat of Osiris floated on the waters o
the reservoir. hauled by priests on tn
path that runs along the side; for tn
= bark OF the sun, as one sees it depicte'
In the tombs Of kings, Journeys Away
at the end OF a towline. Who woul'
: have thought a few months ago tina
\ thirty feet below the earth one woul
be able to see a building such as this
which surpasses in grandeur the mos
colossal Of cyclopean edifices?"