ARCHÆOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES IN EGYPT.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 4, Issue 1003, 18 February 1882, Page 2 (Supplement)

ARCHÆOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES IN EGYPT.

Long before the savants have had tim'e'fb : peiuse, pondeV.over, or. profit by the wofider's unearthed at Sakkara/ they are"now siiddeiiiy overwhelmed with aTiesh supply of material in the form 1 of; the' largest papyri yet known, ;arid by the apparition of the pnimies,; with all i tlieir mortuary appendages ! and ; inscriptions, ; "Irib'leis than thirty Royal personages. This ; discoverji'c'alls for special'ihterebt iri'England, | fi>r among the thirty Royal mummies aretb I ! iie found those of King Thutmes 111. and of J Ramses ll,—it was the. former: who ordered i .'lieconslruction.of the obelisk which,npyr i stands upon the Thames Embankment, and it was ;lhe latter, who, 270 years afterwards, xaused his own official litlos and honours; :tp fie inscribed upon its faces .beside those; -pf : Thutmes 111. These -two.. monaichs now- lay ; side by'side in.the Boulak Museum, and even : the (lowers and garlands which were placed,,in ■ their coffins may to day be;seen encircling tlie ; masks which cover the faces of the deceased j just as they w.ere left; by. the .mourners, oyer ' 3,000 yiais ago, Last June.Daoud.Paslta, Governor of the province'ofKenrh, which.ineludes the ancient Theban. district, .noticed ' that the Bedaween offered lor.salcan unusual ; qunnt'ty ; of antiquities at absurdly low prices, 1 The Easha soon discovered ;thatth? source ,of ; their hidden treasute was situated in.a gorge I ol the mountain range which separates ' Bahaii from the Babel-Malook, This gorge ! is situated about j lour miles from .the Nile) lo ; die East of Theb.s.''' Dao'ud Pailia at once t legraphed' tp ,tt)e Khedive, who forthwith despatched to the spot Herr Emil Brugsch'/a younger brother of ; £)r. Hehry'BrugschPaslia', ; wh >,. during M.'Maspero's absen'cc'.in'Parish is in charge of all archKological.ex'ca'vatiohs'iji ; Egypt. Heir Brugsch discovered in the cliffs olthe Lybiari mountains, hear the Temple'if Doir-el-Bahari, or the' " Northern Convent,'" a pit'about 35K, deep, cut in the solid rock 1 ; i a secret opening in this' pit led; (0 a gallery nearly 200 ft, long, also hewn but of the solid rock,, This gallery was filled with relics flf the Theban dynasties,. Every indication leads '■ to the conviction that these sacred'relics hfijl 1 t/een removed from their appropriate places in the various tombs arid temples',' and concealed ! in ; this subterranean gallery 'by the' Egyptian' priesti tp preserve them from being destroyed by'some foreign invader, ' In all probability they were thus 'concealed, at the 'timeof llie ! invasion of Egypt by Cdrhbyses.. Trie' Tull value of this discovery! of, couhej'cannot be : yet determined. The' papyri have not,yet been unrolled, nor have' the mummies .been .unwrapped. 'The following Theban sovereigns: ate the mbst'important of those Whose iriumV .rriies Herr Brtfgsch hasidentifiediAAahmes; ; I, (Amosis), 1st 1 Kirig of'lßlH Dynast^,: : reigned B.C. ijoo (about)."'Amenhotep'l,; (\mtnophis), 2nd King of 18th Dynasty,! reigned B.C. 1666 (about). Thutmes 1 !,,' 3rd King 'of 18th Dynasty, reigned- -BJG. 1633; (about). Thutmes 1 11., 4th King 'of ißthj '■ Dynasty, reigned B.C. 1600 (about), Ramses j I/, M King of 19111 Dynasty, reigned B.C. 1400 (about): • Sett I.j 2nd King of ! loth Dynasty, reigned 80/1366 (aboui), : ;K ; ariises, 11, (llie great) 3rd King of 19th Dynasty,' reigned B.C. 1333 ; (about), Pinotem, 3'id! King of 21st Dynasty! ireigned'BC '1033J ' (about), v '■ Raskhenen (Dynasty:and date: ol reign unknown).: Queen Ra-ma'-ka (Hatasou?), ! Queen AahmesNofert'Ari, Conspicuous by its massive: gold ; ornamentation, i-lin, which cartouches ■ are set in precious stone's,. is the coffin containing the mummy of Maut Nedjem, a daughter of King Rams'as ll.' Each.ot the mummies is : accompanied by. an ilab'asle'rj canopic urn, containing the heart and entrails Pf the deceased, -Four ;papyri were found in the gallery atDeir-'el-Banaii, each in a perfect state of preservation; < The-largest of;; these papyri-that'foundin thecoffiiiofQurjenßa-iria-ka—is most beautifully illustrated with | coloured illuminations, It is about'l6in, wide, and when unrolled will probably, measure ,from loofti'to 140 ft,; in •.length.': The.other papyri are somewhat narrower, but ; a'rei more losely written upon. : ; These vPapyri: rwjll probably prove to be the most valuable, portion of: the discovery, for in the' present, state pf Egyptology a papyrus'may be of mote importance than ah entire temple, and, as the late Mariette Pasha used to say r "it is certain.that . if ever one' of those discoveries lhat bring about! a.revolutionan science should be made in •Egyptology the world will be indebted for it to a papyrus. No less thau 3*700 mor.tuary statues have been found which bear royal cartouches and inscriptions, Nearly 2,000 other objects.havebeendiscovered, • One of : the most remarkable relics is an enormous leatlier.teht, which bearsthe cartouche of King Pinotem,' of the 21st Dynasty, This tent is . in a truly wonderful state of preservation; The workmanship, is beautiful. It, is cpverei.with •hieroglyphs most carefully embroidered in rcdj green; and yellow leather, , Tho colours are quite fresh and bright, In each of,the corners is represented the royal .vulture and stars, Fifteen enormous wigs for, ceremonial occasions form a striking feature of the Deir'■el'Bahnri collection, ...These.iwigSjhje,, nearly

Silfciigh, find are closed pf frizzled! [and ;sjrl§jj haifj 1 .piere!tte'manV:matliedJpqirits of ancient Egypt and of _ stance, pleading, must be " traversed," "con-' riage settlements and thedoctrines oruses and trust prevailed in ancient Egypt, but the wearJSILSC these_wigs was not extended Je the i , W«Bbe« ; BFth>F ; served,exclusively for.the princesses of the b'loo'd ariil of 'i}ety' high' iipfi;"''&•& curious to' 1 iri ; ißlfflis(io l ve^'at'^ali. ! eT.Mai(iolt'ihe''fomb of'Se'ii'l.-a'.loniti \Vnich'has r s\rifce tie'eh pbpt. lariy called' ,J ReTzorii^ ! 'fi3rHb '4'arcoph'. a'giis 'in alabastyr : loq'd'ffiHli'e >,; fui l lHes( ! c l ha , m'ber;" ;' : ThV ; brpuglii'to'Englahtlj an'd'it is now i^.Sii 1 : Tijh'n '.''Hert Br'ugscjl,'it js ! said', 'h'as 'now brofrght'to.liglit' the original occupant of the', sarcophagus',' who mij nor'be Ihe'ltoulak Musetihlj'rie'ar.liis sbn, : B>amses l 11. Herr.' 'firugs'clv ! believes \ ,'th'at, there" W|aii other secret gallery leading' from'tU'e r)it Babari; : '' When ''MrMaspyd , ' : ritu'rßs''- : 'next October, fuiMif'excaVationi! Mil doubtless'bo unfeake'ni'but : .th'e Bbulak Museiirai'so' '6uHdenly'en'riched"as it h as' oeeri,' d tiding the'-'ye'ar Miifj now 'occjipire'/'positionnol'inferior 'toa'ily':in'Eiitope.' "' : v l '• i '' :i ' I ""' ■■!'■'' '•' :■■.:■,.-Jill. 1 ,■';/!•:••,•:■! i.-. ;_,.:;:=il-iM '•!-:.'■ !;..;: