Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 7.djvu/797

773 PYRAMIDS.] EGYPT 773 pyramid, if of Uencphes,was originally a royal sepulchre. In the tract between the Pyramids of Sakkarah and Aboo-Seer are the remains of the Sarapeum, and the burialplace of the bulls Apis, both discovered by M. Mariette. They are inclosed by a great wall, having been connected, for the Sarapeum was the temple of the defunct Apis. The tombs are in subterranean galleries or in separate excavations which contain many sarcophagi, in which the bulls were en tombed. Not the least important result of this discovery is the certainty that Sarapis was a form of Osiris, and that his name was Hesiri-hapi, or Osiris-Apis (Brugsch, Reiseberichte aus Aeyypten, 27, seqq.), as Sir Gardner Wilkinson had long previously suggested (Jfateria Hiero- glyphica, 21, and Vocab. MS. addition). The other pyramids ars of comparatively little interest. There are also some curious private tombs, among which may be par ticularized a large grotto excavated in the face of the rock overlooking the valley, which is remarkable for being vaulted on the principle of the true arch, but without a key-stone. It is of the time of Psammetichus I. of Dynasty XXVI., being, as Sir Gardner Wilkinson remarks, one of the two earliest known examples of the arch in stone, though, as he adds, there are brick arches at Thebes of the time of Amenophis I. of Dynasty XVIII. (Modern Egypt and Thebes, i. 368-9). The site of Memphis is marked by mounds in the culti vated tract to the east of the Pyramids of Sakkarah, and near the village of Meet-Ilabeeneh. Of the great temple of Ptah, its tutelary divinity, there are no remains above ground, except a few blocks of stone and some broken statues, one of which is a fine colossus of Ramses II. , which most probably stood in ancient times before one of the principal entrances of the temple. It is of white chert, and beautifully executed, representing the king in a stand ing posture. It has fallen to the ground, and has lost part of its legs ; nevertheless it has suffered incon siderable damage elsewhere, so as to be still one of the finest specimens of Egyptian art. The original height was more than 40 feet. This colossus is the property of the British nation, but no steps have been taken to remove it to this country. As Sir Gardner Wilkinson remarks, &quot; when the Turks have burnt it for lime, it will be regretted&quot; (Modern Egypt and T/iebes, i. 373). The site of Memphis being in the cultivated tract, ami near the modern capitals of Egypt, its monuments have alike suffered from the destructive power of nature, and from the barbarism of those who have used them as quarries or de faced them from motives of fanaticism. The Pyramids have not escaped man s violence, but their vastness has generally defied his attacks. At a distance of about five miles to the south of the Pyramid of Steps is the northernmost of the Pyramids of Dahshoor, an interesting group, of the history of which nothing certain is known. To their north is a vast trun cated pyramid, the sepulchre of Unas, last king of Dynasty V., anciently called &quot; the Most Beautiful Place, &quot; now Mastabat Faraoon, or &quot; Pharaoh s Seat.&quot; Two of the Pyramids of Dahshoor are of stone, and three of crude brick. The former exceed in size all the other pyramids except the First and Second of El-Geezeh, and have re markable chambers within them. The Northern Stone Pyramid has a base of 700 feet, and a height of 326 feet 6 inches, and has lost somewhat of its size, having originally measured 719 feet 5 inches, and 342 feet 7 inches. Some of the casing remains. It has an entrance in the northern face, leading to three chambers of similar construction to the Grand Passage in the Great Pyramid. The Southern Stone Pyramid is distinguished by the peculiarity of its form and by having two entrances, one in the eastern face and the other in the northern. The lower portion has an angle of 54* 14 46&quot;, but tho inclination then changes to 42 59 26.&quot; It has been supposed that it was suddenly completed, having been originally planned to be much loftier, but the method in which the pyramids were built renders this unlikely ; and it seems rather to have been given this form to gratify a whim of the founder, especially as the entrances in different faces afford another peculiarity. Its base is 615 feet 8 inches, and its height 319 feet 6 inches. At its southern side is a small brick pyramid. The Northern and Southern Brick Pyramids of Dahshoor are to the east of those already described. They are now in a very ruined state, being merely mounds of crude brick ; one of them is probably the Pyramid of Asychis mentioned by Herodotus. Among the earlier explorers of the necropolis of Memphis was Belzoni, by whom the Second Pyramid was opened. General Howard Vyse first undertook a complete examination of the series of pyramids, and having secured the assistance of Mr Perring, carried out this project with well-merited success. Professor Lepsius, the head of the Prussian expedition, opened many tombs in the Memphite necropolis, and has published in his magnificent work (Deiikmaler aus Aegypten und Aethiopien) the most interesting sculptures which they contain. M. Mariette, aided by the French Government, discovered the Sara peum and the tombs of the bulls Apis, and has since continued his researches under the authority of the khedive. The voyage up the Nile from Cairo may now be described. Not far south of Masr El- Ateekah, the moun tain and desert approach very near the river on that side, and soon after the wide opening of a valley is seen. Beyond it is a bold promontory of the eastern range, which first gradually recedes and then becomes parallel with the river for some distance, leaving but a narrow strip of cultivated land. Behind the village of Tura, the ancient Troja, are the quarries named after it, and a little farther to the south are those of El-Maasarah. These quarries are great excavated chambers and passages, which are entered by large square apertures in the steep face of the mountain. Hence were taken the finer blocks of limestone employed in the construction of the Pyramids of El-Geezeh. Tablets in both quarries record the quarrying executed under different sovereigns. South of the quarries the character of the eastern bank continues unchanged, and presents no remarkable object until we reach the promontory of the Sheykh Aboo-Noor, which will be subsequently mentioned. The western bank, on the contrary, is broad and fertile, abounding in villages, and above its palm-groves rise in the distance the massive forms of the long series of pyramids. Considerably beyond those of Dahshoor, which may be considered as the most southern in the Memphite necropolis, are the two Pyramids of El-Metaneeyeh, which are too small to be seen from the river, and yet farther the solitary Pyramid of Meydoom, commonly called the False Pyramid. Dr Brugsch thinks it very probable that it was the tomb of Senoferu, last king of Dynasty III. It is a structure of great size, having a base of about 400 feet, and a height of about 310 feet. In consequence of blocks having been pulled off its sides for building purposes, it has the appear ance of being built in two degrees, the lower of which is much greater than the upper, while the fallen stones around its base make it seem as if raised upon an eminence to in crease its apparent size, and hence its name. The entrance has not been discovered. Its position, rising alone above the rich valley and desert beyond, without any object by which to measure its size, render this pyramid, especially when seen from some distance across a broad part of the river to the north, a very striking object. There is nothing else worthy of a visit on the western bank until