Egyptian belief and modern thought / by James Bonwick.

  • James Bonwick
Date:
1878
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Egyptian belief and modern thought / by James Bonwick. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    greatest attractions of the Museum at Cairo, is from a tomb at Meydoun, of great antiquity. It is a group of geese, the form of which is perfect, and the colouring as fresh as ever. This was painted simply upon stucco spread upon piscK The tomb of prince Merhat, priest of Cheops, builder of the Pyramid, was found by Lepsius to have a room 70 feet long, 14 feet broad, and 15 feet high. The sarcophagus was 60 feet below. He thus notices the mastada : “ Here the sacrifices offered to the dead were brought to the occu- pant of the tomb. It was generally dedicated to the worship of the deceased, and so far corresponded to the temple that was erected before a pyramid belonging to a king for his worship. Like those temples, these chambers have also their entrance always from the east. The shafts, like the pyramids, lie behind to the west, because the de- ceased was believed to be in the west, whither he had gone to the setting sun, to the Osiris of Amenti.” At the Soane Museum, Lincoln’s Inn Fields, is a sarco- phagus brought from the tomb of king Oimenepthah by Belzoni, the explorer of the Second Pyramid, and an ardent Egyptologist. Digging down 18 feet, he came to a stair- case, which led to a passage 36 feet long. A second de- scent of 23 feet brought him along a sculptured corridor of 37 feet to a room 13 feet square, and a well 36 feet deep. He came then to a hall, 26 feet square, supported by four pillars. A third staircase of 13 feet, along a corridor of 36 feet, and a fourth staircase of 17 feet, led to a chamber 24 feet by 13 feet. A fine hall, 58 feet by 27 feet, was arched one half, and upheld by six columns in the other half. Under the vaulted part he discovered the sarco- phagus. PTom that half proceeded six passages. On each side were two small rooms with wooden statues. The total length of the passages to the sarcophagus room was 320 feet ; and the perpendicular depth, 180 feet. From the