earhj Egyptian History , ^179 



its long-forgotten history* To trace these stupendous monu- 

 ments of art to their respective founders, and thus to fix, 

 approximatively, at least, the epoch of their first existence, is 

 B consequence of the restoration of the knowledge of the 

 alphabet and the language of the inscriptions engraven on 

 them. • We proj)Ose to review, briefly as our limits require, 

 the principal and most important facts that have thus re- 

 cently been made known in regard to those early times ; and 

 ahall deem ourselves most fortunate if we can impart to our 

 readers but a small portion of the interest which we have our- 

 selves derived in watching their progressive discovery. 



The following are the authors to whom we are chiefly in- 

 debted for the few particulars we know of early Egyptian his- 

 tory, Herodotus and Diodorus Siculus, Grecians, and foreign- 

 -ers in Egypt. Manetho, a native ; and Eratosthenes, by birth a 

 •Cyrenean, a province bordering on Egypt, both residents. 

 Josephus, a Jew, and Africanus, Eusebius, and Syncellus, 

 Christians, Greek authors. Herodotus visited Egypt four 

 centuries and a half before Christ, and within a century after 

 its conquest by the Persians. In his relation of the affairs of 

 the Greeks and Persians, he has introduced incidentally a 

 sketch of the early history of Egypt, such as he learnt it from 

 popular tradition, and from information obtained from the 

 •priests. It is, however, merely a sketch, particularly of the 

 earlier times ; and is further recorded by Josephus to have 

 •been censured by Manetho for its incorrectness. Diodorus is 

 also understood to have visited Egypt about half a century 

 before Christ ; and from him we have a similar sketch to that 

 of Herodotus ; a record of the names of the most distinguished 

 kings, and for what they were distinguished ; but with inter- 

 vals, of many generations and of uncertain duration, passed 

 without notice. Manetho was a priest of Heliopolis in Lower 

 Egypt, a city of the first rank amongst the sacred cities of 

 ancient Egypt, and long the resort of foreigners as the seat of 

 learning and knowledge. He lived in the reign of Ptolemy 

 Philadelphus, two centuries and a half before Christ, and wrofe, 

 hy order of that prince, the history of his own country in the 

 Greek language, translating it, as he states himself, outx)f the 

 jsacred records. His work is, most unfortunately, lost ; but 

 the fragments which have been presen ed to us, by the writings 



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