582 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1914. 
The middle nave terminates at the wall at the end, about 10 meters 
from the temple of Séti. This wail is of red sandstone, and there 
alone can be seen sculptures of the King Menephtah of a funereal 
style. They indicate a tomb. For example, we find there a repre- 
sentation of the two principal amulets that they put on the body of 
deceased persons. In fact, at the base of the wall, a little door the 
size of that of the cells opens. When we had crept through the door 
we found ourselves in a large room of 20 by 5 meters, the ceilmg made 
of heavy blocks. This room, perfectly preserved, is absolutely 
empty. In a temple which has served as a quarry for centuries 
nothing can be found. Nevertheless, the texts cut by King Séti I on 
one of its sides is what proves that it was a funeral chamber. It 
represents the final scene of a book which is pamted or sculptured in 
the royal tombs, the Book of the Lower World. The tomb of Osiris 
is really there. Was a sarcophagus there, what was it like, did it 
contain the body of the god or only his head, that is what we shall 
probably never know. 
We have not yet reached the flooring. It is quite possible that the 
end of the excavation has some surprise in store for us; that we may 
learn the purpose of this edifice with three naves which so little 
resembles a sanctuary. 
Next winter, tourists visitng Abydos, after having crossed the 
temple of Séti, will find themselves before the majestic ruins of one 
of the most ancient edifices that the soil of Egypt has preserved for 
us, and which was absolutely unknown up to these last few days. 
This indicates that this privileged land perhaps still contains under 
a thick bed of sand some great monuments of whose existence no one 
had any idea. This is the second time that the explorations through 
the Egypt Exploration Fund have revealed a style of edifice here- 
tofore unknown. ‘There is reason to hope that results such as those 
of this winter will awaken the interest of some friends of antiquity 
in what I will call the great excavation, that which seeks above all 
things to bring to the light of day these glorious remains of the past 
and which is not a search for souvenirs destined to decorate the show 
cases of museums or of private collections. 
II. THE GREAT POOL OF ABYDOS. 
A short time ago, describing the excavations of Abydos, I said 
that we had not reached the flooring and that at the end of this 
work we might find something unexpected. That is just what has 
happened. We now know the purpose of that peculiar edifice con- 
structed of those huge stone blocks. While at the extreme end the 
tomb of Osiris was found, the great subterranean room into which 
we penetrated on the 13th of February, nevertheless the Cyclopean 
