2^4 Antiquitus. 



at the diftance of a few miles from Thebes, near the ruins 

 of Thebes, were no doubt dug about that time. It was in 

 the fixth century before thr Chriftian aera that Canibyies ra- 

 vased Thebes, and plundered it of its riches and monuments. 

 The moft remote period, therefore, which can l)e affisined to 

 the time when the tunics were wove is the fifth or fourth 

 century before Auguftus. 



It is impoflible to fay any thing more correcl in regard to 

 the perfonage who wore it. We are told by Herodotus that 

 the Egyptian prielb wore a fingle veftmentof linen, and flioes 

 of papyrus. The pricfts of Ifis at Rome were called the troop 

 clothed in linen, linigera turba. Pythagoras, who imitated 

 them, made no ufe of woven ftufts made from animal mat- 

 ters. The tunic of Sakara was therefore not worn by au 

 Egyptian.of the facerdotal order. 



It did not form part of a female drefs, for we are told alfo 

 by the father of liHiory that the Egyptian women were clothed 

 in linen. The men uftd alfo llmilar vefhiientsj but they 

 wore above thcfe tunics white woollen vertments. " But," 

 Herodotus adds, " they do not wear woollen veftments iti 

 the temples, and they do not bury their dead in dreffes of tKat 

 kind ; they would be confidered as indecent." 



The yellow colour of the tunic, if not the effeft of anti- 

 quity, would be no proof of its not having belonged to ari 

 Egyptian ; but if it be the eife6l of art, we may fuppofe that 

 it was the diftinguifliing mark of fome dignity. In a word, 

 the only thing certain which can be faid of this Egyptian 

 velbnent is, that it was not cenveyed with the body of a de- 

 ceafed perfon to the grottoes of Sakara, which ferved as 

 tombs, becaufe it wa3 repugnant to the ideas of the Egyp- 

 tians to be interred in wove woollen cloth. It muft therefore 

 have been depofiied with other riches which the proprietors 

 wifhed to fecure from the rapacity of the enemy. 



C. Mongcz has communicated to the Inftitute a memoir 

 on fome antient medals and other articles difcovcred near Au- 

 rillac, in the department of Canial. Some workmen digging 

 in a meadow found the portion of a circular inclofure confid- 

 ing of a double wall. It was about fix feet in diameter, 

 and four feet eight inches in height ; but rofe very little 

 above the furfacf; of the meadow. The interior wall was of 

 baked brick, exceedingly beautiful, circular, and with the 

 joinings tending to the ccnire. This interior wall was fur- 

 Vounded by another of dry Itoues, deltined, no doubt, to fup- 

 port the earth, Ni) traces of a covering appeared, and it is 

 probable there never was any. 



In digging in this inc'ofure, and demolifliing it, there were 



lirft 



