ARCHAEOLOGY. (EGYPT.) 



13 



tracing that of Beni Hassan through five ami 

 thai o'l I'll l'.cr>heh through KTW .L-vnerai ions. 

 Mr. Nett berry al>o made superficial MtploimlioiM 

 over a region in the Nile valley forty inik-s 

 long. Comprising the ancient, Oryx and llenno- 

 pohte noines, noting the mounds, place names, 

 and objects of arehn>ologieal interest. Among 

 the discoveries of peculiar interest was that of 

 the alabaster quarry of llat-Nul the quarry to 

 which I' mi went to cut out the alabaster altar 

 for his sovereign of the sixth dynasty, and the 

 most famous quarry of the ancient kingdom. 



The Palace of Khiienaten. Dr. W. M. 

 Flinders Petrie spent much of the season of 

 1891-'92 in excavating at Tel-el- A mania, the 

 capital of Khiienaten. His more important ex- 

 plorations were carried on in the palace, in 

 which several rooms with portions of painted 



old conventional grouping constrained the de- 

 signa fact which is used to show that the 

 \\ork was done \>y Egyptian arti-ts. The ab- 

 sence of any geometrical ornament shows that 

 Babylonian "influence was not active. "Some 

 small fragments of sculptured columns show 

 that this flowing naturalism was as freely carried 

 out in relief as in color." Of the architecture 

 there remain only small pieces flaked off the 

 columns. By comparing these the style can IKJ 

 recovered; and both the small columns in the 

 palace and the larger ones in the river front- 

 age appear to have been in imitation of bundles 

 of reeds, with inscribed bands and with leafage 

 on the base and on the capital, and groups of 

 ducks around the neck. A roof over a well was 

 supported by columns of a geometrical pattern, 

 with spirals* and chevrons. In the palace front 



ARTICLES FOITND IN DR. KT.TNDERS PETRIE'S EGYPTIAN EXCAVATIONS. 



1. Copy of wall-painting. 2, Makt-.Uen and Merit-Aten, daughters of Khiienaten (from a painting.) 3. Frag- 

 ment of statue of Nefert-iti. queen of Khiienaten. 4. Khuenaten, profile portrait. 5. Rough sculpture of horse's 

 head (on back of stone with profile of Khuenaten.) 6, Cast of head of Khuenaten, taken after death. 



fresco pavements were found. One room nearly 

 entire and two others more injured have been 

 fully exposed to view, and protected by a con- 

 venient house. With the exception of a pave- 

 ment said to exist at Thebes, these are the only 

 examples of a branch of art which must have 



l n familiar in Kgvpt. The subjects of the 



floors are tanks with fish, birds, and insects, and 

 a border of bouquets and dishes. The main 

 value of the designs, according to Dr. Petrie, 

 lies Hi the new style of art displayed. "The 

 action of the animals and the naturalistic grace 

 of the plants are unlike any other Egyptian 

 work, and are unparalleled even in classical 

 frescoes." But where the lotus occurred, the 



were plainer columns inscribed with scenes, and 

 with capitals imitating gigantic jewelry. 



The artistic results of the discoveries in the 

 palace, as represented by Mr. Petrie to the Inter- 

 national Oriental Congress, are t hat the direct aim 

 of the artists was as exact an imitation of nature 

 as possible. In sculpture, the work of the best 

 hands equals the finest work of other countries 

 or ages. In painting, nature is closely followed 

 with much memory work, apart from models; 

 the plants are superior to those in most daical 

 work, and the animals are free and vigorous. 

 The only ancient parallels to the character of this 

 work are the bull fresco of Tiryns and the gold 

 cups of Vaphio. The origin of this new depart- 



