378 



THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. 



CHAP. XV. 



kings and priests either stood with uplifted hands, 

 or knelt before the statue of the God (usually on 

 one knee). They bowed before it in token of re- 

 spect, " lowering the hand to the knee;" which, 



Herodotus * says, was 

 their manner of salu- 

 ting each other when 

 they met. They also 

 put the hand upon the 

 breast, as is the mo- 

 dern custom in the 

 East, or bowed down 

 with one or both hands 

 to the level of the 

 kneet ; and sometimes 



No. 488. An attitude of adoration. Thebes, rjlappf^ OHG hand OVCr 



the mouth, t But the usual mode of standing in the 

 presence of a superior was with one hand passed 

 across the breast to the opposite shoulder ; they 

 then bowed, lowering the other to the knee § ; and 

 the same position of the hand upon the shoulder 

 was adopted when deprecating punishment.il 



Sometimes libations were performed by priests 

 kneeling on one or both knees, and other tokens of 

 honour were shown to the Gods ; but prostra- 



* Herodot. ii. 80. ; sujmt. Vol. I. p. 34.. 



f Vi(k- Woodcut, No. 86. Vol. II. p. 34. 



j This was customary also in Persia. The object was to prevent 

 the l)rcath reaching the face of a superior. Vide Woodcut, No. 85. 

 Vol. II. i)..3;i. 



$ Vide also Woodcut,' No. 86. fig. 5. Vol. II. p. 34.; and Woodcut, 

 No. 440. fig. 6. supra. Vol. I. (2d Series) p. 129. 



II Woodcut, No. 87. fig. 5. Vol. II. p. 41. 



