390 THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. CHAP. XVI. 



place. A room was set apart for the purpose, the 

 coffin being placed upright against the "firmest of 

 the walls."* Many months often elapsed between 

 the ceremony of embalming and the actual burial ; 

 and it was during this period that the liturgies were 

 performed before the mummy, which were after- 

 wards continued at the tomb.t A Greek inscription 

 upon the coffin of a mummy, found by Mr. Grey, 

 states that " Tphuto (or Tphus), the daughter of 

 Heracleus Soter and Sarapus, who was born in the 

 5th year of Adrian our lord, the 2d of Athyr, and 

 died in the 11 th year, the 10th of Tybi, aged 6 

 years, 2 months, and 8 days, was buried in the 12th 

 year, the 12th of Athyr ;" so that in this instance 

 the burial took place a whole year after her death t, 

 and some were doubtless kept, for various reasons, 

 much longer. It was during this interval that 

 feasts were held in honour of the dead, to which 

 the friends and relations were invited ; as was cus- 

 tomary among the Greeks and other people of an- 

 tiquity.§ 



* Diodor. i. 92. The word Xapvuxa may apply to the coffin or mummy 

 case, or to the closet above mentioned, as in woodcuts No. 492. 494'. 

 They bore some resemblance to the thiilami or ircKJToi, in which the small 

 figures of the Gods were carried; whence the bearers of them were called 

 TTuar 0(1)0 fm. Tirfc Woodcut, No. 170. fig. 4. Vol. II. p. 203. ; and infra, 

 p. 410. Woodcut, No. 499. 

 -f Vide Plate 84. 



X Vide Dr. Young, Hierog. Lit. p. 1 15. 



§ Hom. 11. xxiii. v. 9. Achilles invites the Myrmidons to supper in 

 honour of Patroclus : — 



" WarpoKKov K\a((Ofitp' 6 yap, yipac tan SiavovTior, 

 Xvrap inti k' oXooTo TtTapTriofiKjOa yooio, 

 iTTTTODf Xvffnfievot 5opTn]aojxiv ivOaSs iravTfc." 

 And verse 29. : — 



" Avrap 6 roiii rcKJiop ixti'oincKi (^((ivij ' 



