26 THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. CHAP. XI. 



upon the subject, as from the variation of modern 

 measurements. Of my own I shall only say, that 

 the mode I adopted in measuring the face of the 

 great pyramid appeared to me as little liable to 

 error as any I could devise, which was, of ascend- 

 ing to the tier above the level and encumbrance of 

 the mound of earth in the centre of the face, and 

 measuring along that uninterrupted horizontal line, 

 from whose end having let fall a perpendicular 

 (easily determined by the eye) to the base, in order 

 to ascertain the additional portion at each corner, I 

 completed the whole measurement, by adding the 

 bases of those two right angles. This made the total 

 length of the present face 73Q feet, agreeing to 

 within one foot of the measiu'ement of Mr. Lane, 

 who gives it 733 feet : an approximation highly 

 satisfactory, from the well-known accuracy of his 

 observations. The total length when entire I 

 believe to have been ^55 or 7*5^ feet, which would 

 be exactly 440 cubits, according to the length I 

 shall presently show to have been that of the 

 Egyptian cubit. 



I do not, however, pretend to deriv^e (or even 

 to require) any authority from this monument, re- 

 specting the length of the cubit ; the measure- 

 ments are not sufficiently accurate for this pur- 

 pose, and the cubit is too small a measure to be 

 defined by the proportionate parts of so long a 

 line. Nor are the courts of different temples suited 

 to guide us in so delicate a calculation ; and even 

 the small dimensions of colossi may mislead, as it 

 is not certain (and, indeed, there are evident proofs 



