610 EGYPTIAN ANTIQUITIES. 



has already forwarded to hiru important series of papyri and antiquities 

 of epochs concerning it, and I do not doubt that in a few years the new 

 building which the city is going to construct will be too small to con- 

 tain the collections. 



Before May 1, 1892, the museum of Gizeh included only 45 halls; 

 to-day it counts 91. That of Alexandria has 10. This gives for all 

 Egypt a total of 101 exhibition halls, 56 of which have been created 

 within two years without special appropriations. 



In finishing this outline of the actual condition of the museums, I 

 have to express to my collaborators my gratitude for the devoted efforts 

 they have never ceased to accord to this work. Messrs. E. Brugsch-bey, 

 H. Bazil, G. Daressy, Ahmed-bey Kiamal, A. Barsanti, and G. Botti 

 have rivalled each other in ardor and zeal to promote this very com- 

 plex work. 



PUBLICATIONS. 



Since its establishment the Service of Antiquities has had no special 

 publications. The various directors, who, beginning with Mariette, 

 have succeeded each other in Boulak and in Gizeh, have given an 

 account of their labors in personal publications; but, thus far, the 

 Museum of Egyptian Antiquities possessed no annals. 



It was necessary to publish accounts not only of the monuments which 

 remained standing throughout Egypt, but also of the treasures exhibited 

 in the museums and the results of the excavations. This extensive 

 work could not be accomplished by a single man; the personnel of the 

 service was not sufficient for so great an undertaking. I have accord- 

 ingly invited all Egyptologists to lend their aid to the Service of 

 Antiquities, thus founding an international publication edited by my 

 administration. Our publications are divided into three series, as 

 follows : 



1. Catalogue of the monuments and inscriptions of ancient Egypt. 



2. Catalogue of the museums of Egyptian antiquities. 



The first series will embrace the publication in extenso of all the 

 monuments still existing on Egyptian soil, and I can not better show 

 the purpose of this work than by presenting to you the first volume, 

 which appeared only a few months since. It gives a complete descrip- 

 tion of all the antiquities situated between the frontier of Nubia at 

 Assouan and the Temple of Ombos. 



Two other volumes are in press ; they contain a complete description 

 of the Temple of Ombos. We owe these three volumes to Messrs. U. 

 Bouriant, director of the French Archaeological Institute in Cairo; G. 

 Jequier and G. Legrain, members of that institute; A. Barsanti, con- 

 servator of the Service of Antiquities, and to my personal aid. 



The second series will contain the catalogues of all the objects depos- 

 ited in the museums. Several volumes are in preparation, as follows: 

 The Greek papyri of the museum of Gizeh, by P. Jouguet, member of 

 the French School at Athens; those of the museum of Alexandria, by 



