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of Egyptian soldiers had to be kept to guard the frontier, then 

 at Assuan, from a possible advance of the enemy. Partly to find 

 occupation for these native troops, Lord Grenfell, who was then 

 Sirdar, set them to dig trenches which ultimately resulted in 

 most interesting discoveries. Assuan is the market town of 

 Nubia, and perhaps the most interesting town on the Nile. On 

 the east bank one of the oldest Mohammedan cemeteries runs 

 up to the granite quarries, with gravestones, inscribed in Cufic 

 characters, some of the first century of the Hegira, of friends of 

 the Prophet. On the left bank a sandy valley leads up to the 

 ruins of a very old Coptic convent of the VI. century. Egyptian, 

 Ptolemaic, Roman, and Arab remains had been found at Assuan, 

 but no tomb of ancient Egypt had been discovered. Lord Gren- 

 fell first employed his troops in digging a deep trench parallel to 

 the Nile in order to find traces of communication between the 

 river and the high cliffs on the west side overlooking the Nile. 

 After a week's labour they found, buried beneath the sand, an 

 ancient stone staircase of a very curious nature. There were 

 steps on either side and in the middle a polished flat stone shaft 

 evidently used for dragging up the mummies. 



This staircase was followed up and eventually led to the rock- 

 cut entrance of a large tomb of the VI. Dynasty. This was filled 

 with fragments of coffins which had fallen to pieces, earthenware 

 pots and memorial tablets, which took a battalion of Egyptian 

 soldiers some weeks to clear away. Further finds followed. The 

 most interesting tomb was a Tomb Temple of the VI. Dynasty, 

 in one half of which a shaft leads to a tomb of a man called Sab- 

 ben, an officer in the service of King Pepe, the inscription 

 runs: "Sab-ben the Prince, Inspector, Pres : dent of the South 

 Ministrant, President of the Countries filling the heart of the king 

 of the South." He stands holding a sceptre in his hand, his face 

 painted red and h : s hair black. The other tomb was made for 

 a man called Mechu, of similar dignity and rank. The inside 

 wall of the tomb is inscribed with the attributes of the deceased ; 

 on another portion of the wall three men pour libations before 

 Mechu, who Jeans heavily on a stick, one leg is bent and the 

 knee enlarged, showing that he was probably lame. The whole 

 hill is honeycombed with burial places, and twenty-six tombs in 

 all were opened. A most beautiful tomb of the XII. Dynasty was 

 excavated here. The entrance is cut in the solid rock, which Is 

 smoolhed and polished. It has an outside chamber and a narrow 

 passage leading to another chamber. In the passage was olaced 

 the bearded mummy figure of Osiris carved in stone. In the 

 second chamber is a beautifully decorated altar, with the figure 

 of Se-renput, the owner of the tomb, wearing a tunic, necklace 

 or collar, and wh ; te sandals tied over the ankles. Above him is 

 inscribed " The Prince Se-renput, Triumphant Lord of devotion, 

 son of Sati-h^teo, Triumphant Ladv of devotion." 



The clearing of this tomb occupied six weeks, during which 



