FLOOR.] 
FIRST EGYPTIAN ROOM. 
Ill 
The 4th was distinguished by the high civilization that prevailed 
in Egypt during its rule. Its monarchs conquered Arabia, and built 
the pyramids as royal sepulchres. Among the monuments may be 
noticed some of the casing-stones of the pyramids, a small statue of a 
naval constructor, and a coloured statue found in a tomb at Gizeh. 
The 12th dynasty excavated the Mceris Lake, built the Labyrinth, 
the city of Abydos, and the fortress of Semneh, and conquered 
Nubia or ^Ethiopia. Of this dynasty is a mutilated statue of King 
An, dedicated by King Usertesen I. 
Over the East doorway is a plaster cast from the head of the most 
Northern colossal statue of Eameses II. at Ibsamboul, placed here 
owing to the want of space in the Central Saloon. 
NORTH-WEST STAIRCASE. 
On the staircase are placed Egyptian Papyri, which are 
documents of various character, inscribed on rolls formed of 
slices of the papyrus plant. They show the three forms 
of writing in use among the Egyptians : — 1. The Hieroglyphic, 
in which all the characters, or figures, are separately and dis- 
tinctly defined. 2. The Hieratic, in which the same characters 
are represented in what may be termed a running hand. 
3. The Demotic, or Enchorial, a still more cursive form, in 
which the language of the common people was written • it 
was principally employed in civil transactions during the Ptole- 
maic period, and continued in use to the 3rd or 4th century 
of our sera. 
The papyri exhibited present chiefly portions and extracts from the 
Ritual of the Dead, the small pictures in them referring to the subjects 
of the various chapters; others are solar litanies and magical tracts. 
Amongst them is a caricature, and a treatise on arithmetic and geometry, 
one on medicine, with recipes of the age of Cheops, the romantic tale 
of a doomed prince, songs, dirges, criminal reports, and several con- 
tracts or deeds of sale and a marriage contract in the demotic character. 
Another in the same character, with some of the words explained in 
Greek. 
At the top of the staircase is the 
EGYPTIAN ANTEROOM. 
On the walls are placed casts from sculptured and coloured 
bas-reliefs in Egypt, painted in imitation of the originals. 
The principal are as follows : — • 
Bas-relief from the North wall of the great edifice at Karnak, 
representing the victories of King Seti I. over the Tahennu, a people 
