on some Egyptian Mummies . 187 
this branch of Egyptian archaeology, which, as a specific pro- 
blem, few have hitherto treated with the critical acumen it 
seems to deserve. 
All the knowledge we have concerning the manner of pre- 
paring mummies is derived from two sources, viz. (a) the exa- 
mination of the mummies themselves; and ( b ) two classical 
passages in Herodotus and Diodorus Siculus ; Strabo 
and other ancient authors having mentioned mummies only 
incidentally, and in very few words. 
But unfortunately these two classical passages do not in the 
least agree with the state of the mummies brought into Europe, 
which are in general of two sorts, viz. {a) the hard compact 
ones, wholly indued with rosin, which hence can be knocked 
into pieces', ( b ) the soft ones, which yield to the pressure of 
the hand, and are prepared with very little rosin, and often 
none at all, whose loose bandages may be wound off, and which 
contain in their cavities scarce any thing but a vegetable 
mould, and particularly no idol whatever as far as I have been 
able to learn. 
The front part of the latter is usually covered with a 
painted, and, at times, gilt mask of cotton cloth ; and as they 
appear more variegated than the former, and have no rosin in 
them yielding drugs for traffic, they are brought in much 
greater numbers, and may be seen in many collections in 
Europe in a more perfect state than the former, though often 
rendered so by restoration. The former, on the contrary, have 
for this very reason remained most of them in the hands of 
druggists. 
Of this,' viz. the former sort, were the two in the dispensary 
of Crusius at Breslau, which Gryphius described in the year 
B b 2 
