E G Y P T. 
ir> the fifth century, out of the ruins of the fined: Egyp¬ 
tian antiquities: the nave was decorated with Splendid 
columns of granite, but the whole is overthrown^ and 
nothing is left ft-nding but a few fragments of the choir, 
and the'arches of the outer enclofure : this deft-rubtion is 
by the hand of man, for the church was too well built not 
to have refilled the wear of time to the prefent day. 
From Hermontcs we enter the village of Medinet-Abu, 
in which is a vad palace, built and enlarged at different 
periods. The lower part of this palace, which abuts 
againfi: the foot of the Lybiari mountain, is the molt an¬ 
cient in its conftrubtion, and is covered with hierogly¬ 
phics, cut very deep, and without any relief. In the 
fourth century the Christians made a church of it, adding 
two rows of pillars to fupport a covered roof. The 
church itfelf had only occupied the fecond portico of 
the temple ; but from the teltimony of a number of little 
doors, decorated with flowered crolfes, it appears evi¬ 
dent, that tlie body of the edifice, which is two hundred 
feet long, had to all appearance ferved as a convent for 
fome orders of monks of the earlier ages of Christianity. 
In the portico, where the church had been fituated, the 
fculptures on the inner wall ftill reprefent the exploits 
and the triumph of Sefoftris, who had carried his arms into 
foreign countries, and had obtained victories in India, as 
all thefe bas-reliefs feem to point out. Here is tlie figure 
of a hero alone purfuing a whole army, who are flying 
before him, and, to efcape from his blows, throwing 
themfelves into fome river, perhaps the Indus. This 
hero, who is mounted on a fmall chariot, in which there 
is only room for himfelf, drives two horfes, holding the 
reins on a level with his girdle : bucklers and heaps of 
arms are hung all about him, and around his car ; his 
flature is gigantic, and he holds an immenfe bow, from 
which he is (hooting arrows upon a bearded and long¬ 
haired enemy, who have not the lead refemblance with 
the known forms of Egyptian heads. Further on, he is 
represented fitting on tlie back of his car, the horfes of 
which are held by pages, and one perfon is counting out 
before him an immenfe group of hands cut off from the 
enemy killed in battle, whilft another is inscribing tlie 
number, and a third appears to be proclaiming the fum. 
Some travellers have deferibed a fecond heap of mutila¬ 
tions of an indecent kind, which (hew that the hero has 
not been fighting againfi Amazons. Prifoners are alfo 
brought to him, confined in different ways; they are all 
clothed with .flowing and ftriped robes, their hair is long 
and matted, and tables of hieroglyphics follow, fifty feet 
in diameter, which, could we read them, would unques¬ 
tionably explain the meaning of the figures that precede 
them. Returning to the left by another fide of thefe 
galleries, a long bas-relief is feen, that represents, in two 
lines, a triumphal march: it is probably the fame hero 
returning from his conquefts; fome foldiers covered with 
armour prove that the triumph is military, though a little 
further oil nothing is to be feen but priefts, or perfons of 
tlie clafs of the initiated, without arms, and with long 
and transparent tunics : the arms of the hero are covered 
with thefe garments ; he is borne on the (houlders of men, 
on a palanquin, with all the attendants of a divinity; be¬ 
fore and behind him march priefts, bearing palm-branches 
and calumets, and incenfe is prefented to him. He ar¬ 
rives in this ftute at the temple of the tutelar deity of 
Thebes, and offers to the god adacrifice, in which he 
officiates as prieft; the march continues, and the god is 
borne by twenty-four priefts ; the bull Apis, with the 
attributes .of divinity, marches before the hero, and a 
long train of perfonages follow, holding each a banner, 
on the greater number of which are the representations of 
different deities. When arrived at the.altar, a child ap¬ 
pears with his hands tied behind his back, who is about 
to be immolated before the conqueror, who has (lopped 
to receive this horrible lacrifice, or to affift at this exe¬ 
crable holocauft; befide them Stands a prieft who is break¬ 
ing the Item of a flower, and birds who are flying away, 
Vol. VI. No. 355. 
M-3 
emblems of the reparation of tlie foul from (lie body. 
The account which Longus and Apuleius, in their ro- 
minces of Theagen and the Golden Afs, have trans¬ 
mitted to us of human facrifices among the Egyptians, is 
therefore not a fable, and thefe poliflied people ftill re¬ 
tained fome refemblance to barbarians. Next the hero 
himfelf makes a facrifice to the god Apis, of a ftiesf of 
wheat; a protebting genius accompanies him through¬ 
out : he changes his drefs in the different parts of the 
ceremony, which perhaps marks his various dignities or 
degrees of initiation, but tlie fame phyfiognomy is con¬ 
stantly preferved, which (hews, that it is a portrait ; his 
air is noble, auguft, and mild. In one picture he is hold¬ 
ing nine perfons confined by the fame chain. Are thefe 
the padions perfonified ? or, do they reprefent nine con¬ 
quered nations? Incenfe is offered to him in honour of 
thefe victories: a prieft writes his annals, and configns 
them to facred memorial. It is therefore proved, that 
the ancient Egyptians had written books; the famous 
Toth was then a book, and not inferibed tablets fculp- 
tured on walls, as has been often luppofed. While fur- 
veying thefe curious remains of antiquity, Denon had the 
good fortune to obtain poffefiion of a manufeript found in 
tlie hand of a mutilated mummy. It confifted of a roll of 
papyrus, on which the facred manufeript was inferibed, 
perhaps the oldeft of all manuferipts in the known world. 
What were its contents, lias not yet been made known. 
Deep under the foundations of the 1110ft ancient part of 
the temple at Medinet-Abu, at the bale of one of the 
principal pillars of the edifice, we difeover foundation 
Stones, on which are Sculptured numerous hieroglyphics, 
as finely executed as thofe that decorate the outer part 
of the building. From this circumstance, how great mu ft 
we fuppofe the antiquity to be of edifices fo decorated ? 
and how many preceding ages of civilization would it re¬ 
quire to be able to erebt fuch buildings ? The annals of 
this wonderful country are ftill myfterious, obfeure, and 
infinite. 
In tlie quarter extending to the village of Kurnu, we 
are prefented with a temple of the higheft antiquity, as is 
manifeft from its ruinous appearance, its thorough an- 
tique hue, its conftruction, which is lefs perfect than the 
reft, the extreme Simplicity of its ornaments, the irregu¬ 
larity of its outline, and efpecially the coarfenefs of its 
Sculpture. At a fmall distance are the remains of another 
ancient edifice, much more considerable, and in a better 
State of preservation ; oppofite to which is a Statue of 
black granite or bafalt, wliicli is the material of the mag¬ 
nificent Egyptian lions which ftand at the foot of the 
flight of Steps leading to the Roman capitol. At the en¬ 
trance of this temple two Square mounds flank an im¬ 
menfe gate, and againfi the inner wall are engraved, in 
two bas-reliefs, the vibtorious combats of Some Egyp¬ 
tian hero. Tliis piece of primitive Sculpture is in the 
moft irregular Style of composition, without perfpebtive, 
plan, or distribution, like the Sirft conceptions of tlie un¬ 
improved human mind. Here the hero is gigantic, and 
the enemies whom he is overthrowing are twenty-five 
times Smaller than himfelf; if this early Stage of hiero¬ 
glyphic delineation could be meant fora piece of flattery 
in the art%, it was certainly ill-contrived, Since the hero 
ought to gain no honour by fighting pygmies. At fome 
paces from this gate are. the remains of an enormous co- 
loffal figure. It has been wantonly Shattered ; for the 
parts which are left have fo well preferved their polish, 
and the fraflures their edges, that it is evident, if the 
Spirit of devastation in mankind had trufted to time alone 
to ruin this monument, we Should ftill fee it entire and 
.unimpaired. Suffice it to fay, to give an idea of its di¬ 
mensions, that the breadth of the (houlders is twenty-five 
feet, which would give about feventy-five for the entire 
height : the figure is exabt in its proportions, and the 
execution perfect ; when overfet, it fell upon its face, 
which hides this interesting part; the drapery being- 
broken, we can no longer judge by its attributes whether 
4 U it 
