E G Y P T. 357 
baked bricks; beyond which, verging to the weft, is the 
hamlet of Kefr, which ftill exifts. Was Coptos the ori¬ 
ginal name of this town ? (See the article Coftos, vol. 
v, p. 179.) And did the ancient Copts take their name 
from that of Coptos; where zeal colledled their num¬ 
bers, and made them fuftain fo obftinate and difaftrous a 
fiege in the time of Diocletian ? One may evidently dif- 
tinguilh the different ruins of two temples of high anti¬ 
quity, and thofe of a Chriftian church, in which, tafte 
and art in the conftrudlion were certainly lefs remarkable 
than the magnificence and richnefs of the materials em¬ 
ployed : the fragments of porphyry and granite columns 
and pilafters, fcattered over a vaft fpace of ground, re¬ 
main to atteft the opulence and luxury of the fir ft be¬ 
lievers ; but the fculpture on the doric friezes, fome frag¬ 
ments-of which are (till vifible, (hew that at this period 
the efforts at embelliftiment, which art could command, 
only impoverifhed the fumptuous magnificence of the 
materials. All thefe monuments lie without form and 
order on the ground, a very few portions of which arc 
left ftanding. 
From Coptos we are led to Keneh, or Kenneh, which 
the French had intended to make the centre of commerce 
in Upper Egypt. Keneh has fucceeded Kous, as Kous 
had fucceeded Coptos. Its fituation has this advantage, 
that it is immediately at the entrance of the defert on the 
eaftern bank of the Nile. It has never been fo flourifh- 
ing as the above-mentioned cities, becaufe its exiftence is 
dated after the commerce of India had been diverted, and 
in a manner annihilated, either by the difcovery of the 
route to India by the Cape of Good Hope, or by the ty¬ 
ranny of the Egyptian government. Its commerce, being 
confined to the paffage of the pilgrims, is very inconfi- 
derable, unlefs at the time when the great caravan is on 
its route. It is here that the pilgrims of the Oafis on the 
fide of Lybia,- together with thofe of Upper Egypt, and 
a few Nubians, take in their fupplies, providing not only 
what is neceflary for the paffage acrofs the defert to Coftir, 
but alfo for the journey,to Gidda, Medina, and Mecca, 
as well as for their return from thence. They are under 
the necefiity of doing this, becaufe, the above cities being 
•fituated on a flinty defert, the inhabitants have no other 
refource except the gold they amafs, infomuch, that if, 
thanks to fanaticifm, Mecca has continued to be a point 
of contact between India, Africa, and Europe, it has 
likevvife become an abyfs, in which a population of an 
120,000 fouls abforbs the gold of India, of Alia Minor, 
and of every part of Africa. 
Nearly oppofite to Keneh, acrofs the river, (lands Den- 
dera, opce the magnificent city of Tentyra, whofe fu- 
perb remains ftill aggrandize the weftern fhore of the 
Nile. To this ancient feat of Egyptian literature we 
muft now conduct the reader; where, on the ceilings of 
their colleges or temples are beautiful zodiacs, planetary 
lyftems, and celeftial jdanifpheres, emblems of the con- 
ftellations of the heavens, difplayed in a curious and 
tafteful arrangement ; the walls are covered with groups 
of hieroglyphical pictures, exhibiting the religious rites 
of this once learned people, their labours in agriculture 
and the arts, and their moral precepts. Here the Supreme 
Being, the firft caufe, feems every where depicted by the 
emblems of his attributes. Every part and member of 
thefe immenfe ftrudtures appear equally important, and 
feem to have coft the labour of ages to conceive, to put 
together, and to decorate. Throughout the whole is 
(hewn equal care, and equal afliduity ; which would lead 
us to believe that thefe edifices were not the works of 
their kings, but that they were conftrufted at the ex¬ 
pence, and for the ufe, of the nation, under the direc¬ 
tion of colleges of literati, and by artifts whofe labours 
were circumicribed by invariable rules. From the mo¬ 
dern Dendera to the remains of this grand temple or col¬ 
lege, the diftance is nearly two miles; and this is the 
only quarter that now .bears the name of Tentyra, and 
which is called by the Arabs. Berie/i. After comparing 
Vol. VI. No. 355. 
this ftrufture with all the other Egyptian monuments, it 
confelfedly appears to be the molt perfect in its execu¬ 
tion, and conftrudted at the happieft period of the arts 
and fciences in Egypt. No ornament has been here af- 
fumed without fome end in view, without contributing 
in a greater or lefs degree to the perfection and harmony 
of the whole. The greateft curiofity of this temple is 
certainly the zodiac, which decorates the two oppofite’ 
plat-bands of the portico or grand entrance ; and the ce¬ 
leftial planifphere, which occupies part of the ceiling of 
a moll elegant apartment orchamber, built over the nave 
of the great temple. Denon profelfes to have copied thefe 
luperb embellifhments with the utmoft correctnefs. The 
ceiling is divided into two compartments, by a large fi¬ 
gure that feems to be an Ills : her feet reft upon the 
earth, her arms are extended towards heaven, and fne 
appears to occupy all the fpace between. In another 
part of the ceiling is a large figure, probably reprefenling 
the year, with its hands and feet on the fame level, and 
enfolding with the curvature of the body fourteen globes, 
placed on as many boats, diftributed over feven bands or 
zones., feparated from each other by numberlefs hiero¬ 
glyphics, but too much covered with ftaladlites and 
fmoke to allow of being copied. Behind' this firft cham¬ 
ber is a fecond, which receives light only through the 
door : this alfo is covered with moft interefting and ad¬ 
mirably-executed hieroglyphical pictures. It is difficult 
to imagine what could be the ufe of this part of the edi¬ 
fice, fo carefully finifhed and ornamented with pictures 
fo evidently fcientific : thofe on the ceilings appear to 
relate to the motions of the heavenly bodies, and thofe 
on the walls have probably fome reference to the earth, 
and the influences of the air and water. The earth is 
univerfally reprefented by the attribute or figure of Ills, 
who was the prefiding divinity in all the temples of Ten¬ 
tyra, and whofe emblem is found in every part. Her 
head is feen forming the capital of the columns belong¬ 
ing to the portico, and the firft chamber of the great 
temple : it is alfo in the centre of the aftragal, and fculp- 
tured in gigantic proportions, on the outfide of the foun¬ 
dation wall : it is the diftinguifhing objedt in the orna¬ 
ments of the frieze and the cornice, and is confpicuous in 
all the pictures with her proper attributes. It is Ifis to 
whom all the offerings are made, when they are not pre- 
fented by herfelf to her hufband Ofiris : her figure is in- 
feribed on the outer gates of the enclofure, and to her 
are dedicated the little temples that are there reprefented ; 
in that on the right hand of the entrance, fhe is triumph¬ 
ing over two evil genii; in that which is behind the great 
temple, fhe is varioufly deferibed as holding Horus in her 
arms, defending him from every hoftile attempt, entruft- 
ing him only to figures like cows, and fuckling him at 
every age, from infancy to puberty. There are now 
neither doors nor even hinges to the gates, which for¬ 
merly fecluded from prophane eyes thofe myfteries of 
which the priefts were fo jealous, and alfo, perhaps, 
concealed the treafures of the (late. The chambers con- 
fecrated to eternal night, the myfterioufnels of the wor- 
ftfip, obfeure as the temples themfelves, the fecret initia¬ 
tions, fo difficult to be obtained, and for ever fhutagainfl: 
ftrangers, and the fudden overthrow, both of the govern¬ 
ment and religion, as foon as Cambyfes had violated the 
fandtuaries, overthrown the divinities, and carried off 
the treafures, all combine in announcing, that within 
thefe temples was contained the elfence of all; and that 
hence emanated all the national learning, civil dodtrine, 
and religious authority, of the ftate. 
Although the race of human beings which we now 
find in Egypt are wrapt in profound ignorance, it is ne- 
verthelefs apparent, from the mafterly fculptures and ex- 
quifite workmanfhip difplayed in the flrudture of this 
temple, that not only the arts, but the fublimer fciences 
muff have flourifhed among its earlier inhabitants, who 
appear to have dift'ufed their knowledge over all parts of 
the civilized globe. The ftile and conftruction of their 
4 Y zodiac 
