or Greek period, introduced by the conquests of Alexander the Great, and the accession of Ptolemy Soter to the throne of Egypt in B.C. 323. In the centre of the room is placed the celebrated Rosetta stone; it is a tablet of black basalt, having three inscriptions, two of them in the Egyptian language, but in two different characters (Hieroglyphic and Enchorial), the third in Greek. The inscriptions are to the same purport in each, being a decree of the priesthood at Memphis in honour of Ptolemy Epiphanes about the year B.c. 196. This stone has furnished the key to the interpretation of the Egyptian characters. Cast of a similar trilingual tablet found at San, being a decree of the priests at Canopus in honour of Ptolemy Euergetes I. and Berenice, B.C. 238. The next two compartments contain the monuments of the 30th, or last native dynasty, which succeeded in expelling the Persians from Egypt. The principal sculptures are:-A slab of green basalt, on which is represented King Nectanebo II. (B.c. 358-340), taking offerings to a deity; from Alexandria.-The sarcophagus of King Nectanebo I. (B.c. 378-360), formerly described as that of Alexander the Great, on the exterior of which are representations of the sun passing through the heavens in his boat, and on the interior various divinities; Alexandria.-Sarcophagus of Naskatu, a Memphite priest, covered with inscriptions; Memphis.-Two obelisks erected by King Nectanebo I. before the Temple of Thoth; Cairo. - The two following compartments contain the remains of the 26th dynasty, which commenced under Psammetichus I., and was conspicuous for its encouragement of art, and for the extensive employment of Greeks in its service. It terminated at the conquest of Egypt by the Persians under Cambyses, B.c. 525. The principal objects are:The granite sarcophagus of Hapimen, a royal scribe; Cairo.-The elaborately-worked sarcophagus of the Queen of Amasis II. (B.c. 538-527); Thebes. A slab of basalt, on which is represented Psammetichus I., making offerings; Alexandria.-A basalt kneeling figure of a public functionary, named Uah-ab-ra; Natron Lakes. In the next recess are monuments of the 22nd dynasty, which is supposed to have been of foreign extraction. Among its monarchs was Sheshonk I., the Shishak of Scripture, who plundered Jerusalem. The name of this king occurs on two figures of the goddess Sekhet, or Pasht (Bubastis), from Karnak.-Near these is a statue of the god Hapi, or the Nile, dedicated by Sheshonk, high priest of Amenra, and son of Osorkon I. The other objects in this compartment are of uncertain date; in the centre is a large scarabæus, the symbol of Cheper (the Creator), which had been removed to Constantinople under the Byzantine Emperors. The remainder of this Gallery, and the whole of the Central Saloon. are filled with the monuments of the 19th dynasty, a race of kings of great power, during whose dominion the Egyptians conquered Phoenicia, and by whom extensive edifices were erected at Thebes. In the last compartment is a finely sculptured group in sandstone, of a male and female figure seated; and a statue of King Seti Menephtah II. on a throne, with a ram's head on his knees, from Karnak, and the statue of the Prince Shaaemuas, son of Rameses II.; Siout. At the South end of the Room is a Table Case containing some miscellaneous antiquities excavated by the late Mr. G. Smith, in 1874, amongst them are a stone model of a winged human-headed cow, several tablets, a bronze spoon, iron and other objects. CENTRAL SALOON. The principal part of the monuments in this room are of the age of King Rameses II., the Sesostris of the Greeks, and the greatest monarch of the 19th dynasty. Between the columns on the left is a colossal fist in red granite, from one of the statues which stood before the great Temple of Phtah at Memphis. On the left are three colossal heads, the first a cast from a statue of Rameses at Mitraheny, the other a granite head and shoulders from the building called the Memnonium, at Thebes, and that of a queen.-The remaining sculptures represent chiefly the king and his officers.-Between the columns, at the entrance to the Northern Gallery, are, on one side, a granite statue of Rameses II., erected by King Menephtah, from Karnak; and on the other, a wooden statue of King Sethos I. On the Eastern Wall are casts of portions of Egyptian portraits, hieroglyphics, and other objects from the monuments. NORTHERN GALLERY. The larger sculptures in the Northern Gallery belong to the 18th dynasty, during whose rule Egypt was in a state of great prosperity. It commenced with the expulsion of the Hyksos, or Shepherd Kings, from Lower Egypt, and its monarchs extended their conquests into Ethiopia and Asia, and built great edifices at Thebes. The close of this dynasty was troubled by disturbances, caused by a heresy in the Egyptian religion, called that of the Disk-worshippers, which has left its traces on several monuments in the collection. The principal sculptures, proceeding Northwards, are as follows:-Two statues in black granite of King Horus, one representing him under the protection of the god Amen-ra.-Two red granite lions, one having upon it the name of King Amenophis III., the other that of one of his successors, as well as the name of an Ethiopian monarch; from Mount Barkal in Nubia. The head of a colossal ram, from an avenue of ram-headed sphinxes, which led to a gateway built by King Horus at Karnak.— Two seated statues in black granite of King Amenophis III.; Thebes.-A sandstone tablet recording the passage of Amenophis III. into Ethiopia, the extent of his conquests, and the number of the prisoners and slain; Semneh.-A column, with a capital in the form of lotus buds, inscribed with the names of Amenophis III. and two later kings; Cairo. Two colossal heads, representing Amenophis III., found near the statue called the "Vocal Memnon," at Thebes.-Several statues of the cat-headed goddess Sekhet (Bubastis), inscribed with the name of the same monarch; Karnak.-A black granite sculpture representing a boat, in which is seated Queen Mautemua, wife of Thothmes IV., and mother of Amenophis III.-In the centre of the Gallery is a colossal head of King Thothmes III., discovered by Belzoni near the granite sanctuary at Karnak: near the head is the arm of the same figure,-A monument sculptured on four sides; upon it is represented in bas-relief King Thothmes III., supported by the god Muntra and the goddess Athor; Karnak.— -Small limestone statue of the prince Anebni, dedicated by Thothmes III.—In the central recess of the East side of the Gallery is fixed the tablet of Abydos, an inscription of great value in determining the names and succession of the kings of various dynasties. It appears originally to have commemorated an offering made by Rameses II. to his predecessors on the throne of Egypt; and was discovered by Mr. W. Bankes, in a chamber of the temple of Abydos, in 1818. In the same part of the Gallery are placed some fine specimens of Egyptian painting, representing Osiris, Amenophis I., the queen Nefertari, the tributes of Asiatics and negroes, jewellers at work, banqueting scenes, fowling, and other subjects of ordinary Egyptian life. In this room are placed two Table Cases holding Egyptian smaller objects, the one nearest the Northern door various portions of glazed tiles and alabaster inlaid figures from Tel-el Yahoudeh, amongst them representations of Asiatics, and some slabs with sculptors canons from Teb Basta, fragments from the Pyramids of Dashour. The other Case contains small Egyptian figures in stone cippi, with Horus on the crocodiles, head of the Khuenaten disk-worshipping monarch of the 18th dynasty, model of a tower and bath. NORTHERN VESTIBULE. In this apartment are placed monuments of the first twelve dynasties of Egyptian monarchs. Though small in size, they have considerable interest, being the most ancient sculptures preserved in the Museum; and they show that art had made great progress in the early times to which they belong. The sculptures are principally of the 4th and 12th dynasties. 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 Maris 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. A small lion inscribed with the name of Setnub; one of the shepherd kings or 16th dynasty, brought from Baghdad, is at the side of the East door. Over the East doorway is a plaster cast from the head of the most Northern colossal statue of Rameses II. at Ibsamboul, placed here owing to the want of space in the Central Saloon. [Guide to the Egyptian Vestibule, 2d.] 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 distinctly 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 Ptolemaic period, and continued in use to the 3rd or 4th century of our æra. 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 contracts 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 who dwelt to the North-west of Egypt.-Bas-reliefs taken from the tombs of Seti I., Seti II., and other kings of the 19th dynasty, in the Biban-el-Molook, or valley of the tombs of the kings, at Thebes. -Bas-reliefs from several portions of a fallen obelisk of red granite at Karnak, and some large Egyptian wooden coffins. |