the hill, and was made for the rulers of Elephantine who lived during the VIth and XIIth dynasties. The second group is composed of tombs of different periods; they are hewn out of a lower layer of stone, and are not of so much importance. The third group, made during the Roman occupation of Egypt, lies a comparatively short height above the river. All these tombs were broken into at a very early period, and the largest of them formed a common sepulchre for people of all classes from the XXVIth dynasty downwards. They were found filled with broken coffins and mummies and sepulchral stele, etc., etc., and everything showed how degraded Egyptian funereal art had become when these bodies were buried there. The double tomb at the head of the staircase was made for Sabben and Mechu; the former was a dignitary of high rank who lived during the reign of Pepi II., a king of the VIth dynasty, whose prenomen

OIU Nefer-ka-Rā is inscribed on the left hand side of the doorway; the latter was a smer, prince and inspector, who appears to have lived during the XIIth dynasty. The paintings on the walls and the proto-Doric columns which support the roof are interesting, and its fine state of preservation and position makes it one of the most valuable monuments of that early period. A little further northward is the small tomb of 4 Heqåb, and beyond

this is the fine, large tomb hewn originally for Se-Renput, one of the old feudal hereditary governors of Elephantine, but which was appropriated by Nub-kau-Ra-necht. He was the governor of the district of the cataract, and the general who commanded a lightly-armed body of soldiers called "runners;" he lived during the reign of Usertsen I., the second king of the XIIth dynasty, and his tomb must have been one of the earliest hewn there during that period. Further excavations in this hill will no doubt bring to light many other interesting tombs now unknown; it is much to be

hoped that Sir Francis Grenfell will see his way to causing his work to be continued.

Aswân was as famous for its granite, as Silsileh was for its sandstone. The Egyptian kings were in the habit of sending to Aswân for granite to make sarcophagi, temples, obelisks, etc., and it will be remembeaed that Unȧ was sent there to bring back in barges granite for the use of Pepi II., a king of the VIth dynasty. It is probable that the granite slabs which cover the pyramid of Mycerinus (IVth dynasty) were brought from Aswân. The undetached obelisk, which still lies in one of the quarries, is an interesting object.

*

Near the quarries are two ancient Arabic cemeteries, in which are a number of sandstone grave-stones, many of them formed from stones taken from Ptolemaic buildings, inscribed in Cufic characters with the names of the Muhammedans buried there, and the year, month, and day on which they died. We learn from them that natives of Edfû and other parts of Egypt were sometimes brought here and buried.

The first Cataract, called Shellâl by the Arabs, begins a little to the south of Aswân, and ends a little to the north of the island of Philæ; eight cataracts are reckoned on the Nile, but this is the most generally known. Here the Nile becomes narrow and flows between two mountains, which descend nearly perpendicularly to the river, the course of which is obstructed by huge boulders and small rocky islands and barriers, which stand on different levels, and cause the falls of water which have given this part of the river its name. On the west side the obstacles are not so

* A kind of Arabic writing in which very old copies of the Kor'ân,

etc., are written: it takes its name from Kûfah, ä‚| El-Kûfa, a town on the Euphrates. Kûfah was one of the chief cities of 'Irâķ, and is famous in the Muhammedan world because Muḥammad and his immediate successors dwelt there. Enoch lived here, the ark was built here, the boiling waters of the Flood first burst out here, and Abraham had a place of prayer set apart here.

numerous as on the east, and sailing and rowing boats can ascend the cataract on this side when the river is high. The noise made by the water is at times very great, but it has been greatly exaggerated by both ancient and modern. travellers, some of whom ventured to assert that the "water fell from several places in the mountain more than two hundred feet." Some ancient writers asserted that the fountains of the Nile were in this cataract, and Herodotus believed that the source of the Nile was here. Many of the rocks here are inscribed with the names of kings who reigned during the Middle Empire; in many places on the little islands in the cataract quarries were worked. The island of Sehêl should be visited on account of the numerous inscriptions left there by princes, generals, and others who passed by on their way to Nubia; the village of Mahâtah, on the east bank of the river, is prettily situated, and worth a visit.

PHILE.

Philæ is the name given by the Greeks and Romans to two islands situated at the head of the first cataract, about six miles above Aswân; the larger one is called Biggeh, and the smaller Philæ. Inscriptions found on rocks in the larger island show that as far back as the time of Amenophis II. an Egyptian temple stood here; the greater number of these inscriptions were cut by Egyptian officials on their way to and from Nubia. The smaller island, to which the name Philæe is generally confined, consists of a granite rock, the sides of which, having been scarped, have had walls built on them; it measures 417 yards long and 135 yards wide. The name of this island in Egyptian was Р-aa-lek, Coptic Пλ&к, i.e., 'the frontier.' The monuments on this island are numerous and interesting, but they belong to a comparatively late date, none that have yet been found being older than the time of Nectanebus, the last native

numerous as on the east, and sailing and rowing boats can ascend the cataract on this side when the river is high. The noise made by the water is at times very great, but it has been greatly exaggerated by both ancient and modern travellers, some of whom ventured to assert that the " water fell from several places in the mountain more than two hundred feet." Some ancient writers asserted that the fountains of the Nile were in this cataract, and Herodotus believed that the source of the Nile was here. Many of the rocks here are inscribed with the names of kings who reigned during the Middle Empire; in many places on the little islands in the cataract quarries were worked. The island of Sehêl should be visited on account of the numerous inscriptions left there by princes, generals, and others who passed by on their way to Nubia; the village of Mahâtah, on the east bank of the river, is prettily situated, and worth a visit.

PHILE.

Philæ is the name given by the Greeks and Romans to two islands situated at the head of the first cataract, about six miles above Aswân; the larger one is called Biggeh, and the smaller Philæ. Inscriptions found on rocks in the larger island show that as far back as the time of Amenophis II. an Egyptian temple stood here; the greater number of these inscriptions were cut by Egyptian officials on their way to and from Nubia. The smaller island, to which the name Philæ is generally confined, consists of a granite rock, the sides of which, having been scarped, have had walls built on them; it measures 417 yards long and 135 yards wide. The name of this island in Egyptian was P-aa-lek, Coptic Пλ&к, i.e., 'the frontier.' The monuments on this island are numerous and interesting, but they belong to a comparatively late date, none that have yet been found being older than the time of Nectanebus, the last native