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in 1894-95, 1896-97, and 1900 at Abydos, Ballas, and Nakâda. In the winter of 1892-93, Mr. Somers Clarke and Mr. J. J. Tylor examined and described in an exhaustive manner many of the buildings at Al-Kâb, and the results of some of their work were published in the Tomb of Paḥeri, London, 1894, and in the Tomb of Sebeknekht, London, 1896. In 1898 Mr. Quibell excavated the cemetery of the Ancient Empire.

In 1901 Mr. Somers Clarke and Prof. Sayce excavated a group of tombs of the IInd and IIIrd dynasties which they found on the southern side of the north line of the great wall; on a granite fragment they identified the Horus name of Kha-sekhemui. Most of the graves, they think, belong to the period of the reign of Seneferu, i.e., about the end of the IIIrd dynasty. In 1902 Messrs. Clarke and Sayce continued the excavation of the cemetery, and in one grave found a copper mirror and some stone beads. The tomb pit was filled up, they noticed, "and the filling was raised above the ground level and finished with a curved section. Over this brickwork was laid, and as a result it had externally an arched form, but the structure was not in any way a constructed arch." These tombs resembled the tombs of the IInd dynasty found at Nagaa ad-Dêr by Dr. Reisner. In 1904 the excavation of the cemetery was again continued, and a tomb near that of Sebek-neferu was cleared out; it was made for a man called Usertsen. The graves of dynasties I-IV are to the north of the temple, and those of the Middle Empire to the east of it. Mr. Somers Clarke has collected a series of facts connected with the great wall of Al-Kâb and its foundations which will, when finally worked out, decide the question as to when the dynastic town was enclosed, and its wall built. For the details see Annales du Service, tom. VI, Cairo, 1905, page 264 ff.

The following are of considerable interest :—

1. The Tomb of Aāḥmes, son of Abana. This distinguished man was a naval officer, and "Captain-General of Sailors." He was born in the reign of Seqenen-Rā, and took part in the war against the Hyksos. After the expulsion of the Hyksos he served under the first three kings of the XVIIIth dynasty, viz., Amasis I., Amenophis I., and Thothmes I. The long inscription on a wall of his tomb is extremely interesting, and the reader will find the text of it, with a translation, on pp. 249–262.

2. The Tomb of Aāḥmes, son of Pen-nekheb, a brother officer of Аāḥmes, son of Abana. He served under four kings, Amasis I., Amenophis I., Thothmes I. and Thothmes II., and he appears to have lived on into the reign of Thothmes III.

3. The Tomb of Paḥeri, which is a little over 25 feet long, and feet wide, and when complete consisted of a platform before the entrance in which the shaft leading to the mummy chamber was sunk, a sculptured façade, an oblong chamber with an arched roof, and a shrine, which contained three statues, at the end of the chamber. Subsequently two chambers and a shaft were hewn through the last wall. The shrine contains three life size statues of Paḥeri and his mother and wife. The man for whom the tomb was made was the governor of the Latopolite nome in the reign of Thothmes III., and he was descended from ancestors who had served the State for several generations. His maternal grandfather was the celebrated Aaḥmes, the son of Abana, and the inscriptions mention at least seven generations of his family. The scenes in the tomb are worthy of careful examination, and as they are all described in hieroglyphics, they are of peculiar interest. They unfortunately tell us little or nothing of the biography of Paḥeri, who was an Egyptian gentleman of high rank and social position, but

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Plan of the Great Temple of Edfî.

one who did little towards making history; that he was a pious man who worshipped the gods of his country diligently, is attested by the sacrificial scenes on the East Wall, and the prayers on the ceiling.

4. The Tomb of Sebek-nekht, a comparatively small tomb, is of considerable interest, because it belongs either to the period of the XIIIth dynasty or a little later. The scenes and inscriptions are characteristic of this period, and illustrate the manners and customs of the time rather than the performance of the religious ceremonies which were depicted on the walls of the tombs of a later date.

Close to Al-Kâb, on the opposite side of the river, is Kôm al-Ahmar, which marks the site of the ancient Hierakonpolis; here Mr. Quibbell found the life-size statue in bronze of Pepi I., and the green slate shield, in the circular hollow of which was set the symbol of some god, which belongs to the reign of Narmer.

Adfû, Edfû, or Udfû, 515 miles from Cairo, on the west bank of the river, was called in Egyptian

So Beḥutet, and in Coptic &TW; it was called by the Greeks Apollinopolis Magna, where the crocodile and its worshippers were detested. The Temple of Edfû, for which alone both the ancient and modern towns were famous, occupied 180 years three months and fourteen days in building, that is to say, it was begun during the reign of Ptolemy III. Euergetes I., B.C. 237, and finished B.C. 57. It resembles that of Denderah in many respects, but its complete condition marks it out as one of the most remarkable buildings in Egypt, and its splendid towers, about 112 feet high, make its general magnificence very striking. The space enclosed by the walls measures 450 X 120 feet; the front of the propylon from side to side measures about 252 feet. Passing through the door the visitor enters a court, around three sides of which runs a gallery supported on thirty-two pillars.

The first and second halls, A, B, have eighteen and twelve pillars respectively; passing through chambers C and D, the shrine E is reached, where stood a granite naos in which a figure of Horus, to whom the temple is dedicated, was preserved. This naos was made by Nectanebus I., a king of the XXXth dynasty, B.C. 378. The pylons are covered with battle scenes, and the walls are inscribed with the names and sizes of the various chambers in the building, lists of names of places, etc.; the name of the architect, I-em-hetep, or Imouthis, has also been inscribed. From the south side of the pylons, and from a small chamber on each side of the chamber C, staircases ascended to the roof. The credit of clearing out the temple of Edfû belongs to M. Mariette. Little more than thirty-five years ago the mounds of rubbish outside reached to the top of its walls, and certain parts of the roof were entirely covered over with houses and stables. Some two years ago the great wall on the west side of the Edfu Temple collapsed, and there was reason to fear that the whole of the roofing of the temple would fall in likewise. Sir William Garstin took the matter in hand at once, and Lord Cromer secured a grant of £E.1,500, and Monsieur Barsanti was despatched to rebuild the wall and repair any damage which the building had suffered through its fall. M. Barsanti has completed the work of restoration in a most satisfactory manner, and the whole temple is now stronger than it has been for centuries. A few miles to the south of Edfù, on the east bank, is the village of Radasiyah, after which a temple of Seti I. has been called; this temple, however, lies at a distance of about 40 miles in a somewhat southeasterly direction from the village.

Hagar (or Gebel) Silsila, 541 miles from Cairo, on the east and west banks of the river, derives its name probably, not from the Arabic word of like sound meaning "chain," but from the Coptic xwλxeλ, meaning "stone

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