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prosperity. The names of various emperors are found in the temples, and considerable building works were undertaken. According to the Itinerary of Antoninus the Roman military stations were now listed as follows:

West Bank.

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East Bank.

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The most important strategic point was the Bâb or Pass of Kalâbsheh. At Kalâbsheh was the station of Talmis commanding the south end of the pass; and at Tâfeh were the stations of Taphis and Contra Taphis guarding its north end. Here large bodies of troops were collected, and one sees at the modern Tâfeh how the officers attempted to make themselves comfortable in this distant land, forcing the natives to build them houses of hewn stone for the sake of coolness, and erecting pavilions on the top of the cliffs at the point where the view is finest and the wind blows most freshly.

This state of security, however, could not last. For some time the wild tribes of the eastern desert, known as the Blemmyes, had begun to intrude themselves into the northern part of Lower Nubia, and by the reign of Probus in A.D. 276 they had extended their influence over the whole of Lower Nubia and the Thebaid. The Roman force in this part of the country had now been reduced in numbers, and when Diocletian became emperor he was obliged to vacate the whole of Lower Nubia, and to fix his frontier at Aswân. The Blemmyes made Kalâbsheh their capital, and many of their tombs are to be seen on the hills around. Meanwhile Diocletian invited the Nobadae, a wandering tribe of the western desert, perhaps related to the ancient Mazoi, to settle between Kalâbsheh and Thebes, and he offered them an annual subsidy on condition that they kept the Blemmyes in check. This arrange

ment seems to have worked well until the days of Marcianus, A.D 450, when the Blemmyes are again found raiding the Thebaid. The general Maximinus, however, thoroughly defeated them, and they were glad to make the best terms they could. It was agreed that there should be peace for a period of one hundred years, that all Roman prisoners should be released, that an indemnity should be paid, and that hostages should be handed over. The Blemmyes, on their part, were allowed to visit the temple of Philæ, and on certain occasions to take the statue of Isis into their own country, returning it undamaged at the end of the fixed period.

This peace, however, was not kept for long, and they were defeated once more, this time by the Roman prefect Florus. When Justinianus Ist (A.D. 527) came to the throne he ordered the temple of Isis at Philæe to be destroyed, the Blemmyes' adoration of that goddess being offensive to his religious ideas. The priests were imprisoned, the statues were carried to Constantinople, and, of course, the Blemmyes revolted. A short time later the Romans evacuated Egypt, and the Blemmyes and Nobadae were left supreme in Lower Nubia.

During this and the following periods large numbers of Christian monks had erected monasteries in various parts of Lower Nubia, and most of the temples were converted into churches. There had even been Christian kings of Nubia, and one of these, named Silko, records how he defeated the Blemmyes, and penetrated as far as Tâfeh and Kalâbsheh. Another king, named Eispanōme, sent a certain Abraham to found a Christian church at Dendûr. These Christians had a difficult time in 640 when the Muhammedans conquered Egypt, and many were converted to the doctrine of Islam. In their monasteries many of them lived most rigorous lives, and at Medîk one may still see traces of one of their settlements in which the huts of the monks are barely big enough to permit of them lying down. Some of the ruins, however, are situated at points where the scenery is finest, and the buildings are large and comfortable. In 1173 the brother of Saladin penetrated to Nubia and massacred the Christians, or turned them out of their monasteries. He forced the survivors to pay a poll-tax, and he took from them the provinces at the north end of Lower Nubia. Some of the Christian communities now sought refuge in the south, joining themselves to the Abyssinian Church which had been founded many centuries before. Lower Nubia became more or less Muhammedan, and seems generally to have acknowledged the rule of Egypt. The Mamelukes at the

beginning of the nineteenth century fortified themselves in various parts of Lower Nubia, but were driven southwards by Ibrahîm Pasha. During the next half century Lower Nubia was ruled by a native prince, who lived at Derr. In the 'eighties the country became prominent as the basis of the Anglo-Egyptian operations against the Sudan, and on 19th January 1899 it was placed under the jurisdiction of the Mudir, or Governor of Aswân, its southern frontier being fixed at the village of Adendan, some 40 kilometres north of Wâdy Halfa, the capital of the northernmost province of the Sudan.

CHAPTER XXII

FROM SEHEL TO PHILÆ

THE BARRAGE

THE 'HE antiquities in the neighbourhood of Aswân as far south as the island of Sehel have already been described. Not far above this stands the great Barrage which was built for the purpose of storing water in Lower Nubia during the winter in order to use it when the Nile is low in the early summer. Unfortunately the construction of this reservoir necessitated the submersion of the island of Philæ, and at the present time the winter visitor to Egypt may sail in a boat through the temple there. It has now been decided to raise the barrage considerably, and in about the year 1912 the temple will be almost wholly submerged, and many other ruins will meet with the same fate. Very elaborate works are now being undertaken by the Egyptian Government to prevent any damage being done to these buildings by the water; and extensive excavations are being carried out over the threatened territory. The visitor to Lower Nubia, after 1912, will find the following sites flooded during the winter :

:

The Temples of Philæ.

The Temple of Bigeh.

The Temple of Dabôd.

The Fortress and Quarries of Kertassi.

The Temple of Wâdy Hedîd.

The Temple of Tâfeh.

The Temple of Kalâbsheh.

Part of the Temple of Dendur.

The Fortress of Koshtamneh.

The Temple of Dakkeh.

Part of the Fortress of Kubbân.

The Temple of Kûrteh.

The Temple of Maharaka.

In the summer and autumn, however, the ruins will be out of water.

KONOSSO ISLAND

The numerous inscriptions on this little island, which lies just to the north of the direct route from Shellal station to Philæ, need not be described here at length, as they are unlikely to be visited. There are here to be seen the great inscription of Thothmes IVth relating to his Nubian war, the cartouches of Neferabra Psametik and Apries, and the names of various persons of the XIIIth-XVIIIth dynasties, and later. The wellknown inscriptions of Neferhotep are found here; and also a stele of Amenhotep IIIrd.

BÎGEH ISLAND

at Bigeh.

The large and rocky island of Bîgeh lies just to the west of The inPhilæ. On the north-west side of the island, opposite the island scriptions of Salîb, there is a rock on which are cut ten small figures, apparently representing a family of persons worshipping a group of gods. On the same rock there are the figures of three gods, of which two seem to be Khnum and Isis. Beside them there is a rough and much-damaged Greek inscription (2 B). Opposite the north end of the temple of Isis at Philæ is an inscription (3 B) giving the cartouches of Aahmes IInd, and his Horus-name, beloved of Khnum of Senem. Above this (4 B) are the cartouches of Psametik Neferabra, and his Horus-name. On the same rock, immediately under these cartouches, is an inscription (5 B) stating that Prince Khaemuast celebrated the jubilee of Rameses IInd for the first time in the thirtieth year, for the second time in the thirty-fourth year, and for the third time in the thirty-seventh year. A space has been left for the recording of later jubilees, but these have never been added. Farther to the south, opposite the colonnade of the temple of Philæ are the cartouches of Apries, beloved of Hathor of Senem (6 B). The following nine inscriptions form part of the same group. The cartouche of Nebmaara [Amenhotep IIIrd], together with a figure of a man with an inscription stating that the Vizir Rames came to make offerings to all the gods of Senem (7 B). The figure of a priest with the inscription, "The priest of Anuket, Khnumhotep" (8 B). An inscription reading, "The Viceroy. of Kush Messuy" (9 B). The cartouche of Usermaara-setepnra (Rameses IInd) followed by the words, "The Sem-priest Prince Khaemuast" (IO B and 11 B). A

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