146 BURIAL OF THOSE FOUND DROWNED. BOOK II. burial with their own hands-regarding it as something more than the mere body of a man-and themselves lay it in the tomb. 91. The Egyptians are averse to adopt Greek customs, or, in a word, those of any other nation. This feeling is almost universal among them. At Chemmis, however, which is a large city in the Thebaïc canton near Neapolis,5 there is a square markable for its large quarries of sandstone, which was used to build nearly all the temples of Egypt, and for having been the place where the Nile burst the barrier of rock, and lowered its level throughout its course southward of that spot. (See n. on ch. 13, in App. CH. iv.) The Niloa, according to Heliodorus (Æthiop. lib. ix.), was one of the principal festivals of Egypt. It was celebrated about the winter solstice, when the Nile began to rise; and Libanius pretends that the rites were thought of so much importance, that, unless performed properly, the river would not rise to its proper height. It was celebrated by men and women in the capital of each nome; which seems to argue, like the statement of Herodotus, that the god Nilus had a temple in every large city; and a wooden statue of the river god was carried in procession through the villages on that occasion.-G. W.] 4 Khem, the god of Chemmis, or Khemmo, being supposed to answer to Pan, this city was called Panopolis by the Greeks and Romans. The lionheaded goddess Thriphis shared the honours of the sanctuary with Khem, and is mentioned in a Greek Inscription there of the 12th year of Trajan, when the restored or newly-built temple was finished (συνετελέσθη). Khem was the generative principle, or universal nature. His name resembles that of "Egypt," which Plutarch tells us was called Chemi, "from the blackness of the soil," and the same word was applied to the "black" or pupil "of the eye." (See n. 5 on ch. 15.) This is confirmed by the hieroglyphics: Khem, Chemi, or Khemo, 4 signifying "Egypt," and correspond. ing to the "land of Ham," or Khem. It is singular that this town should have had the old name of the country, and another, Coptos, have had that of Egypt, which is Koft, or Gypt, with the "Ai" prefixed. "Egypt" is not found in hieroglyphics as the name of the country; nor "Nile " as that of the river. The ancient Chemmis (or Khemi) is retained in the modern Ekhmim, the inhabitants of which were famed of old as linen manufacturers and workers in stone. Chemi, "Egypt," was the origin of the word alchemy (the black art) and of chemistry. The white bull accompanies Khem, as in the procession at Medeenet Haboo; and this accords with the representation of the Indian god who presides over generation mounted on a white bull. (Sir W. Jones, vol. i. p. 256.)-[G. W.] The "neighbouring Neapolis" is at least ninety miles further up the river, and sixty in a direct line. It has been succeeded by the modern Keneh, a name taken from the Greek kan TOMS, the "Newtown" of those days. All the Egyptians had an aversion for the customs of the Greeks, as of all strangers; and it is difficult to understand how the people of Chemmis should have had a different feeling towards them. The stories of the Greek Perseus having visited Egypt on his way to Libya, and of his having instituted games at Chemmis, are fables, as is that in Book vii. ch. 61, of his having given his name to the Persians. But there may have been an Egyptian god, a character of the sun, whom the Greeks supposed to be their hero; and the monster Medusa, whose head Perseus cut off, evidently derived its form from the common CHAP. 90, 91. TEMPLE OF PERSEUS. 147 enclosure sacred to Perseus, son of Danaë. Palm trees grow all round the place, which has a stone gateway of an unusual size, surmounted by two colossal statues, also in stone. Inside this precinct is a temple, and in the temple an image of Perseus. The people of Chemmis say that Perseus often apears to them, sometimes within the sacred enclosure, sometimes in the open country one of the sandals which he has worn is frequently found-two cubits in length, as they affirm—and then all Egypt flourishes greatly. In the worship of Perseus Greek ceremonies are used; gymnastic games are celebrated in his honour, comprising every kind of contest, with prizes of cattle, cloaks, and skins. I made inquiries of the Chemmites why it was that Perseus appeared to them and not elsewhere in Egypt, and how they came to celebrate gymnastic contests 8 Typhonian figure of Egypt. (Cp. 6 Statues on the large stone propyla, or towers of the Propylæa, would be an anomaly in Egyptian architecture. The enclosure is the usual temenos, surrounded by a wall generally of crude brick, within which the temple stood. Cp. the Welsh "Llan." The palm-trees constituted the grove round the temple, which was usually planted The word "highplace," "bemeh," (1 Sam. ix. 12; 2 Kings xxiii. 15), is singularly, though accidentally, like the Greek Bua.-[G. W.] 7 The modern Egyptians show the footstep of their prophet, in default of his sandal, and an impression in stone -a petrified miracle. The dervishes at Old Cairo have the shoe of their founder, which might almost vie for size with the sandal of Perseus.[G. W.] 8 See Note in Appendix сH. vi. 148 CUSTOMS OF THE MARSH-MEN. BOOK II. unlike the rest of the Egyptians: to which they answered, "that Perseus belonged to their city by descent. Danaüs and Lynceus were Chemmites before they set sail for Greece, and from them Perseus was descended," they said, tracing the genealogy; "and he, when he came to Egypt for the purpose (which the Greeks also assign) "of bringing away from Libya the Gorgon's head, paid them a visit, and acknowledged them for his kinsmen-he had heard the name of their city from his mother before he left Greece-he bade them institute a gymnastic contest in his honour, and that was the reason why they observed the practice." 92. The customs hitherto described are those of the Egyptians who live above the marsh-country. The inhabitants of the marshes have the same customs as the rest, as well in those matters which have been mentioned above as in respect of marriage, each Egyptian taking to himself, like the Greeks, a single wife; but for greater cheapness of living the marshmen practise certain peculiar customs, such as these following. They gather the blossoms of a certain water-lily, which grows in great abundance all over the flat country at the time when the Nile rises and floods the regions along its banks-the Egyptians call it the lotus 10-they gather, I say, the blossoms There is no instance on the monuments of Egypt of a man having more than one wife at a time; nor does Herodotus say, as has sometimes been supposed, that this was the custom of the other Egyptians who lived above the marsh country. Rather he implies the contrary. From the superior treatment of women throughout Egypt, from what we see of their social habits, and from the queens being allowed to ascend the throne, it is very improbable that any man had more than one wife. Diodorus (i. 80) says the priests were only allowed one, while the rest might have any number; but this is at variance with his account of the marriage contract, allowing a woman the control over her husband (i. 27); and, if permitted by law, we may be certain that few took ad vantage of it, since it was forbidden to the rich aristocracy, and the poor could not afford to enjoy the privilege. -[G. W.] 10 This Nymphæa Lotus grows in ponds and small channels in the Delta during the inundation, which are dry during the rest of the year; but it is not found in the Nile itself. It is nearly the same as our white waterlily. Its Arabic name is nufár, or nilifer, or beshnín; the last being the ancient "pi-sshnn," or pi-shneen, of the hieroglyphics. There are two varieties -the white, and that with a bluish tinge, or the Nymphæa Coerulea. The Buddhists of Tibet and others call it nenuphar. Though the favourite flower of Egypt, there is no evidence of its having been sacred; but the god Nofr-Atmoo bore it on his head; CHAP. 91, 92. THE LOTUS. of this plant and dry them in the sun, after which they extract from the centre of each blossom a substance like the head of a poppy, which they crush and make into bread. The root of the lotus is likewise eatable, and has a pleasant sweet taste: it is round, and about the size of an apple. There is also another species of the lily in Egypt, which grows, like the He and the name nufar is probably related sented the beginning of day, or the 1 as Horapollo and the Egyptian monu- Besides the seeds of the lotus, poor people doubtless used those of other plants for making bread, like the modern Egyptians, who used to collect the small grains of the Mesembrianthemum nodiflorum for this purpose; and Diodorus (i. 80) says the roots and stalks of water-plants were a great article of food among the lower classes of Egyptians.-[G. W.] 1 Perhaps the Nymphæa Nelumbo, or Nelumbium, which is common in India, but which grows no longer in Egypt. And the care taken in planting it for merly seems to show it was not indigenous in Egypt. Crocodiles and the Nelumbium are represented, with the Nile god, on the large statue in the 150 THE PAPYRUS. BOOK II. lotus, in the river, and resembles the rose. The fruit springs It up side by side with the blossom, on a separate stalk, and has almost exactly the look of the comb made by wasps. contains a number of seeds, about the size of an olive-stone, which are good to eat and these are eaten both green and dried. The byblus 2 (papyrus), which grows year after year in Vatican at Rome, and in many RomanEgyptian sculptures (see woodcut); but it is remarkable that no represen. tation of the Nelumbium occurs in the sculptures of ancient Egypt, though the common Nymphæa Lotus occurs so often. Pliny calls it Colocasia, as well as Cyanon (xxi. 15). On the plants of Egypt, too numerous to mention here, see At. Eg. W. vol. iv. p. 52 to 85, and Dr. Pickering's Phys. Hist. of Man, p. 368, &c.-[G. W.] The 2 This is the Cyperus Papyrus, which, like the Nelumbium, is no longer a native of Egypt. It now only grows in the Anapus, near Syracuse, and it is said to have been found in a stream on the coast of Syria, as in Pliny's time (xiii. 11). Herodotus is wrong in calling it an annual plant. use of the pith of its triangular stalk for paper made it a very valuable plant; and the right of growing the best quality, and of selling the papyrus made from it, belonged to the Government. It was particularly cultivated in the Sebennytic nome, and various qualities of the paper were made. It is evident that other Cyperi, and particularly the Cyperus dives, were sometimes confounded with the Papyrus, or Byblus hieraticus of Strabo; and when we read of its being used for mats, sails, baskets, sandals, and other com. mon purposes, we may conclude that this was an inferior kind mentioned by Strabo; and sometimes a common Cyperus, which grew wild, as many still do, was thus employed in its stead. It is, however, evident that a variety of the papyrus was so used; men being represented on the monu. ments making small boats of it (see n. 1 ch. 96); and we may conclude this was a coarser and smaller kind not adapted for paper. The best was grown with great care. Pliny says the papyrus was not found about Alexandria, because it was not culti vated there; and the necessity of this is shown by Isaiah's mention of "the paper reeds by the brooks . . . . and everything sown by the brooks." xix. 7.) This prophecy is still more remarkable from its declaring that the papyrus shall no longer grow in the (Is. |