*

from out of whole days and whole years, the supernumerary portions of which in that period, when collected together, amount to a day. They ascribe to Mercury (Thoth) all knowledge of this kind. To Jupiter, whom they worship above all other deities, a virgin of the greatest beauty and of the most illustrious family (such persons the Greeks call pallades) is dedicated " (Bk. XVII, chap. 1, sec.

46, translated by Falconer.)

The principal objects of interest on the east or right bank of the river are :—

I. The Temple of Luxor. Compared with Karnak the temple of Luxor is not of any great interest. Until very recently a large portion of the buildings, connected in ancient days with the temple, was quite buried by the accumulated rubbish and earth upon which a large number of houses stood. During the last few years excavations have been made by the Egyptian Government, and some interesting results have been obtained. Among the antiquities thus brought to light may be mentioned a fine granite statue of Rameses II., the existence of which was never imagined. The temple of Luxor was built on an irregular plan caused by following the course of the river, out of the waters of which its walls, on one side, rose; it was founded by Amenophis III., about B.C. 1500. About forty years after, Heru-em-heb added the great colonnade, and as the name of Seti I., B.C. 1366, occurs in places, it is probable that he executed some repairs to the temple. His son Rameses II., B.C. 1333, set up two obelisks together with the colossi and the large pylon; the large court, nearly 200 feet square, behind the pylon, was surrounded by a double row of columns. The Obelisk now standing there records the names, titles, etc., of Rameses II., and stands about 82 feet high; it is one of the finest specimens of sculpture,

* See page 71.

known. Its fellow obelisk stands in the Place de la Concorde, Paris.

After the burning and sacking of this temple by the Persians, some slight repairs, and rebuilding of certain chambers, were carried out by some of the Ptolemies, the name of one of whom (Philopator) is found inscribed on the temple. Certain parts of the temple appear to have been used by the Copts as a church, for the ancient sculptures have been plastered over and painted with figures of saints, etc.

II. The Temple at Karnak. The ruins of the buildings at Karnak are perhaps the most wonderful of any in Egypt, and they merit many visits from the traveller. It is probable that this spot was "holy ground" from a very early to a very late period, and we know that a number of kings from Thothmes III. to Euergetes II. lavished much wealth to make splendid the famous shrine of Åmen in the Åpts, and other temples situated there. The temples of Luxor and Karnak were united by an avenue about 6,500 feet long and 80 feet wide, on each side of which was arranged a row of sphinxes; from the fact that these monuments are without names, M. Mariette thought that the avenue was constructed at the expense of the priests or the wealthy inhabitants of the town, just as in later days the pronaos of the temple at Denderah was built by the people of that town. At the end of this avenue, to the right, is a road which leads to the so-called Temple of Mut, which was also approached by an avenue of sphinxes. Within the enclosure there stood originally two temples, both of which were dedicated to Amen, built during the reign of Amenophis III.; Rameses II. erected two obelisks in front of the larger temple. To the north-west of these a smaller temple was built in Ptolemaic times, and the ruins on one side of it show that the small temples which stood there were either founded or restored by Rameses II., Osorkon,

3.

Thekeleth, Sabaco, Nectanebus I., and the Ptolemies. hind the temple enclosure are the remains of a temple dedicated to Ptaḥ of Memphis by Thothmes III.; the three doors behind it and the courts into which they lead were added by Sabaco, Tirhakah, and the Ptolemies.

Returning to the end of the avenue of sphinxes which leads from Luxor to Karnak, a second smaller avenue ornamented with a row of ram-headed sphinxes on each side is entered; at the end of it stands the splendid pylon built by Ptolemy IX. Euergetes II. Passing through the door, a smaller avenue of sphinxes leading to the temple built by Rameses III. is reached; the small avenue of sphinxes and eight of its columns were added by Rameses XIII. This temple was dedicated to Chensu, and appears to have been built upon the site of an ancient temple of the time of Amenophis III. To the west of this temple is a smaller temple built by Ptolemy IX. Euergetes II.

The great Temple of Karnak fronted the Nile, and was approached by means of a small avenue of ram-headed sphinxes which were placed in position by Rameses II. Passing through the first propylon, a court or hall, having a double row of pillars down the centre, is entered; on each side is a corridor with a row of columns. On the right hand (south) side are the ruins of a temple built by Rameses III., and on the left are those of another built by Seti II. This court or hall was the work of Shashanq, the first king of the XXIInd dynasty. On each side of the steps leading through the second pylon was a colossal statue of Rameses II.; that on the right hand has now disappeared. Passing through this pylon, the famous "Hall of Columns" is entered. The twelve columns forming the double row in the middle are about sixty feet high and about thirty-five feet in circumference; the other columns, 122 in number, are about forty feet high and twenty-seven feet in circumference. Rameses I. set up one column,