The Treasury of Ancient Egypt

No person who has travelled in Egypt will require to be told that it is a country in which a considerable amount of waiting and waste of time has to be endured. One makes an excursion by train to see some ruins, and, upon returning to the station, the train is found to be late, and an hour or more has to be dawdled away. Crossing the Nile in a rowing-boat the sailors contrive in one way or another to prolong the journey to a length of half an hour or more. The excursion steamer will run upon a sandbank, and will there remain fast for a part of the day.

The resident official, travelling from place to place, spends a great deal of time seated in railway stations or on the banks of the Nile, waiting for his train or his boat to arrive; and he has, therefore, a great deal of time for thinking. I often try to fill in these dreary periods by jotting down a few notes on some matter which has recently been discussed, or registering and elaborating arguments which have chanced lately to come into the thoughts. These notes are shaped and "written up" when next there is a spare hour, and a few books to refer to; and ultimately they take the form of articles or papers, some of which find their way into print.

This volume contains twelve chapters, written at various times and in various places, each dealing with some subject drawn from the great treasury of Ancient Egypt. Some of the chapters have appeared as articles in magazines. Chapters iv., v., and viii. were published in 'Blackwood's Magazine'; chapter vii. in 'Putnam's Magazine' and the 'Pall Mall Magazine'; and chapter ix. in the 'Century Magazine.' I have to thank the editors for allowing me to reprint them here. The remaining seven chapters have been written specially for this volume.

LUXOR, UPPER EGYPT, November 1910.

CONTENTS.

PART I.--THE VALUE OF THE TREASURY.

CHAP. PAGE I. THE VALUE OF ARCHAEOLOGY 3

II. THE EGYPTIAN EMPIRE 26

III. THE NECESSITY OF ARCHAEOLOGY TO THE GAIETY OF THE WORLD 55

PART II.--STUDIES IN THE TREASURY.

IV. THE TEMPERAMENT OF THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS 81

V. THE MISFORTUNES OF WENAMON 112

VI. THE STORY OF THE SHIPWRECKED SAILOR 138

PART III.--RESEARCHES IN THE TREASURY.

VII. RECENT EXCAVATIONS IN EGYPT 165

VIII. THE TOMB OF TIY AND AKHNATON 185

IX. THE TOMB OF HOREMHEB 209

PART IV.--THE PRESERVATION OF THE TREASURY.

X. THEBAN THIEVES 239

XI. THE FLOODING OF LOWER NUBIA 262*

XII. ARCHAEOLOGY IN THE OPEN 281**

* Transcriber's note: Original text incorrectly lists page number "261". **Transcriber's note: Original text incorrectly lists page number "282".

ILLUSTRATIONS.

PLATE PAGE

A STATUE OF THE HAWK-GOD HORUS IN FRONT OF THE TEMPLE OF EDFU. THE AUTHOR STANDS BESIDE IT Frontispiece

I. THE MUMMY OF RAMESES II. OF DYNASTY XIX. 10

II. WOOD AND ENAMEL JEWEL-CASE DISCOVERED IN THE TOMB OF YUAA AND TUAU. AN EXAMPLE OF THE FURNITURE OF ONE OF THE BEST PERIODS OF ANCIENT EGYPTIAN ART 17

III. HEAVY GOLD EARRINGS OF QUEEN TAUSERT OF DYNASTY XX. AN EXAMPLE OF THE WORK OF ANCIENT EGYPTIAN GOLDSMITHS 22

IV. IN THE PALM-GROVES NEAR SAKKARA, EGYPT 36

V. THE MUMMY OF SETY I. OF DYNASTY XIX. 48

VI. A RELIEF UPON THE SIDE OF THE SARCOPHAGUS OF ONE OF THE WIVES OF KING MENTUHOTEP III., DISCOVERED AT DER EL BAHRI (THEBES). THE ROYAL LADY IS TAKING SWEET-SMELLING OINTMENT FROM AN ALABASTER VASE. A HANDMAIDEN KEEPS THE FLIES AWAY WITH A BIRD'S-WING FAN. 62

VII. LADY ROUGING HERSELF: SHE HOLDS A MIRROR AND ROUGE-POT 71

DANCING GIRL TURNING A BACK SOMERSAULT 71