i^i i ^IfYs « xifti 155 1^ so # ^^^t•LlbitAkIYy/• >!: ^ %K\:^ \ -< /iaaAiNivaVkV ^OFCAIIFO/?^ >• s 33 -T- 4s> \WEUNIVERS'//i o ^lOSANCElfj .^/sa]AiNn3WV ^>StLIBRARYa^ ^^^ILIBRARYQr. '^. o ;,OFCA1IFOI?^ .«;,0f ^ o ^^IIIBRARYQ^ ^^IIIBRARYQ/^ ■^A}l3AlNn3W^^ \Qi\mi^^ \dmy¥^^ \WEUNIVERS/A ;lOSANCElfj> • o aWE l'NIVER5/A '%a3AiNn3W^ .vlOSANCflf.r.> .^OfCAllF0/?.NHIBRARY6)/^ •5 -^ ST •CAIIFO/?^:, OF o v^ tv^ '^«!/ojiiv: ^ ^«!/ojnv3jo>^ ^.OFCAI! % ^lOSANCL ^10SANGEI% MNfllWV -n tJ ^'^:?lDfiYS01^ 13AI (^ '^^OJIIVDJO'^ ^0-mH LUiA^L. •AllrOff^ >- >&Aavaan# ^^ fCALIFO/?^ CA11F0% cc t-LJ vvlOSANCEl^f^ o o ■^AaiMNH 1V\V \lllBRARY6>/r. -s^Um 1*^ ^Of CAllFOftj^ "^om^ m o "^/JMAINa iVA> ^Wti^l\tRy^ ' DT CONTENTS THE SECOND VOLUME. PAGE Shaft between Campbell's Tomb and Second Pyramid, No. 1 .... 4 Hieroglyphics in Tomb of Trades — Mr. Birch's Note 6 Pit before the Northern Front of Third Pyramid 15 Festa of the Dervishes in Cairo 18 Af Rock at the Base of the Second Pyramid 31 Excavation between Third and Fifth Pyramids 35 Roof in Queen's Chamber 37 Entrance of the Fifth Pyramid 37 Interior of the Fifth Pyramid 39 Shereef of Mecca 42 Roof of Belzoni's Chamber 44 Entrance of the Fourth Pyramid 45 Interior of the Fourth Pyramid 46 X New Palace in Cairo 52 Entrance of the Sixth Pyramid 63 Interior of the Sixth Pyramid 66 Interior of the Seventh Pyramid 68 Entrance of the Ninth Pyramid 69 Interior of the Ninth Pyramid 69 /^Entrance of the Third Pyramid 71 Edrisi's Account of Third Pyramid, translated by M. Burckhardt . . 71 Subterraneous Passage near Second Pyramid 76 Xinterior of Third Pyramid 77 Sarcophagus in Third Pyramid 83 Mummy-board of Mycerinus 86 Parallel Ridges near the Second Pyramid 88 Entrance of Eighth Pyramid 88 Interior of Eighth Pyramid - 89 Encampment of the Shereef of Mecca 91 Mummy-board of Mycerinus — Mr. Birch's Note 94 Arrival at Alexandria 97 Correspondence with Mr. Perring and Mr. Raven 97 VI CONTENTS. APPENDIX. PAGB ;)K Admeasurements and other Particulars relating to the Pyramids, &c. at Gizeh 103 Sir John Herschel's Observations on the Entrance-Passages in the Pyramids at Gizeh 107 Dimensions of Great Pyramid ] 09 Second Pyramid 114 • Dimensions of Second Pyramid 117 Third Pyramid 119 ' Dimensions of Third Pyramid 120 Dimensions of Fourth Pyramid 124 Dimensions of Fifth Pyramid 125 Dimensions of Sixth Pyramid 126 Dimensions of Seventh Pyramid 127 Dimensions of Eighth Pyramid 128 Dimensions of Ninth Pyramid 129 Dimensions of Inclined Passages 130 Campbell's Tomb • * 131 Hieroglyphics in Campbell's Tomb — Mr. Birch's Notes 133 Inscriptions 1 45 / List of Articles discovered at Gizeh, &c 146 Section of Rock and Levels of Water 148 Signore Caviglia 152 Prices paid in Egypt 177 Translations and Abstracts from various Authors 179 Herodotus 181 Diodorus Siculus 184 Strabo 187 Pomponius Mela 188 Pliny 188 Syncellus 190 Cyriacus 191 Breydenbach ■ 191 Bartholomeus de Salignace 191 Bellonius 191 Authors of various Antiquities 192 Johannes Helfricus 193 Mr. Lawrence Aldersey 193 M. Jean Palerme 194 Prosper Alpinus 196 Baumgarten 198 Sandys 199 Vincentzio Fava 202 Pietro della Valle 202 CONTENTS. Vll PACE M. de Villamont 203 Rabbi Benjamin 204 Professor Greaves 205 M. De Monconys 214 M. Thevenot 215 Mr. Melton 217 M. Vausleb 220 Kircher 221 M. Lebrun 222 M. MaiUet 224 De Careri 229 Lucas 230 Account of divers choice Remarks, &c 232 Quatremere .... 233 Egraont 234 Perizonius 236 Pere Sicard 236 Shaw 237 M. Norden 241 Kostar 243 Pococke 243 Dr. Perry 248 Mr. Hasselquist 25 1 M. Fourmont 251 M. Niebuhr 254 Mr. Davison 255 D'Anville 258 Bruce 258 M. I'Abbe de Binos 259 M. Savary 260 Sonnini 262 M. Volney 262 Monumens Egyptians, par Bouchart et Gravier 263 Mr. Browne 264 M. Denon 264 Colonel Coutelle 269 M. Jomard 274 Dr. Clarke 280 Mr. Hamilton 284 Dr. Whitman 286 Dr. Wilson 287 M. Caviglia 288 M. Belzoni 294 Signore Athanasi 299 Vlll CONTENTS. PAGE Dr. Richardson 300 The Author of " Recollections of the Peninsula" 305 Mr. Webster 305 Sir John Gardiner Wilkinson 306 Mr. St. John 310 Manuel, " Encyclopedique " 313 Captain Scott 315 Mr. Agnew 316 Abou Ma'sher Ja'fer Ben Mohammed Balkhi .• 319 Ebn Khordadbeh 320 Sir William Ouseley 320 Abou Rihan Mohammed Ben Ahmed Al Khawarezmi 321 Masoudi 321 Papyrus found in the Monastery of Abou Hormeis 330 Ebn Haukal 333 Abou Abdullah Mohammed Ben Selamah Abou Al Kodhai .... 333 Abou Abd Allah Mohammed Ben Abdurakim Alkaisi 333 Edrisi 334 Zaraakshari 337 Abd AUatif 337 Yakut 346 Abou MothafFer Youssef Ben Kazali 346 Al Makin 348 Jemal Ed Din Mohammed Al Watwati Al Kanini Al Watwati . . 348 Shehab Eddin Ahmed Ben Yahya 349 Ibn Batuta 350 " Kitab Succardan," by Ebn Abou Hajalah Ahmed Ben Yahya Altelemsani 350 From the Camoos (Dictionary) of Firazabadi 351 Ebn Abd Al Hokm 351 Makrisi 352 Abou Mohammed Al Hassan Ben Ahmed Ben Yakub Al Hama- dani Al Yemani 358 Soyuti 358 Abou Mohammed Mustafa 359 Abul Hassan 360 Mohammed Ben Abdullah Ben Mohammed 360 Al Akbari 360 Kitab Albuldan 361 Abdullah Ben Touloun 362 Tohfat Alajaib 362 Hi^^tory of the Marvellous Things in Egypt 362 LIST OF PLATES IN THE SECOND VOLUME. Pyramids of Gizeh (Frontispiece) Pavement and Pit before the Northern Front of the Third Pyramid 15 Vases found in Campbell's Tomb 23 Entrances of the Fourth and Fifth Pyramids 37 Pyramids to the South of the Third — Plans and Sections 41 A Lady of Cairo 53 Entrances of the Sixth and Seventh Pyramids 63 Pyramids to the East of the Great Pyramid — Plans and Sections 67 Entrances of the Eighth and Ninth Pyramids 69 Entrance of the Third Pyramid 71 ^ Plans and Sections of Passages in the Third Pyramid 72 Small Ante-room and Portcullis in the Third Pyramid 78 Plans and Sections of Apartments in the Third Pyramid 81 Sepulchral Chamber in the Third Pyramid 83 Sarcophagus in the Third Pyramid 84 Large Apartment in the Third Pyramid 8G Mummy-board 94 Woman of Alexandria 96 Inclined Passages to the East of the Great Pyramid 130 Campbell's Tomb — Plan and Section 131 VOL. II. b X LIST OF PLATES. FACE Campbell's Tomb — Sections and Sarcophagus 132 Hieroglyphics in Campbell's Tomb 134 A Sarcophagus from Campbell's Tomb, with the Hieroglyphics at the head and foot 136 Hieroglyphics on the Left Side of the Sarcophagus 140 Hieroglyphics on the Right Side of the Sarcophagus 142 Hieroglyphics on the Lid of the Sarcophagus 144 Section shewing the Levels of the Pyramids 148 Section of Chambers of Construction in the Great Pyramid 158 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH, 6fc. Sfc. Mmj ^Ist. Reis, 9. Men, 217. Children, 191. Great Pyramid. — Excavation in northern front. .—. Excavation eastward in northern front. Excavation westward in northern front. ■ Excavation for round holes in northern front. — — Roof in Queen's Chamber. ■ Clearing Chambers and Passages. Second Pyramid. — Roof in Belzoni's Chamber. Third Pyramid. — Interior. Excavation between Third and Fifth Pyramids. Campbell's Tomb. Fourth Pyramid. — Interior. Shaft between Campbell's Tomb and Second Pyramid. Shaft north of Sphinx. Mr. Mash and Mr. Perring went on with the survey. Excavations were begun to the westward and eastward of the centre on the northern front of the Great Pyramid, in order to discover whether the step and pavement were continued, and also to ascertain the base. In both places pieces of the casing stones, and of the blocks, were VOL. II. B 2 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. found, which had formed a pavement, and the rock had been levelled, but not to so great a width as at the centre. The ground was also cleared in front of the north-eastern angle, that the round holes and grooving already mentioned might be surveyed. Several green idols were found at the depth of fifty-five feet in the southern foss of Camp- bell's Tomb, also a round knob of yellow stone, apparently the stopper of a vase, and a rectangular oblong piece of the same material, two inches by one inch and a half, and half an inch thick. It was highly polished, but was perfectly plain, without carving or inscription. These articles were afterwards sent to the consulate. I again examined the ruins to the eastward of the Great Pyra- mid, and went round the works with Mr. Raven. An Englishman (Goodman), whom I had sent to Alex- andria with the packet for Mr. Hamilton, returned with a letter from Colonel Campbell, and entered my service. He informed me that the weather had been unusually stormy at Alexandria. We had also experienced at the pyramids heavy showers and strong gusts of wind chiefly about sunset. The ground at Gizeh, and also at Thebes, is in many places broken up by ravines, or channels, which are supposed to have been caused by heavy rains. Mr. Wilkinson and also Mr. Hamilton mention periodical showers ; and pits have been formed near the entrances of some of the tombs at Thebes, apparently to secure them from damp. Yet, although heavy showers do occasionally occur, continued rain is exceedingly rare, and it can hardly be supposed to have fallen in sufficient quantities to have made these deep channels, which are probably, therefore, the repeated effects of violent winds. OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. 3 June \st. Reis, 10. Men, 198. Children, 157. The same works were repeated. The Sheik of Harronieh again informed me that the people from his village, and from Cafr el Batran, would be sent to the canal. I therefore requested Mr. Piozan to apply to the Madyr. Mr. Mash copied the hieroglyphics in Campbell's Tomb. A flat piece of black stone, about half an inch thick, square at one end, and round at the other, but without any hole, carving, or inscription, was found in the southern foss. Particles of leaf gold, broken pieces of coarse earthenware, and a small orna- ment like a cross, were likewise taken out. This tomb, which, before it was plundered, must have been amazingly rich, was a sort of Columbarium. Quantities of bones, and five sarcophagi, were found in it ; and probably many others have been deposited in the adjacent pits. The whole ground, indeed, is one vast cemetery, and abounds with shafts and sepulchral grottoes formed in the quarries, which have supplied materials for the pyramids and for other buildings. June 2d. Reis, 10. Men, 201. Children, 163. Great Pyramid. — Excavation in northern front. Excavation eastward in northern front. Excavation westward in northern front. Roof in Queen's Chamber. Clearing the Chambers and Passages, Second Pyramid. — Roof in Belzoni's Chamber. Third Pyramid. — Interior. 4 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. Excavation between Third and Fifth Pyramids. Campbell's Tomb. Fourth Pyramid. — Interior. Well north of Sphinx. The shafts between Campbell's Tomb and the Second Pyramid was examined. From the grotto at the bottom of the first shaft a second descended to a lower chamber, in which square pillars had been left to support the roof; a third shaft in this apartment was full of water, which was perfectly fresh, and covered the floor to the depth of four or five inches. The level of the water was one hundred and thirteen feet seven inches below the top of the upper shaft. The Arabs said that an horizontal pas- sage proceeded to the northward from these chambers through the side of the rock, but, owing to the drifting of the desert sand, and to the effects of repeated ex- cavations, it is at present impossible to form an idea of the original surface of the ground. It was highly probable that water had been collected in artificial reser- voirs for religious purposes ; but we did not suppose that it proceeded from a spring, or fountain, as nothing of the kind was to be met with in the whole country of Egypt ; although, had it been proved to be an original source, it would have sufficiently accounted for the reputed sanctity of the ground. It may proceed from rain, but does not appear to flow from the river ; as it does not rise and fall with it.^ In whatever way it may be produced, the sarcophagi could not have been intentionally im- mersed, and the inundations of the tombs must have 1 No. 1, in map. 2 See Appendix ; where the different levels are stated. OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. 5 accidentally arisen from the artificial channels having been stopped up, and from the water having penetrated between the strata of the rock. In answer to the letter, which Mr. Piozan had sent by an express into Upper Egypt, the Madyr informed him that the people from Koum el Eswith, Cafr el Batran, and Harronieh, were ordered to come to the pyramids, but that the population of the other villages would be wanted at the canal. This arrangement appeared suffi- ciently explicit, but it was extremely difficult to find out to what villages the people belonged. The Sheiks could not be depended upon ; and, from the fear of conscription, for the army, or for compulsory labour at the factories, many of the people had no settled habitations, but wan- dered from place to place as opportunity offered. From the fineness of the climate their wants were few, and no ideas of comfort or of home interfered with their wander- ing inclinations. A small piece of brown stone, inscribed with part of the cartouche, or legend of Suphis, was dug out of the rubbish at the centre of the northern front of the Great Pyramid. At first I imagined it was supposititious ; upon examination, however, it seemed to be genuine, but it did not appear to have been used in the construction of the building.^ This cartouche, together with another, is introduced amongst the hieroglyphics, with which the interior of a building to the westward of the Great Pyramid is covered. It has been called the tomb of Trades ; and that part of the inscription, which relates to the cartouche, has been ' The stone has been already described in vol. i., page 258. 6 OPERATIONS CAimiED ON AT GIZEH. sent to me by Mr. Perring, and is contained in the follow- ing note, with Mr. Birch's remarks.* It had been copied by Signor Rosellini, before the discovery of it in the 4 The hieroglyphics, found in the tomb of Trades, over a male and female figure, contain, as may be naturally expected, their names. That over the male has the name and titles of the son of the person to whom the sculptures in the tomb relate, and for Avhom it was probably ex- cavated. It refers to Eimai, " his beloved eldest son, royal orator, royal priest of the king Shoufo (Suphis or Cheops), superintendent of the palace, scribe of truth." The one over the figure called a female (most probably a person of very high rank), bears the name of " Skafas- onkh, royal orator, prophet, royal priest, superintendent of the palaces of Shoufo (Cheops), of the ro^^al race, devoted to his lord, loving his lord," &c. In this latter instance, the name of a king forms part of the name of a private individual,* an occurrence not uncommon at this period, and often adopted during the era of the Psammetici, who revived both the prenomina, titles, customs, &c., of the early dynasties. By the help of these inscriptions, the individual successions of the several dynasties may be sometimes made out, because the names of course generally occur either during, or posterior to, that of the monarch assumed. In the pre- sent instance, for example, it shews that the monarch Skafas was one of the immediate predecessors of Cheops, if not the personage termed, in the lists of Eratosthenes and Manetho, Biuris, Aiuris, or Soris. M. Rosellini indeed makes this monarch a successor of Suphis II. (see tom. i. tav. 1, 6), but the additional light thrown upon the sub- ject by the inscription of the tomb in question proves that he must have been a predecessor, unless we suppose, contrary to all analogy, that names were assumed in advanced life and after infancy.f M. Rosellini * In an inscription upon a tomb brought from Gizeh (B. M.) a per- son is named "(Re-Shef) Nofre. Shefre-Nofre ;— The good Chefren." Many examples may be found of names thus compounded of the Saite dynasty. f We know from the Bible, that Joseph's name was changed in Egypt, and those of Daniel and his companions during their captivity ; but this was probably on account of their being foreigners. OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. 7 Great Pyramid, and was ascribed by him to Suphis, the Cheops of Herodotus. As that monarch is said to have (torn. i. p. 131) does not propose any reading for the name, but the anterior part, of the Phonetic value of which he was not aware, replaces in the ritual a group reading ^C, perhaps the obsolete word for statue, and still retaining in Coptic the sense of " antient," " ancestor," &c. He justly regards this as the ultimate portion of the name, of which the other part reads CK^CJ, <«he who offers," or "is devoted to." The whole then reads CK^CJ^C, Skafas — a name very analogous to those of the dynasty. Some difference exists between the reading of the group p^ or pcy, which M. Rosellini, in his account of this tomb (Monumenti Civili, parte seconda, torn. i. p. 35), supposes to signify " purificator." M. Salvolini, on the contrary, regards the expression as that of "to speak, address, orator" — pcy of the Coptic, probably from its occurring with the determinative image of a seated man holding his hand to his mouth —the determinative symbol of verbs of speaking, calling, ^ — ~ &c. It is remarkable that both these royal names are /;T\ unaccompanied by regal titles ; and the formula, " loving his lord," is of common occurrence in the inscriptions unattended by the title of the monarch — the office held indicating "the lord" re- ferred to. The accompanying transcription and interlinear interpreta- tion, reads from left to right, in accordance with the European manner, in order to make the translation plainer: OVER A MALE FIGURE. Ci-q cuep n^.iq conrxeit p^ coxTert ofA.£i His son eldest loving him royal orator ? royal priest of (®hr \ii UJoTqoT 2^ort juip hi ^^.^.-HI c£,^i Gijuuli Suphii I? or^Cheopi. '"^°P'^et j|^f^^'j"jj the house palace scribe of truth? Eimai. 8 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. been held in such detestation that his name was not even pronounced, and that neither his body nor that of Che- phren were buried in the pyramids, it is surprising that his OVER A MALE AND FEMALE FIGURE. } (g) j.wvi>' coTTeit p^ connren ot^.JSl up hi n^^.-Hi ^oTqoT Royal orator, royal priest, super- the palace Shoufou, intend- house (of) Suphis L or Cheops, ent of ^on np connrert poone 2^^-^;-HI ^.u cyajonr ^p prophet super- royal race ? !i0uses with devotion to intendent ne^-q JUipp neK-q CK^.q-^.c-on^ his lord, loving his lord. Skafas-onkh. My attention has been especially directed to two parts of the preced- ing inscription: — I. The term " souten-ouab, or royal priest" — a title only found at this particular epoch, from its occurring before the name of Shoufou — and since Suphis or Cheops is mentioned as belonging to the sacerdotal order, M. Eosellini considers the expression to refer to the monarch, not the individual ; but in the second part of the inscription from the inner room, over both figures, it occurs immediately after " souten-rokh," and forms part of the title of the individual beyond a doubt, as the monarch would be scarcely called attache to, or chamberlain of, his own palace ; and it refers to the person equally with the term OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. 9 cartouche was recorded in any place by the priests, or, at all events, that it was not effaced after his death. The quarry-marks in the chambers of construction in the Great Pyramid, and upon the stones belonging to the Second and Third, prove that hieroglyphics were made use of before these buildings were erected ; and the inscriptions in the tomb of Trades shew that they had been employed at immediately preceding it. At a later period, both terms were abandoned, and the terra " royal scribe," the basilico-grammateus of the Greek in- scriptions, appeared. II. — The term immediately following the cartouche is rather ambiguous. It appears, in Burton's " Excerpta," to follow or precede each of a small series of cartouches, according to the mode we are willing to read them — the inscription being, unfortunately, imperfect. M. ChampoUion, Gr. Eg. explains this as ^Oll, or "prophet priest," but affords no information as to the reason of such hypothesis. As the title in the tombs and texts uniformly accompanies persons of the sacer- dotal order, it is evidently some functionary of that class, as we have prophets of Amoun, Phtah, Monthra, and almost every principal deity of the Pantheon. But as the term is seldom placed absolutely by itself, and is always 'prefixed to the name of the deity, of which the individual was the priest, sometimes with the sign of the genitive case interposed, it possibly refers to the monarch ; and priests, or prophet-priests of the monarch Remeses the Great, appear on some steles. At this early epoch, however, the title appears to have had some original signification analogous to "great God," "gracious God," &c., of a later time, as on the entrance of a Memphian tomb of this era. B. M., Egyptian Saloon, behind No. 64, the goddesses Athor and Neith are termed C.^ ^ — " Athor the goddess, mistress of the abode of the sycaomore. Neith, the goddess resident in the abode of the king He-shaf" or Shaf-re {Cejjhren), where the symbols cannot signify ^^ priest,'' and it is impossible that they indicate " prophet of the goddess Athor." 10 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. that time for sepulchral purposes : they abound, in fact, upon ahnost every Egyptian tomb and sarcophagus, from the earhest ages down to the time of the Romans ; and the exception formed by the pyramids, appears to corroborate the antient tradition that those buildings were the mau- solea of the Shepherd Kings, who conquered Egypt, and who were entirely of a different race, and hostile to the religious institutions of the country. The insertion of the cartouche of Mycerinus in the Fourth Pyramid may have been accidental,^ but the man- ner in which it is inscribed upon the mummy-board found in the Third, agrees with the assertions of the priests, that that king was held in a more favourable light than his pre- decessors, and it is probable that, on account of his toler- ation of their religious observances, he may have been con- sidered worthy of funereal rites, and also of having his name recorded over the entrance into the pyramid. It is to be observed, however, that although his sarcophagus was dif- ferent from those of his predecessors, and was highly orna- mented with sculpture, yet that it did not bear a single hieroglyphic, and that his body was not enveloped, accord- ing to universal custom, in linen or cotton, but in woollen cloth. This mummy-cloth was the first that had been dis- covered made of that material,^ which is stated to have been considered impure by the antient Egyptians, and therefore unfit for sepulchral ceremonies ; but more of it has been subsequently taken by Mr. Perring from some antient tombs at Tourah, which do not appear to have * See July 5. ^ An account of this' discovery is given in the Appendix. A skull and some of the cloth have been deposited in the British Museum by Dr. Bowring. OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. 11 belonged to Egyptians, although some of their funereal cus- toms seem to have been observed. The vicinity of Tourah to the quarries, where the Hebrews are supposed to have worked, and whence they commenced the Exodus, makes the similarity of these cerements the more remarkable ; and although the national vanity of Josephus has in vain endeavoured to shew that the shepherd kings were the sons of Jacob, yet we know that the latter were also shep- herds, and that before their arrival every shepherd was an abomination to the Egyptians ; an hostility which it is difficult to account for, excepting by the antient traditions respecting these mighty strangers ; who are also said by Manetho to have laid the foundation of Jerusalem after they were expelled from Egypt. June 3c?. Reis, 10. Men, 210. Children, 172. The same works were repeated. Much to my satisfaction, a new rope, which Mr. Hill had procured from Boulac, was rove to the great windlass at Campbell's Tomb. As the excavations from the northern and southern sides of the Fourth Pyramid met in the centre, without the discovery of any apartment, it was supposed that a shaft was concealed beneath the building.^ Additional excavations were therefore begun from the centre in various directions on a level with the base ; and if these operations proved ineffectual, I in- tended to quarry under each of the blocks which had been left to support the superstructure. I returned to Cairo with Mr. Mash. ' See Appendix. 12 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. June Uh. — The Sheik of Harronieh came to Cairo about his men. Mr. Piozan had the kindness to write to the Mamoor ; but owing to the negligence of my Coptic servant, the letter was not sent till the following day, but as it was probably a mere complimentary effusion, and was written by a dragoman upon whom no great reliance could be placed, the delay was of less consequence. Mr, Piozan offered to apply to Habib Effendi, but I would not give him the trouble, as I considered that the interference of the governor could not with propriety be requested, or usefully exercised in affairs under the Madyr's immediate jurisdiction. June 5th. Reis, 10. Men, 173. Children, 169. Great Pyramid. — Excavation in southern front. Excavation westward in northern front. Roof in Queen's Chamber. Clearing Chambers and Passages. Second Pyramid. — Roof in Belzoni's Chamber. Third Pyramid. — Interior. Excavations between Third and Fifth Pyramids. Campbell's Tomb. Fourth Pyramid. — Interior. Shaft north of Sphinx. I returned to the Pyramids with Mr. Perring, Mr. Mash, and Mr. Hill, in a Kamseen wind. The men employed in the two excavations at the northern front of the Great Pyramid were occasionally taken to Campbell's Tomb, as, on account of the great depth, much strength and many hands were required to work the windlasses by which the sand was raised. OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEII. 13 June Qth. Reis, 10. Men, 169. Children, 142. The same works were repeated. The Sheik of Cafr el Batran came with a request that my blacksmith might be allowed to make for him an in- strument to cut grass, or grain. I readily consented, as I understood from his description that it was a trifling affair, which would be soon completed. It proved, however, to be an immense machine, composed of nearly a ton of iron. The metal, in fact, was his chief object. I kept my promise, but carefully avoided such engagements in future. It is indeed impossible to place the smallest reliance on these people, who scarcely know the differ- ence between truth and falsehood, and say what will suit best for the moment — a practice, it is to be observed, that is not unfrequently to be met with in other countries. Mr. Perring and Mr. Mash took levels, and again carefully examined and measured the works in the Third Pyramid. The operations at the shaft north of the Sphinx were finished.^ A Sheik's son, who was to be circumcised, came in a grand procession across the plain in the hope of receiving a backshish. He was about eight years old, wore a red robe and a large turban, and rode a white mare. He was accompanied by skirmishers on horseback, by music, and dancing. The girls, who were employed in these perform- ances, had sticks in their hands instead of swords, and were dressed in long trowsers. Their black veils were confined by a quantity of coloured fillets ; and pieces of 8 No. III. < 14 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. silk hung loose from their arms, and had a singular appearance. After exhibiting for some time, they re- ceived a few piastres and some gunpowder, and went away. As the heat of the weather increased, the flies became extremely troublesome, but we derived great benefit from nets at the doors and windows. The gnats and sandflies also made a mosquito curtain indispensable to those, who could not adopt the custom ot entirely covering the head and face at night. This is universally practised by the Arabs, and is an excellent precaution, not only against mosquitoes, but also damp exhalations, cold dews, malaria, &c. ; and it may be remarked, that in Eastern countries the head is always well covered, as a protection against the heat by day, and the cold by night. June 1th, Reis, 10. Men, 201. Children, 172. Great Pyramid. — Excavation in northern front. Excavation eastward in northern front. Excavation westward in northern front. Roof in Queen's Chamber. Clearing the Chambers and Passages. Second Pyramid. — Roof in Belzoni's Chamber. Third Pyramid — Interior. Excavation between Third and Fifth Pyramids. Campbell's Tomb. . Fourth Pyramid. — Interior. June 8 th. Reis, 10. Men, 176. Children, 177. The same works were repeated. In many parts of the foss in Campbell's Tomb, the \^ iT ^f -'*,^ ■'f^'.'' i^'- ^ "3 ^ «v ■ S^r 3 ^K ■^ ^ #■, y N .^^^:\ :mx. j^mm.-,. ^ - > -^ . . jr. . -J C ^ z-?^.:. OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. 15 sand had been cleared out to the depth of sixty-five feet, and at the north-western corner we had at length arrived at the bottom at seventy-three feet. Abd el Ardi told me, that at Saccara several of the shafts were above two hun- dred feet deep, and that images of iron and of silver, some of which (according to his description) represented Har- pocrates, were found in the grottoes. Mr. Raven was employed in the Third Pyramid ; Mr. Perring and Mr. Mash in continuing the survey. June 9th. Reis, 10. Men, 167. Children, 190. The same works were repeated. A Turkish Effendi, from Syria, accompanied by some Arabs, came to the tents. Fragments of an alabaster vase, and several small bottles, were found in the southern part of the foss of Campbell's Tomb — one or two of the latter contained the remains of a dark substance, which upon being wetted gave a brownish stain. June 10th. Reis, 10. Men, 199. Children, 169. The same works were repeated. There is a considerable hollow before the northern front of the Third Pyramid, and the ground falls from it on the eastern and southern sides. In consequence of some remarks, that Mr. Perring and Mr. Mash had made during their survey, I examined very particularly a square pit at the northern front of this building. It appeared to have been made in search of an entrance, and was reveted on the western side, and on that next the pyramid, to keep up the surrounding rubbish, that 16 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. extended along the front of the building, and contained enormous masses of calcareous stone and of granite, and other fragments chiefly produced by two large chasms, which had been made one above the other in the face of the pyramid, and were said by M. Denon to have been the works of the Mamelucs. The eastern side of the upper chasm is exactly in the centre of the northern front, and the gallery, which I carried to the middle of the building, proceeded from the end of it. At first, the bottom of the pit appeared to be rock, but upon closer examination it was found to consist of large stones, the upper tier of which had been removed. It was, in fact, a continuation of the pave- ment subsequently discovered to the eastward, which was formed of two ranges of enormous blocks of such magni- tude and weight, that it was difficult to imagine how they could have been conveyed to their present position. As the joints were open, they had probably been covered with a coating of finer work. Several red lines and triangles, like those found in the chambers of the Great Pyramid, had been inscribed upon them. The pavement did not extend to the westward, as the rock was considerably higher in that direction; but it was necessary in front of the north-eastern angle, to make good the declivity of the ground, and was probably connected with the southern dyke. It suggested to some people an idea that a larger pyramid had been originally intended ; but I was not myself of that opinion, because the substruction extended to a considerable distance in the centre, and also because the rock to the westward had not been cut down or pre- pared, but was on a higher level, and abounded with holes filled up with sand and rubbish. Gunpowder appeared to have been made use of in the removal of the stones at the bottom of the pit, and a hole had been drilled in one of them OPERATIOXS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. 17 under the side of it. It was difficult, therefore, to imagine why a wall had been built precisely over the part which required to be searched. It had the appearance of con- siderable antiquity, but it had evidently been built against the mound of sand and stone. Like the works in the Fourth, the shaft in the interior of this pyramid had not been attended with any success ; it was concluded, therefore, that the Chambers were excavations in the rock, and that the entrance was concealed by the pave- ment without the pyramid ; for it was naturally supposed that the lower part of the building had been carefully examined before the chasms had been begun by the Mamelucs. I therefore determined, not only to take up the pavement at the bottom of the pit, but also to ascer- tain whether it was continued on each side of it, and towards the pyramid; — operations that were attended with great labour and difficulty, on account of the vast accumulations of sand, and of the number of blocks that were to be removed — several of them of granite, and four or five tons in weight. Some more broken bottles, similar to those already described, a large copper nail, pieces of coarse pottery, a few idols, and one or two beads, were found in the south-eastern corner of the foss in Campbell's Tomb. On my return to Cairo with Mr. Mash, I received a letter from Colonel Campbell by Baron Gunzerode and Captain Gibser, two German officers, with whom I had the pleasure of becoming acquainted. June 11th. — A number of articles were sent to the consulate for Colonel Campbell. VOL. II. c 18 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. June 12 th. Reis, 10. Men, 251. Children, 201. Great Pyramid. — Excavation in northern front. Excavation westward in northern front. Roof in Queen's Chamber. Clearing the Chambers and Passages. Second Pyramid. — Roof in Belzoni's Chamber. Third Pyramid. — Interior. Excavation between Third and Fifth Pyramids. Campbell's Tomb. Fourth Pyramid. — Interior. I did not go to Gizeh ; but Mr. Ptaven set out at day- break, according to his usual custom. Jtme 13th. Reis, 10. Men, 191. Children, 171. The same works were repeated. I remained at Cairo on account of a festa, at which the Dervishes were to perform some extraordinary ceremonies ; but as the customs and rites of the Mahommedan religion have been fully detailed by Mr. Lane, I shall refer the reader to his interesting book, and merely describe what happened to fall under my own observation. I went in the evening with Mr. Piozan, the two German officers, Mr. Brettel, Mr. Perring, Mr. Andrews, and Mr. Mash, to the house of the Sheik of the Der- vishes, on the Esbequier.^ He was a little old man, and ^ The Esbequier is a large space in the town surrounded with houses. The middle of it was formerly converted by the inundation of the Nile into a lake, upon which fireworks used annually to be exhibited, and festivities to take place, when the Khalidge was cut. The water became stagnant and offensive as the river gradually fell, and it was considered advisable to fill up the ground, and to plant it. It is at present adorned OPERATIOXS CARRIED OX AT GIZEII. 19 wore a light-blue robe ; and we found him in company with a number of other persons seated upon a handsome divan, in a spacious apartment, in the lower end of which there was, as usual, a marble fountain. He received us with great civility, and being informed of the motive of our visit he directed his brother-in-law, and a personage lately arrived from Morocco, to conduct us into an adjoin- ing apartment, which afforded a prospect of the prepara- tions for the festa. After the usual refreshments, of coffee, pipes, and sweetmeats, as the ceremonies had commenced, we went out to see them. I did not observe any persons in Frank dresses, excepting those of our party ; but, although a vast concourse of people had assembled, we wandered about in every direction without receiving the slightest molestation or insult. Triumphal arches ornamented with coloured lamps, and with in- scriptions taken most probably from the Koran, had been erected near a high wall on the Esbequier, and also a variety of tents and booths, where refreshments were sold consisting of hot dishes prepared with oil, coffee, sherbet, strong waters, pipes, &c. ; but the principal per- formances took place in a number of pavilions formed with carpets suspended upon lines, and capable of con- taining two or three hundred people ; they were illumi- with a few old sycamores, which have a venerable and picturesque ap- pearance. A broad road, separated by a wide ditch from the ground in the centre, is left in front of the houses, excepting on the southern side, where they have the advantage of large gardens, which would be extremely delightful if they were irrigated, and kept in good order ; but the glowing ideas of oriental gardens exist only in the imagination, although those at Shoubrah and at Rhoda are in some degree excep- tions. Kleber was assassinated in a garden belonging to an house in the Esbequier. 20 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. nated with lamps and paper lanterns, and crowded with spectators, who thronged round a boarded floor, which had been prepared for the dervishes, or priests, who directed the ceremonies, and for the performers, who stood in circles, rocking their bodies backwards and forwards, and at times moving round performed the dance described by Mr. Lane. Their movements were accompanied by Turkish music, and loud recitations in unison with the priests, who regulated their motions in a very striking and effective manner. The noise and uproar may be imagined ; as the people became more excited, their voices were hoarse and discordant, till several of them, entirely exhausted from fatigue, heat, and enthu- siasm, fell down, apparently in fits. When a vacancy occurred it was immediately filled up, and the perform- ances continued without intermission. All ranks and conditions of the common people were engaged in them, and several of them appeared to be as enthusiastic as the dervishes themselves.^ We returned home late at night, and found the streets ^ This remarkable exhibition reminded me of a scene, which I had witnessed some years before on the night of Christmas eve in the church of Ara Coeli at Rome, which, on account of its reputed sanctity, was crowded with peasantry in the picturesque costume of the neighbouring mountains. As the night wore away, most of the lamps in the body of the church burnt out, and the few that remained, combined with the gleams of the morning, not only gave a singular and mysterious appear- ance to the grotesque architecture of the building, and to the fantastic ornaments, with which it had been for the occasion decorated, but lighted up with an extraordinary effect the sparkling eyes and wild countenances of the worshippers, who, excited like these poor Arabs by superstitious enthusiasm, repeated with hoarse and exhausted voices continued re- sponses to the service of the monks, which, waxing louder and louder, pealed forth from the blaze of light that filled the choir. OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEII. 21 illuminated, and full of people, and the shops open for the sale of refreshments, but not a woman was to be seen even at the wmdows. The principal mosques were also lighted up ; and various processions with flambeaux, iron cases filled with lighted wood, banners, and Turkish music, paraded during the whole night from mosque to mosque, reciting portions of the Koran, and paying com- plimentory visits to the chief officers of the different religious establishments, who sat for that purpose without the buildings, attended by lights and music. A large mosque adjoined Mr. Hill's hotel, and the officers be- longing to it were stationed immediately beneath the windows of my room'^ to receive the successive deputa- tions ; which advanced in a noisy and tumultuous manner, till they were within twenty or thirty paces of those whom they intended to visit, when they halted, and four or five individuals advanced and delivered a sort of ad- dress, which ended in a salutation. They then returned to their party, the bawling and clamour were resumed, and the cavalcade moved off amidst the shouts and ex- clamations of those whom it had come to compHment ; and in this manner one procession after another arrived during the whole night, so that the town was not quiet till three o'clock in the morning. '' These officers were old men of the most wretched description, and lived in an underground apartment below the mosque. They did not appear to have much employment, but were seated during the greater part of the day upon mats in a shady corner of the street, and were employed in selling small quantities of tobacco to the passengers. The degraded condition of the inhabitants of these countries is therefore easily accounted for ; and the same observations will unhappily apply to the state of the common people of Ireland, and of most Roman Catholic countries. 22 OPERATIONS CARRIED OX AT GIZEH. k June 14^/i. Reis, 10. Men, 137. Children, 183. Great Pyramid. — Excavation in northern front. Excavation west in northern front. Roof in Queen's Chamber. Clearing the chambers and passages. Second Pyramid. — Roof in Belzoni's Chamber. Third Pyramid. — Interior. Excavation between the Third and Fifth Pyramids. Fourth Pyramid. — Interior. We set out again this morning about eleven o'clock for the Sheik's house ; and as we were accidentally too late for the regular dinner, we were served in an adjoin- ing room. Upon returning to the large apartment, we found many of the principal persons in Cairo assembled, and, amongst others, IVIuchtar Bey, the Minister of In- struction, and at that time a great favourite with the Pacha. He spoke French, and addressed himself with much fluency to all our party. Like the rest of the people of rank, he wore a white Nizam dress, and was decorated with a large diamond order ; the decorations of some of the other people had the addition of an anchor, which shewed that they belonged to the navy. After remaining here for some time, we went to a kiosk in the gardens belonging to the house to witness the ceremonies. A Sheik of the dervishes, dressed in a large turban, and in a yellow robe, attended by a numerous suite, and a grand display of horses' tails, banners, and music, and followed by a vast multitude of people, arrived from a mosque in a distant part of the city by a raised road, that had lately been constructed across the Esbequier. Upon his approach towards the OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEII. 23 house of his superior a number of men laid themselves down with their faces upon the ground close to each other across the road, and the Sheik and all his attend- ants passed over them. As the dust and the mob pre- vented our having a distinct view of this spectacle, we went through a stable into the Esbequier to see it re- peated, when thirty or forty men laid down before us, and were arranged close to each other by some attend- ants; when the Sheik advanced in the same manner as before, and rode over the whole of them. One or two of them appeared to be uneasy and apprehensive as the Sheik approached ; and several either pretended, or had in reality received slight injuries. After the Sheik had dismounted I examined his horse ; he was about fifteen hands two inches, of good substance, and shod in the common Turkish manner. There was not therefore any deception, neither is the same horse always used. This ceremony is repeated twice every year, and is minutely described by Mr. Lane. We then returned to the house, accompanied by the Sheik who had dismounted, and re- sumed our seats on the divan. The lower end of the apartment was filled by a number of people, many of whom advanced, and kissed the Sheik's hands in the most reverential manner. After some time a man naked down to his waist came forward, and requested Muchtar Bey's sabre, w'hich he presented to the Sheik, who took it in his hand, and muttering a prayer passed his mouth over it from hilt to point, and then returned it. The man kissed the back and front of the Sheik's hands, and, having said a prayer, held the sword with both hands by the hilt and by the point, and pretended to strike vio- lently with the edge across his naked stomach. He after- wards knelt down, and put the edge of the centre of the 24 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. blade into his mouth still holding the ends with his hands, and pretended to support one of the priest's attend- ants, who stood upon it. He then exhibited other feats of a similar description ; but the whole of these perform- ances were evidently nothing more than mere tricks of the most awkward jugglery. The next exhibition was made by a party of dervishes, who came out from the crowd, and performed some of the ceremonies, which we had witnessed the preceding evening. Three or four of them beat time with straps upon small brazen drums, and moved their bodies from side to side, their gesticu- lations and movements becoming by degrees inconceiv- ably violent, and their voices louder, and scarcely articu- late. Some of them actually went into fits ; others foamed at the mouth ; and all of them were completely exhausted, which might well be the case, as they had been engaged in these exercises during the whole of the preceding night. We were then informed that live ser- pents would be devoured, and the Sheik pretended to send out to procure them, but received an answer that none could be found ; in fact, this disgusting ceremony had been forbidden by the Pacha ; and were similar prohibitions extended in many other instances, it would greatly tend to amehorate and civilise the people. We then took our leave, much pleased with the civility and attention which had been shewn us ; and I went imme- diately to the Pyramids. June 15th, Reis, 10. Men, 202. Children, 194. Great Pyramid.— Excavation in northern front. Excavation eastward in northern front. Roof in Queen's Chamber. Clearing the chambers and passages. llZ, \\'\ ivnnwaSBowMMfi^^-^''" ' >'3,,,r'»^'«91' ;H^vghel,il>.«loliepac- ■¥A\.§3Sg found- in (SO^LjOMaiL (Si^.Wyr'Df>ISyC4)L\5 T@BjlI)8 „ OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEII. 25 Second Pyramid. — Roof in Belzoni's Chamber. Third Pyramid. — Interior. Blasting the stones in the pit. Clearing the pavement. Excavation between the Third and Fifth Pyramids. Campbell's Tomb. During my absence the interior of the Great Pyramid had been nearly cleared out. The eastern excavation at the northern front had been completed to the base, where the remains of a pavement were discovered. A consider- able progress had been made in the Third Pyramid, and several pieces of granite had been found in the bottom of the shaft ; but they appeared to be only fiUings in. The removal of the stones in the pit, and of the rubbish from the pavement at the northern front, had been begun. It is to be remarked that although many fragments, both of granite and of calcareous casing, are scattered about the base of this monument, key-stones of granite are only to be found in the lower part, which corroborates the account of Herodotus, that the revetment of that material did not extend to the summit. Considerable progress had been made at Campbell's Tomb, where two large jars of red earthenware had been taken out of the south-eastern angle of the foss ; the height of the one was one foot eight and a half inches ; of the other, one foot six inches. They were without ornament or inscrip- tion of any kind, and were afterwards drawn by Mr. Andrews. June 16th. Reis, 10. Men, 206. Children, 189. Great Pyramid. — Excavation in northern front. Excavation westward in northern front. Roof in Queen's Chamber. Clearing the chambers and passages. 26 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. Second Pyramid. — Roof in Belzoni's Chamber. Third Pyramid. — Interior. Blasting stones in the pit. Clearing the pavement. Excavation between Third and Fifth Pyramids. Campbell's Tomb. Fourth Pyramid. — Interior. Nothing particular occurred. June 17 th. Reis, 11. Men, 215. Children, 214. Great Pyramid. — Excavation in northern front. Excavation westward in northern front. Excavation for base at the north-eastern angle. Roof in Queen's Chamber. Clearing chambers and passages. Second Pyramid. — Roof in Belzoni's Chamber. Third Pyramid. — Interior. Blasting stones in the pit. Clearing the pavement. Excavation between Third and Fifth Pyramids. Campbell's Tomb. Fourth Pyramid. — Interior. I copied the cartouches in the tomb of Trades, which r Ua^K OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. 27 have been alluded to on the 2d instant. The excavation westward in the northern front of the Great Pyramid was finished, and a small piece of iron was found in it com- pletely decayed ; but, as it was taken out of the rubbish, its antiquity could not be ascertained. A party was em- ployed in clearing away the sand near the north-eastern angle at the base of the Great Pyramid, to assist the survey. I returned with Mr. Ptaven in the evening to Cairo. The night was exceedingly clear, and the general appear- ance of the city extremely picturesque. I gave the German officers an order for their reception at our tents on the following morning. June 18th. — I endeavoured to obtain some intelligence from the old Arab, who had told Jack of the communica- tion between the Third and Fifth Pyramids, as I imagined that he must have acquired some information when he was employed by ]\Ir. Jemel ; but I found that he knew nothing. He offered, indeed, to shew me ninety cham- bers full of gold near the Sphinx ; but I had already re- ceived similar proposals from the high-priest, or head of the Mahommedan religion, whom I accidentally met in Cairo as I was returning from the Pyramids some weeks before ; and who also mentioned that he possessed some curious Arabic books respecting the Pyramids, which may possibly be worth the attention of Arabic scholars. June 19th. Reis, 11. Men, 220. Children, 188. Great Pyramid. — Excavation in northern front. Excavation for base at north-eastern angle. Roof in Queen's Chamber. 28 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. Great Pyramid. — Clearing chambers and passages. Second Pyramid. — Roof in Belzoni's Chamber. Third Pyramid. — Interior. Blasting stones in the pit. Clearing the pavement. Excavation for pavement westwards of centre. Excavation between Third and Fifth Pyramids. Campbell's Tomb. Fourth Pyramid. — Interior. In addition to the works carried on at the northern front of the Third Pyramid, I began an excavation in search of a pavement to the westv^^ard of the pit, and determined to remove the granite blocks and other stones which had accumulated near the centre, although, as I have already observed, it was to be presumed that the front of the pyramid had been diligently searched before the great chasm had been attempted with so much labour and expense. I wrote to Mr. Hamilton, and enclosed drawings of the characters in Campbell's Chamber ; I also sent speci- mens of them, together with the cartouche of Psamme- ticus the Second'* to the Colonel himself; and was occu- pied at Cairo during the rest of the day. Some coarse red jugs marked with black rings were found in Camp- bell's Tomb, but without any characters or inscription. ° It is to be observed, that as the cartouche in Campbell's Tomb is unattended with any regal title, it is difficult, excepting by implication, to ascertain whether it belongs to Psammeticus the Second, of which monarch it is the prenomen, or to Hofphre, of whom it is the name. The former lived, according to Mr. Wilkinson and M. Rosellini, about 603 B.C., and the latter 588. This cartouche, however, is not assigned by Mr. Wilkinson to Hofphre. OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. 29 These were the only painted specimens of pottery that were discovered. Ju?ie 20th. Reis, 11. Men, 21]. Children, 208. Great Pyramid. — Excavation in northern front. Roof in Queen's Chamber. Clearing the chambers and passages. Second Pyramid. — Roof in Belzoni's Chamber. Excavation for pavement at north-western angle. Third Pyramid. — Interior. Blasting stones in the pit. Clearing pavement. Excavation of pavement westward of centre. Excavation between Third and Fifth Pyramids. Campbell's Tomb. Fourth Pyramid. — Interior. I returned with Mr. Perring and Mr. Mash to Gizeh. The party in the interior of the Great Pyramid had finished their labours. Some people were sent to remove the sand, which had fallen in upon the former excavation at the north-western corner of the Second. June 21 St. Reis, 11. Men, 210. Children, 197. Great Pyramid. — Excavation in northern front. Roof in Queen's Chamber. Second Pyramid. — Roof in Belzoni's Chamber. Excavation for pavement at north-western angle. Third Pyramid. — Interior. Blasting stones in the pit. Clearing the pavement. Excavation of pavement westward of centre. Excavation between Third and Fifth Pyramids. Campbell's Tomb. Fourth Pyramid. — Interior. so OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEII. Several more fragments of coarse earthenware were found in Campbell's Tomb. The shaft in the interior of the Third Pyramid was again examined, and a quantity of unburnt brick and clay were found in the joints near the founda- tion, and also quarry-marks, which had L.JS been drawn in red upon the blocks. In the evening I was surprised by the arrival of a corps of Lancers, which caused great alarm to the Arabs, who were loitering about the plain after being paid, 9 and who disappeared in an instant. The troops were at first supposed to be on their march to the Faioum ; but as they had no baggage, that did not appear to be pro- bable. It was then concluded, from their movements, that they were posted to intercept some Bedouins, but the country was known to be perfectly quiet. At last it appeared that they were the cadets from the establish- ment at Gizeh, and had arrived for a field-day (or rather a field-night), on account of the heat of the weather. They were tolerably well on horseback, much cleaner than the troops in general, and well mounted. They behaved very regularly, and only requested water from the well, for which purpose a man was stationed there during the night. They probably found the ground be- tween the Sphinx and the Pyramids too much broken up by shafts and hollows to be safely occupied during the night, as the videts, who had been placed there, were in 9 The symbol ideophonetic of the consonant n, and the word no/re, or good. — Mr. Birch. OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZETI. 31 a short time withdrawn ; and at day-break, on the follow- ing morning, they were posted across the plain in line facing the north, with their left flank to the palm-trees, and with detached parties and a chain of videts to their front and rear. They soon afterwards moved off. June 22rif. Reis, 10. Men, 193. Children, 155. Great Pyramid. — Excavation in northern front, Roof in Queen's Chamber. Second Pyramid. — Roof in Belzoni's Chamber. Excavation for Pavement at south-western angle. Third Pyramid. — Interior. Blasting stones in the Pit. Clearing the Pavement. Excavation of Pavement westward of centre. Excavation between Third and Fifth Pyramids. Campbell's Tomb. Fourth Pyramid. — Interior, The Sheik of Cafr el Batram applied for stones, under the pretence of constructing a tomb for his brother. He was of course informed that they belonged to the Pacha, and referred to the Madyr. This man had behaved extremely ill ; and I have reason to believe that the appli- cation w^as made in the hope that I should make an improper use of the firmaun by acceding to his request. The sand was sufficiently cleared at the north-western angle of the Second Pyramid : a similar excavation was begun at the south-western. In both places the rock was found to have been levelled and prepared for a pavement, and for a certain distance from the Pyramid it inclined towards it. It had likewise been worked across to the opposite cliffs, in which apartments had been excavated ; 32 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. and in one of them, containing a shaft, the ceiling had been cut to resemble the trunks of palm trees. This imitation of wooden buildings is very remarkable, parti- cularly in excavations so antient and so peculiarly situated. At Amphipolis, in Asia Minor, and in other places on that coast, the tombs are hewn in exact imitation of wood, but they are of small dimensions, and of inferior work- manship, and also of a much more recent date. Having been furnished some weeks before with a tes- keree for the removal of a quantity of baggage from Cairo to the Pyramids, I had since repeatedly inquired for it, but it was not produced till this morning, and was then given up with great reluctance by the Reis, to whom it had been entrusted. It had been set in a glass case with a cord attached to it to be worn over the shoulder, and had no doubt been let out for hire, and used for all purposes. The abuse of teskerees, and of firmauns granted to travellers, should be prevented, as it gives just cause of complaint to the government, and may eventually lead to bad conse- quences. European flags are likewise often improperly sold to the Arabs and Copts, as I have already remarked. June 23d. Reis, 11. Men, 198. Children, 182. Great Pyramid. — Excavation in northern front. Roof in Queen's Chamber. Second Pyramid. — Roof in Belzoni's Chamber. Excavation for Pavement at south-western angle. Third Pyramid. — Interior. Blasting Stones in Pit. Clearing the Pavement. Excavation between Third and Fifth Pyramids. Campbell's Tomb. Fourth Pyramid. — Interior. OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEII. S3 As the shaft had got down to the foundation in the Third Pyramid, it was determined to commence in it from the bottom a series of horizontal galleries at stated intervals in every direction : a number of people were also employed in removing the blocks, and clearing the pavement at the northern front, and in taking down the wall round the pit. If these operations proved unsuccessful, I was resolved to examine every part of the pavement, and even to take down the face of the build- ing ; in short, to leave no expedient untried, with what- ever expense of money or time it might be attended, to find the mysterious entrance. Little did I then imagine that this was to be effected simply by removing the loose stones that encumbered its front.^ I considered that this Pyramid, like the others, must at all events have a regular entrance ; and. that, as the shaft had not disclosed a sepulchral apartment, the tomb was most probably in the rock, and that the entrance was concealed by the pavement, particularly as the chamber in the Second Py- ramid is an excavation, and as the Tomb of Cheops is described by Herodotus to have been a subterraneous apartment. Mr. Perring and I\Ir. JNlash continued their survey. June 24ith. Reis, 11. Men, 201. Children, 180. Great Pyramid. — Excavation in northern front. Roof in Queen's Chamber. Second Pyramid. — Belzoni's Chamber. Excavation for Pavement in south-western angle. 1 M. Belzoni, I afterwards found, had formed a correct opinion as to the entrance. VOL. II. D 34 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. Third Pyramid. — Interior. Clearing the Pavement. Excavation between Third and Fifth Pyramids. Campbell's Tomb. Fourth Pyramid. — Interior. To-day I was principally occupied at the Third Pyra-' mid, and found that the joints in the pavement had been forced in different places. The masses of calcareous stone, that had accumulated upon it, were first carefully examined in search of sculpture and hieroglyphics, and then blasted. The removal of the blocks of granite was exceedingly difficult and laborious, but although they may have withstood the unassisted efforts of Arab labourers, they ought not to have proved impediments to Franks. I returned to Cairo with Mr. Perring, Mr. Mash, and Mr. Hill; Mr. Raven followed us. We found that Mr. Piozan was out of office, that Dr. Walne was appointed vice-consul, and ]VIr. Maltass, chancellario. June ^5t]i. — Achmet, the Janissary, was sent to Cairo on account of ophthalmia, and my best workman. Jack, was laid up with the same complaint, and with fever — a circumstance not to be wondered at, considering the dust and heat to which he had been constantly exposed by night as well as by day in the bottom of the shaft of the Third Pyramid. He had been ill for some time, but could not be prevailed upon to give up his work. June 2Qth, Reis, 11. Men, 191. Children, 159. Great Pyramid. — Excavation in northern front. Roof in Queen's Chamber. Second Pyramid. — Roof in Belzoni's Chamber. OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEII. 35 Third Pyramid. T^ Interior. Excavation between Third and Fifth Pyramids. Campbell's Tomb. Fourth Pyramid. — Interior. I remained at Cairo. June 21th. Reis, 10. Men, 184. Children, 161. The same works were repeated. The air was remarkably hot, and water in my room at Cairo was 96°. I returned with Mr. Hill to the Pyramids. June 2%tJi, Reis, 11. Men, 187. Children, 182. The same works were repeated. In order to finish Campbell's Tomb, the people were chiefly employed at that place. Mr. Hill and Mr. Raven spent the greatest part of the morning in measuring, and examining the bottom of the shaft in the Third Pyramid, where a large stone, at first supposed to be granite, had been discovered. In going round the works, I visited the excavation, which had been so long carried on in search of a passage between the Third and Fifth Pyramids. A considerable space had been cleared down to the rock, and the men were continuing their operations to the westward without a chance of success. As they informed me that they did so by Mr. Raven's directions, I allowed them to go on for the present, intending to order Mr. Raven to give up the work. Dare (an Arab, who attended me as a sort of in- terpreter, from being able to speak Italian) observed, that S6 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. if the excavation was continued four or five yards southwards to the base of the Fifth Pyramid, an entrance would probably be found, which might be a guide for that of the Fourth, upon which we had been so long and un- successfully employed. I approved of the idea, and gave directions to that effect ; and to shew how accidentally these boasted discoveries are often made, the remark of my poor Arab led to the discovery of the entrances of the six smaller pyramids f they were entirely concealed, and no information existed at that time respecting them, but they were subsequently opened without difficulty. Some glass bottles, small pieces of leaf gold, bones, small illegible coins, apparently bronze, coarse earthen- ware, and one or two fragments of brass, or of bronze, were found in the foss at Campbell's Tomb. The air was extremely sultry and hot, but, as usual, about four o'clock, there were strong gusts of wind from the north and north-west. In the evening, the cavalry came again to exercise. June 29th. Reis, 11. Men, 182. Children, 179. The same works were repeated. 2 The French could not find out the entrances of these Pyramids, and therefore proceeded to take one of them down, to ascertain its in- terior construction, supposing that it had never been opened. Colonel Coutelle describes the difficulties attending the operation, which was interrupted by the evacuation of Gizeli. It appears, however, by Mr. Salt's papers, that M. Caviglia succeeded in penetrating into one of the Pyramids near the Third, and that he found at the end of a passage two empty chambers, which communicated with each other. As there are sarcophagi in the Fourth and Fifth, and as the Sixth has never been completed, this description does not apply to either of the three. ,, ..,s,.t£«fc-»i,..- ^ fLW^^' Tig.l k^5 f. Tx< Z . J ArajMLaJj "mJlft T-nlilisKe^ liytTTi aser, "R,t?'^«Ji-f St D-CT LEx^'kieLiii^'-aj ui£ ^^»t^£« OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEII. 37 Mr. Mash and Mr. Andrews came. 1 examined with Mr. Raven and Mr. Hill the chasm on the northern front of the Great Pyramid. It had been excavated for the space of twenty feet to the westward, and fifty-four feet to the eastward of the centre to the depth of forty-seven feet, when it became so narrow, that nothing further could be done without blasting. As it was found to be a natural fissure, and did not contain a passage, the work w^as given up. A piece of stone with some plaster adhering to it was dug up near the Fifth Pyramid, which led me to believe that the entrance was not very distant, and also that it had been opened. Some more pottery was found in Campbell's Tomb, which was at last effectually cleared out. The excavation in the Queen's Chamber was also satisfactorily concluded : the stones of the roof had been carried to a great distance into the masonry, in order to secure the walls of the chamber from any super- incumbent weight, and the ends of them were cut so as to give them a perpendicular bearing. June SOth, Reis, 11. Men, 177. Children, 158. Second Pyramid. — Roof in Belzoni's Chamber. Third Pyramid. — Interior. Clearing the Pavement. Excavation between Third and Fifth Pyramids. Fourth Pyramid. — Interior. In the afternoon, whilst I was examining the ruins near the Second Pyramid, I was informed by an Arab Sheik, that the entrance into one of the others had been found. I immediately hastened to the Third, but upon arriving I found that it was the entrance of the Fifth, which S8 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. was thus discovered in two days.^ The passage was in the masonry and in the centre of the northern front. It had been completely built up with large blocks of stone, laid in cement, and part of them had been cut through so as to allow of a narrow entrance on the western side, which, when discovered, was full of sand ; we there- fore blocked up the mouth with loose stones, marked with a pencil, and left Goodman in charge of it for the night. A piece of buff earthenware with a green glaize similar to that found in the northern front of the Great Pyramid, and a small copper coin, were dug out of the rubbish near this entrance. The great stone, supposed to be granite, in the bottom of the shaft in the Third Pyramid, was blasted ; the shaft was four feet northward, and thirteen feet east- ward of the centre, so that had there been any chamber or passage near that place, it must have been discovered. ]Mr. Mash copied the hieroglyphics on the great stone that covered the sarcophagus in Campbell's Tomb.* He then, in company with Mr. Andrews, examined the joint at the mouth of the southern Air-channel, whence the iron was taken by Mr. Hill. July \st. Reis, 11. Men, 220. Children, 183. Second Pyramid. — Belzoni's Chamber. 3 The centre of this pyramid is rather to the east of that of the Third. It is built of small stones in irregular courses, none of which are more than two and a half feet in height. Most of the material had been quar- ried on the spot ; but a few blocks from the Mokattam mark the former extent of the building, and shew that it had been at one time cased over with hard stones. ■* See Appendix. OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. 39 Third Pyramid. — Interior. Clearing the Pavement. Fourth Pyramid. — Entrance. Fifth Pyramid. — Entrance. A small brass or bronze head of an arrow, apparently- votive, was found upon the pavement, near the centre of the northern front of the Third Pyramid. The excavation in the Fourth Pyramid was giv^n up, and the people were employed in removing the sand and stones on the exterior of the northern front in search of an entrance, which was supposed to be similar to that of the Fifth. Some of the sand having been taken out of the passage in the latter Pyramid, we tried, but without success, to enter it. In the afternoon, we repeated the attempt. I was followed by Mr. Hill, Mr. Andrews, Mr. Mash, Jack, and Goodman. The passage inclined at about an angle of 27°; and the sand yet remained within two feet of the top ; where the part, that had been forced, was so extremely narrow, that we were obliged to enter sideways. The stones ap- peared to have been cut away by a chisel, which, consider- ing their hardness and the length of the passage, must have been a tedious operation. After shding down about thirty feet, the space between the stones and the v/all would not admit of our proceeding. It was of course intensely hot, and we were obliged to be drawn up by a rope. In the evening, when more of the sand had been taken out, we suc- ceeded better, and found at the bottom of the inclined passage a portcullis of granite, a good deal corroded by moisture, and by the effects of the sand. It must have been conveyed down the entrance obliquely. A hole had been made in it towards the top, and two others at the corners of the ceiling, apparently for the purpose of hfting 40 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEII. it. When the passage had been enth'ely cleared, this portcullis was lifted up so as to allow of an entrance under it ; but when first discovered, we entered by an aperture, which had been made through the rock above it, into a short horizontal passage, which opened into the northern side of the sepulchral chamber. The apartment was quadrangular, and extended in length from east to west. It was about three parts full of stones and sand,^ which were heaped up nearly to the ceiling at the eastern end, as the rubbish had been partially removed from the western, where a granite sarcophagus was embedded in the pavement, in the same manner as that in the Second Pyramid, to which it was in every respect similar, ex- cepting that it was rather smaller, and that the pinholes for securing the lid were deeper. The lid had been forced off with great violence, and the pavement around it had been taken up. Excepting the immediate entrance, the whole of the passages and chamber were excavations in the rock. Several narrow fissures were visible in the chamber, but the sides had been plastered, and brown horizontal lines, one foot ten inches from the floor, had the appear- ance of a painted border. No vestiges of sculpture or of hieroglyphics were discovered on any part of the tomb ; ^ The forms and dimensions of the sarcophagi found in the Pyramids at Gizeh will scarcely admit of the wooden cases or coffins adorned with hieroglyphics, which are generally found in Egyptian tombs ; indeed, by the fragment found in the Third Pyramid, tliat wooden case seems to have been of a smaller size and of a different construction. The dimensions of the sarcophagi in the Fourth and Fifth Pyramids corroborate the antient accounts, that they were the tombs of the kings' wives.* * For dimensions see Appendix. -^ OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. 41 but upon the southern wall opposite to the entrance, some Arabic characters were scrawled upon a fragment of plaster with something like charcoal, which proved to be the 112th chapter of the Koran/ and which, together with the other inscriptions, seemed to indicate that all these Pyramids had been entered about the same time by the Cahphs. We found in the sarcophagus some pieces of burnt reed and of charcoal, some of the buff earthenware with a green glaize, and a few broken pieces of red pot- tery. The interior of it appeared to me to have been 6 See " Sale's Koran," vol. ii. p. 517. / 42 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. stained and blackened by fire, but Mr. Perring was not of that opinion. It is to be observed, that the fire might have been made by travellers for the purpose of ventilation. This chamber was surveyed and measured by Mr. Mash, and Mr. Andrews, and subsequently examined by Mr. Perring. After inspecting the other works, and paying off the people, I went in the evening to Cairo with Mr. Mash, Mr. Andrews, and Mr. Hill. Juli/ 2d. — As several of the horses belonging to the Shereef of Mecca, which I saw at the Pyramids, were clever, and as I naturally concluded that he would have some of the highest breed, I sent a message by Ibrahim, my Coptic servant, who occasionally acted as dragoman, with a request to see them. The Shereef returned a very civil invitation, and I accordingly paid him a visit at a handsome palace belonging to Hassan Bey, which had been appointed by the Pacha for his residence. It was pleasantly situated in a garden, in which was the Hareem ; and during the inundation, it had the advantage of an extensive lake or pond. The Shereef was about fifty years of age, had a dark complexion, and a pleasing countenance. He wore a yel- low robe, and, like the rest of the people from the Hedjas, a very flat turban. Two of his sons were seated with him on a divan ; they were good-looking young men, had very large eyes, and greatly resembled the pictures of East Indian princes in Asiatic designs. They were dressed in the Turkish fashion, but with white embroidered skull- caps, and flat turbans, which were extremely becoming; and they had upon the whole a mild and dignified appear- OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. 43 ance. The Cadi of Mecca was also present ; he had the reputation of being learned, and well-informed, was an intelligent-looking person, and was likewise dressed in yellow. Two other people, who seemed to be dragomen, spoke Italian ; and the lower end of the room was filled with attendants. These Arabs were nearly as black as negroes, and had a more vigorous and independent air than those either of Egypt, or of Syria : one of them I particularly remarked ; he wore a red robe, a crooked dagger, in a broad silver scabbard, was stuck in his girdle, and a wahabee hand- kerchief was thrown over his head ; his light frame was replete with vigour ; and his thin and handsome features were marked with fierce expression ; nothing escaped the vigilance of his sparkling eyes, which glanced from object to object with an eager ferocity peculiar to these wild people. The Shereef had got Major Felix's book on hierogly- phics, talked much about the Pyramids, and said that he had himself entered the great one. I offered to shew him Mr. Perring's drawings, and the few things of interest that had been found at Gizeh, and he appointed three o'clock for that purpose. AVhen I took my leave, he sent his sons and the Cadi to conduct me to the stables. (See Appendix.) I do not think that they shewed me all the horses, and certainly not any that I had seen be- fore. Those at the Pyramids might indeed have been furnished from the Pacha's stables, or have belonged to some of the other chieftains from Mecca ; who, as well as the Shereef, were detained as hostages in Cairo. I returned at three o'clock with the drawings, &c. The Shereef was more intelligent than any Arab I had 44 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. ever met with ; he examined the different articles with much attention, and surprised me by observing that he thought the glass bottles taken from Campbell's Tomb had been tinged with iron. I shewed the Arabic writing found in the Fifth Pyramid to the Cadi, who transcribed those parts, that were legible, into modern Arabic charac- ters, and said that it was a passage from the Koran, which afterwards proved to be the case. I gave the Shereef a copy of the cartouche of Suphis, and of some of the hiero- glyphics found in the chambers of the Great Pyramid. He seemed to take a great interest in the discoveries, and promised to pay me a visit at Gizeh. July Sd. Reis, 11. Men, 169. Children, 139. Second Pyramid. — Roof in Belzoni's Chamber. Third Pyramid. — Interior. Cleaning the pavement. Fourth Pyramid. — Entrance. Fifth Pyramid. — Clearing out chamber and passage. I was detained at Cairo. July 4:th. Reis, 11. Men, 131. Children, 182. The same works were repeated. I returned to the Pyramids with Mr. Perring, Mr. Mash, Mr. Andrews, and Mr. Hill. The roof of Belzoni's Chamber was at length ex- amined. The stones extended, like those in the Queen's Chamber, a long way into the solid rock, on account, probably, of the great weight which they had to sustain. Mr. Raven had been actively employed before the Third \ OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. 45 Pyramid, and had found upon the pavement a quantity of unburnt bricks and of earth. Considerable progress had been made in taking out the sand from the interior of the Fifth ; but, when a sufficient number of people were em- ployed in it, the air became so exceedingly foul owing to the smallness of the forced entrance, that the candles would not burn, and the heat became insupportable. For these reasons, together with the improbability of making any further discoveries, the chamber was not completely cleared out. For some days, indeed, after the work had been given up, the state of the air from the want of cir- culation was such, that it immediately extinguished a lighted candle, — a circumstance which the Arabs super- stitiously ascribed to the bones, which remained in it. In the course of the day the entrance into the Fourth Pyramid was discovered in the rocky ground, about thirteen feet without the base, and twelve feet westward of the centre. It descended at an angle of twenty-seven, had been originally filled up with masonry, which had been removed, and, as well as the chambers, had been cut in the rock. Nothing was found in the passage excepting rubbish and sand ; but some coarse paterae, a piece of stick, and a broken idol, were dug up near it. Besides the excavations which we had lately made in the interior, a chasm on a level with the base had been previously car- ried to the depth of twenty-three feet into the masonry at the centre of the northern front. This pyramid and the Sixth (to the westward of it) are built of large squared blocks put together in the manner of Cyclopian walling, and are at present in steps or degrees : whether or not their exteriors have ever been completed into pyramidal forms, it is difficult to determine. 46 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. July 5th. Reis, 6. Men, 160. Children, 85. Third Pyramid. — Interior. • Clearing the pavement. Fourth Pyramid. — Clearing the chambers and passage. Fifth Pyramid. — Clearing the chambers and passage. The interior of the Fourth Pyramid was practicable, and it was carefully examined.^ The passage conducted to an anteroom, which was coated with white stucco ; it contained a quantity of sand and of broken stones ; and as the southern side had been forced in search of another apartment, it appears that the first explorers were en- tirely ignorant of its interior construction. Immediately beneath the roof, a cavity about two feet deep ran along the western side, and extended over the sepulchral cham- ber, which was ceiled with large blocks of well-wrought calcareous stone, laid horizontally from east to west, and supported on ledges cut in the solid rock, and not on the hnings of the chamber ; so that, except for the cavity, the roof could not have been formed. This cavity had been closed up with masonry, which was t,0^ A entirely removed, and nothing was / \ / \ found in it, excepting a fragment of grey stone, inscribed with two hiero- ^ glyphics. A short inclined passage from the western side of the anteroom, near the north- western angle, communicated with the sepulchral cham- ber. It had been closed with a door of granite, which ^ The dimensions are given in the Appendix. ^ "Giver of life" generally concludes the titles and names of Phamohs. — Mr. Birch. OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEII. 47 had been sufficiently forced out of its place to allow of an entrance ; it was afterwards entirely removed, that the sand might be cleared out, and the sepulchral chamber closely examined. This apartment extended from north to south, and had been lined with square slabs laid in cement. The pavement had been taken up in many places. A space of some width had been cut out of the plaster near the ceiling, and another near the floor, round all the sides of the chamber except the southern, appar- ently for a border ; but none of it remained ; although in many places the remains of a stripe of brown paint were visible. The sarcophagus appeared to me to have been originally placed upon the pavement, along the southern side, where the hd had been left, together with a consi- derable quantity of decayed wood, probably the remains of a mummy-board completely reduced to dust ; but Mr. Perring was of opinion that it had been placed, north and south, in the centre : we found it near the western side. It was composed of granite, was quite plain, and resembled that in the Fifth Pyramid, but was of smaller dimensions. The dovetail for the lid was rounded (like that in the Third Pyramid); and the holes for the pins were deep. It contained a few bones, a small jaw-bone with remark- ably good teeth, apparently that of a young woman, some dust, and a few pieces of decayed wood, in the same state as that near the hd.^ No hieroglyphics or sculptures of any kind were found on the sarcophagus or on its lid, or upon any stone in either chamber, with the exception of the two characters above mentioned. The walls also of 9 Mr. Perring mentions that some mummy cloth made of linen was also found, but I did not myself observe any. 48 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GlZEH. both the chambers were perfectly plain ; but, upon one of the slabs composing the roof, some hieroglyphics had been described with red paint, and, amongst them, the cartouche of Mycerinus. ^S o VLJLJLJ I Illl^ From the appearance of the bones, and the small size of the sarcophagus, they seem to have belonged to a female ; and from the form of it, and the decomposed state of the wood, and particularly from the general appearance of the masonry, the superstructure may be considered as coeval with the three large Pyramids, — a supposition in accordance with the antient tradition, that these three smaller buildings were the sepulchres of the wives of Cheops, Chephrenes, and Mycerinus. It would be very desirable to find out what has become of the border cut out of the sepulchral chamber, as it doubt- less contains an inscription, and it might yet possibly be discovered in some museum or collection of antiqui- ties/ The manner of fastening on the lids of the sarco- 1 The mode of burial in a plain sarcophagus deposited in a pyramid without inscription, or sculpture, is so directly contrary to that usually practised by the Egyptians, in which not only the sarcophagus, but also the whole of the building were covered with hieroglyphics, that both of them can hardly be supposed to have been used by the same people. It seems probable, therefore, that the former was adopted by those mighty- strangers, who, according to the most authentic accounts, had possession OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. 49 phagi with pins appears to have been generally adopted, even when a dovetail — an equally antient contrivance — was not used. As the entrance of this pyramid was so far to the westward, and the tomb almost under the corner of the superstructure, we concluded that another entrance to the eastward, leading to another tomb, might exist. The excavation was accordingly continued along the outside in that direction in search of a passage ; and as the eastern side of the anteroom was within four feet of the centre of the pyramid, it was cut into in the hope of finding another apartment. Mr. Raven went to Cairo, for engines, chains, &c.,' to enable us to remove the blocks of granite with more facility. An illegible coin, a wooden fastening for the load of a camel, and some tihni (dried forage), were found near the Third Pyramid, and also a quantity of unburnt bricks, about twenty inches in length, and a heap of earth. July 6th. Reis, 11. Men, 141. Children, 94. Third Pyramid. — Interior. Clearing the pavement. Fourth Pyramid. — Clearing the chambers and passages. Blasting the eastern wall of the anteroom. Blasting for another entrance. Fifth Pyramid. — Clearing the chambers and passages. Sixth Pyramid. — Removing the stones on the northern front. of Egypt at a very remote period, but not before hieroglyphics had been invented, and the arts had arrived at great excellence, which might well be the case, as we know, from sacred history, that science flourished before the deluge. VOL. ir. E 50 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. Mr. Hill superintended the works during Mr. Raven's absence. A small piece of bronze, and some coarse paterae, were found near the Fourth Pyramid, and a defaced coin and paterae also near the Sixth. These two Pyramids are similar in their dimensions and external construction. Having discovered that the tombs in the Fourth and Fifth Pyramids were in the rock, we concluded that they were the same in all the rest, and began therefore to search for the entrance of the Sixth, near the centre of the northern front ; but, before the sand could be cleared away, it was necessary to remove a quantity of large blocks which had been thrown down from the top, by order of the Pacha, and also, it is said, by the cannon of the French. I mention the following circumstance to shew the deceit and base habits of the people whom we employed, and the difficulty of maintaining justice and order amongst them. When the people had been paid in the evening, the janissaries brought forward four boys, who had been absent from their work the whole of the day, and had only returned in time to receive their money. As the boys were extremely alarmed, and confessed their fault, I would not allow them to be punished, but sent them away unpaid. It was then reported that six men had also absconded, for which I reprimanded the janissaries, as it was their duty to keep the men at work, and to report any delinquency immediately to me. It was with some difficulty that I could obtain from them the names of the men (which, after all, were incorrect) ; nor could I satisfactorily make out whether or not any men, in this instance, had been absent ; although I knew that it was often the case, and had taken every precaution to pre- OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEII. 51 vent it. It was evident, however, that the janissaries had quarrelled with the Reis, for they endeavoured to throw the blame upon them for allowing the men to run away. I gave orders that the delinquents should attend with the Sheik of their village on the following day. July 1th. Reis, 11. Men, 139. Children, 152. Third Pyramid. — Interior. • Clearing the pavement. Fourth Pyramid. — Blasting the eastern wall of anteroom. Blasting for another entrance. Sixth Pyramid. — Removing the stones on the northern front. The Sheik of Cafr el Batran attended with the men, but it appeared that they had not been employed at all during the preceding day, and were accordingly dis- missed. Upon this the Sheik accused the janissaries of taking money and grain from the people, but could only mention one instance, in which corn to the value of ten piastres had been taken by Osman from a Reis belonging to Haroneah. I thanked the Sheik for the information, and I immediately interrogated the Reis with Mr. Hill, in a manner the most likely to induce him to tell the truth, when he repeatedly said that Osman had paid for the grain, and that it had not been taken by force. I at first thought of stating the circumstance to the people when they were assembled in the evening, and of demanding if any person had a complaint to make against the janis- saries ; but, considering that much ill-will might be created, without a possibility of arriving at the truth, I determined to let the matter rest till I again saw the Slieik, which, as it happened, was not for some days. 62 OPERATIONS CAHRIED ON AT GIZEH. The works went on well, considering the limited number of men employed, and we had now arrived at a point nearly opposite the centre of the Third Pyramid, where several round holes, similar to those near the Great Pyramid, were found in the pavement. Mr. Raven had sent a small crab, which proved very useful ; but we had great difficulty in removing the granite, and, in doing so, constant precaution was necessary to prevent accidents. Mr. Wright and Mr. Wade came from Cairo. I sent Dare with them into the Pyramids. July 8th. Reis, 11. Men, 139. Children, 180. The same works were repeated. In the evening, I accompanied Mr. Perring, Mr. Mash, and Mr. Andrews, to Cairo, with Mr. Wade, Mr. Wright, and Mr. Hill. July 9th. — I went to see a new palace belonging to Shereef Pacha, which was held in such estimation, that Mahomet Ali was said to have expressed a wish to possess it. It was of great extent, and was built round a court- yard. The entrance hall and staircase were flagged with very fine marble slabs, but they were badly put together. The balustrades of the staircase were of wood, painted dark blue ; and the landing-place was supported by two common blue posts inserted in coarse stone capitals, which were reversed, and daubed with patches of mortar and plaster, left about the joints. Passages and back stair- cases led to innumerable apartments; but the principal rooms were entered from a circular landing-place, paved A JLABY OIK €Alir--in>, OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. 53 with marble. The wainscot was painted of a dark blue, and was ornamented with festoons of flowers, trophies, and medalHons over the door, representing gardens, kiosks, flower-beds, pyramidal trees, and forts receiving and returning the salutes of ships-of-war, that were sailing in irriguous canals — the wretched performances, I was informed, of Greek artists. The carpenters' work, door handles, &c., were miserably executed ; and the painted decorations were splashed over with mortar and white- wash. Yet this was considered a well-finished building ; in fact, in this country, seclusion in the Hareem, and space and air in the other apartments, are all that is required.* July 10th. Reis, 11. Men, 164. Children, 198. Third Pyramid. — Interior. Clearing the Pavement. Fourth Pyramid. — Blasting for another Entrance. Sixth Pyramid. — Removing Stones at northern front. I was occupied with Mr. Perring, and with other mat- ters, this day, at Cairo. July 11th. Reis, 11. Men, 102. Children, 19. Third Pyramid. — Interior. Clearing the Pavement. In the afternoon, I went to the Pyramids with Mr. Mash ; and near Cafr el Batran, we observed Mr. Raven's 2 The plate, which represents a lady of Cairo, will give some idea of the exterior of the principal houses. The manner in which the women of rank are carried, and the peculiar sort of saddle (which is said to have 54; OPERATIONS CARPvIED ON AT GIZEH. servant on horseback, galloping towards Cairo, from which I concluded, that some bad accident had happened; and upon our arrival, I found that Mr. Raven had received a very severe blow from a crow-bar, which had splintered his jaw and knocked out five of his teeth, and that Abd el Ardie had also been stunned, and much injured. It ap- peared, that in order to remove a very heavy mass of granite, Mr. Raven and Abd el Ardie had been heaving at a crow-bar, whilst some Arabs were working with another, which, owing to their negligence and idleness, sprung, and occasioned this mischief. It was impossible, without con- stant exertion, to make these people keep to their work, or hold on, either when lifting or when hauling at a rope ; and it is satisfactory to reflect, that during our operations, no fatal accident occurred. Mr. Hill and Mr. Raven went to Cairo. The excavation in the wall of the anteroom at the Fourth Pyramid had not led to any discoveries, and it was for the time given up, as well as most of the other opera- tions, that the work might be more effectually performed at the Third Pyramid, where great strength was required. July 12th, Reis, 11. Men, 103. Children, 121. The same works were repeated. Mr. Hill arrived by break of day. I examined, with Mr. Mash, the Fourth and Fifth Pyramids. been first adopted during the time of the Mamelucs), is fully described in Mr. Lane's book. The extreme of fashion seems to consist in the height of the saddle, and in the size of the black satin cloaks. OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEII. 55 In the evening, the Sheik of Cafr el Batran came. I sent for the Reis of Harranich, and again questioned him before the Sheik, respecting the corn which was said to have been taken from him by the janissary without pay- ment, when he said, in direct contradiction to his former assertions, that the janissary had so taken it. I immedi- ately ordered the janissary to take the Reis before the Madyr on the following Friday, that the matter might be cleared up, and that his character might be vindicated, which it was out of my power to do. I told him that the Reis accused him of a theft, and that unless he established his character, he should not work under the British flag. The cavalry again came, and returned home, as before, on the following morning. July ISth. Reis, 11. Men, 124. Children, 148. The same works were repeated. Having been informed by Mr. Hill that Mr. Bagwell and three other Irish gentlemen had arrived, I sent to invite them to my tents, and had the pleasure of their company till the next day. July 14:th. Reis, 11. Men, 102. Children, 149. Third Pyramid. — Interior. Clearing the Pavement. Sixth Pyramid. — Removing Stones in northern front. Mr. Bagwell and his companions went away. I was employed at the Third and Sixth Pyramids the whole day. As the inundation would soon take place, I 56 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEII. was anxious to enter the Third Pyramid. I had re- peatedly sent the janissaries to collect people from the different villages; and I now despatched Ibrahim (the Copt) to inform the Sheiks once for all, that unless they sent more men, they would not receive any bakshish. Juli/ 15th. Reis, 11. Men, 158. Children, 195. The same works were repeated. The Sheik of Koum el Eswith came to arrange about additional people. A small piece of painted wood and an English patent screw were found amongst the rubbish at the Third Pyramid ; but as it appeared from its shape that the latter must have been made within the last eight years, they were probably placed there by the Arabs. I had sent my servant to Cairo, with the intention of going there myself in the evening; but whilst I was paying the men, a lad was brought in on a man's shoulders, apparently half dead ; his white cap and fore- head were matted with blood and sand ; and he was said to have fallen down the whole depth of the shaft in the Third Pyramid. I ordered them to carry him up to the tents, and requested Mr. Hill to attend to him till I had paid off the people. Mr. Hill came directly to inform me that he was most severely hurt, and must be sent into Cairo without loss of time. As soon as the people were gone, I went up myself, and found the boy lying on an earthen bank, to all appearance, senseless, and an Arab (who called himself his uncle) sitting near him to keep off the flies. His pulse and breathing were regular, and his OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEII. 57 limbs warm ; but I concluded, that having fallen from such a height, he must necessarily have received some dreadful injury in his head, and I would not, therefore, allow it to be touched. I directed Mr. Hill to set off with Mr. Mash for Cairo, without a moment's delay, and to return as soon as possible with the best medical advice that could be procured. Not long after they were gone, I happened to turn round and saw the boy open his eyes, and close them again as soon as he observed that I per- ceived it ; and upon turning suddenly round a second time, he was looking at, and talking to, the man seated near him ; but upon finding himself watched, he resumed his former listless position. I immediately sent after Mr. Hill, to say that medical aid was not required; and I ordered the man to be told that he might attend upon the boy if he chose, but that he would not be paid for doing so. He said, that in that case he should go and take with him the boy ; who also expressed a desire to return to his village. I accordingly consented, and the Arab made preparations to carry the boy down the hill, which I would not allow, when the boy immediately got up and walked down without the smallest difficulty. The Arab then carried him across the plain ; and having laid him down on the ground, went on to the village, and returned with a crowd of people, who took the boy home with shouts and lamentations. Both the man and the boy returned on the 17th (Monday) in perfect health, and apphed for a bakshish, — I need not add, without success. It was afterwards ascertained that the boy had been seated on a ledge of rock at the bottom of the upper shaft, where he was employed to haul on a pulley, and that the tackle having broken, he had fallen down about two feet. 58 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. and had grazed his forehead against the side of the shaft. Such was the conduct of these wretched people ; and instances of similar behaviour were continually occurring. Osman (the janissary) had, according to my orders, set out the preceding morning to take the Reis of Haroneah before the Madyr ; instead of which, I found they had only gone to Gizeh, where they dined together, and returned in the evening. I accordingly sent for them, and inquired why my orders had not been obeyed. The Reis seemed at first amazingly frightened; but I clearly saw that there was an understanding between them. I therefore told the janissary that he had been accused of being a thief, and of abusing my authority, by oppressing the people ; that he had not thought fit to clear his cha- racter; and therefore, although he had served me most effectively and zealously since the 13th of February, and although I was extremely sorry to part with him, that I should not keep him any longer. I instantly discharged him, but not without considerable reluctance, as he was by far the best of the janissaries, and extremely useful. July 16th. — In consequence of the affair of the Arab boy, I remained at the Pyramids. Mr. Piggott, who was staying with a party at the Great Tomb in the plain, paid me a visit. In the evening, my best workman. Jack, got extremely drunk ; and although repeatedly sent for, would not attend as usual to take his party of Arabs to work during the night in the Third Pyramid ; I was, therefore, obliged to send the Arabs home again, and, much to my regret, to discharge Jack the next morning. Mr. Hill came. OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEII. 59 July nth. Reis, 11. Men, 127. Children, 117. The same works were repeated. A good many stones were removed at the Third and Sixth Pyramids, and the pavement near the former was found to have been broken up. The place was filled with rubbish, but could not be examined, as it was necessary to keep the surface level and hard, for the removal of the blocks of granite. Mr. Warden, a lieutenant of one of the Company's ships, arrived from Suez. July 18th. Reis, 11. Men, 122. Children, 135. Third Pyramid. — Interioi-. ■ Clearing the pavement. Fourth Pyramid. — Blasting for another entrance. Sixth Pyramid. — Removing stones on northern front. As the passages and chambers, in the Fourth and Fifth Pyramids, had been found beneath the masonry, I was not very sanguine about the operations which had been so long and so unsuccessfully carried on in the interior of the Third. They were, however, still con- tinued at night, but the men were taken off during the day, and were employed in blasting stones at the northern fronts of the Third and Sixth Pyramids. Notwithstand- ing that there still remained a number of heavy blocks on the front of the latter pyramid, we began to remove the sand in search of the entrance. 60 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. July I9th. Reis, 11. Men, 140. Children, 151. The same works were repeated. The Sheik of Haroiieah came in the morning, and engaged to send a number of men — a promise he had often made before, apparently without the smallest in- tention of fulfilling it. As these people must have been sensible that they were never believed, and could not, therefore, have derived any advantage from falsehood, their conduct could only proceed from " a natural, though corrupt, love of the lie itself" (as Lord Bacon expresses it) ; perhaps not uncommon in any part of the world, but extremely prevalent in the East. Mr. Hill brought me a letter from Colonel Campbell, containing the melancholy account of the late King's death. July 20th. Reis, 11. Men, 130. Children, 136. Third Pyramid. — Interior. Clearing the Pavement. Fourth Pyramid. — Blasting for another entrance. Sixth Pyramid. — Blasting stones in the northern front. Lieutenant Warden, and two gentlemen who were on their way to India, came in the morning to see the Pyra- mids, and returned to Cairo at night. Mr. Waghorn was so good as to send a collection of newspapers, and an offer of Selim's services, if I intended to return soon to Alexandria. I wrote to express my acknowledgments, and to request that the janissary might be allowed to OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEII. 61 inquire when the IMadyr would be at Mabietta, and also to attend as dragoman, when I called upon him, as it was necessary for me to make an application respecting the people employed at the Pyramids. July 2lst. Reis, 11. Men, 136. Children, 109. The san[ie works were repeated. In consequence of Selim's inquiries, I went to Mabietta at four o'clock in the afternoon. The IMadyr was enter- taining several Turks of distinction, who had arrived in the morning with the intention (as it was their Sunday, or Festa) of remaining till the next day. They wore white nizam dresses, and were seated on a divan. A band of Turkish musicians were performing ; and I was told, that dancers, male or female, were to be afterwards introduced. Water and fruits were laid out upon a table, and coffee, and small glasses of a very strong spirit, flavoured with aniseed, cinnamon, and other stimulants and spices, were frequently handed round, and appeared already to have had a due effect upon some of the party — they were all, indeed, in great good humour, and seemed determined to enjoy themselves. I was also told, that when they were disposed to sleep, they were partially undressed, and passed the night on the divan in this room, or on that in another apartment, wrapped up in coverlids — a plan which does not exactly coincide with our ideas of com- fort. The Madyr attended to me with much civility, and desired that I would put down my wishes in writing. I here again felt the want of a proper dragoman, and could not venture upon any compliments, but confined 62 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. myself entirely to common expressions and to business ; and I have every reason to believe, that Selim, notwith- standing repeated injunctions, did not say what I told him, but what he thought would best answer the purpose. The Madyr repeated many aphorisms in favour of jollity and mirth, and pressed me to remain for the night, which I would gladly have done out of curiosity, but as I had been employed all the morning at the Pyramids, and had ridden to Mabietta in a high wind, my dress was by no means fit for so much good company. After having therefore taken coffee, and two or three glasses of spirits, I reluctantly withdrew. I was, however, ex- tremely glad to get to Cairo, and to take a Turkish bath — the greatest possible luxury after heat and fatigue. I had the satisfaction of finding that Mr. Raven was going on well ; and arranged with Mr. Waghorn that my letter to the Madyr should be translated into Arabic on the fol- lowing morning. Juhj 22d. Reis, 11. Men, 149. Children, 136. The same works were repeated. Mr. Hill generally remained at the Pyramids during Mr. Raven's illness, and nothing could exceed his zeal and attention. I wrote a letter to the Madyr, w^hich was translated at the British Consulate. The Arabic version, however, differed so much from what I wished to express, that I enclosed with it the heads of the letter in English, that if any of his people accidentally understood that language, the Madyr might have a chance of being better informed of the nature of my request. When I arrived at the Con- Tag-, ^f^ .•* '"'^-^,^^. . -3.4^ '-X^^. X". >■ '-;2* ,jiS*^ 4 ' <- .'Jj Tis IF. Anoa/AAJ e , ii.ti_ '^xxk Sa^'ii^Lilii?' -t OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. 63 sulate I found that a letter respecting this business had been previously written at the dictation of Selim, the janissary, and signed by the vice-consul, and that it was on the point of being sent off. I immediately got posses- sion of this document, which, as may be supposed, was not much to the purpose. Affairs of real importance are, no doubt, often transacted in a similar manner, and blame thrown upon the Arab authorities which they do not exactly deserve ; at the same time, in many instances, particularly where money is concerned, they are too ready to take advantage of the casual or intentional mistakes of an interpreter, even when they are perfectly aware, from other circumstances, of the real state of the question. July 23d. — Jack, and Osman the janissary, who had been discharged, were paid off. Juhj 2Uh. Reis, 11. Men, 111. Children, 78. Third Pyramid. — Interior. Clearing the pavement. Sixth Pyramid. — Blasting stones in northern front. I returned to the Pyramids with Mr. Andrews and Mr. Hill. Nothing further had been discovered at the Fourth Pyramid. It is possible that an apartment to the east- ward of the centre might have been originally intended, but not executed. The entrance to the Sixth Pyramid is in the rock, at some little distance from the base, and six feet to the westward of the centre of the northern front. It descended at an angle of thirty, and was full of sand and stones. 64 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. Jult/ 25th. Reis, 11. Men, 100. Children, 89. Third Pyramid. — Interior. Clearing the pavement. Sixth Pyramid. — Clearing the passage. Some charcoal was found under the stones in the passage of the Sixth Pyramid ; and, soon after the en- trance had been cleared, it was again covered over by a number of blocks, which fell from the top of the pyramid, and were not removed without much labour and difficulty. Fortunately no accident happened. July 26th. Reis, 11. Men, 110. Children, 98= Third Pyramid. — Clearing the pavement. Sixth Pyramid. — Blasting stones in northern front. Clearing the passage. The excavation in the interior of the Third Pyramid was at length entirely given up, and the men were em- ployed to blast the stones that had fallen over the en- trance of the Sixth. They were good workmen, and had attended very regularly for many weeks. I rode with Mr. Hill a little way into the desert. Nothing was to be seen but a dreary prospect of black craggy rocks, and of extensive hollows filled up with yellow sand. It has never, probably, been explored ; and as, in the lapse of centuries, great changes may have taken place, the examination of it for a few miles might afford some curious discoveries. The remains of mounds, and tombs, and lines (appa- rently periboli), are to be traced on the high ground to the westward of the Second and Third Pyramids, where the OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEII. 65 view of these monuments is very fine ; as the ground fiills from them towards the Nile, and as the atmosphere over the river, and the alluvial soil, produces the finest aerial effect. The ridge also of the Mokattam is seen in the distance to great advantage. Heaps of pulverised granite, burnt clay, unburnt bricks, and charcoal were found near the base of the Third Pyra- mid, which led me to suppose that the entrance had been opened, and that it was not far distant. Some people were employed during the night in removing the stones, that had fallen over the entrance of the Sixth Pyramid. Mr. Raven returned, contrary to my entreaties, before he was sufificiently recovered, and was therefore obliged by illness, in a few days, to go back again to Cairo. Juhj 27th. Reis, 11. Men, 163. Children, 140. Third Pyramid. — Clearing the pavement. Fourth Pyramid. — Blasting eastern side of anteroom. Sixth Pyramid. — Blasting stones in northern front. Clearing the passage. Seventh Pyramid. — Excavating for entrance. Eighth Pyramid. — Excavating for entrance. Ninth Pyramid. — Excavating for entrance. The Sheik of Cafr el Batran came, and boasted of his zeal in having collected a few more men, who, no doubt, were sent in consequence of orders, which he had received from the Madyr. We had arrived at the granite blocks which formed the lower part of the Third Pyramid, and every exertion was used to clear away down to the base. Parties were sent to increase the excavation in the eastern side of the VOL. II. F 66 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEII. anteroom in the Fourth Pyramid, and to work at the northern fronts of the Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth, which are situated, as I have observed, to the eastward of the Great Pyramid ; the Seventh being the northern, and the Eighth the central. The entrance into the Seventh was evidently beneath a large stone, that appeared, as far as an opinion could be formed in the ruined state of the building, to be in the centre of the northern front, where the sand and rubbish had been thrown up in a ridge by former explorers, so that very little labour was required to arrive at the passage. The superstructure had been nearly destroyed ; and there was a large cavity in the centre, which had been covered over with sand. A tent was set up for Mr. Andrews, who was employed in drawing at the Great Pyramid. I examined the Sixth. At the bottom of the passage we found an anteroom partially filled with sand and stones, that had fallen in by accident ; for it had not been closed up with solid masonry, as the interior had never been finished. The chambers had been cut in the rocks, and the marks of a chisel were every where visible. The walls had not been plastered, nor did we perceive any hiero- glyphics or sculpture. The sepulchral chamber had been begun from the eastern and southern sides, and had been finished from the top, which was completed ; but a consi- derable part yet remained to be cut out at the northern end, and it had been left in the same state as the western side of the subterraneous chamber^ in the Great Pyramid. Intersecting lines had been marked with red on the ceiling ; ' It is evident, therefore, that the latter chamber had never been completed. \^ SECTION LOOKIN&W. "\ ;- CASING STONES REMAINING •;-^- BASE OF PYRAMID SECTION LOOKING W . ■M.JK3ic^lri-'^ SEVENTH - NORTHERN PYRAMID. CENTRE OF PVf^AK EIGHTH -CENTRAL PYRAMID. CENTRE OF PVRAMT N I NTH ■ SOUTHERN PYRAMID OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEII. 67 another also perpendicularly over the entrance, on the eastern side, and two horizontal lines along the sides of the short inclined passage. The chamber appeared as if the workmen had just left it ; it contained chippings and frag- ments of stone, a small quantity of decomposed wood, and several round stones, that seemed to have been used as hammers, or mallets, two or three of which I brought away. A few black quarry-marks were observed upon some of the blocks near this pyramid. July 28th. Reis, 10. Men, 172. Children, 158. Third Pyramid. — Clearing the pavement. Fourth Pyramid. — Blasting eastern side of antechamber. Seventh Pyramid. — Excavation for entrance. Eighth Pyramid. — Excavation for entrance. Ninth Pyramid. — Excavation for entrance. In going round the works I met several strangers, apparently Franks, near the Seventh Pyramid : and I observed afterwards, with great regret, that the casing- stones at the base of the Great Pyramid, which had been discovered in a perfect state, were injured and broken. Vegetable earth and charcoal were found near the Ninth Pyramid, and a few quarry-marks were observed, which I copied, as I afterwards did some Arabic characters, roughly * Apparently represents the hieroglyphic bolt used for the letter s. — Mr. Birch. 68 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. inscribed in a sort of diagram on the large stone over the entrance of the Seventh Pyramid.'' As the interior of this monument was accessible, I proceeded to examine it. The whole was an excavation, and encumbered with stones and rubbish. The passage in the centre of the northern front descended at an angle of 33-35 to a vestibule, in which a cutting near the ceil- ing, and another on the southern side, had been probably intended, either for the fixing of a granite slab at the entrance of the short inclined passage, that led to a sepul- chral chamber to the westward, or to facilitate the intro- duction of a sarcophagus into that apartment. The northern side of this passage was lined with masonry. A quantity of rain-water and drifted sand had also run down from the entrance into a flaw, or chasm, on the eastern side of the vestibule. The sepulchral chamber had been lined with well-finished masonry, consisting of small squared slabs of white stone, which had been entirely removed, with the exception of a few courses near the north-western corner. A shallow recess on the western side might have been intended for the reception of a sarcophagus, which, from some fragments that remained, appeared to have been composed of polished basalt, and to have been quite plain. There were some indications of an air-channel on the northern side, and near it a quantity of the black dust (consisting probably of decayed stone), so often to be seen in these buildings ; a few small pieces of bone and of rusty metal were likewise observed amongst the sand, that had drifted with the rain-water, at the entrance. * Mr. Perring states that he found the same inscription over the entrance of the Eighth. Tig.l. J- ^4. -« .^ '"S t? mg.z. "^ ^ .,* TAi-iuii.k liUi jJiCyiUiit^uif-uiAh .■' r^ Uve V"*^ OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. 69 As this pyramid was sufficiently opened for the pur- poses of the survey, and as it had been evidently ran- sacked, and examined in every part, nothing further was done to it. It is, however, possible that some informa- tion might be obtained, respecting the origin of this, and also of the Eighth and Ninth Pyramids, if they were entirely cleared out, which might easily be done at a trifling expense. The entrance into the Ninth Pyramid was concealed under a heap of sand and of loose stones. It was about two feet six inches above the base, and five feet eastward of the centre in the northern front of the building, and descended at an angle of twenty-eight. As the work proceeded at the Third Pyramid, we found that the rough and unequal surfaces of one or two of the blocks near the centre, in the lower part of the building, had been worked down to a flat surface, which seemed to denote an entrance ; and the workmen were accordingly employed at that place. Jiilij 29th. Reis, 11. Men, 189. Children, 87. Third Pyramid. — Clearing the pavement. Fourth Pyramid. — Blasting the eastern side of anteroom. Eighth Pyramid. — Excavation for entrance. Ninth Pyramid. — Excavation for entrance. Mr. Raven was taken ill, and returned to Cairo. I endeavoured to examine the interior of the Ninth Pyramid ; but it was so full of sand and of rubbish that the candles would not burn. It was afterwards found, like the others, to contain an anteroom, connected by an inner passage with a sepulchral chamber, which had been lined and roofed with slabs one foot thick. The walling had been 70 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. destroyed, and the place was full of rubbish, but no traces of a sarcophagus were discovered. Some paterae, pearl oyster shells, earth, &c. were found near the Eighth Pyramid, which shewed that the entrance was not far off; and at one time we imagined that it had been discovered between two inchned blocks at the base ; but they proved to be parts of the casing, and the passage was afterwards found in a higher part of the building. Several of the casing- stones remained; they had been roughly chiselled into the proper angle, and then worked down to a polished surface after they had been built, and in many places the latter operation had not been entirely performed; they were as firmly laid as the blocks in the Great Pyramid, and the masonry of the two buildings had a great resem- blance ; and it is to be remembered that tradition assigns this tomb to Cheops' daughter. I carefully examined the Third Pyramid whilst the people were at their dinners, and the result confirmed my opinion as to the position of the entrance. I therefore ordered Goodman (who superintended the work) to leave the heap of rubbish and of accumulated sand behind him, and to employ all the people in clearing away the large blocks under the eastern side of the chasm made by the Mamelucs, which I knew to be in the centre of the py- ramid, and which also appeared to be the centre of the levelled part of the masonry already mentioned ; where the inscription, containing the name of Mycerinus, and described by antient historians, may have been placed. At all events, the entrance into this monument does not appear to have been concealed, although the utmost care has been taken to secure the interior from viola- tion. When the people had come to this work, I J^M-^ /■-f -c ■-'•• - ; ^■ > ;: "♦ ■ %^4 ^i '} ^x ^P i -^zh ... ;-^ ^ "^ ^-^s^l- ■r':-^*'^^ - ,* , iTft:!^! /^ r I- :^- -^ • f y ^ *• - ^ ^' ^kv .-#■" ' .-^i « ^ OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEII. 71 went there, and sent for Mr. Andrews, The stones were removed with great difficulty, particularly a large mass exactly on the spot where I supposed the entrance to be. Its removal proved my conjecture to be right ; and I con- rT' sidered that my operations at the Pyramids were at length successfully concluded. I immediately entered the pass- age, which was completely open, and, notwithstanding several large stones, appeared to be accessible for a con- siderable distance. I then put a guard on the entrance, and went to the tents to pay off the people." As soon as they were dismissed, Mr. Andrews and myself returned full of expectation to the mysterious en- trance, impatient to examine what had excited the curi- osity, and had hitherto been supposed to have eluded the researches of all explorers, and of which no tradition or account, antient or modern, was known to exist." ^ In returning to the Third Pyramid, Abd-El-Ardi informed me of a subterraneous passage near the Second, which I afterwards cleared out. This man, probably, was acquainted with many other objects of interest, both here and at Saccara ; but he did not seem to know of the ruins represented as being to the northward of Abou Reche ; the existence of which should be ascertained. 7 Since this was wTitten I have been enabled, through the kindness of the Earl of Mountnorris, to examine the papers of the late Mr. Salt ; and amongst them I found the following extract from a translation liy M. Burckhardt, of a passage in Edrisi, who wrote in 623, a.h. ; which certainly, as far as it goes, is a contradiction to what I had, before I had seen it, believed to be the case: — "A few years ago the Red Pyramid, which is the Third, or smaller one, was opened on its lower skirt, on the north side ; but it is not known who opened it. An alley was found leading down about twenty draas or more, and on its extremity a narrow place, that affords room for one person only ; after which a road is entered of difficult and fatiguing passage, where one creeps along upon the stomach for above twenty draas more, until an oblong square room 72 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. The entrance, as I observed, was situated thirteen feet above the base, in the masses of granite of which it was composed, and which immediately around the aperture had been levelled to the angle of the upper part of the building, but it did not present any traces of an inscription, or of sculpture.^ The entrance had been forced, as well as the inclined passage, the sides and floor of which had been car- ried through the granite blocks for twenty-eight feet two inches, and the roof for twenty-nine feet eight inches, when a large block (B, PI. I. Fig. 2), was inserted, pro- bably on account of a flaw in the rock. The remainder of the passages, and all the other chambers and commu- nications were entirely excavations. The interior of the passage was rough and uneven, particularly near the en- trance, where the joints of the masonry were open and defective, and the ceiling was cut in coves of unequal height. Much of this irregularity was no doubt occasioned is reached, in which several pits are seen that were dug by those who went in quest of treasures. From thence another room is entered, the four walls of which are formed by six or seven chambers with arched doors, as are the doors over the small private chambers in the baths. In the midst of the space on the side, and round which these chambers ex- tend, is a blue long vessel, quite empty. The Shereef, Abou El Hosseyn, of the family of Mymoon Ibn Hambe, has told me that lie was pre- sent when the opening into this pyramid was effected by people who were in search after treasures ; they worked at it with axes for six months, and they were in great numbers. They found in this basin, after they had broken the covering of it, the decayed rotten remains of a man, but no treasures on his side, excepting some golden tablets in- scribed with characters of a language nobody could understand. Each man's share of these tablets amounted to one hundred dinars." ^ A polished revetment of granite appears, by the key-stones of that material, to have extended to C. (See section of the Pyramid.) f^LATf:. /. Ti O N S OF PAS 5 I ;a\\\\w toL H yVsfe m : — - ^ i THIRD PYR ..MID PLANS AND SECTIONS of PASS AG ES &c v<-^^',',>\\\'VV,V ENTRANCE PASSAGE .^MiM.yJMmi m c OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. 73 by the violence that had been used in removing the blocks with which the passage, as far as the anteroom, had ori- ginally been closed up.^ It formed, however, in its pre- sent state, a strong contrast to the fine workmanship dis- played in the passages of the other large pyramids, and also on its own exterior. At the junction of the masonry with the rock, the roof of the passage had been forced, possibly on account of the stone B, which might have been supposed to have concealed an entrance, and an excavation (E, PI. I. Fig. 2) had been carried up into the solid building, on the outside of one of the steps or stages, of which the interior of this pyramid is built. ^ Beyond the excavation the passage was much encumbered with stones and rubbish, but continued practicable for some distance, as the larger fragments had been piled up along the western, side to make room for a man to pass : further down it was entirely filled up with sand and stones. Conceiving that the obstruction extended only for a few feet, I sent Abd-El-Ardi to force his way ; but he was unable to proceed, and we were obliged to postpone all further investigation till the rubbish had been removed. Some fragments of common pottery, a small piece of stick. 9 Mr. Perring is of opinion that, to facilitate the insertion of these stones, a composition of Nile earth and small pebbles was spread on the floor of the passage, down which they slided. 1 It consists of two sorts of masonry, one infinitely better than the other as to the size of the stones, and as to the workmanship in general ; and although the exterior is in one continued line, the bulk of it is constructed in stages, diminishing as they ascend, which were probably the altars, or steps, mentioned by Herodotus at the Great Pyramid, upon which were placed the machines employed in raising the materials ; for the courses of stone were not of sufficient width for that purpose. 74 OPERATIONS CAURIED ON AT GIZEH. upon which the bark was tolerably fresh, some twigs, that would almost bend, Tibni (or dried forage), part of an old basket, and a rag of coarse linen, were found in the passage. From what we had seen, it appeared that the passage had been forced ; that an excavation had been carried up from it into the superstructure at the end of the masonry ; that it had been reopened at no very remote period ; and that, notwithstanding the unaccountable mystery which prevailed about it, the upper part of the passage had subsequently been visited as far as the stones had been piled up. The Arabic characters afterwards found in the interior of this pyramid were similar to those in the Fifth, and most probably to the inscription discovered by Mr. Belzoni in the Second, and they seem, together with the diacrrams inscribed over the entrances of the Seventh and Eighth, to prove that all these monuments were visited nearly about the same time by Mahometans. It is sur- prising, therefore, that any uncertainty should have existed respecting the entrance of the Third Pyramid, and much more so, that the two chasms should have been under- taken with so much labour and expense by the Mame- lucs before the lower part of the pyramid had been examined ; for the entrance was chiefly concealed by the masses of stone and rubbish occasioned by these works.^ These considerations influenced my researches, and they seem, also, to have misled many other explorers, who, instead of examining the lower part of the building, sought for the entrance in the pit, and in the exterior ~ A few of these blocks were removed by Mr. Belzoni, who appears to have guessed with great exactness the position of the entrance. OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. 75 pavement. It may also be remarked that the height at which the chasms were made, the excavation at E, and those which will be subsequently mentioned in the interior of the pyramid, shew that, even after the large apartment had been entered, although probably before the tomb itself was discovered, a strong idea prevailed that cham- bers existed in the upper part of the edifice, — an opinion, however, which these excavations, and the gallery and shafts lately carried down to the foundation, prove to be unfounded. I returned with Mr. Andrews to the tents. July 80fh. — Mr. Hill, Dr. Walne (the vice-consul), and Mr. Trail (Ibrahim Pasha's gardener), dined with me and returned in the evening. The doctor's visit was most fortunate, as my carpenter had a sudden attack of fever, for which he kindly prescribed. July Slsf. Reis, 11. Men, 87. Children, 85. Third Pyramid. — Clearing out entrance. Eighth Pyramid. — Excavation for entrance. Ninth Pyramid. — Clearing out the chamber. Sphinx. Blasting for the boring-rods. Excavation for shaft at the south-western angle of Campbell's Tomb. Pumping in shaft between Campbell's Tomb and Second Pyramid. Subterannean passage near the Second Pyramid. A party was sent to take up the pavement at the south-western angle of Campbell's Tomb, which was thought to conceal a shaft like that at the south-eastern angle. None, however, was found. Some people were also employed to get out the boring- rods left in the 76 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. Sphinx, which, for reasons already stated, they did not effect.^ The pump was lowered to the bottom of the shaft between Campbell's Tomb and the Second Pyramid, but it could not be worked owing to the badness of the hose. All that could be done, therefore, was to observe whether the water kept the varying level of the river during the inundation. Mr. Perring's observations are given in the Appendix ; but the subject is well worthy of the attention of future explorers, and may be carried on with great advantage if a proper hose is obtained, as the pump was left with Mr. Hill, and as the sand has been taken out of the shafts. A considerable quantity of water, no doubt, exists, and may have been collected for religious purposes. The general direction of the souterrain, near the Second Pyramid, was east 1^ point north, and west Ij point south. It appeared to have contained a communi- cation, made out of a natural fissure, and was roofed over with slabs to form a level surface ; indeed a passage may even now exist, for we did not thoroughly examine it, but only removed a sufficient quantity of sand, to ascertain its direction and length. We entered it by a pit, made either by former explorers, or by the accidental failure of the roofing-stones, which have here fallen in for the space of twenty-two feet. This pit was about fifty feet from the south-western angle of the temple, and about two hundred from the pyramid. The channel was covered over with slabs for thirteen feet to the westward, beyond which it became a narrow fissure. It extended to the 3 The fossil found at this place, as mentioned vol. i. p. 275, has every appearance of being that of a reed : but I understand that it is considered at the British Museum to be the spine of a large echinus. OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. 77 eastward sixty -five feet, it was about four feet wide, and was completely full of sand. One or two trifling fissures branched off from it, but the sides were very regular, and the working of a chisel might in many places be observed ; the eastern end, indeed, to the length of six feet is entirely artificial, and ends abruptly in the rock. It may possibly communicate with sepulchral shafts, or be connected with the water, and deserves a stricter investigation than I had time to bestow upon it. I have mentioned, that the ground in many places sounds as if it were hollow ; and I have no doubt, that it contains a number of curious excavations ; but the vast body of sand which has accumulated from various causes, makes it impossible, without much time and labour, to ascertain the different levels and foundations, much more to form a general idea of the whole. It is probable, however, that advantage was taken of the quarries from which the stones were cut for the Pyramids ; and as that operation would naturally be guided by the quality of the material, that no regular plan was followed as to the position or size of the tombs. August 1st. Reis, 11. Men, 138. Children, 84. Third Pyramid. — Clearing out the passages. Eighth Pyramid. — Excavation for entrance. Ninth Pyramid. — Clearing out the Chamber. Mr. Perring, Mr. Mash, Mr. Raven, and Mr. Hill arrived. The passages of the Third Pyramid were at length practicable, although a quantity of sand and rubbish yet remained in them. Indeed, the anteroom, the chamber with the portcullis, and a considerable part 78 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEII. of the long passage proceeding from them, were filled up with sand to within two feet of the ceiling ; but the large apartment, and the rest of the pyramid, were only en- cumbered with stones and rubbish, produced by former excavations and by decay. The inclined entrance has been already described. It was of considerable length, and terminated in a short horizontal passage (see Plates I. and II.) that lead to the anteroom, the walls of which were covered with white plaster, worked in compartments. (See Plate II. Fig. 7 and 8.) Directly opposite the entrance into this room, a door-way of the same size opened into a narrow chamber (Plate II.), which had been filled up with three portcullises, placed across it from east to west.* The middle of the anteroom had also been blocked up by large stones laid across it from north to south, which had completely closed both door-ways. Two of them remained in their original position. The rest of the anteroom had not been filled up;^ and the southern side of it to the eastward of the door-way into the cham- * The dimensions are given in the Appendix ; but reference is neces- sary, in this and in many other instances, to Mr. Perring's "Plans of the Pyramids," published by Mr. Fraser, of Regent Street, which will give a clearer idea of them than can be conveyed in this work. 5 The slabs of granite forming the portcullis, were, according to Mr. Perring's observations, conveyed down the passage angle-ways, and intro- duced from the anteroom, by the openings A A, on each side of the door- way, into the upper part of the chamber of the portcullis B, and there inserted into grooves prepared for them. The openings A A were after- wards filled up with masonry. The holes a b c were probably for the insertion of beams to sustain or move the portcullis : there are corre- sponding holes on the opposite side. The slabs were destroyed in forcing the Pyramid, but part of the granite heading was found in the anteroom. — (See Plate II., south end of room restored, D.) Pass L Fic 2 Section looking west. Fic 3 Fio 4 South End of Room Nohth End of Room r»WCK. I W^^vx^^^i\;\^,.\\;-,. Fio I, PLAN ^^^^VAV•: 'v:;^^- \ : ^Ks F,c 6. South End of Room, rf F:c 5. Section .ht„ Portc ( PORtT^C lACE TO LaRCE APARTME*^^ V-^M^$5vJ^S$S^'V Third Pyramid. Small Ante Room and portcullis. _1 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. 79 ber, containing the portcullis, had been cut into, in order, as it would appear, to avoid the necessity of breaking down the slabs of granite forming the portcullis, which might reasonably have been supposed to have concealed a tomb ; but, as this did not prove to be the case, the excavation had been turned to the right, so as to enter the eastern side of the chamber containing the portcuUis, as shewn by the dotted line D (Plate II. Fig. 1). A passage, almost horizontal (as it had only four degrees of declination), proceeded from the portcullis to the south, and entered the northern side of the large apartment. Immediately above it, another passage, at first horizontal, and afterwards inclining upwards (see Plates I. and III.), returned towards the north, and ended where the masonry of the pyramid commenced. This passage had been worked by the chisel from the exterior or north, the other passages from the interior or south. It must, therefore, have been formed before the other passages and chambers, as the large apartment probably was also. At the end of it, in the masonry, at C (Plate I. Fig. 2), various excavations had been made in different directions into the superstructure in search of a chamber, to which it might have been imagined to conduct, for it had been filled up with solid masonry — fragments of which yet remain, and also part of the plaster upon the sides of it. The mouth of this passage in the large apartment^ (see Plates I. and III.) was worn into grooves, apparently by ^ This passage, like that discovered by M. Caviglia in the Second Pyramid, was probably formed for the sake of supplying air to the people employed in the subterraneous chambers ; or it may have been originally intended for the regular entrance, and the plan may, for some reason or other, have been altered. 80 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. chains or ropes, which may have been employed to con- vey the workmen and their tools into it, or the stones and rubbish made by these excavations out of it/ of which a considerable quantity was found in the apartment, par- ticularly at the eastern end. This room had a flat ceiling, and was divided at some little distance from the western side by pilasters, e e (Plate III., Figs. 1 and 2), and by an architectural ornament on the roof,/ (Plate III., Fig. 2). At the western end, and near the north-western corner, a short passage, G (Plate III., Fig. 2), led to a hollow of inconsiderable height, H (Plate III., Fig. 2), floored by the reverse of the blocks of granite that form the coved roof of the sepulchral chambers immediately beneath it. The blocks extended from east to west, and met in a ridge in the centre. Their reverse ends were lodged in deep groovings cut into the rock, and they were kept down in their places by pieces of stone laid upon them. The rock was partially covered with a sparry ex- crescence, which had the appearance of white feathers, and was of the same nature as that discovered in the chambers of the Great Pyramid. The entrance to the short passage G (Plate III., Fig. 2) had been closed up with sohd masonry, and concealed by a coating of plaster. It had probably been forced in search of ::he tomb, and seemed to have been much frequented, for the large masses of stone left within it were worn and glazed over by the constant passing and repassing of a 7 These excavations, in some degree, account for the facility with which the workmen in the shaft had been heard on the outside of the pyramid over this spot. I OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEII. 81 concourse of people. The large apartment was forty- six feet three inches in length ; and when the rubbish was entirely removed, the floor for thirty-one feet from the eastern end, was found to be rock, and the rest to have consisted of a pavement, in which a place for a sarcopha- gus had been sunk (Plate III., Figs. 1 and 2).^ We are informed by Herodotus, that the body of an inferior person was sometimes placed in the ostensible sepulchre to pre- vent any further inquiry after the principal tomb, as is mentioned respecting that of Amasis — an expedient which seemed to have been contemplated, but not actually put in practice in this instance ; for not a vestige of a sarcophagus was to be discovered, which must have been the case if one had been introduced, as the communications, particularly through the anteroom, had not been sufficiently cleared for its removal. The pavement had been entirely de- stroyed. The circular holes in the sides and floor of the apartment were probably intended to receive beams for the support of a scaffolding used in trimming and finishing the walls, or to assist in the deposition of the sarcophagus in the sepulchral chamber. At the distance of seventeen feet from the eastern end of this apartment, an inclined passage, which had been no doubt originally concealed by the pavement, de- scended to the sepulchral chamber nearly in the same s Mr. Perring mentions indeed that a number of small pieces of red granite were found among the rubbish in the large apartment; but granite was used in the portcullis, and in the sepulchral chamber ; and some undoubted fragment of the sarcophagus must have been found if one had really been placed there. VOL. II. G 83 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. manner as those in the tombs at Thebes. It contained a quantity of rubbish, and also of black dust/ apparently the exuviae of insects and of bats, likewise several large stones, which had the same appearance of having been rubbed and worn, as those already described. When this passage was cleared out, it was found to have been built up with ramps, and with blocks laid upon them after the sarcophagus had been placed in the tomb, and to have been closed at the lower end with a portcullis of granite (Plate III., Fig. 2,m)The passage entered the eastern side of a sepulchral chamber, which extended north and south, and was entirely composed of granite. I have already said that the blocks, which composed the roof, met in a ridge in the middle, and were cut into the shape of a pointed arch. The floor had been formed of large masses well put together, several of which had been taken up, and were lying in the apartment. The linings of the walls had also been searched ; they consisted of slabs, two feet six inches thick, and were in many places stained by secretions from the rock, and by a quantity of white fungus. Two cramps were found in the western wall (see Plate III., Fig. 6, 7, 8, 9). The stones ABC were kept in their places by the dovetail cramp G, and the wedge -formed piece D, resting against the side of the excavated rock behind, served to keep the whole together. No sculpture, or inscription of any kind. * A good deal of this deposition was also found in the large apart- ment ; and the dung of large birds, probably of vultures, appeared in many places, particularly on the sarcophagus, and seemed to have been there for many years. 4 £ ■ -^■^ 1^,^ SISS'WILiSMmiUL (52a^MIBE3S. TlSHm® 2^^IE.iv.SSIDE). SOalisliBd iijr J Ixas. er, 2I5,^^,seut St OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEII. 83 was discovered, excepting some rude and unconnected Arabic words and characters'^ scrawled witli somethinc: like chalk on various parts of the walls, and on the inside of the sarcophagus.^ The only words that could be made out were Mahomet Rasoul over the entrance. The sarco- phagus is supposed to have been originally placed in the centre of the chamber, to which its proportions were very similar, but it had been moved, and was found 2 As soon as these writings were discovered, I sent to the Shereef of Mecca to request permission for the Cadi to examine them, who, on the 2d of Jul}^ had explained those found in the Fifth Pyramid. The Cadi was at Alexandria, but the Shereef was so good as to send two other persons on the 3d inst., as will subsequently be seen, but they could only make out the above words ; and, I was afterwards informed, thought proper to say, that I had myself written them. I then endeavoured, but without success, to procure persons from Cairo who understood antient Arabic characters. From the desultory manner in which these writings are scrawled OA'cr the walls and ceilings, I do not however believe that they have any con- nected meaning. They are probably the names of visitors or of workmen, or, perhaps, a few phrases from the Koran. I tried in vain to copy them ; they were extremely faint, and could not be made out. 3 As the sarcophagus would have been destroj'ed, had it remained in the pj'ramid, I resolved to send it to the British Museum. The diffi- culties with which Mr. Raven had to contend in this operation, were not trifling. One of the ramps in the inclined passage was to be removed in order to get it into the large apartment, where it was placed upon trucks, and the blocks in the anteroom having been got rid of, it arrived at the bottom of the entrance passage. By means of a number of men, and of a crab at the mouth of the pyramid, it had been conveyed halfway up, when, owing to the roughness of the bottom, the trucks on one side 84 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. in the position represented. (See Plate III., Figs. 2 and 5.) It was entirely empty, and composed of basalt, which bore a fine polish of a shaded brown colour, but was blue where it had been chipped off, or broken.^ Some sharp substance, such as emery powder, had been used in its construction, and it appeared to have been sawn, which is remarkable, as the art of sawing marble was not known at Rome till a late period.^ It was finely carved in compartments, and the ornaments upon it resembled in some degree the architectural decorations in the tomb of Numbers, and those carved upon two blocks of stone now exhibited in the British Museum, and which formerly belonged to the collection of the late Mr. Salt. gave way. As they could not be repaired for want of space, the sarco- phagus was slowly lifted by levers, and got out by degrees ; which, con- sidering that its weight was nearly three tons, was an arduous undertak- ing. It was, however, at last safely hauled out, and placed on a proper carriage, in which, with the assistance of planks, it was drawn over the rocks and sands to the tents, and afterwards cased with strong timbers, to be sent to the British Museum. It was embarked at Alexandria in the autumn of 1838, on board a merchant-ship, which was supposed to have been lost oif Carthagena, as she never was heard of after her departure from Leghorn on the 12th of October in that year, and as some parts of the wreck were picked up near the former port. * A piece of it has been sent to the British Museum. 5 Mr. Perring has since discovered, in two tombs to the south of the Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Pyramids, a complete representation of the end of this sarcophagus, with the lid upon it. The hieroglyphics in these grottoes are greatly defaced, but they contain this cartouche, which is also given by Signor Rosellini (Tom. I., tav. ii., 32), by Mr. Burton in his " Excerpta," and has been since discovered in the pyra- mids at Abouseir. END ELEVATION SIDE ELEVATION TRANSVERSE SECTION LONGITUDINAL SECTION PLfvN WITH LID R EMOVED rScaie of iz 6 (/ 1 1 I V i L jL ^n. THIRD PYRAMID. SARCOPHAGUS WITH LID RESTORED (.^.J^^rrrr/f iW Jta iSfjkeXSi.'-Tr i*--- ■ Ttaaishedij'JTraaec, 235,Ee^ejir St . ;%# OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GlZKTI. 85 The sarcophagus did not bear any inscription or hierogly- phics. The lid had been fixed by two pins in the usual manner, and also by a dovetail, which was rounded ; and a plate of metal seemed to have been applied so carefully underneath it, that in order to insert a lever for its removal, it had been found necessary to cut a groove across the rim of the sarcophagus. The hd was not found in the sepulchral chamber, but pieces of it were afterwards discovered. At the bottom of the southern side of the passage, leading to the sepulchral chamber, a recess had been formed (something like that in the lower horizontal passage in the Second Pyramid), and on the opposite side a flight of seven steps opened into the southern end of a room, which were three feet below the level of the passage. (See Plate III., Fig. 4.) This room was rectangular, but not square with the sepulchral chamber, as it lay 25° east of north ; a position evidently intended, together with the above-mentioned recess, to facilitate the removal of the sarcophagus between this and the sepulchral chamber. It contained four niches or compartments on the eastern side, and two on the northern ; one of the latter, it is to be observed, had an inchned direction, apparently for the purpose of receiving some solid sub- stance of considerable lens[th. This room was half full of rubbish, and several Arabic characters had been scrawled on the ceiling. It was probably intended for funereal ceremonies like those at Abou Simbel, Thebes, &c. When the large apartment was finally cleared out, the greater part of the lid of the sarcophagus was found (as I have already stated) near the entrance of the passage descending to the sepulchral chamber ; and close to it •t 86 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. (see F, Plate III., Fig. 1), fragments of the top of a mummy-case (inscribed with hieroglyphics, and amongst them, with the cartouche of Menkahre) were discovered upon a block of stone, together with part of a skeleton, consisting of ribs and vertebrae, and the bones of the legs and feet^ enveloped in coarse woollen cloth of a yellow colour, to which a small quantity of resinous substance and gum was attached. More of the board and cloth were afterwards taken out of the rubbish. It would therefore ^ These relics are in the British Museum. Not being present when they were found, I requested ^Ir. Raven, when that gentleman was in England, to write an account of the discovery, in order that it might be published: — " Sir, " London, llth July, 1838. " By your request, I send you the particulars of the find- ing of the bones, mummy-cloth, and parts of the coffin, in the Third Pyramid. In clearing the rubbish out of the large entrance-room, after the men had been employed there several days, and had advanced some distance towards the south-eastern corner, some bones were first disco- vered at the bottom of the rubbish ; and the remaining bones and parts of the coffin were immediately discovered altogether : no other parts of the coffin or bones could be found in the room ; I therefore had the rubbish, which had been previously turned out of the same room, carefully re-examined, when several pieces of the coffin and of the mummy-cloth were found ; but in no other part of the pyramid were any parts of it to be discovered, although every place was most minutely examined to make the coffin as complete as possible. There was about three feet of rubbish on the top of the same ; and from the circumstance of the bones and part of the coffin being all found together, it appeared as if the coffin had been brought to that spot, and there unpacked. " I am. Sir, " Your most obedient servant, " To Col. Howard Vyse." " H. Raven. ';-.vrKhy;;B-»iaKr r- :. '^- "^M OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEII. 87 seem that, as the sarcophagus could not be removed, the wooden case containing the body had been brought into the large apartment for examination. Whoever may have been the first explorers, it is clear that at one period this pyramid remained open for a considerable time, and was then much frequented by Mussulmen, and that it was afterwards closed up for many years, otherwise some accounts respecting it, more circumstantial than that in Edrisi, must have existed, and recent traces of bats and of reptiles would have been found in it. The great efforts, which had been made to get into the higher parts of the building, were very extraordinary, and the precautions, which had been taken to secure the tomb from violation, were no less remarkable ; the ponderous masses of granite, and of calcareous stone, with which the whole of the entrance was filled up as far as the anteroom, the blocks, which secured that apartment, the three port- cullises in the smaller chamber, the squared stones, with which the upper returning passage was built up, the con- cealment of the immediate entrance to the tomb by the pavement of the large apartment, and the manner in which that passage was closed up with a portcullis of great thickness, with ramps, and finally with solid masonry, indicate the veneration in which the sepulchre was held, and therefore the importance of the personage, to whom it belonged. August 2d. Reis, 11. Men, 137. Children, 83. Third Pyramid. — Clearing the Chambers and Passages. Eighth Pyramid. — Excavation for Entrance. Ninth Pyramid. — Clearing out the Chamber. Excavating the lines westward of the Second Pyramid. 88 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. As I had at length discovered the entrance of the Third Pyramid, I was anxious to finish my operations as soon as possible, and employed parties by day and by night at the Third and Eighth Pyramids. A number of parallel ridges, to the westward of the Second Pyramid, however, excited my attention, and I conceived that they might have been the burial-places of the common people, like those at Tarquinia, in Italy. Some of them were in consequence cut through, but they were found to be com- posed of stones and sand, and their origin was not discovered. I sent Ibrahim, the Copt, to inform the Shereef of Mecca, that the Third Pyramid was opened, and, as I have already mentioned, to request the assistance of the Cadi to read the inscription. The Shereef returned for answer, that the Cadi was at Alexandria, but that he himself would come on the following day to the Pyramids. I also sent to Cairo for people who understood antient Arabic characters, but I could not prevail upon them to attend. Mr. Brettel arrived. We examined the interior of the Third Pyramid, and also measured the subterraneous passage near the temple of the Second. — (See July 31.) In the course of the day, the entrance into the Eighth Pyramid was found eight feet nine inches above the base, in the centre of the northern front. It had an incline of 34*5 ; but was choked up with sand, so that the candles would not burn, and the examination of it was necessarily postponed. I then entered the Ninth, which has been already described. — (See July 29.) OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. 89 August 3d. Reis, 8. Men, 119. Children, 55. Third Pyramid. — Clearing chambers and passages. Eighth Pyramid. — Clearing chamber and passage. I called on the Shereef of Mecca, who was encamped at the edge of the arable ground near the northern dyke ; and, when I took my leave, he sent a Coptic secretary and an Armenian, to read the inscription in the Tliird Pyramid. They began by copying the diagram on the great stone over the entrance of the Seventh. The Copt then entered the Fifth, and looked at the writings, which the Cadi had already partly deciphered. Both of them afterwards examined the characters in the Third, as I have already mentioned. Having dismissed these persons, I entered the Eighth Pyramid, and found in the anteroom twelve or thirteen skulls, and a bronze armlet, with a piece of brown stone shaped like part of a female hand, which was remarkable, as the building was supposed to have been the tomb of the daughter of Cheops. The entrance-passage and se- pulchral chamber were on the same plan as those in the Seventh and Ninth Pyramids ; the masonry had been pulled down in search of other apartments ; and a quantity of bones and broken mummy-cases were found in it, by which it would appear that it had been subsequently used as a general place of sepulture ; but there were not any remains of a sarcophagus. I did not think it worth while to be at further trouble or expense about these tombs, as they had been completely ransacked. The Shereef of Mecca dined with me. He came with a large suite, and was accompanied by his two sons, and 90 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. by another Shereef Sheabyeah, an old man, to whom great respect was paid, the whole party rising up on his ap- proach. The tent was too small for so large a party ; and a Tmkish dinner, consisting of a sheep roasted whole, and a variety of hot dishes, under such circumstances, together with the extreme beat of the weather, was a most disagreeable affair. Mr. Andrews excited much curiosity by his Oriental costume, and knowledge of Arabic manners ; my guests, indeed, would scarcely believe that he was a Frank. We afterwards rode round the Pyra- mids, and the Shereef returned to his tents. August itii. — The people were paid by Mr. Raven. The Shereef called upon me early in the morning on his way to the Pyramids, before I was ready to receive him. I joined him at the Second, where I found him seated upon the ground, to observe some Arabs, who had been sent over the casing-stones up to the summit for his amusement. Upon arriving at the Third Pyramid he dismounted, and, much to my surprise, took off his tur- ban and robe, and accompanied me into the interior. He examined every part of it with attention, and seemed much interested with such information as I was enabled to offer. One of his sons, and two or three of his suite, followed his example. When we returned I introduced Mr. Raven, who explained the use of the crab in the removal of the stones, and set it to work, that he might witness its effects. He then went back to his tents. The cavalcade was extremely picturesque ; and the bright colours of the dresses, and beauty of the horses, particularly when the jereed was used, had a fine effect. The Shereef wore an orange-coloured robe ; and his flat OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. 91 turban was becoming, and much more appropriate for a horseman than the cumbrous head-dress used by the Turks. He was remarkably well mounted ; his saddle was padded, and had small stirrups like those described in the Appendix, it was covered with purple velvet, and embroidered with gold ; his bridle was black, it was also ornamented with gold, and had a crimson rein of silken cord. Besides a number of attendants carrying his gun, pipe, &c., two janissaries bore before him long staves, sur- mounted with bars of silver, from which balls were sus- pended by chains of the same metal; — models of an instrument made use of to confine a man's legs when he is bastinadoed. As soon as I got to the tents, I set out again for the Great Pyramid, where I saw a quantity of rubbish thrown over the casing-stones, in the hope of preserving them from further injury ;''^ and at eleven o'clock I went with Mr. Andrews to dine with the Shereef. His encampment, with a number of horses and camels picketed near it, was highly characteristic ; and the glow- ing costume of his mounted attendants, who armed with lances traversed the plain in different directions, appeared to great advantage in the clear light of an Oriental climate. The tents were pitched near the northern dyke beneath the mountain, upon which the Great Pyramid is placed ; and the transitory nature of these patriarchal and simple habitations formed a strikins: contrast with the vastness 'o 7 I have had the mortification of hearing, since my return to England, that these precautions were unavailing, and that the stones have been uncovered, and broken to pieces. I was extremely anxious that the British Museum should send for one of these blocks, as the fragments which I have given to that establishment are rough, and imperfect. 92 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. and comparative duration of the surrounding objects, the world of moving sand, the vast masses of the ruined causeway, the desert mountains, and the enduring pyra- mids established upon them — the silent witnesses of suc- cessive and countless generations long since passed away, and forgotten — and the most antient and wonderful mo- numents of human skill, that seem to set at defiance the effects of time, and almost to rival in extent and solidity the productions of nature. The spectacle had also to me an additional interest, from the conviction that I was on the point of leaving for ever this wonderful place. The Shereef received us in an open tent, in which several people were assembled. In the course of conver- sation he expressed a desire to see JNIr. Andrews's draw- ings. They were accordingly sent for. He understood them much better than I expected, and even pointed out the portraits of several persons whom he had casually seen. After some time had elapsed, preparations were made for dinner, by laying down two horses' hides upon the ground before us, and by placing upon them a quantity of Arab bread, which served for plates as well as for food.° The guests, having washed their hands, seated themselves, and begun their repast without further ceremony. I observed upon this, and upon other occasions, that the left hand was concealed, and that only the right was in general employed. Wooden spoons were provided for each person. Dishes composed of meat, vegetables, and sweatmeats, in all sorts of basins, cups, and plates, were ^ The antiquity of this custom is proved by the interpretation given to the denunciations of the Harpy, in the seventh book of the iEueid. OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. 93 heaped upon the skins; but the principal feature was a sheep roasted whole, which two men held up by the hinder legs opposite to the Shereef, who slashed at it with a large knife, and managed to cut it into pieces : water was the only liquor, that I observed : when required, it was served out in a silver basin. Each individual rose, when he had finished his meal, washed his hands, and retired from the tent. I took the opportunity of examin- ing the horses, that were picketed near it ; and when T came in for coffee, I got all the information I could, respecting them. The Shereef informed me that his best and highest bred horse had been taken to the stables of Abbas Pasha, and that it was by far more valuable than the others. I saw this horse in the evening at Cairo. It was white, and is described in the Appendix as the sire of the colt, which I brought to England. Soon afterwards, I took my leave, and returned for the last time to my tents, where I had been so long employed, and left Gizeh for Cairo, in company with Mr. Andrews, and Mr. Hill. August 5th. — Mr. Mash and Mr. Raven came in the evening from the Pyramids. The people had been occu- pied in clearing out the interior of the Third Pyramid. August 6th. — I received a board from the Third Pyramid inscribed with hierogly- phics. It formed the lower part of the mummy-case belonging to Mycerinus, and was left with Mr. Perring, in order that it might be compared with any other pieces that might afterwards be discovered, which 94 OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. soon took place in the manner I have ah'eady described.^ ^ In the evening I had the pleasure of dining witli my friends, with whom I had been so long engaged at the Pyramids, to whose assistance I was so much indebted, 9 Mr. Perring was of opinion that some of the boards had been charred. ^ The coffin found in the Third Pyramid, bears the prenomen of the monarch, by whom it was erected, and gives the only name satis- factorily fixed previous to the Sixteenth Dynasty. Although some dif- ference exists as to the name of the monarch in the different Greek authorities, by whom he is mentioned, yet they sufficiently agree in the chief elements of the name, and period ; and the cartouche itself affords an easy solution on the modern principle of analysing hierogly^phic texts. Herodotus II. 129, calls the builder of the Third Pyramid Mucherinos, the successor of Chephren, the son or brother of Cheops, who erected the first or Great Pyramid. These monarchs appear in the list of Era- tosthenes, as Moscheris, Sensaophis, and Saophis. Jablonski corrected the name of Moscheris into Moicheris, as more analogous to its import. Opuscula I. 752. Diodorus Siculus gives his name as Mukerinos, or, according to others, Mecherinos, and one reading of Stephanus Rhodius has the variation of Mencherinos. The same monarch appears as fourth King of the Fourth Memphite Dynasty of Africanus, under the title of Mencheres. It is evident, from a comparison of these variations, that the integral elements of the name are identical, and that the changes are those of dialect and termination. The car- touche itself is unpublished, but one of the names of the Fifteenth Dynasty bears considerable analogy to it (vide Ros. tom. I. tav. iv. 84), and another given in the same author (Tom. I. tav. ii. 49) phonetically approaches it in its elements, but the ideographic exactitude, with which the prenomens of monarchs are composed, renders it doubtful, if not improbable, that either can possibly refer to the same monarch. The name read phonetically is Re-men-ka, and is composed of the disc of the sun, determinative of the re or ra, the central symbol used in the texts as the letter M, and especially appropriated to express the idea M'"i I ^ I f ..l Mn, Men, or Moun, " construction, monument," &c., Wvvv vww '^I'^ch idea, in the cartouche, is rendered by the Yy;:: •n-lP Teili CtQ-FFIN OIF MlfCKMIlJ^lUS. iii^/t^w ai- ■ i*/!' OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH. 95 and to ^vhose skill and industry are chiefly due whatever discoveries may have been made. August 1th. — The establishment at the Pyramids was initial symbol, similarly to the contractions common to all monuments. An inspection of the lists of early monarchs seems to justify the theory, that the disc of the sun, universally dominant in prenomens, was occa- sionally suffixed in the spoken dialect. By this metathesis, Men-kah-re is obtained, comprising all the elements of the names in question ; and the translation implies, "the dedicated offering to the sun" — sufficiently near to the paraphrase 'Ha/o^oto? of Eratosthenes. The whole passage of this author, who derived his information from Egyptian sources, states O/iQcciav i'oxin'xtve-iv MoV;^J£g«5, 'HXt'o^oTOi' 'ir/i A«f toZ Js KOB-fiov iiv iToa- y to. In this passage is an ellipsis of Height _ _ _ _ Angle 21° 40'. Feet. Inches. 104 10 3 3g 1 ^ 3 b\ 3 5| 3 11 14 2 5 10 3 5i 6 9 4 4 8 7 29 9 128 4 3 51 5 10 46 2 16 2 19 3 22 5 8 7 8 3 10 16 30 8 7 3 6i 3 7 2 2i 2 5 4 4 3 7 96 4 3 5i 3 11 APPENDIX. 119 Lower horizontal passage. Length to inchned entrance to lower chamber From entrance to lower chamber to portcullis Breadth _ _ _ - Height - - . . Thickness of portcullis From portcullis to mouth of lower entrance on the exterior of the pyramid Breadth . - - - Height _ _ . . Angle 22° 15'. Inclined entrance to lower chamber. Length _ _ _ - Breadth _ _ _ _ Height . - _ Angle 20° 50'. Lower chamber. Length east and west _ - _ Breadth north and south Height at sides . - - - Height in centre _ _ _ Pavement. Width from the base in centre of northern front - Supposing the rock to average eight feet over the extent of base, the original quantity of Feet. Inches, 23 11 26 5 3 H 5 11 1 1 100 3 51 3 11 22 3 5 3 s 34 1 10 2 6 8 5 36 masonry would be - - 71,670,000 cubic feet, Or, . . . . . 5,309,000 tons. Present quantity of masonry 65,928,000 cubic feet. Or, 4,883,000 tons. Acres. Roods. Poles. Former extent of base - 1 1 1 38 Present extent of base - 10 3 30 THE THIRD PYRAiMID. [For a description of the Interior, see p. 72, Sec. Vol. II.] In order to obtain a level for the site of this Pyramid, instead of lowering the rock towards the westward, a substruction, more than ten feet in depth, has been laid in the opposite direction, and particularly towards the north-eastwards, where the rock falls considerably. This foundation is composed of two tiers of im- mense blocks, and extends to a considerable distance beyond the 120 APPENDIX. north-eastern angle, where it forms a sort of pavement, and has, no doubt, been covered over with finer masonry. The bulk of the pyramid has been more carefully and com- pactly built than the two larger, and the stones have been better finished, and are of a greater size. It has been carried up in steps or stages, diminishing towards the top like those in the Fourth and Sixth Pyramids ; and the angular spaces have been afterwards filled up, so as to complete the pyramidal form. The casing has been taken away at various times : some of it was removed a few years ago to assist in the construction of the arsenal at Alexandria ; and it was afterwards intended to remove the whole structure, as material for the projected barrage. The lower part of the casing consisted of polished granite, as the antient historians have described ; ^ but the eleven or twelve courses- towards the bottom are not worked smooth, but form a sort of rusticated base, inclining like the rest of the pyramid. It is most probable that both the chasms in the northern front were made by the Mamelucs : but Mr. Perring was in- formed, that the lower was the work of M. Jeniel, and that that gentleman had made several unsuccessful attempts to discover an entrance on the southern and eastern fronts, and also in the pit before the centre of the northern. The entrance into this pyramid does not appear to have been concealed ; indeed it is said that the name of the monarch, for whom it was intended, was inscribed over it.^ TABLE OF DIMENSIONS. Base _ _ _ _ Present height, perpendicular inclined Former height, perpendicular inclined Angle of casing, 51°. Square of platform at top, about - - 16 Present height of granite, perpendicular from the base. On the western side - - - 36 9 On the northern side - - - 25 10 Upper excavation made by the Mamelucs. Height from the base - - - 713 ' As far as C in vertical section. ' The antient liistorians say fifteen. ' Diodorus Siculus, lib. i. p. 164. Feet. Inches. 354 6 203 261 4 218 278 2 APPENDIX. 121 Average breadth - _ _ Depth from the face of pyramid - Lower excavation. Height from the base - - _ Average breadth - _ _ Depth from tlie face of pyramid - Height from the base to the gallery, began by M. Ca- viglia at the southern end of excavation made by the Mamelucs _ - - . Extent of excavation made by M. Caviglia from No- vember 1836 to 13th February, 1837 Extent to which that excavation was carried from thence by Colonel Howard Vyse, to centre of the first shaft Depth of the first shaft . - . Horizontal passage to centre of second shaft Depth of second shaft to the rock at the bottom of the pyramid _ _ _ _ Extent of gallery between first and second shafts towards the centre of the pyramid Extent of gallery at the bottom of second shaft towards the centre of the pyramid . _ _ Note. — Both these latter excavations intersect the centre of the pyramid. Excavation eastward at the bottom, of the second shaft Depth of pit sunk at bottom of second shaft into the rock - _ _ _ Entrance-passage in centre of northern front. Perpendicular height from bottom of passage to base Angle of passage 26° 2'. Length of granite sides and floor Length of granite roof _ _ - Total length from entrance to bottom of incline Breadth _ - _ _ Height perpendicular to incline From bottom of incline to anteroom Anteroom, length north and south Breadth east and west . _ _ Height - _ - . - From anteroom to end of the three portcullises Passage from portcullis to large apartment. Length _ _ . _ Breadth - _ _ _ Height . _ - - Angle of passage 4°. Feet. Inches, 12 38 35 3 11 31 77 6 6 52 29 11 6 49 6 18 6 22 13 4 6 13 28 2 29 8 104 3 5 J 3 Hi 4 3 12 10 5 7 13 5 41 3 3 51 5 10 122 APPENDIX. Feet. IncLes. Large apartment. Total length east and west Breadth north and south _ - - Length from east end to pilasters Height of apartment from east end to pilasters Height at west end - _ - Former height of apartment westward of the pilasters, where the floor was paved on a level with eastern end . _ - Present height varies on account of the irregularity of the rock composing the floor from 12 ft. 11 in. to 13 ft. 4 in. Place for a sarcophagus. Distance from the western side of the apartment Distance from the northern side of the apartment Length north and south Breadth east and west - . - Depth in the rock - - _ Depth from the level of the former pavement, now removed - _ - - Breadth of pilasters - - - Projection of pilasters _ _ _ Descending passage into the sepulchral chamber.* Distance of its entrance from the eastern end of the large apartment Length to portcullis _ - _ Total height of passage Height of ramp on each side Breadth between ramps Breadth of ramps - - - Thickness of portcullis removed From portcullis to bottom of incline Length of horizontal passage to the apartment of the sarcophagus . - _ Breadth - - - _ Height - - - > Sepulchral chamber. Length north and south - _ _ Breadth east and west Height at the sides - _ _ Height at the centre - - _ 46 3 12 7 34 6 15 10 13 4 12 2 10 2 8 7 3 4 1 3 2 7 3 1 0| 17 30 4 9 2 4 2 IH 11 10 2 5 10 4 6 6 9 21 8 8 7 8 9 11 3 * The passage was built up to the height of the ramp, for the length of sixteen feet nine inches; in order, it would appear, to prevent the removal of the sar- cophagus. APPENDIX. 123 Feet. Inches. 6 3 8 2 6 8 3 1 2 11 6 5 2 Oi 2 Oh Average length of stones meeting in the middle, and composing the roof, is about Thickness out of which the coving is cut Thickness of granite lining, about Sarcophagus. Outside, length. - _ _ — breadth _ - _ — height _ _ _ Inside, length . - _ — breadth _ - _ — depth - - _ Difference of the level of the room containing the niches below that of the passage leading to the sepulchral chamber, from whence the commu- nication is by seven steps Length of the seven steps Width of steps _ _ _ Room containing niches. Length, north and south Breadth, east and west Height .... Four niches on the eastern side. Width . . . . Height - - . Depth .... Two niches on the northern side. Width Height ... Depth ... - Note. — This room is not parallel to that of the sarcophagus, but lays 25' east of north. Upper passage from the large apartment.^ * This passage leads from the large apartment through the rock to the masonry, and at the upper end of it are several forced passages, that appear to have been made many years before. One of them extends 5 feet to the west, from the end of the passage, and ascends about 11 feet, and then slopes upwards to the south-east to the distance of 12 feet 6 inches, then continues horizontally to the southward, 35 feet 6 inches; afterwards inclines westward 6 feet 10 inches, and returns to the south for 5 feet, and terminates in the masonry. Another excavation, 4 feet eastward of the passage, ascends perpendicularly for 7 feet, runs southward horizontally 8 feet, and then to the eastward 9 feet, where it terminates in the masonry. The highest point of rock at the upper end of this passage, is 9 feet 2 inches above the external base of the pyramid. 3 3 6 3 3 17 6 6 3 6 7 2 10 4 10 8 3 2 2 4 10 8 5 124 APPENDIX. Feet. Inches. Distance from the ceiling to the top of the entrance 1 7 Horizontal part Length - - - 16 9 Height - - - 4 7 Breadth - - - 3 5i Inclined part. Length - - - - 63 7 Height - - - 3 lU Breadth - - - - 3 5| Angle 27° 34". Perpendicular depth from the base of the pyramid to the floor of the large apartment - - 34 8 Perpendicular depth from the base to the floor of apart- ment of the sarcophagus - - - 51 Distance from the centre of the pyramid southwards, to the northern side of the large apartment - 3 3 Distance from the centre of the pyramid westward, from the eastern end of the large apartment - 10 4 Square of platform on the summit - - 16 Original quantity of masonry - 9,132,000 cubic feet, Or, - - - 702,460 tons Present quantity of masonry - 8,220,900 cubic feet. Or, - - - 632,370 tons. Acres. Roods. Poles. Extent of base - - 2 3 21 TABLE OF DIMENSIONS OF THE FOURTH PYRAMID, THE CENTRAL SOUTH OF THE THIRD. [For the description of this Pyramid, see page 45, &c. Vol. II.] Square of base . _ _ _ Height of first step . _ _ second step _ _ . third step - _ _ fourth step - - - Total height - _ _ _ Square of the summit, about - _ _ Horizontal distance of entrance from the northern front Distance of the entrance westward from centre of pyramid - - - - 12 102 6 17 3 19 6 19 6 13 3 69 6 23 4 13 APPKNDIX. 125 Inclined entrance-passage. Length . _ - Height Width Angle 27°. Anteroom. Length, east and west Breadth, north and south Height _ - - Inclined passage leading to sepulchral chamber. Length _ _ _ Width Height . _ - Angle, 21° 14'. Sepulchral chamber. Length, north and south Breadth, east and west Height . - . Depth of the roof below base Sarcophagus. Exterior, length breadth height Interior, length • breadth depth Thickness of the lid Extent of base 1156 square yards. eet. Inches, 27 3 6 3 3 13 9 10 3 8 7 11 8 3 3 6 19 2 8 9 10 4 11 4 6 8 2 7 2 7 5 10 1 6 1 lU 10* TABLE OF DIMENSIONS OF THE FIFTH PYRAMID, THE EASTERN SOUTH OF THE THIRD. [For descriptions, see page 38, &c. Vol. II.] Former square of base Present square of base _ _ - Former perpendicular height Present perpendicular height Central line down the present front Angle 52° 15'. Square of the summit, about Entrance above the base 145 9 138 93 3 83 4 102 14 2 6 126 APPENDIX. Inclined passage. Length Breadth - _ - Height Angle 27° 12'. Horizontal passage. Length to portcullis Thickness of portcullis From portcullis to apartment Breadth Height Apartment. Length, east and west, north side south side Width Height . - - Depth of the roof below base Sarcophagus. Exterior, length breadth depth Interior, length ' breadth depth Former extent of base, 2361 square yards. Present extent of base, 2116 — Feet. Inches, 56 9 3 5| 3 lU 4 101 8 9 3 5h 4 1 25 6 25 2 10 5 8 9 14 9 8 0| 3 3 3 ]h 6 2' 1 9^ 2 1 TABLE OF DIMENSIONS OF THE SIXTH PYRAMID/ THE WESTERN SOUTH OF THE THIRD. [For description, see page 66, Vol. II.] Square of base - - - - 102 6 Height of first step - - - 17 3 second step - - - - 19 6 third step - - - 19 6 fourth step - - - - 13 3 ® Mr. Perring remarks, that this Pyramid is in ruins, and that it is the one into which the French, during their occupation of Egypt, attempted to enter by means of artillery; a mode of inquiry, he observes, worthy of military savaiis: this cir- cumstance is alluded to by Colonel Coutelle.— See " Abstracts" from various authors. APPENDIX. 127 Total height - - . . Square of the summit, about Entrance passage, westward of the centre Length . . _ Breadth - _ _ . Height - . _ Angle 30°. Anteroom, length, north and south Breadth, east and west Height . . . - Passage to inner apartment. Length - - _ Height - - . - Width Sepulchral chamber. Length, north and south Breadth, east and west Height varies from 7 feet to 9 feet 6 inches. Roof of apartment below base - - 24 eet. Inches, 69 6 23 4 6 47 9 3 2 3 11 13 8 8 7 7 6 7 4 1 3 5 26 11 4 172 6 111 140 TABLE OF DIMENSIONS OF THE SEVENTH PYRAMID, THE NORTHERN EAST OF THE GREAT PYRAMID. [For description, see page 68, Vol. IL] Original base, supposed to be a square of perpendicular height, supposed to be inclined height, supposed to be - Angle of casing, supposed to be 52° 10'. Former extent of base, supposed to be 3295 square yards. Present base above ground, about height above ground Entrance-passage^ in centre of northern front, length Height . - - - 7 These supposed dimensions are matter of opinion, as the exterior of the structure is entirely ruins. * The entrance-passage is composed of masonry to the distance of 16 feet; and the northern side of the inclined passage leading to the sepulchral chamber is also revetted in the same manner. 125 45 55 3 4 128 APPENDIX. Width . . - . Angle 33° 35'. Horizontal passage, length Anteroom, length, north and south Width, east and west Height at southern end northern end Length of inclined floor Inclined passage leading to sepulchral chamber. Length _ _ _ Height - - Width Angle 34°. Sepulchral chamber — length, east and west Width, north and south Lining from 2 ft. 2| in, to 2 ft. 8 in. in thickness. Feet. Inches, 3 6 9 13 10 5 10 9 9 4 10 9 13 4 4 1 3 1 11 8 9 9 TABLE OF DIMENSIONS OF THE EIGHTH PYRAMID, THE CENTRAL EAST OF THE GREAT PYRAMID. [For description, see page 1, Vol. II.] Original base, square of - - perpendicular height inclined height Angle 52° 10'. Original extent of base, 3295 square yards. Present base above ground square of about perpendicular height Entrance-passage above the centre of the base Length _ _ _ Height _ . - . Width Angle 34° 5'. Horizontal passage, length Anteroom, length, east and west Breadth, north and south, west end east end Height - - - _ 172 6 111 140 125 6 55 8 9 37 4 3 6 9 6 10 9 2 6 8 11 APPENDIX. 121) Passage leading to sepulchral chamber. Length Height _ . _ Width Angle, 26° 35'. Sepulchral Channber — Length, cast and west Breadth, north and south Lining from 1 ft. 10 in. to 3 ft. 2 in. Foet. IncLes, 12 3 10 3 6 12 9 10 3 TABLE OF DIMENSIONS OF THE NINTH PYRAMID. THE SOUTHERN EAST OF THE GREAT PYRAMID. Original base, square of - - perpendicular height inclined height Angle, 52° 10'. Original extent of base, 2844 square yards. Present base above ground, square of Perpendicular height Inclined height _ _ . Entrance passage — height above base, about Centre eastward of the centre of pyramid, about Length Height Width Angle, 28°. Anteroom — Length, north and south Breadth, east and west Height Passage to sepulchral chamber. Length _ _ _ Height - . - Width Angle, 28° 50'. Sepulchral chamber. Length, east and west Breadth, north and south Height VOL. II. Feet. Inches, 160 101 9 130 6 120 80 97 2 6 5 53 3 11 3 5 11 1 8 8 7 3 8 2 3 10 3 3 12 3 9 6 8 6 ^ Feet. Inches, 65 9 3 11 3 5 130 APPENDIX. TABLE OF DIMENSIONS OF INCLINED PASSAGES,^ EXCAVATED IN THE ROCK TO THE EASTWARD OF THE GREAT PYRAMID. [For description, see page 189, Vol. I.] Inclined passage from the north. Length . _ _ Height - . - . Width Angle, 27° 20'. Length from entrance to ascending passage - 40 6 Angle of ascending passage 27°. Square of perpendicular shaft - - 2 4 From intersection of passages to horizontal part at the commencement of ramps - - - 38 4 Height - - - - 3 11 Width (beyond this it is open) - -35 Horizontal part - - - 7 8 Continuation of incline to the surface of the ground. Length - - - - 11 9 Ramp on each side. Breadth - - - - 1 7 Height - - - - 2 Width between - - - 3 5| Note. — A considerable part of the lower end of the passage from the north, is only roughly chiselled in the rock. ^ Mr. Perring remarks, that these passages are nearly in a line with those of the Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Pyramids, and that as the flaws in the sides of them have been made good, and as the rock has been levelled for the foundation of a building, it was probably intended to erect a pyramid over them ; but that it is to be doubted whether the intentions have been realised, as the bedding for the stones is not to be seen, and, likewise, as only three pyramids to the eastward of the Great one are mentioned by Herodotus. He adds, however, that one of the passages has been trimmed and plastered ; and remarks, that the ramps in the ascending passage have, in some degree, a resemblance to those in the Great and Third Pyramids. ^' < > h < UJ 01 O h. O UJ OC f'( . Fl G A Fl C. 6 rr'r N9 8 . **-*■ -|71.,ff»,:^; (Sccde of" j.J--f. C AM PB ELL'S TOIVI B . FiG.5SECTI0N LOOKING NORTH FIG. 6. HIEROOLVPHICS ON STONE OVER SARCOPHAGUS FiC.7.LlD OF SARCOPHAGUS. FIG 3.HlER>-',s AT END OF SARC^.* APPENDIX. 133 At jj, Fig. 4, were two rows of ampliorte. The whole of ihe masonry of the building is very beautifully worked and put toge- ther, and where the walls, particularly in the interior, are trimmed off, the joints are scarcely perceptible : the under sides of the arched stones of the inner course have had the aris taken off, and are tooled round so as to resemble rusticated work. A row of hiero- glyphics is inserted in a shallow groove lined with plaster, that runs round the sides of the central excavation a.t g g, Fig. 4: they are given in Figs. 9, 10, 11, 12. Mr. Perring states that, at the north-western corner of the central excavation, a stone has been built in on the upper surface, which shews that it had formerly been covered with an arch ; and that the trench exhibits the same appearance. Mr. Perring conjectured that the whole monument may have been covered by a pyramid. TABLE OF DIMENSIONS. Central excavation, east and west north and south depth about Tomb — length _ _ . _ — breadth _ _ _ - — height to springing of arch — from springing to top of arch Span of arch - - Stratum of sand beneath the building from 2 feet to 3 feet, Mean width of external excavation Square of inner side of exterior excavation Depth of exterior excavation about Feet. Inches, 30 6 26 3 53 6 14 9 10 5 19 4 7 8 11 5 4 57 3 73 Note I. Inscriptions on the Sides of Camphell's Tomb. The inscription on the sides of Campbell's Tomb refers to the party for whom this construction was probably undertaken. He appears to have been an attache to the scribes of the southern quarter — probably one of the great divisions of Memphis— and to have been named Phaikop or Phaishop : and in the line on the south side, called Phaishop-entrat, in order to express more clearly the phonetic force : the inscription here commences with an invocation of the goddess Isis— " I am thy sister, Isis; rejoice 134 APPENDIX. then to thy beloved, &c. :" ending with the titles of the deceased " great in the south and north, chief scribe of the south. Ra-haahethemoubsh." The intermediate parts in this inscription are not distinct, being partially erased ; and the titles at the other end are such as have not yet been entirely deciphered : the latter name is compounded of that of the monarch with an adjunct, implying in his glory (?) which has naturally been sup- posed to indicate the period when the tomb was excavated. This name appears to have been a surname of Phaishop, from the tenor of the inscription upon the sarcophagus itself, which contains the end of the name of Ra-haa-hethemoubsh (?) whose ' great name is Phaishop,' whose ' good name is Nofrethmouemshnin.'i The prenomen, which occurs in the composition of the name of the individual, belongs to two monarchs — Psammetichus II., or Apries. In Rosellini, torn. ii. tav. 1, a slight difference exists in the manner of making the central symbol, which has been con- jectured, not proved, to have the phonetic value of ^ — (see Sal- volini, 'Analyse Grammatical,' PI. 6. 205, and Rosellini, Monu- menti Storici.) On a monument, B. M., Egyptian Saloon, where that name occurs, no such distinction exists ; and at all events, whether or not the name is the prenomen of Psametik II., whicli is far the most probable, because in almost all these compositions of royal names to make private ones, prenomens seem to have been taken by preference, although occasionally names appear to have been used ; the tomb must have been constructed anterior to 604 a.c, supposing it to have been made after Psametik II. ; because it was likely to have been assumed by an individual born during the reign of this monarch, and deceased during that of his successor ; but if the supposition be adopted from Apries, it must be posterior to 570 a.c. The other in- scriptions in this tomb have all reference to the same functionary, and consist of different prayers and formulas — an analysis of the whole of which cannot at the present be given. Another, marked Fig. 10, north side, contains an invocation to Netpe — " Osirian, attache, to the scribes of the south — Rahaahethemoubsh — extend thy mother Netpe over thee ; may she attend to thy abode of rest in heaven, giving thee to appear to the god in the with thy name to the god ; may she provide thee with all other things. Netpe, the daughter of the Sun, above the attache of the * 'NoFRETHMOu in the lily,' referring to the chapter in the Ritual — (see " Rit. Ddsc. de I'Egypte") — where the head oftliat deity appears placed in a lily. He also ordinarily wears a lily above his head for his distinctive emblem. f^C^^A Kt' >^^ f f^ -^-y -=^k. ^1 i ^ 'J ^ n fl^ ■AViJlMiftJ-Jii '^-'Icr^ri^J-'v . :^%r^s^i'^^I^^^^^Uv*.>Cfl^^/^:^'':i:lf^p3:*^:.^-^t:^ :^/^^Pt::^-^P.i^r^<^^^— ^U— --i»^(l.jL.^-r >^^fp^->y->t LINE ON THE SOUTH SIDE, j'J-PlU (lIilV^-/^/-C(^^*- ^ ^-p::rr^A1^5S \1T* V^ T.1 t'k-H'-VV^- -^ i ;„V^-f- -tV.:i^o^Ty |^^.::i<._-^^^..^.^^^IIPVPl11.7^<^t:^^li ts^x;tll | LINE ON THE NORTH SIDE / 1^^^^ ^ T^ m ^^ ^ <=.T^TT LI NEON THE WEST SIDE r~ ^•<--- Vn<-V~^^^1"^'f