^ Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive in 2008 witii funding from IVIicrosoft Corporation littp://www.arcliive.org/details/egyptiansintimeoOOwilkricli (0 TBM ^^\ ^mmt (W. 2'.''..) OTUEU DRB88E8. : THE EGYPTIANS IN THE TIME OF THE PHAEAOHS. BEING A COMPANION TO THE CRYSTAL PALACE EGYPTIAN COLLECTIONS. By Sib J. GAEDNER WILKINSON, D.C.L,, F.R.S. Author of " The Private Life, Manners, and Customs of the Ancient Egyptians." TO WHICH IS ADDED AN INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF THE EGYPTIAN HIEROGLYPHS, By SAMUEL BIECH. LONDON "^>>^^ ---^ ^tiMis^tir for t\it ^rgstal palate Compattg Irg BRADBURY AND EVANS, 11, BOUVERIE STREET. 1857. : PREFACE. REAT facilities have been afforded for the comparison lifferent styles of architecture by the many specimens ight together in the Crystal Palace at Sydenham ; and the cs describing the Courts not only serve as guides to thos i actually visit them, but give a very useful and instructive :^dit into the general history and character of art and :itecture at different periods, ut for a knowledge of the customs and occupations of Egyptians, much more is to be obtained from the tombs I from the sculptures of the public buildings. The variety he tombs, however, is so great, that it is not possible ^ive even a general, much less a complete, notion of numerous subjects represented in them ; and it appeared ;ssary that Egypt should have to itself an account of paintings in its tombs and the scenes they describe, iave, therefore, undertaken a sketch of this subject vi PREFACE. and, though it must necessarily be treated briefly, compared to that already given in the "Manners and Customs of the Ancient Eg\T^tians,'' I am glad to have an opportunity of introducing into it some new matter and illustrations not contained in that work. At the same time, the expense they would entail obliges me to omit many illustrations I would gladly have introduced; and I therefore limit myself on this, as on the previous occasion, to such as appear most essential for the purpose. But, in justice to those who have had to incur the expense, and to show that it was not with them a question of a few morej I think it right to say that in the previous work it was found absolutely necessary to omit many more than a hundred of those I had selected as illustrations, and in the present one more than half that number ; while, in stating this, I disclaim all pretensions to any unusual diligence in their collection, and place far before my own the importance of the materials contained in the portfolios of Mr. Hay and some other English travellers. I only wish to show how difficult it would be to give full illustrations of all that Egypt offers relating to its customs. In order to distinguish the subjects that belong to the tombs and to the temples, I have separated the two as much '^' DESCEIPTION OF THE WOODCUTS. No. Pag( 1. Hieroglyphical signs for units, tens, hundreds, and thousands . 3 2. Stela, or tablet, recording a victory, or a dedication to a deity, &c., and the Egyptian shield from which its form was derived . IC 3. Training and " rehearsals " of tumblers . It 4. The usual Egyptian ball If 5. A game perhaps a sort of *' forfeits " . 17 ; 6. Men fighting in boats made of the papyrus. A hippopotamus in the river below ; and on the bank are some of the papyrus plant 18 7. Unknown games, represented at Beni Hassan . 20 8. A fat harper 21 9. A lyre played with the plectrum, and another played by the hands alone 22 10. Lyre in the Berlin Museum, of thirteen strings, with a long and a short limb . .23 11. Roman flute of bone, sheathed with brass, ^'orichalco vlncta''' . 25 12. Flute-player, with a very long flute ...... 2^ 13. Three kinds of tambourine ........ 2 ^ 14. The darabooJca drum ; the figure playing it is from a torab at Thebes ; the two drums are those now used, evidently the same kind of instrument . .2. 15. Buffoons dancing to the tomtom drum, now used in India, bvit not in Egypt 2'. 16. Figure and posture-dances ' . 2i 17. The pirouette, and other steps . - . i . 3( 18. Fig. 1, kneading dough; 2, forming the cakes of bread, and putting them to bake on the hearth, or on a flat girdle ovtr the fire ; 3, prepares a goose ; 4, roasts it over a charcoal fire . M % DESCRIPTION OF THE WOODCUTS. Page 'hair of hard-wood inlaid with ivory, in the Louvre ; the legs and seat are wanting , , 35 (Ian seated on a chair with solid sides. On the ground is a mat worked in patterns like the modem menoofee. One of his sons offers him a lotus-flower ; the position of the other is indicative of respect. Of the time of the twelfth dynasty. From the great tomb at El Bersheh ........ 36 '^arious chairs, stools, and benches . 37 )re8S worked in colours ..... ... 42 >ther dresses. Fig. 2 has gold lines worked in the stuff . 42 sixth dynasty . 42 'attems of ceilings from Osioot ; probably of the )evices as borders on walls. Fig. 3 is from a ceiling, and is common 43 )cvices on walls, baskets, &c. 44 Jold and silver vases, with and without devices . .45 bid and silver vases ornamented with animals and other devices ; on fig. 2 is the word "gold" 46 ugs with one handle A^ 'ig, 1, vase or jug without a handle, for holding ointment ; 2, 3, jars on stands 47 ktttle of a peculiar and favourite form of glazed pottery, richly ornamented 47 'wo vases from the paintings, of coloured composition, or glass- porcelain 49 3. Two of the same, found in the tombs 50 'orms of bottles and jars, &c., in the paintings . 51 -ilabaster bottles, &c., found in the tombs . .52 .' Hher alabaster vases 53 Uabaster vases. Figs. 1 and 3 have the word *' Ilin'' upon them 54 Vases of hard stone 55 '-'ig. 1, a beaker; 2, a bottle of glazed earthenware, with a central core, the outer part being a hollow casing. It is now in the British Museum 55 'arious earthenware bottles . , .56 iottle in the form of a hedgehog 57 'oloured earthenware bottles. Fig. 4 is a cup in the form of a lotus-flower 57 'ig. bottle in 1, a the form of a female playing the guitar ; fig. 2, of girl a nursing a cat. Intended for children . 5S 'arious bronze utensila on a table (2a) of the same metal, in the DESCRIPTION OF THE WOODCUTS. xiii No. Page npper part of the woodcut. At the side, and below, are some of the same on a larger scale ; 3, is the strainer (at da the same on the table) ; 8, is the top of the table ; 7, is a small portable sink, or slop-basin, closed at the bottom ... 69 44. Small bronze utensils for the service of the temple. They are sometimes of great size, holding two or more quarts . 60 45. A garden, in the great tomb at El Bersheh. In the upper row are red flower-pots exactly like our own^ and baskets of onions, and vegetables, and fruit. Below they are sowing and watering beds, which are laid out in sunken squares, like our saltpans, and those in the modem Egyptian gardens . • ^1 fig. are 46. A wine -press ; twisting the grapes in a bag. At 5, they straining a liquid through fine cloth ; fig. 7 stirs a. mixture in a deep pan 64 47. Forms of windows in houses and temples 67 43. Windows in temples. Fig. 1 shows the windows over the lateral colonnade which light the central avenue (or nave), as at Kamak and the Memnonium 68 49. Stamps, cylinder (fig. 6), and mould. Fig. 6 is 2^ inches long, and of hard stone 71 in 60. Men drawing a plough ; a singular instance, from Thebes ; now the Louvre {see description below the woodcut) . 73 61. Part of the same agricultural scene {see description below the woodcut) 75 62. PoUed cattle, stall fed 78 63. A fattened ox 78 64. Poor herdsmen . 79 55. Dogs in slips ........•• 81 5Q. Hounds in slips 81 67. Different breeds of dogs 82 68. A dog fashionable in the time of the pyramid kings . 83 69. A turnspit-looking dog, fashionable in the time of the Osirtasen 60. Another dog, fashionable under the Osirtasens . 83 61. Nou, or Neph, at the potter's wheel, as the creating power . 85 62. A glass bottle of early time, similar to those used in later days . 86 63. An ornament of glazed pottery, in imitation of a pine-apple. I have seen two of these 87 64. Scales, and mode of weighing. The bull is remarkable as a weight, probably the "talent" 92 ; xiv DESCRIPTION OF THE WOODCUTS. So. rage 65. Portable pocket-scales. The lead at a answers for one weight ; at B for ano'ther. It is probably not very ancient ; and perhaps only of Arab time . 9i 66. Gold ornaments ; 3, a ring ; 5, 6, ear-rings, as is, perhaps, fig. 1 9J 67. Fig. 1, bracelet and armlet ; 2, a necklace dt 68. A gold necklace. In the Louvre (reduced to about one-third) . 9i 69. Bracelet. Figs. 2, 3, catches or clasps, very like our modern ones 9;- 70. Ornaments, probably instead of fibulae, for securing dresses. Fig. 2 is very like some of Saxon time (it was found by me, in Egypt). The principle of them is not very intelligible . 9(' 71. Gold bracelet, -with coloured composition inlaid, —resembling, but differing from, enamel, being merely inlaid.