Before the late troubles intervened to draw attention of a different kind to the Nile Valley, the finding of a pit full of royal mummies and sepulchral objects in the western mountain at Thebes had occurred to give a fresh stimulus to the interest in Egyptian history, and to encourage those who were doing their best to lead England to take her proper share in the work of exploration. A short account of this discovery, which took place after M. Perrot's book was complete, and of some of the numerous art objects with which it has enriched the Boulak Museum, will be found in an Appendix to the second volume. * * * * * My acknowledgments for generous assistance are due to Dr. Birch, Mr. Reginald Stuart Poole, and Miss A. B. Edwards. W. A. CONTENTS. INTRODUCTION TO THE READER CHAPTER I. THE GENERAL CHARACTER OF EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION. § 1. Egypt's place in the History of the World § 2. The Valley of the Nile and its Inhabitants § 3. The Great Divisions of Egyptian History § 4. The Constitution of Egyptian Society--Influence of that Constitution upon Monuments of Art § 5. The Egyptian Religion and its Influence upon the Plastic Arts § 6. That Egyptian Art did not escape the Law of Change, and that its History may therefore be written § 7. Of the place held in this work by the Monuments of the Memphite Period, and of the Limits of our Inquiry CHAPTER II. PRINCIPLES AND GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF EGYPTIAN ARCHITECTURE. § 1. Method to be Employed by us in our Study of this Architecture § 2. General Principles of Form § 3. General Principles of Construction.--Materials § 4. Dressed Construction § 5. Compact Construction § 6. Construction by Assemblage § 7. Decoration CHAPTER III. SEPULCHRAL ARCHITECTURE. § 1. The Egyptian Belief as to a Future Life and its Influence upon their Sepulchral Architecture § 2. The Tomb under the Ancient Empire The Mastabas of the Necropolis of Memphis The Pyramids § 3. The Tomb under the Middle Empire § 4. The Tomb under the New Empire CHAPTER IV. THE SACRED ARCHITECTURE OF EGYPT. § 1. The Temple under the Ancient Empire § 2. The Temple under the Middle Empire § 3. The Temple under the New Empire § 4. General Characteristics of the Egyptian Temple LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. COLOURED PLATES. The Arab Chain, from near Keneh The Pyramids, from old Cairo Karnak, bas-reliefs in the Granite Chambers Seti I., bas-relief at Abydos General view of Karnak Perspective view of the Hypostyle Hall, Karnak Thebes, the plain, with the Colossi of Memnon FIG.