Ten years' digging in Egypt, 1881-1891 — John Shaqi
Ten years' digging in Egypt, 1881-1891Petrie, W. M. Flinders (William Matthew Flinders)
History
Ten years' digging in Egypt, 1881-1891
Petrie, W. M. Flinders (William Matthew Flinders)
Egypt -- Antiquities
[Illustration: 29. FOUNDATION DEPOSIT MODELS. IRON: 1, HOE; 7, MORTAR
RAKE. 2, ALABASTER PEG. BRONZE: 3, KNIFE; 5, AXE; 8, ADZE; 9, TROWEL;
11, CHISEL; 12, HATCHET. GLAZED: 4, CUP; 10, LIBATION VASE; 14, BLOCK.
6, NAME OF PTOLEMY II ON LAZULI. MATERIALS: 13, MUD-BRICK; 15-23,
TURQUOISE, JASPER, LAZULI, AGATE-GOLD, SILVER, LEAD, COPPER, IRON. 1: 4]
common participation in the Panhellenion, and that hence arose the
separate temples in the town. Now as the sanctuary and the fort were in
one, it seems readily explained how the mercenaries welcomed their
kinsmen and townsfolk in the camp to join at the common altar; while
those traders who came from other cities would be left outside, and
would found their own temples. If it were so, we may conclude that
neither Miletos, Samos, nor Aegina, furnished any of the mercenaries of
Psamtik. In the time of Ptolemy Philadelphos, as the old camp and
Panhellenion no longer needed defence, the entrance was widened and
occupied with a large building; of which the foundation deposits,
consisting of models of the iron and bronze tools, of the materials, and
of the libation vases, were discovered in each corner of the bed of sand
which was laid beneath the foundations. An avenue led up to this from
the west, and marble rams, a large granite sphinx, and a base of a
figure dedicated to Zeus of Thebes (i.e. Amen, identified with Zeus),
were found here.
[Illustration: 30. DEDICATION OF PALAISTRA. 1: 6.]
To turn now to the town; probably one of the most important buildings in
the fifth century B.C. was the palaistra, dedicated to Apollo by
Kleainetos, Aristothemios, and Maiandrios, according to the beautiful
marble inscription found here. Unfortunately we do not know the site of
it, as the inscribed block had been re-used in later times, and was also
dug up before I went to the place. It was shown to me one night in a
native hut, by a glimmering lamp; I instantly copied it, for fear of any
difficulty arising, and then laid down ten francs on it, and told the
owner to take which he pleased, the stone or the money; with a little
hesitation at having the pleasure of haggling so cut short, he picked up
the unexpected price, and I walked off behind the precious block to my
house. The natives had so cleared out the earth from the heart of the
town that all the Roman, Ptolemaic, and Persian houses and remains were
gone; and the floor of the crater thus dug out consisted of the oldest
[Illustration: 31. SCARAB MOULD AND SCARAB. 1: 1.]
[Illustration: 32. COIN OF NAUKRATIS. 1: 1]
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