46. Greek inscriptions from neighbouring rock-face • 46 47. Need of further clearances • 47 CHAPTER VIII.—BIBLIOGRAPHY. 48–56. Works quoted in volume, and those dealing with removals of obelisks in modern times • 49–54 LIST OF PLATES WITH REFERENCES TO DESCRIPTIONS. PLATE I 1–5.—Plan of obelisk with sections • 3, 6–10, 19 6.—Measuring(?)-lines on rock face • 12 PLATE II 1.—View of obelisk from the east • 3 2.—View of obelisk from the west • 3, 5, 7, 16 PLATE III 1.—Bottom and side of trench • 12, 14 2.—Wedge and chisel marks • 4, 12 3.—Guide lines for a smaller obelisk • 4, 10, 12 4.—Rough chisel-dressing on a half-finished sarcophagus. “El-Hammâmât”; Shellâl • 12 PLATE IV 1.—Hammer-dressing on the pyramidion • 14 2.—Stone hammer from Saqqârah • 4 3.—Construction of a sarcophagus lid by pounding • 13 4.—Embankment to the east of the obelisk • 33 PLATE V 1.—Obelisk from the north, shewing platform and upper quarry-face • 4, 16 2.—Upper quarry-face and bed of a small obelisk • 16, 20 3.—Bed of small obelisk from above • 20 4.—Inscription on bed of small obelisk • 20 PLATE VI 1.—Markings on upper quarry-face • 16, 19 2.—Section of above • 16, 19 PLATE VII Sketch-plan of environs of obelisk • 31, 33 PLATE VIII Suggested platform for the erection of an obelisk • 40, 41 [Illustration: _PLATE I_ ASWÂN OBELISK SCALE 1 : 100] {1} THE ASWÂN OBELISK WITH SOME REMARKS ON THE ANCIENT ENGINEERING. INTRODUCTION. (1) The unfinished obelisk of Aswân lies in a quarry on the south-east side of the mediæval Arab cemetery, being about twenty minutes walk from the Cataract Hotel. It is approached by a small valley leading up south-eastwards from the track of the old Barrage railway. Up to the time of the visit of King Fuad—then Sultan—in the winter of 1920–21, only about 22 metres of the obelisk were exposed to view, the remainder running down into a vast heap of blocks and chips. The curious trench, made round the obelisk for the purpose of detaching it from the rock, has long interested visitors, and His Majesty expressed a desire that the whole obelisk be cleared in order to obtain, if possible, new data as to ancient methods of quarrying, and to expose a unique monument.