The History of Antiquity, Vol. 1 (of 6)Duncker, Max
History
The History of Antiquity, Vol. 1 (of 6)
Duncker, Max
History, Ancient
The oldest tombs lie to the north-east; but as yet only two chambers
have been opened here, one of which is large in size and adorned with
beautiful, though very much injured sculptures, the grave of Amenophis
III.[247] The tombs of the Tuthmosis have not yet been found. Next, on
the south-west, lies the tomb of Ramses I. The rock chamber and the
granite sarcophagus, which is still standing there, are without any
ornament whatever except a few pictures on the walls, in which the god
Tum and the goddess Neith, the great mother, the lady of heaven, the
queen of the deities, lead the king before Osiris. The king speaks, "I
have come to thee, lord of the gods, mighty god, master of the sky,"
while Neith says to the king, "I secure to thee the throne of Osiris, on
which thou shalt sit for ever."[248] The grave of his successor, Sethos
I., consists of a suite of galleries, chambers, and chapels. A corridor
leads to a staircase, which ends in a chamber; from this a second
staircase leads to a portico, on which abuts a great hall, the roof of
which is supported by four pillars. A third staircase leads from this
hall on the left into one similarly adorned, of which the pictures
remain unfinished, and on the right into a broad vaulted portico sunk
more than 300 feet deep into the rock. The roof of this portico is
supported by six pillars. Here the corpse of the king rested in a
sarcophagus of alabaster, which is covered with sculptures. The
sarcophagus, now in the British Museum, was empty when found, and the
cover was broken. The sculptures of the first hall display on every side
of the pillars the king and a deity. Those on the walls represent the
stations of the nightly course of the sun and the hindrances thrown in
the way of the sun by the serpent Apep (p. 46), the judgment in the
under world, the reward of the good, the punishment of the bad, the
constellations of the sky, the five planets in their boats, and the four
tribes into which the Egyptians divided mankind. Each tribe is
represented by four figures.
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