ANCIENT EGYPTIAN ART.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 10093, 7 September 1895, Page 2 (Supplement)

ANCIENT EGYPTIAN ART.

On the site of the ancient Egyptian town of Memphis, t O tne thirty mile* from Cairo, hav<j lately been discovered the priceleift jewels of the Eayptian winceasov Ita and Kuooamit. A. Fronts^ Explorer named De Morgan beoa 03,9. interested some time ago in a »»ud t\\feiek which {or centuries had covered What proves now to be one of the oldest pyramids built by the Pbaroahs. He onmmenced excavations, and on February 16th last he entered the funeral ohamber of Qaeen Khnonmit, where he found hidden beneath the wreckage and dnntof a perfumed casket, two splendid coronets, one of massive gold iocrnsted with Egyptian emeralds, and the other an ornament of nnmatchabla design and. delicate workmanship, representing » seed plot of forget-me-nots spreading over a trellis of golden filagree. These two ornamsdts are composed of no less than five thousand five hundred component parts. With these coronet* wer* found bracelets and necklaces formed oE golden Beads.the latter havingasmany as* two thousand beads each, togetherwitHi otberornamenta composed of nnmberifeHV precious Atones. Id every article the> workmsnahip is desoribad as most taarvellons. The stones are 1 most delfoately set and the gold obaalng.is of WOaderfuU ctesigh'. The oolleotlon has been, temovsd! to the famous GlzahMnsemn, where to is bumraucled by tnuoh of tie beautifuH work whioh has been regfjaed from the* iblirion of the oentati^i. The date off :hia particular find . keen fixed at 3400 80. Prora, these and other >rnament9 wbia^b^ve been ducoTered, ogether wit^, tDe testimony of the monn«. nents, t^ \ t prO ved thai Egyptian »^t P na t.-have reached 4295 years w« » degree of perfection equal to that of the> pieeent day. A» ft recent writer; aoy$ r \ poaterity coming the same length of ime after us will hardly ba a,\>k to find: i vestige of our existence. The Pharaohs built for eternity. They brought granite from Nubia, the Rftoret of transport being absolutely lout to us ; they iuilt temples and saDOtnailei whlob ars >e;ond our powers, and which effectually mtt the wages of (ime. In tbe> natter of arts and engineering, tb» indents of 4000 year* ago we» onr duals, and In many reipeeta OW superon.