OLDEST PYRAMID

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 5 April 1926, Page 3

OLDEST PYRAMID

MONUMENT TO A PHAROAH SO.MI: INTERESTING P»SC«*V£s*IE»S ,\j,uis Australians, anil nut a lew v\i v.,:,- suunmed in '-gypl oaring l '"' wjl will haw seen the Step Pyramid at Sakhaia. say.-, the London corres] li-nl ol il„. \p'us li is a remarkable strue- !,,,, ihr lirsl ill its l:ii>'l 1 ' 1 " 11 ' " f stone, h date- I'ri hi iu-iii ly a • i-nl m y earlier 'ban (."mops' great pyramid al

it siiiii. f"i il is very massjvc. It imi sislf i ? l SP S'.eps ill ' Stages, allll 111 pel p,.;i,|ii ular heignl is aln ill 200)1.. on a '..m.i,,- li.-'-t ut nearlv 400l'l. li was 'lmilt hi tin- third rlvnastv. and is dated !,. v,, Miinli rs Pei'rie ain.hi -1000 li.C. 1,';,,,. aiulii idles uive its age about .!/':'.* |'..V. All an' agreed lliai it is the ~. ,„ ;■ . i ;/, «,.,-. ~, 'I noser. .1 wnril wl .ii m.-an.-. 'ln 1\ . 'I li" lalislati, u ..I -is \ Hawk naiiH' means "<!■«! i 1 !li ' lle.ui." 'I h.Tu-h tlii* Pharaoh >•• :ncd lor 2U vears. liifln-i'v ulls ii. littl.' o; his illuiigs : lint he hati n lasting ropulati, n a, a' patn-n ~ i iiternure. ami lit' was a iiliv .ieian nf such eminence that he ~■,!,',,■ i, ii ■ identified with thf lireek god Asklopios. Hi- was remembered wiiii I'.-viTi-m-i for many cent nrifs. I i,...n- b a slain;' u S -i.-stlis 11. in Hit | IM ... !in ii represents Pharaoh in I lu j a. i i , ad' ring '/■'■/< t'. 'l'l'«■>■'■ ««•■- alsif , ,i-i r,!s i f a later ilati- to- his honour. ,\,-,-. rding i.. Arlluir Weigall. tingr a!tiess ..! Zozer was due in his mill- • Mer. Imhutep. who was alsu identified with AsklepicS. A temple was erected tu this mail's In mi.nr near .Memphis, where hundreds nf small metal figures i.-i him have Keen found . He was revered as a philc-opln-i-. proverb -maker, physician, m ribe. and architect. I'llimatelv he was retrarded in Memphis as ' n s.i'i ,A Cod ' the offspring of the 1..;,1 god I'tiih, horn of a woman. Iv.eiy .-..ihe dropped a few drop* nf wale'r from I he jar attached lo his writ ing in \ as a lih.'il i> n in Imhnlep. his patinn saiul. before beginning | t '«

llPl.lhYlNd A FAMINE Zn/.-i 's namu has In en fiauid u ;i the rocks Heal - Sinai, where his llu-.'l probably worked the eopjier mines. Sir f !:■,!.ie: ■ i'etrie tells, us. that Zozer built a'.- ..lie in stone, embellished with liefs, ;i. I ielinpi.lis .the university town id On. mentioned in Scripture, imaginat:\ e wi iters ha v c piel need Ihi as lhe place where Pharaoh's daughter probably: seni Musi s lo learn the wsiloni of the r,g\ pi ia ns. History associates Zozer with ine interesting record nf a great famine that occurred in the 18th year ol his reign. The story also shows the absolute dependence of the country upon i lie rise ..! the river Nile. Here we have Zozer appealing to Prince Mcdir. i ne of the deputies in the Smith country, for help because the river has m t properly risen for seven years, 'flic King's heart aches. There are no vegetables : there is no food of anv kind. Men's legs fail them: they dutch at their stomachs : everybody is in despair. Can Medtr tell him where the Nile rises; and who is the god who can siippl ytbe country with ai<l v Pharaoh asks -Medir tn visit the palace and inform him what tlu- saerpd bocks direct should be dene. Medir at once repairs to the Court, and tdls Pharaoh thai the rising of the waters is controlled by the god .Kniim. who dispenses his witters fromi Ins temple a| IClephanline. The I'ha-lai.-h iherelipon goes i n state to Kiniin's uliritie at I'jepham inc. is reverently \-c----cei\ed by the Knuin pi iesl li.-ixl. ' and makes all offering to Knum'.s statue. The story proceeds that Knuin was seen to incline tcwnrds Zozer. and appealed (,-, speak to him. declaring that he was angry because the temple needed renovation, but there would be plenlous harvsls it the neglect were repairid. Zozer immediately gnvf orders for taxes in be levied upon all lishermcn, fowlers, caravan masters, and all people who used the stream. The concession thus granted lo the priests of Knuin was long afterwards claimed b vlhe rival priests of Isis. al P.hilae.

TOM I! 01! CKXOTAIMI'r Thnugh the Step Pyramid was much ihe largest building of its day. it is doublfitl whether it was a tomb or nii-u-ly a cenolaph or .est ing place for Pii.'iuioli's spirit. In modern limes. PiOle-v...| IhiiM.ng explored an e.seep-ii.--nall\ larg.' masl.-.ba, 300 ft. long and ■•'"!«_ high, behind the lily of Thmis, in I'pjii-r Mgypl. li .showed many sign:-, of having been Zoz.-r's aelllal place nf burial. 'I here Were sellings e'i jars, puts of iuiiera! olferings. and most ■ l' ih.j-e articles bore the ••hawk name" ii (his Pl,a,a,,h. Right sealing* had ihe name ..I his mother, who may have outlived him and presented his mummy wish funeral olferings. Zozer's remain's have nut been found at the Step Pyramid, but a handsome chamber was 'discovered some years ago. deep down under the surface. It was of special interest because it was decorated with glazed tiles, hearing the King's- name and titles. Sir Flinders Petrie tells us that polychromatic tiles have been found even of an earlier date than the first dynasty. Petrie also considers that as Zozer died in Upper Egypt his actual li.mb may have been the beautiful maslaha explore,l by Carstang.

A COINCIDENCE IN INSCRIPTIONS Some months ago n temple of offerings was found li.v the Cairo Department of Antiquities! under the shadow of the Step Pyramid. .Mr C. M. Ki it It . "I' tluil department, has recently discovered a colonnade of 'lB shafts (broken), the work of Jmhotep. above referred 10. Mr Eirlh also found parts of (lie great boundary wall, more ihau 3011. high, which once surrounded the large pyramid area. Among the discoveries in a room adjoining the colonnade were souk.' fragments of papyri— of later dale than the pyramid—on which a militar,v oflicer had written a complaint that ' there ' ,; "l I"' 1 '" delay in (he payment of Jii.s I| "' i' s - Also, on ,i wall iiear al hand ■ : ' loiiriy! had scratched (abonl eleven centuries before Christ) a reeoird llml '"■ litnl given himself a holiday, and '"'me to see the wonders of Sakhara ;il! «l Mia! after spending several years campaigning lie was the dnlv surVivor "' '"« troop. A correspondent of T 1,,. 1 "lies, comment ing upon ihis u , i|j n g. Kl . lli: " ,! i- s •' singular coincidence lh »' "'hen Mi' l .\nlii|i.i(ies Departmen! recently cleared a little known lemple, ■oi itiscriplii n was fi uiitl ~i' an, X) , M ~f Australian Light Horse, recording life ll;i1 '' '•'■ 'tis visit, on leave, after the iriu:siice, adding thai he was the soje ineniber of his squadron and (hat he had passed scatheless through (he rati). I>:tign.3 ol (hillipcli. Egypt and I'ales line