THE OLDEST PYRAMID.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19762, 13 April 1926, Page 6

THE OLDEST PYRAMID.

MONUMENT TO PHARAOH. SOME INTERESTING DISCOVERIES. Many Australians, and not a few who were stationed in Egypt during the war, will have seen the Step Pyramid at Bukhara (write, the London correspondent of the Melbourne Argus). It is a remarkable structure —the first of its kind built of stone. It dates from nearly a century earlier than. Cheops great pyramid at Gizeh. In appearance it is most arresting, for it is very massive. It consists of six steps or stages, and in perpendicular height is about 200 ft, on a square base of nearly 400 ft. It was built in the third dynasty, and is dated by Sir Flinders Petrie about 4900 B.c. Otuer authorities give its age about 4000 B.c. All are agreed th.it .t is the work of Zozer, or Thoser, a word which'means "holy." The translation of his “Hawk name” means “God in the flesh.” Though this Pharaoh reigned for 20 years, history tells little of his doings; but he had a lasting reputation as a patron of literature, and he was a physician of such eminence that he came to be identified with the Greek god Asklepios. He was remembered with reverence for many centuries. There is a statue of Sesostris 11 in Berlin which represents Pharaoh in the act of adoring Zozer. There are also records of a later date to his honour. According to Arthur Weicall, the greatness of Zozer was due to his minister, Imhotep, who was also identified with Aslekpios. A temple was erected to this man’s honour near Memphis, where hundreds of small metal figures of him have beeu found. He was revered as a philosopher, proverbmaker, musician, scribe, and architect. Ultimately he was regarded in Memphis as “a son of God” —the offspring of the local god Ptah, born of a woman. Every scribe dropped a few drops of water from the jar attached to his writing-box as a libation to Imhotep, his patron saint, before beginning his work. Zozer s name has been found upon the rocks near Sinai, where his men probably worked the copper mines. Sir Flinders Petrie tells ua that Zozer built a shrine in stone, embellished with reliefs, at Heliopolis, the university town of On, mentioned in Scripture. Imaginative writers have pictured On as the place where Pharaoh’s daughter probably sent Moses to learn the wisdom of the Egyptians. History associates Zozer with one interesting record of a great famine that occurred in the eighteenth year of his, reign. The story also shows the absolute dependence of the country upon the rise of the river Nile. Here we have Zozer appealing to Prince Medir, one of the deputies in the South Country, for help because the river has not properly risen for seven years. The King’s heart aches. There are no vegetables; there is no food of any kind. Men’s legs fail them; they clutch at their stomachs; everybody is in despair. Can Medir tel! him where the Nile rises; and who is the god who can supply the country with aid? Pharaoh asks Medir to visit the palace and inform him what the sacred books direct should be done. Medir at once reoairs to the court, and tells Pharaoh that the rising of the water is controlled by the pod Knum. who dispenses his waters from his temple at Elephantine. The Pharaoh thereupon goes in state to Knum’s shrine at Elephantine, is reverently received by the Knum priesthood, and makes an offering to Knum’s statue. The story proceeds that Knum was seen to incline towards Zozer, and appeared to speak to him. declaring that be was angry because the temple needed renovation, but there would be plenteous harvests if the neglect were repaired. Zozer immediately gave orders for taxes to be levied upon all fishermen, fowlers, caravan masters, and all people who used the The concession thus granted to the priests of Knum was, long afterwards claimed by the rival priests of Isis, at Philae. Though the Step Pyramid was much the largest building of its day, it is doubtful whether it were a tomb or merely a cenotaph or resting-place for Pharaoh's spirit. In modern times, Professor Garstang explored an- exceptionally large mastaba, 300 ft long and 30ft high, behind the city of Thinis, in Upper Egypt. It showed many signs of having been Zozer’s actual place of burial. There were sealings of jars, pots of funeral offerings, and most of these articles bore the “Hawk name” of this Pharaoh, Eight sealings had the name of his mother, who may have outlived him and presented his mummy with funeral offerings. Zozer’s remains have not 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, bearing 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 tomb may have been the beautiful mastaba explored by Garstang. Some months ago a temple of offerings was found by the Cairo Department of Antiquities under the shadow of the Step Pyramid. Mr C. M. Firth, of that department, has recently discovered a colonnade of 48 shafts (broken), the work of Imhotep, above referred to. Mr Firth also found parts of the great boundary wall, more than 30ft high, which once surrounded the large pyramid area. Among the discoveries in a room adjoining the colonnade were some fragments of papyri—of later date than the pi’ramid—on which a military officer had written a complaint that there had been delay in the payment of his troops. Also, on a wall near at hand, a tourist had scratched (about eleven centuries before Christ) a record that he had given himself a holiday, and come to see the wonders of Sakhara, and that after spending several years campaigning he was the only survivor of his troop. A correspondent of The Times, commenting upon this writing, says: “It is a singular coincidence that when the Antiquities Department recently cleared a little-known temple, an inscription was found of a trooper of Australian Light Horse, recording the date of his visit, on leave after the Armistice, adding that he was the sole member of his squadron, and that he had passed scathless through the campaigns of Gallipoli, Egypt, and Palestine.”