Imatges de pàgina
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Nubian Desert-Roft Mountain Range-Wadi E' Suft-Wadi Murhad-

Ababde Arabs-Abu Hammed-The Province of Berber-El Mechêref

-Mogran or Atbara (Astaboras)-E' Damer-Mandera.

LETTER XVIII.-On the Blue River, Province of Sennâr, 139 N. Lat.,

2nd March, 1844

The borders of a Tropical Climate-Kawass-Hagi Ibrahim-Meröe-
Begerauieh-Pyramids-Ferlini-The Age of the Monuments-Schendi
-Ben Naga-Naga in the Desert-Mesaurât e' Sofra-Tamaniât-
Chartûm-Bahr el Abiat (the White River)-Dinka and Schilluk-
Soba-Kamlîn-Bauer-Inscription on Marble-Baobâb-Abu Harras→
Rahad-Character of the Country-Dender-Dilêb Palms-Sennâr-
Abdîn-Româli-Sero-Return towards the North-Wed Mêdineh-
Soriba-Sultana Nasr-Gabre Mariam-Rebâbi-Funeral Ceremony-
The Military-Emin Pascha-Taiba-Messelemîeh-Kamlîn-Soba-
Vase with an Inscription.

LETTER XIX.-Chartum, 21st March, 1844

Military Revolt at Wed Médineh-Insurrection of the Slaves.

LETTER XX.-The Pyramids of Meröe, 22nd April, 1844.

Tamaniat Qirre Mountain Range-Meröe-Return of the Turkish Army

from Taka-Osman Bey-Prisoners from Taka-Language of the Bis-

chari from Taka-Customs in the South-Pyramids of Meröe-Ethio-

pian Inscriptions-Name of Meröe.

LETTER XXI.-Keli, 29th April, 1844

Departure from Meröe-Groups of Tombs north of Meröe.

LETTER XXII.-Barkal, 9th May, 1844

The Desert of Gilif-Gôs Burri-Wada Gaqedûl-Mageqa-Trees of the

Desert-Wadi Abu Dôm-Wadi Gazal Coptic Churches-Greek In-

scriptions-Pyramids of Nuri-Arrival at Barkal.

LETTER XXIII.-Mount Barkal, 28th May, 1844

Ethiopian Kings-Temple of Ramses II.-Napata-Meraui-Climate.

LETTER XXIV.-Dongola, 15th June, 1844

Excursion into the Cataract Country-Bân-Departure from Barkal-

Pyramids of Tangassi, Kurru, and Zuma-Churches and Fortifica-

tions of Bachit, Magal, Gebel Dêqa-Old Dongola-Nubian Language.

LETTER XXV.-Dongola, 23rd June, 1844

Island of Argo-Kermân and Defûfa-Tombos-Inscriptions of Tuth-

mosis I.-Languages of Darfur.

LETTER XXVI.-Korusko, 17th August, 1844

PAGB

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PRELIMINARY ACCOUNT

OF THE

EXPEDITION AND ITS RESULTS.

IN the year 1842, in accordance with the proposal of Eichhorn, at that time Minister of Instruction, and at the recommendation of MM. Alexander v. Humboldt and Bunsen, his Majesty King Frederic William IV. of Prussia determined to send a scientific expedition to investigate the remains of ancient Egyptian and Ethiopian civilisation still in preservation in the Nile valley and the adjacent countries. The direction of the undertaking was entrusted to me, after the detailed plans of the proposed expedition had been minutely examined by the Royal Academy of Sciences, and in all points graciously approved by the King.

The land-surveyor, G. Erbkam, from Berlin, and the draughtsmen and painters, Ernest and Max Weidenbach, from Naumburg, and J. Frey, from Basle, were appointed to make the drawings and coloured representations, as well as those architectonic plans, which had to be executed on the spot. When J. Frey was obliged to return to Europe from Lower Egypt, on account of the injurious climate, he was replaced by the painter O. Georgi, from Leipzig. Two English artists, also, J. Bonomi, who, from the interest he took in the journey, became attached to our party while we were in London, and the architect J. Wild, who joined us of his own accord, took an active part in the expedition as long as it remained in Lower Egypt. Lastly, during nearly the whole of the journey, we enjoyed the society of the present Counsellor of Legation, H. Abeken, who accompanied us voluntarily and on an independent footing, and who in various ways promoted the antiquarian objects of the journey. We were also provided with the means of obtaining plaster casts of those representations that were best qualified for the purpose, by the addition of Franke the moulder.

The different members of the expedition arriving by va

rious roads, met in Alexandria, on the 18th September, 1842. On the 9th November we encamped near the great Pyramids of Gizeh. What we obtained on that spot, as well as from the adjoining Pyramid fields of Abusir, Saqara, and Daschur, which are situated to the south, occupied us exclusively and uninterruptedly for more than six months. The inexhaustible number of important and instructive monuments and representations, which we met with in these Necropoli, the most ancient that have existed in any country, surpassed every expectation we had been entitled to hold concerning them, and accounts for our long abode in this part of the country, which is the first approached and visited, but has, notwithstanding, been very little investigated. If we except the celebrated and well-known examination of the Pyramids in the year 1837, by Colonel Howard Vyse, assisted by the accomplished architect Perring, little had been done to promote a more minute investigation of this remarkable spot; the French-Tuscan expedition, in particular, did little more than pass through it. Nevertheless, the innumerable tombs of private individuals grouped about those royal Pyramids, partly constructed of massive square blocks, partly hewn into the living rock, contain, almost exclusively, representations belonging to the old Egyptian Monarchy, which terminated between two and three thousand years before Christ; indeed, most of them belong to the fourth and fifth Manethonic Dynasties, therefore between three and four thousand years before Christ. The wonderful age of those Pyramids, and of the surrounding tombs, is no longer generally denied by intelligent inquirers, and in the first volume of my "Egyptian Chronology," which has lately appeared, I have endeavoured to furnish a critical proof of the certain foundations we possess for a more special determination of time as far back as that period. But were any one only to believe in the lowest acceptation of modern scholars concerning the age of the first Egyptian Dynasties, he would still be compelled to yield priority to those monuments before any other Egyptian remains of art, and generally before all artistic remains belonging to the whole race of man, to which we can historically refer. It is only to this that we can attribute the wonderful growth in the interest which we attach,

* Chronologie der Ægypter. Vol. i. Berlin, 1849.

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