An Egyptian Princess

Georg Ebers
E. A. Weeks & Company
Chicago
1868?

The late Georg Ebers was a celebrated Egyptologist and author from the second half of the 19th century whose works are known to contain references to archaeological discoveries of his time. Mr. Ebers is also well known today for an important medical papyrus from Egypt's New Kingdom period he discovered at Thebes, and bears his name, during the winter of 1873-74.


This 513-page book opens with a preface to the second German edition of corrections and improvements, including more recent discoveries of his day and a clarification of character names. The pages contain references at the bottom of the pages, often encompassing most of the page; these references, while fascinating, are a distraction from the main plot, making the book unsuitable for a child.


The book opens as guests arrive at the noblewoman Rhodopis's house at the Greek city of Naukratis for a party. The guests are a mix of Mediterranean nobles, one of whom has brought the words of an oracle, while an Israelite had come to Egypt to buy chariots and horses for the governor of Judah.


After talk of sport and politics, the Athenian Kallias announced that the Persians were on their way to Egypt in the form of an envoy to conclude an alliance with Pharaoh Amasis, and perhaps the Persian King Cambyses wished the hand of Amasis' daughter, though there is some doubt among the guests as to the intentions of the Persian envoy. The party ends with a drunken insult of the hostess in remembrance of her youth as a slave by one of the guests, but before the insult could be completed, the guest was knocked out by another guest and carried away by his slaves.


Hurt by the insult, the lady of the house wanders to the bed chamber of her granddaughter Sappho, of whom Rhodopis is devoted. Days later, a crowd gathers at the harbor at Sais, including the Crown Prince Psamtik and priests, to welcome the ships of the Persians' arrival.


The reader is present at a great banquet held by their jovial self self-confident King Amasis, with talk of events of the classical world in which they lived. Amasis and his heir are opposites, as the king trusts his friends, Psamtik only sees the court vulnerabilities of his father’s generosity with a particular dislike of the Athenian Phanies, whom Psamtik seeks to kill.


King Amasis to his queen and guests,


     "There are but two days when a wife brings pleasure to her husband's life: The wedding-day, when hopes are bright, and the day he buries her out of sight." *


"Cease, cease," cried Ladice, stopping her ears; "that is too bad. Now, Persians, you can see what manner of man Amasis is. For the sake of a joke, he will laugh at those who hold precisely the same opinion as himself. There could not be a better husband ------"


"Nor a worse wife," laughed Amasis.

                                                                             

A friend of Gyges hears plans to capture Phanes and rides a brisk two hours from Sais to Naukratis to let Phanes know that Rhodopis' house, where he is, is being surrounded by guards in an attempt to catch him by Psamtik's men. This action saves Phanes, who manages to escape the house dressed as one of the Persian guests, though not his boat, which had been discovered and sunk by his pursuers.


Early the following morning, the handsome young Persian Prince, Bartja, visits Rhodopis to inquire about the well-being of his friend Gyges, but before he could meet with Rhodopis, he catches her granddaughter, Sappho, in the garden and falls in love with the innocent girl. Now, about a quarter of my way through the book, I have found a comfort zone in the style of writing of the author, the characters, and the many fascinating archaeological notes that accompany the storyline.


The love story between Bartja and Sappho continues with the help of Sappho's nanny, Melitta, until Bartja and Sappho's love finds the approval of Bartja's father and Sappho's grandmother. First, however, Bartja and his father have to complete their mission to bring back King Amasis' daughter, Princess Nitetis, to Persia to marry King Cambyses.


After a long journey, Nitetis arrives at the Persian capital and is met outside the city walls by her prospective husband, Cambyses, who is clad in magnificent clothes of gold, silver, and purple cloth with yellow leather boots on top of a great stallion. The young Nitetis is well-liked by Cambyses, his mother, and younger sister, but there are those at the court who have it in for the Egyptian princess.


In her apartments among the hanging gardens, Nitetis becomes a member of the royal family, learning how to be a Persian queen and of her duties. Cambyses is at first jealous of the thought that his younger brother Bartja may hold Nitetis' heart, but soon becomes relaxed in the faith of his and Nitetis' love for each other.


As Nitetis is fitting into her new life, she receives a letter from home from her mother, Queen Ladice. The letter is all doom and gloom, particularly for Princess Tachot, who has fallen gravely ill in love with Bartja, and awaits to see him again, vowing not to die before then. On the day of Cambyses' birthday celebrations, the elements of evil take hold in the caretaker of the harem, Boges, who wishes to eliminate Nitetis by making her look unfaithful to Cambyses, who is hot-headed and easily led by Boges.


As I finish Chapter XIX, my antique copy heads into Chapter XXI with no Chapter XX. Chapter XXI starts on page 299 to page 306, then it starts over to page 299 and moves through the complete chapter to Chapter 22. I also realize that I have reread earlier parts of this book, which I chalked up to losing my page, but now I am in doubt about that.



These factors have resulted in my setting this book, and review aside for the past year as I contemplated if or how I should finish and publish this review. In the end, I have decided that due to loss of context, I should end the review here, but to publish just in case the entire print run was affected in this way. For those readers who have this book already, you can find what appears to be the missing chapter in a link below.

Notes:

* Taken from the translations of F.W. Richter
1. PublicBookshelf.com

Six Books for Every Egyptian Collection

On this beautiful day here in Vancouver, I am reminded that winter has arrived, and that I have not put together in a while a collection of must-have reads suitable as gifts for loved ones. These books included, for the first time, three exhibition catalogs of shows that contained extraordinary content never to be seen again.

1. The Search for Alexander; An Exhibition- From the age of small children, people around the world are taught of the fame of Alexander the Great. Here we have a catalog of the early 1980s exhibition, containing objects from his time, including many objects found within the intact burial of Alexander's father, Philip II, King of Macedonia. The book contains beautiful pictures, provided with clear explanations of artifacts built to dazzle the senses.

The Greek Ministry of Culture
New York Graphic Society of Books
1980
ISBN: 082121080

2. The Complete Valley of the Kings- In this book, the reader is brought through the history of the tombs within the valley, and their occupants, the sacred valley. Nicholas Reeves & Richard H. Wilkinson and the discovery. Author Nicholas Reeves recent theory about finding Nefertiti's burial behind frescoes painted on the walls in King Tutankhamen's tomb makes this the perfect timing for anyone interested to explore t
Thames & Hudson
1996
ISBN 978-0-500-28403-2

3. Gods and Myths of Ancient Egypt-This book is the most challenging among the books presented, and best for a little older crowd. The author Robert A. Armour lays before the reader a complex extraction of components that make up ancient Egyptian Paganism. Within these pages, a greater sense of the individual character of gods, goddesses, and the divine family is remarkably constructed.

Robert A. Armour
The American University in Cairo Press
1986
Cairo, Egypt
ISBN 977 424 113 4
Dar el Kutub no. 4130/85

4. Akhenaten: Pharaoh of Egypt- It is hard to write a list of books to recommend to my viewers without including something by the late Cyril Aldred. The subject of the heretic Pharaoh Akhenaten cannot be forgotten, being a favorite subject of Egyptologists, young and old. In this fertile ground, Mr. Aldred produced one of the finest representations of the lives the king and royal family lived in their capital at Akhetaten.

Cyril Aldred
Thames and Hudson
First Abacus Edition
Great Britain
1972
ISBN-10: 0500276218

5. Pharaohs and Mortals: Egyptian Art in the Middle Kingdom- The collection of art put together in this 1988 exhibition likely will never be seen again, as so many of Great Britain's finest Egyptian collections lent pieces to this show. Too often nowadays, exhibitions are organized around pharaonic personalities like Tutankhamun, Cleopatra, or Ramses II. Here in this catalog, author Janine Bourriau presents an outstanding collection of art of the Middle Kingdom to rival anything from the New Kingdom.

Janine Bourriau
Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge
Cambridge University Press
Great Britain
1988
ISBN 0 521 35846 9

6. The Treasures of Tutankhamun- This is the book and guide to the 1972 fiftieth anniversary exhibition of the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun. The exhibition was held at the British Museum with objects from the boy king's tomb, many of which are now, according to Egyptian law, unable to leave Egypt again, including the pharaoh's mask.

British Museum Exhibition
The Trustees of the British Museum
Thames & Hudson Ltd.
London
1972
ISBN: 0 7230 0070 0

The Pyramids Of Egypt

I. E. S. Edwards
Penguin Books
England
1991
ISBN-10: 0140136347

The late I. E. S. Edwards was, among other important posts, the Keeper of Egyptian Antiquities at the British Museum until his retirement in 1974. After this, he worked on the UNESCO project to save the temples at Philae and was Vice-President for the Egypt Exploration Society. This is his 1947 publication on the pyramids of ancient Egypt.

The publication opens with a series of prefaces updating the reader on developments that occurred since the first publication. In the introduction, the author puts ancient Egyptian history into its proper order up to the end of the late period before Alexander the Great's arrival in 332 B.C. A map sets down the location of its sites along the Nile from Elephantine in the south to the sites of Tanis and Buto in the northern delta.

     "However primitive and materialistic the Egyptian conception of the after-life may seem, it must be conceded that it was responsible for the production of some of the greatest artistic masterpieces in antiquity. Without the impetus provided by a practical motive, it is doubtful whether a fraction of the statues, reliefs, or inscriptions which are now so universally admired would ever have been produced."

The evolution of burial customs at the beginning of Egyptian history followed through the simple, shallow pit in the desert topped by a mound of sand. Within this grave, the body was in a contracted position with offerings and pots surrounding the corpse. By the time of the First Dynasty, the shallow pit was replaced with the rock-cut tomb topped by a rectangular mud brick mastaba with an offering chapel.

The Third Dynasty King Djoser's architect Imhotep erected Egypt's first pyramid, and first stone monumental construction. The pyramid surrounded by false stone buildings, courtyards, and gateways set a new standard for Egypt's king's and a series of step pyramids followed, complete with the layout of Djoser's monumental needs for the afterlife. As time passed, the various elements of the mortuary temple stayed from one generation to the next, and were added on to with vestibules, storerooms, and shrines.

It is King Snefru who develops the first true pyramid at Dashur, but only after two previous attempts, one at Meidum and another back at Dashur.With the Bent Pyramid, the stress of the steep angle of the pyramid caused cracks in the burial chamber, requiring the architect to reduce the angle of construction of the pyramid. With the Red Pyramid, the king had the first true pyramid worthy of the great king's burial.

It is Snefru's son, King Khufu, who moves his pyramid complex to the Giza plateau, building with monumental blocks weighing up to 200 tons, with a mortuary chapel and a causeway leading to the king's valley temple. On the Giza plateau next to Khufu's pyramid, King Khafra built his pyramid complex, which today appears to be the largest in the cemetery, though only because it is erected on higher ground.

It is within the measurements of the pyramids that often haunt books on this subject, making them clearly unsuitable for younger readers. Fortunate for myself, as Mr. Edwards presents words of interest that set this volume apart from the many books that these measurements have killed.

The kings who followed to the end of the Old Kingdom were unable to afford their pyramid complexes on the same scale after the epoch of pyramid building in the Fourth Dynasty. Rather, these kings afforded rubble-filled pyramids cased in limestone with a burial chamber under the pyramid. In the Fifth and Sixth Dynasties, corridors and temples were covered in brightly painted sculpted reliefs of fine Tura limestone. At the end of the Fifth Dynasty, with King Unas, the pyramid texts began being carved on the walls of the burial chamber and other surfaces. The kings of the Sixth Dynasty continued this practice, and the texts even appeared on the walls of at least three queens from this dynasty.

     " In front of each sarcophagus, near the south wall, there was a rectangular pit, about 3 feet deep, in which a Canopic chest containing the king's viscera had been buried. Pepi I's Canopic chest still retained one of the packages with his viscera wrapped in bandages of fine linen, which had been stained brown with resin. Only fragments of the jar had survived."

In the middle of the book, there are a large number of pages of black and white photographs, of which many are fine shots of pyramid interiors, including the burial chamber of the Twelfth Dynasty King Amenmesses III. In the Twelfth Dynasty, the pyramid again rises to the grand scale of the Old Kingdom. The entrances were moved from the north face to ingenious new hiding places with interior passages filled with security measures, including secret passages in the ceilings of corridors. Within these pyramid enclosures were found many famous jewelry caches from a number of Twelfth Dynasty princesses, and in one tomb was found the disturbed burial of a Thirteenth Dynasty king named Hor.

With the passing of these great monarchs, Egypt again splintered into provincialism, marking once and for all the end of monumental pyramids in Egypt. While at the same time, a population of people, possibly Semitic, immigrated to the northern delta, taking control of Lower Egypt. The expulsion of these people, known as the Hyksos, was completed with Ahmosis I reuniting all of Egypt from Thebes, bringing on the country's greatest period of Empire.

With the enormous wealth that flowed into Egypt from conquered lands, its rulers could well have afforded great pyramids, but chose not to. Here, the theological impetus had taken a back seat for the safety of the king's mummy. Even the mortuary temples were separated from the now hidden royal tombs; instead, the pyramid was now in vogue in the cemeteries of the nobles.

In this subject, particularly on the Great Pyramid, I wince at the thought of another pyramid book, though I do find the Twelfth Dynasty pyramids with their devices for security curiously entertaining.  I. E. S. Edwards 'The Pyramids of Egypt' is not for children but teenagers and up, being certainly thorough, especially given the book's vintage. In conclusion, I couldn't put it down!

The Book of the Mummy

In the center of the capital Zagreb, sits a beautiful Neo-classical yellow and white stone building on Zrinski square, which is the home of Croatia's National Archaeological Museum. A museum with nearly half a million objects of Prehistoric, Greek, Roman, and Medieval cultures is a must-visit when in Zagreb. The museum also boasts one of Europe's most impressive numismatic collections featuring more than 50,000 coins.

From the museum's holdings can be found around 2,100 objects that make up its small and attractive Egyptian collection, represented mostly by Late Period objects, though there are artifacts, including stelea from Egypt's ancient Middle Kingdom and objects of the New Kingdom period, as well as an impressive red granite head of a king, perhaps Amenhotep II?

Though the Egyptian collection is one of Eastern Europe's most impressive Egyptian collections, it is relatively unimportant in its contents, as most of the museum's artifacts are without provenance to find spots. This is partly due to that two-thirds of the Egyptian collection came to the museum in April of 1868 as a purchase of objects from the heirs of the late Baron Franz Koller, who seems to have built his collection while living in Naples during the last decade of his life.

This collection was added to the museum's small holdings of Egyptian artifacts, where the museum's most important piece was already present. The Egyptian collection's star is a mummy of a Late Period lady, well preserved, and though she is a fine mummy, it is her wrappings that have become one of, if not the museum's greatest artifact, certainly a unique object of world cultural importance.

The lady's wrappings consist of a linen book, a singular surviving example of a linen book from classical antiquity. The bonus being that the book is heavily inscribed in Etruscan writing, a language which remains mostly undeciphered and of which this document is the longest surviving extent text in the ancient Etruscan language known in the world, a singular object in this small collection that any of the world's far more important museums would envy to possess.

The mummy was purchased in Alexandria sometime around 1848-9 with her wrappings, an injured book of the dead, a sarcophagus, and a mummified cat head, all of which enjoyed the "parlor life", the lady standing up with the aid of an iron rod within a glass case. The owner took off the mummy's wrappings and displayed them nearby, though it is reported that the owner did not notice the writing on the wrappings.

These artifacts were donated to the forerunner of Zagreb's Archaeological Museum sometime after the owner died in 1859 by his family. The damaged Egyptian Book of the Dead belonged to Nesi-Khonsu, the wife of a Theban tailor.

The carbon 14 dates for the mummy, its linen wrappings, and papyrus are all dating to approximately 390 BC., though there is some debate about the date of the Book of the Dead, which contains inscriptions in both hieroglyphic and hieratic. It must be said with no corroborating evidence, it is only an assumption that the Zagreb mummy is Nesi-Khonsu.

Studies of the linen book have revealed the names of certain gods and dates, suggesting it to be a liturgical calendar. There can be no doubt that the book is a world treasure. In the future, with translation, the full intent of the document will no doubt be helped by still yet to be discovered sources.

Notes:

(KMT Journal, Summer 2010, Vol. 21, #2, Egypt at Zagreb by Lucy Gordan-Rastelli, pg. 63 says that there are "approximately 3,150 objects" in the Egyptian collection. Due to this discrepancy, I have therefore used the archaeological museum's own website information.

Photo of Zagreb Egyptian collection: Pearls: Touch of Croatia
Photo of Etruscan Book:  SpeedyGonsales
Links: Archaeological Museum Zagreb 
Translations: Mel Copeland, The Zagreb Mummy Script