DOI Artikel:
Griffith, Francis Ll.: Progress of Egyptology: archaeology, hieroglyphic studies, etc.
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.11503#0035
II.-PEOGRESS OF EGYPTOLOGY.
A.—ARCHAEOLOGY, HIEROGLYPHIC STUDIES, ETC.
The most prominent feature in the Egyptology of the present year is
the welcome development that has taken place in the study of
archaeology. Several important books have been principally or entirely
devoted to the accurate description of antiquities or the discussion of
questions of pure archaeology, while the works of philological writers
have been more strongly influenced by the consideration of the concrete
than before. It is time that it was so. As was well said by Mr.
Hogarth at the last general meeting of the Egypt Exploration Fund,
" Egypt is the repository of all archaeology;" and the excavator who,
in the pursuit of his own particular tastes, makes a holocaust of all the
interests of others will be classed by posterity with dealers and plun-
derers. It behoves us, therefore, who are on the threshold of the new
era, not to fall behind our times, but to take to heart the words of
Schweinfurth, printed in the last number of this Report.
Publications of texts copied from the monuments in situ are again
few. This dearth does not arise from any exhaustion of the inscriptions,
and perhaps we may hope to account for it by the inauguration of
a better thought-out system of publication and greater care in the
execution than has hitherto been in vogue.
On April 1st the foundation-stone of the new museum was laid on
the Cairene bank of the Nile, just below the Kasr en Nil bridge. It
will be remembered that the Egyptian collection is at present housed
in a wood and stucco palace that belonged to the family of the late
Khedive; its system of endless small apartments condemns it at once ;
and, whereas Mariette's museum at Bulaq was in danger of being swept
away by a flood, and was once several feet deep in water, the Gizeh
palace is in even greater danger from fire. In March, 1899, the new
museum is to be out of the hands of the contractors and ready to receive
the collection. It will stand on very low ground close to the river, but
precautions are taken against any risk of injury by the inundation, and
A.—ARCHAEOLOGY, HIEROGLYPHIC STUDIES, ETC.
The most prominent feature in the Egyptology of the present year is
the welcome development that has taken place in the study of
archaeology. Several important books have been principally or entirely
devoted to the accurate description of antiquities or the discussion of
questions of pure archaeology, while the works of philological writers
have been more strongly influenced by the consideration of the concrete
than before. It is time that it was so. As was well said by Mr.
Hogarth at the last general meeting of the Egypt Exploration Fund,
" Egypt is the repository of all archaeology;" and the excavator who,
in the pursuit of his own particular tastes, makes a holocaust of all the
interests of others will be classed by posterity with dealers and plun-
derers. It behoves us, therefore, who are on the threshold of the new
era, not to fall behind our times, but to take to heart the words of
Schweinfurth, printed in the last number of this Report.
Publications of texts copied from the monuments in situ are again
few. This dearth does not arise from any exhaustion of the inscriptions,
and perhaps we may hope to account for it by the inauguration of
a better thought-out system of publication and greater care in the
execution than has hitherto been in vogue.
On April 1st the foundation-stone of the new museum was laid on
the Cairene bank of the Nile, just below the Kasr en Nil bridge. It
will be remembered that the Egyptian collection is at present housed
in a wood and stucco palace that belonged to the family of the late
Khedive; its system of endless small apartments condemns it at once ;
and, whereas Mariette's museum at Bulaq was in danger of being swept
away by a flood, and was once several feet deep in water, the Gizeh
palace is in even greater danger from fire. In March, 1899, the new
museum is to be out of the hands of the contractors and ready to receive
the collection. It will stand on very low ground close to the river, but
precautions are taken against any risk of injury by the inundation, and