DOI article:
Crum, Walter E.: Progress of Egyptology: christian Egypt
DOI Page / Citation link: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.12583#0092
7G
Progress of Egyptology.
The Menas text, recently found at Salona, is regarded by M. Bulic as
referring to some local saint.53
We mentioned last year the loss to these studies sustained by the death
of W. de Bock. With welcome rapidity his relatives, assisted by MM.
G-olenischeff and Stasoff, have made available a quantity of the materials
left by him in the form of notes, sketches, and photographs.53 How far
the published matter represents De Bock's notes and how far it is due to
the editors is not always clear; but it is at any rate evident that the
deceased had made full use of his opportunities when visiting the remains
of Egyptian Christianity. The publication contains descriptions, more or
less elaborate, of the following monuments :—(1) Ed-Deir, the Koman
fortress—not monastery—in the oasis of El-Khargeh, and the neighbouring
church; (2) the necropolis of El-Bagawat in the same oasis, with its
very remarkable decorated chapels; (3) the largest of these chapels;
(4) another of them, with biblical scenes and Greek inscriptions—the
costume of the soldiers here should help to fix the date; (5) yet another,
with Greek texts and still finer paintings, in which the figures—biblical
and allegorical—have yellow hair and the women flowing white veils;
(6) another of the chapels; (7) the so-called Deir Mustafa Kaehef in the
same oasis ; (8) the White Monastery, of which a new and more accurate
plan is given, as well as several interesting inscriptions, though the copies
of these are sometimes obscure ; (9) the Bed Monastery; (10) a cave near
the cemetery of Athribis, with graffiti. One of the latter shows it to be
perhaps the cave of " Shenoute the anchorite," so possibly the scene of the
famous Shenoute's periodical retreat; (11) the Monastery of the Martyrs
at Esneh. Besides shorter accounts of Deir el-Az&m and Deir el-Muttiu,
both near Siut, and of the cemetery of El-Zawiyeh, near Eifeh, there is a
general report on the actual condition and needful measures for the
preservation of the Christian monuments. The thirty-three photographs,
of which, indeed, the text is merely intended as explanatory, are admirable,
and the bibliographies of each chapter very full.
Father M. Jullien S.J., already known from his sketches of Christianity
in Palestine and Egypt, has given an account of his visits to the principal
early churches of Upper Egypt, including those at Denderah, Thebes,
Edfu and Philae.53i He makes several interesting observations relating to
the frescoes, the graffiti, the varying position of the altars, &c. A search
for remains of the earliest monasteries was the object of another journey.
At Fau the writer saw merely the fallen columns described by others;
but a short distance northward he found an apparently unnoticed
monastery dedicated to Palainon, Pachomius' teacher. The building,
however, appeared to be post-Mahommedan.
Progress of Egyptology.
The Menas text, recently found at Salona, is regarded by M. Bulic as
referring to some local saint.53
We mentioned last year the loss to these studies sustained by the death
of W. de Bock. With welcome rapidity his relatives, assisted by MM.
G-olenischeff and Stasoff, have made available a quantity of the materials
left by him in the form of notes, sketches, and photographs.53 How far
the published matter represents De Bock's notes and how far it is due to
the editors is not always clear; but it is at any rate evident that the
deceased had made full use of his opportunities when visiting the remains
of Egyptian Christianity. The publication contains descriptions, more or
less elaborate, of the following monuments :—(1) Ed-Deir, the Koman
fortress—not monastery—in the oasis of El-Khargeh, and the neighbouring
church; (2) the necropolis of El-Bagawat in the same oasis, with its
very remarkable decorated chapels; (3) the largest of these chapels;
(4) another of them, with biblical scenes and Greek inscriptions—the
costume of the soldiers here should help to fix the date; (5) yet another,
with Greek texts and still finer paintings, in which the figures—biblical
and allegorical—have yellow hair and the women flowing white veils;
(6) another of the chapels; (7) the so-called Deir Mustafa Kaehef in the
same oasis ; (8) the White Monastery, of which a new and more accurate
plan is given, as well as several interesting inscriptions, though the copies
of these are sometimes obscure ; (9) the Bed Monastery; (10) a cave near
the cemetery of Athribis, with graffiti. One of the latter shows it to be
perhaps the cave of " Shenoute the anchorite," so possibly the scene of the
famous Shenoute's periodical retreat; (11) the Monastery of the Martyrs
at Esneh. Besides shorter accounts of Deir el-Az&m and Deir el-Muttiu,
both near Siut, and of the cemetery of El-Zawiyeh, near Eifeh, there is a
general report on the actual condition and needful measures for the
preservation of the Christian monuments. The thirty-three photographs,
of which, indeed, the text is merely intended as explanatory, are admirable,
and the bibliographies of each chapter very full.
Father M. Jullien S.J., already known from his sketches of Christianity
in Palestine and Egypt, has given an account of his visits to the principal
early churches of Upper Egypt, including those at Denderah, Thebes,
Edfu and Philae.53i He makes several interesting observations relating to
the frescoes, the graffiti, the varying position of the altars, &c. A search
for remains of the earliest monasteries was the object of another journey.
At Fau the writer saw merely the fallen columns described by others;
but a short distance northward he found an apparently unnoticed
monastery dedicated to Palainon, Pachomius' teacher. The building,
however, appeared to be post-Mahommedan.