DOI Artikel:
Griffith, Francis Ll.: Progress of Egyptology: archaeology, hieroglyphic studies, etc.
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.12053#0034
H.-PROGEESS OF EGYPTOLOGY.
A.—ARCHAEOLOGY, HIEROGLYPHIC STUDIES, ETC
The "book of the year" for Egyptology may well be Choisy's Art de
batir ehez les Egyptians, the work of a professed student of architec-
ture who is not an Egyptologist. It is noteworthy for its novel yet widely
interesting theme—building from the point of view of the engineer and
clerk of the works—as well as for the clearness of the author's view
and statement. Here, after a most brilliant exposition of the less popular,
but really deeply interesting subject of the employment of sunburnt brick in
Egypt, we have the modes demonstrated by which the ancient builders and
engineers in Egypt (and elsewhere too) worked in stone on a colossal scale
with no aid from tackle wheel or screw, but availing themselves of simple
ropes, levers, and rockers, plane and stepped inclines, sand bags and beds
of running sand. Doubtless much more will be discovered and explained,
and Choisy's book will be corrected in detail; but at any rate wonder at
the results attained by Egyptian builders can now be exchanged for an
intelligent interest in the methods by which these results were brought
about.
We may also congratulate ourselves on the contributions of the zoologists
Lortet and Gaillard to our knowledge of the mummy-fauna of Egypt.
On the other hand, in regard to a matter dealt with in the introduction to
last year's Report—namely, the age of the deposits in which implements of
palaeolithic type are found near Thebes—Blanckenhorn, who has made a
special study of the subject, has been unable to arrive at a definite
conclusion. Consequently Professor Schvveinfurth's statement that they
were assignable to the second Ice Age of Egypt needs modification; and
some doubt may still hang over the question whether the supposed imple-
ments found in the conglomerate are really artificial.
The annual literary output of Egyptologists is increasing : out of a great
mass of good work perhaps the most useful volume this year is the
A.—ARCHAEOLOGY, HIEROGLYPHIC STUDIES, ETC
The "book of the year" for Egyptology may well be Choisy's Art de
batir ehez les Egyptians, the work of a professed student of architec-
ture who is not an Egyptologist. It is noteworthy for its novel yet widely
interesting theme—building from the point of view of the engineer and
clerk of the works—as well as for the clearness of the author's view
and statement. Here, after a most brilliant exposition of the less popular,
but really deeply interesting subject of the employment of sunburnt brick in
Egypt, we have the modes demonstrated by which the ancient builders and
engineers in Egypt (and elsewhere too) worked in stone on a colossal scale
with no aid from tackle wheel or screw, but availing themselves of simple
ropes, levers, and rockers, plane and stepped inclines, sand bags and beds
of running sand. Doubtless much more will be discovered and explained,
and Choisy's book will be corrected in detail; but at any rate wonder at
the results attained by Egyptian builders can now be exchanged for an
intelligent interest in the methods by which these results were brought
about.
We may also congratulate ourselves on the contributions of the zoologists
Lortet and Gaillard to our knowledge of the mummy-fauna of Egypt.
On the other hand, in regard to a matter dealt with in the introduction to
last year's Report—namely, the age of the deposits in which implements of
palaeolithic type are found near Thebes—Blanckenhorn, who has made a
special study of the subject, has been unable to arrive at a definite
conclusion. Consequently Professor Schvveinfurth's statement that they
were assignable to the second Ice Age of Egypt needs modification; and
some doubt may still hang over the question whether the supposed imple-
ments found in the conglomerate are really artificial.
The annual literary output of Egyptologists is increasing : out of a great
mass of good work perhaps the most useful volume this year is the