D'Athanasi, Giovanni; Salt, Henry [Hrsg.]: A brief account of the researches and discoveries in Upper Egypt: To which is added a detailed catalogue of Mr. Salts collection of Egyptian antiquities (London, 1836)

excavations at thebes. 51

again reverted to his darling objects of research,
and he desired me to go and occupy the place
which Mr. Belzoni had lately filled at the excava-
tions which were being carried on at Thebes.
Upon this gratifying mission I set out without loss
of time, and immediately on my arrival arranged
the order of the excavations; I also made some
purchases of antiquities, notwithstanding all the
difficulties which I experienced through means of
a certain Antonio Lebolo, a countryman of M.
Drouetti, who had just been buying up all the
antiquities the Arabs had to sell. Singularly
enough, however, he had left in their hands, for
what reason I know not, the finest specimen of
all; namely, a Greek mummy, that of the wife
of a governor of Thebes, named Soter Corne-
liou, which I immediately purchased. An English
traveller, had just bought the fellow mummy of
the governor of Thebes, but having taken it into
his head, whilst on his road to Cairo, that there
might be some gold coins in this mummy, he
caused it to be opened, and not finding any thing
in it of the nature he sought, he threw it into
the Nile, and gave the case belonging to it to
Mr. Salt. Such was the fate of the mortal
remains of the governor of Thebes.

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