Howard-Vyse, Richard William Howard: Operations carried on at the Pyramids of Gizeh in 1837: with an account of a voyage into upper Egypt, and Appendix (Band 1) (London, 1840)

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OPERATIONS CARRIED ON AT GIZEH.

ters, many of which were not hieroglyphics, inscribed on
one of the walls. It was at first supposed to communicate
with a lower tomb, but this was not the case. As the lid
of the sarcophagus had only been raised a few inches, I
thought that part of the mummy might yet remain. I
accordingly wrote to Colonel Campbell, Mr. Perring, and
Mr. Hill, and having ordered the two janissaries, and
some of the reis to watch during the night, I postponed
any further investigation till the following day.

April 9th.

Reis, 7. Men, 16.

Mr. Hill arrived. We immediately went to the tomb.
Having cleared out a quantity of sand, we found the
sarcophagus entirely empty, excepting a few trifling orna-
ments of stone. The cartouche of Psammetichus the
Second was not upon the sarcophagus, although it ap-
peared in a line of hieroglyphics inscribed in a hollow
groove round the inside of the central excavation, in
which the building was placed.

Mr. Wilkinson has remarked, that the most antient
stone arch discovered in Egypt is in a tomb on the north-
eastern rocks of Saccara, and that it was constructed
during the reign of Psammetichus the Second about six
hundred years before Christ. It is remarkable that this
building appears to be of the same date. These two in-
stances are therefore the earliest specimens hitherto dis-
covered of this mode of construction in stone. The
Egyptians, however, formed arches with bricks in very
remote times; and it is surprising that the Grecians were
unacquainted with them.