110

APPENDIX.

found in the small temple (see d in ground-plan), together with
two other tablets, composed of calcareous stone (see hh in ground-
plan). One of these was in its original position ; the other had
fallen down, and was afterwards sent to the British Museum.2 (See
Plate, view of temple.) Between the front walls of this temple a
small lion of good workmanship was found, with the head towards
the image (see view of Temple); and, as small statues of the bull
Mahdes are similarly placed in Indian temples, I conceive that
this statue was in its original position. Fragments of other lions,
rudely carved, and the head and shoulders of a sphinx, were like-
wise discovered. All these remains, together with the tablets,
walls, and platform of the temple, had been ornamented with red
paint; which colour, according to Pausanias, was appropriated in
Egypt, as in India, to sacred purposes.3

" A large part of the left paw was uncovered, and the platform
of masonry was found to extend beyond it; and, in the course of
a fortnight, Capt. Caviglia had removed the sand from the paw,
and from the outer walls of the temple (see hh in ground-plan),
in front of which was an altar formed of granite (see h in ground-
plan). It is now in the British Museum, and has had at the
angles projecting stones, which may be supposed to have been
called the horns of the altar. (See Fig. 1, Plate D.) The altar yet
retains the marks of fire—the effects, probably, of burnt-offerings.

"The opening (J) between the two walls {hh in ground-plan)
was raised 2 feet above the pavement, and formed a sort of
window, by which, it may be supposed, that the priests only were
admitted into the temple; and near it another lion (Fig. 3, Plate
A), rudely carved, and apparently intended to have been placed
upon one of the walls {hh in ground-plan), was dug up. It is now
in the British Museum. The figure of an owl and three small
stones, which had belonged to an altar, were also discovered.
(See Fig. 2 in Plate A, and Figs. 4 and 5 in Plate D.) Fig. 4,
Plate A, seems to have been a votive offering. The interior
walls (cc in ground-plan) had probably been surmounted with
small sphinxes, like that already described. e c mark the
pavement.

s Mr. Birch, Assistant to the Antiquarian Department at the British
Museum, and Assistant-Secretary to the Archaeological Institute of Rome, lias
kindly enabled me to give an explanation of these inscriptions.

3 Diodorus says that the kite was esteemed sacred, because it brought to
the priests of Memphis a book inscribed with red characters ; and he also
observes that those, who wrote the sacred characters, wore, when so employed,
a red head-dress.