DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4023#0114
6S
TRAVELS IN EGYPT
as well in the inside as without, is extremely disserent, with regard to the dis*
tribution, the materials, and the grandeur.
Some os them are open; others ruined; and the greateft. part os them are
closed; but there is none, but what has been damaged in fome of their parts.
I t is easlly conceived, that they could not have been all raised at the same
time. The prodigious quantity of materials) that was neceffary sor them, ren-
according to Diodorus, puts it out os controversy ',
which may further be confirmed by the teftimony
of Ibn Abd Alhokm an Arabian, where he dif-
tourfes of the wonders of Egypt; who relates, that
after Almamon the calif os Babylon had caufed
this pyramid to be opened (about eight hundred
years fince) they found in //, towards the top, a cham-
ber, with an hollow ftone, in which there was a Jlatue
like a man, and within it a man, upon whom was a
brcasi-plate of gold fet with jewels ; upon this breaft-
plate was a swordof ineslimable price, and at his head
a carbuncle of the bignefs of an egg, finning like the
light of the day, and upon him were characters written
with a pen, which no man underjlood." Vol. i. page
gg. The learned doclor Birche's edition.
Doctor Pococke gives this account of the py-
ramids.
" The moft remarkable pyramids which are
taken notice of by the ancients, muft have been to
the north weft os Memphis •, they are called now
the pyramids of Gize, and, according to the de-
icription os the ancients, are towards the brow of
the hills; sor the low hills extending to the south
eaft, on the weft fide of the Delta, and near to this
place, they here set out sor about two miles to the
east, and then running fouth, the pyramids are
built towards the north eaft angle, the hills being
computed to be about one hundred seet high above
the plain, and are of such sree ftone as the pyramids
are built with.
" Herodotus observes, thatthey made a cause-
Way os stone, five surlongs in length, sor bringing
materials. He adds, that it was made os poliihed
ftones, adorned with the sigures os beasts. At this
time there is a caufeway from that part, extending
about one thousand yards in length, and twenty
seet wide, built os hewn stone •, the length os it
agreeing fo well with the account os Herodotus,
is a ftrong consirmation that this caufeway has been
kept up ever since, tho' some of the materials of it
may have been changed, all being now built with
sree-stone.
" The pyramid was built, according to Hero-
dotus, by Cheops, king os Egypt •, Diodorus
calls him Chemmis or Chembes. The sormer
says it was eight hundred Greek seet fquare, the
latter seven hundred, Strabo lefs than fix hundred •,
and Greaves, measuring it very exactly, sound it
to be six hundred ninety three Englilh feet; so that
the area takes up a little more than eleven acres.
The perpendicular height he found to be four hun-
dred and ninety nine feet, the inclined plain being
equal to its bafis, the angles and bafe making -an
equilateral triangle. Greaves found the meafure
at top thirteen feet, Diodorus fays it was nine feet,
thofe who have made it more are not to be credited,
and it is possible that one tier of ftone may have been
taken away. There are on the top nine stones, two
being wanting at the angles, and the two upper
steps are not perfect. •, nor could I see any fign in
the middle of a ftatue having been fixed there. The
upper tier of ftones not being intire, I meafured
two fteps below the top, and it was twenty fix feec
on the north fide, and thirty on the weit; lb that
either the pyramid is not fquare, or it inclines with
a greater angle to the weft and eaft, then to the
north and south. The number of fteps have been
related very differently ; from two hundred and
seven, Gre aves's number, to two hundred and fixty,
the number of Albert Lewenstein ; but as
Maillet, who alio was very exact, counted
two hundred and eight, it is probable the num-
ber of the fteps is two hundred and feven, or eight,
tho' I counted them two hundred and twelve.
The fteps are from two seet and a half to four feet
high, not being fo high towards the top as at the
bottom, and broad in proportion to their height,
being placed, as Greaves obferves, fo as that a
line ftretched from the bottom to the top, would
touch the angle os every ftep. It is thought that
this, as well as the other pyramids, was cafed with
a finer ftone on the outside, becaufe it is faid that
not only the mortar has been feen in which the
ftones were fixed, but alfo some pieces os white
marble slicking to the mortar, which they fuppofe
were lest on their taking away the ftone for some
other use •, and this feems to be intimated by He-
rodotus, who says that this pyramid was built at
sirst with fteps.
" It may be looked on as a very extraordinary
thing, how the entrance into the pyramid sliould be
found out, which it is said was an enterprize os the
calis Mahomet, who lived in the year eight hundred
twenty seven os the Christian rera; but without
doubt this prince was insormed os every thing
related by ancient authors, with regard to these ex-
traordinary buildings, thatthey were the fepulchres
of the kings of Egypt, and that, as Strabo relates,
there was in the middle os the pyramids a stone that
might be taken out to open a way to the pafiage
that led to the tombs." Obscrvations on Egypt,
page 41.
F. Vansleb observes, "That all the pyramids
have an entrance that leads to a low alley, which is
very long •, and at the end is a chamber, where the
ancient Egyptians did place the bodies os those
perfons sor whom the pyramids were built. This
entrance is not-to be feen in every one os the pyra-
mids, because the wind hath flopped them with
sand. I faw upon fome os them some hieroglyphic
characters, but I had not time to write them out.
" I took notice, that all the pyramids were built
in very good order •, and that each of the three
greateft were at the head of ten lefitr, which are not
ders
TRAVELS IN EGYPT
as well in the inside as without, is extremely disserent, with regard to the dis*
tribution, the materials, and the grandeur.
Some os them are open; others ruined; and the greateft. part os them are
closed; but there is none, but what has been damaged in fome of their parts.
I t is easlly conceived, that they could not have been all raised at the same
time. The prodigious quantity of materials) that was neceffary sor them, ren-
according to Diodorus, puts it out os controversy ',
which may further be confirmed by the teftimony
of Ibn Abd Alhokm an Arabian, where he dif-
tourfes of the wonders of Egypt; who relates, that
after Almamon the calif os Babylon had caufed
this pyramid to be opened (about eight hundred
years fince) they found in //, towards the top, a cham-
ber, with an hollow ftone, in which there was a Jlatue
like a man, and within it a man, upon whom was a
brcasi-plate of gold fet with jewels ; upon this breaft-
plate was a swordof ineslimable price, and at his head
a carbuncle of the bignefs of an egg, finning like the
light of the day, and upon him were characters written
with a pen, which no man underjlood." Vol. i. page
gg. The learned doclor Birche's edition.
Doctor Pococke gives this account of the py-
ramids.
" The moft remarkable pyramids which are
taken notice of by the ancients, muft have been to
the north weft os Memphis •, they are called now
the pyramids of Gize, and, according to the de-
icription os the ancients, are towards the brow of
the hills; sor the low hills extending to the south
eaft, on the weft fide of the Delta, and near to this
place, they here set out sor about two miles to the
east, and then running fouth, the pyramids are
built towards the north eaft angle, the hills being
computed to be about one hundred seet high above
the plain, and are of such sree ftone as the pyramids
are built with.
" Herodotus observes, thatthey made a cause-
Way os stone, five surlongs in length, sor bringing
materials. He adds, that it was made os poliihed
ftones, adorned with the sigures os beasts. At this
time there is a caufeway from that part, extending
about one thousand yards in length, and twenty
seet wide, built os hewn stone •, the length os it
agreeing fo well with the account os Herodotus,
is a ftrong consirmation that this caufeway has been
kept up ever since, tho' some of the materials of it
may have been changed, all being now built with
sree-stone.
" The pyramid was built, according to Hero-
dotus, by Cheops, king os Egypt •, Diodorus
calls him Chemmis or Chembes. The sormer
says it was eight hundred Greek seet fquare, the
latter seven hundred, Strabo lefs than fix hundred •,
and Greaves, measuring it very exactly, sound it
to be six hundred ninety three Englilh feet; so that
the area takes up a little more than eleven acres.
The perpendicular height he found to be four hun-
dred and ninety nine feet, the inclined plain being
equal to its bafis, the angles and bafe making -an
equilateral triangle. Greaves found the meafure
at top thirteen feet, Diodorus fays it was nine feet,
thofe who have made it more are not to be credited,
and it is possible that one tier of ftone may have been
taken away. There are on the top nine stones, two
being wanting at the angles, and the two upper
steps are not perfect. •, nor could I see any fign in
the middle of a ftatue having been fixed there. The
upper tier of ftones not being intire, I meafured
two fteps below the top, and it was twenty fix feec
on the north fide, and thirty on the weit; lb that
either the pyramid is not fquare, or it inclines with
a greater angle to the weft and eaft, then to the
north and south. The number of fteps have been
related very differently ; from two hundred and
seven, Gre aves's number, to two hundred and fixty,
the number of Albert Lewenstein ; but as
Maillet, who alio was very exact, counted
two hundred and eight, it is probable the num-
ber of the fteps is two hundred and feven, or eight,
tho' I counted them two hundred and twelve.
The fteps are from two seet and a half to four feet
high, not being fo high towards the top as at the
bottom, and broad in proportion to their height,
being placed, as Greaves obferves, fo as that a
line ftretched from the bottom to the top, would
touch the angle os every ftep. It is thought that
this, as well as the other pyramids, was cafed with
a finer ftone on the outside, becaufe it is faid that
not only the mortar has been feen in which the
ftones were fixed, but alfo some pieces os white
marble slicking to the mortar, which they fuppofe
were lest on their taking away the ftone for some
other use •, and this feems to be intimated by He-
rodotus, who says that this pyramid was built at
sirst with fteps.
" It may be looked on as a very extraordinary
thing, how the entrance into the pyramid sliould be
found out, which it is said was an enterprize os the
calis Mahomet, who lived in the year eight hundred
twenty seven os the Christian rera; but without
doubt this prince was insormed os every thing
related by ancient authors, with regard to these ex-
traordinary buildings, thatthey were the fepulchres
of the kings of Egypt, and that, as Strabo relates,
there was in the middle os the pyramids a stone that
might be taken out to open a way to the pafiage
that led to the tombs." Obscrvations on Egypt,
page 41.
F. Vansleb observes, "That all the pyramids
have an entrance that leads to a low alley, which is
very long •, and at the end is a chamber, where the
ancient Egyptians did place the bodies os those
perfons sor whom the pyramids were built. This
entrance is not-to be feen in every one os the pyra-
mids, because the wind hath flopped them with
sand. I faw upon fome os them some hieroglyphic
characters, but I had not time to write them out.
" I took notice, that all the pyramids were built
in very good order •, and that each of the three
greateft were at the head of ten lefitr, which are not
ders