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DOI Artikel:Sayce, A. H.: Gleanings from the land of Egypt, [1]
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.12258#0073
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GLEANINGS FROM THE LAND OF EGYPT
GLEANINGS FROM THE LAND OF EGYPT
BY
A.-H. Sayce
§ I. — Inscriptions from the neighbourhood of Girgeh.
A number of interesting monuments exist opposite Girgeh, which are but little
known. As I have paid them three visits, and, on each occasion, have spent several hours
in exploring and copying, an account of them may be acceptable. The district opposite
Girgeh consists of a plain, enclosed on the west by the Nile and on the east by an amphi-
théâtre of clilïs. At the northern extremity, the clifîs project into the river; at the Sou-
thern end, they only approach the Nile and then turn aside to the south. At this latter
point is the village of Meshaikh; while, on the southern sideof the northern extremity of
the clifîs, is the village of Negadîyeh, close to the old Coptic monastery, Dêr em-Mclàk.
Between the two villages is an interval of about three English miles. In the cliff above
Meshaikh is a tomb of a certain jj || |1 ^ J, who lived in the reign of Meneptali I. Ho
is entitled a royal scribe; also ^ J-^I^JÏ^&Pc^P'Ç'Slf Y A 3'
and it is further said of him that he was ni ! ° Jj /-S . The inscrip-
\ A I I -^* AWvV\ I VJ. /WWv\ '_
tions with which the walls and columns of the tomb were covered are much damaged;
I have copied what remains of them. In the inner chamber of the tomb, two lions are
represented back to back supporting between them the rising sun jbj. This heraldic
représentation indicates Asiatic influence1. Below the tomb of Anhur-messu are a large
number of graves, excavated in the débris of the clifî in which the bodies of the poor were
buried. There are also a few tombs eut in the rock, and apparently of the Grseco-Roman
period, which are unornamented. Between thèse and the monuments above Negadîyeh,
which I am going to describe, there are no remains of antiquity. Attached to the Dèr
em-Melâk, the " monastery of the archangel " (Michael), is a large Coptic cemetery, to
which the dead of Girgeh are still carried. The cemetery is the successor of the ancient
tombs with which the clifl' behind it is Ml. Immediately at the back of the cemetery is
an isolated fragment of rock, which has been excavated into a tomb. On the exterior, I
discovered an inscription, showing that it belonged to a Roman soldier of the third
Cyrenaic légion. It is one of the few Latin inscriptions that have been found in Egypt,
and the letters are traced in thin Unes. The following is my third and last copy of it :
The final letter is probably an accidentai mark on the
c. UMIRIV3 fuscvs miles ^ man,g age being 53
leg iii CYirs«orinaicae . \ j j
To the north of the tomb is a row of tombs of the
S ivlii ivu
v lui l (?) Greek period excavated in the cliiï. Among them are some
tombs which belong to an earlier epoch, but every vestige
(1) On trouvera, dans les Monuments divers de Mariette (pl. 78, et Texte, p. 26-27), quelques-uns des
textes provenant de cette tombe.
GLEANINGS FROM THE LAND OF EGYPT
GLEANINGS FROM THE LAND OF EGYPT
BY
A.-H. Sayce
§ I. — Inscriptions from the neighbourhood of Girgeh.
A number of interesting monuments exist opposite Girgeh, which are but little
known. As I have paid them three visits, and, on each occasion, have spent several hours
in exploring and copying, an account of them may be acceptable. The district opposite
Girgeh consists of a plain, enclosed on the west by the Nile and on the east by an amphi-
théâtre of clilïs. At the northern extremity, the clifîs project into the river; at the Sou-
thern end, they only approach the Nile and then turn aside to the south. At this latter
point is the village of Meshaikh; while, on the southern sideof the northern extremity of
the clifîs, is the village of Negadîyeh, close to the old Coptic monastery, Dêr em-Mclàk.
Between the two villages is an interval of about three English miles. In the cliff above
Meshaikh is a tomb of a certain jj || |1 ^ J, who lived in the reign of Meneptali I. Ho
is entitled a royal scribe; also ^ J-^I^JÏ^&Pc^P'Ç'Slf Y A 3'
and it is further said of him that he was ni ! ° Jj /-S . The inscrip-
\ A I I -^* AWvV\ I VJ. /WWv\ '_
tions with which the walls and columns of the tomb were covered are much damaged;
I have copied what remains of them. In the inner chamber of the tomb, two lions are
represented back to back supporting between them the rising sun jbj. This heraldic
représentation indicates Asiatic influence1. Below the tomb of Anhur-messu are a large
number of graves, excavated in the débris of the clifî in which the bodies of the poor were
buried. There are also a few tombs eut in the rock, and apparently of the Grseco-Roman
period, which are unornamented. Between thèse and the monuments above Negadîyeh,
which I am going to describe, there are no remains of antiquity. Attached to the Dèr
em-Melâk, the " monastery of the archangel " (Michael), is a large Coptic cemetery, to
which the dead of Girgeh are still carried. The cemetery is the successor of the ancient
tombs with which the clifl' behind it is Ml. Immediately at the back of the cemetery is
an isolated fragment of rock, which has been excavated into a tomb. On the exterior, I
discovered an inscription, showing that it belonged to a Roman soldier of the third
Cyrenaic légion. It is one of the few Latin inscriptions that have been found in Egypt,
and the letters are traced in thin Unes. The following is my third and last copy of it :
The final letter is probably an accidentai mark on the
c. UMIRIV3 fuscvs miles ^ man,g age being 53
leg iii CYirs«orinaicae . \ j j
To the north of the tomb is a row of tombs of the
S ivlii ivu
v lui l (?) Greek period excavated in the cliiï. Among them are some
tombs which belong to an earlier epoch, but every vestige
(1) On trouvera, dans les Monuments divers de Mariette (pl. 78, et Texte, p. 26-27), quelques-uns des
textes provenant de cette tombe.