DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.17#0178
IS« PYRAMIDS AND PROGRESS.
ride halted where some square-mouthed caves were seen here and there on each
side. The donkey-boys now began to act as guides. " Here the tomb of Ramses,
sir. Ramses the Great. You know him ? Here the tomb of the smali Ramses.
Ever so many Ramses. But here is the best tomb of all, the tomb of Seti, sir."
There are many tombs of kings, a very avenue of them, but we thought one
would do on this occasion. We said we would go down into Seti's, and were
about to do so, but a tall Arab barred our way; a dignified looking man in a white
garment and yellow turban wound round his tarboosh. Then he said politely,
" Your tickets for the tombs, sir." Then we saw that the slanting passage, running
steeply downwards to the tomb from the path, was closed by an iron gate. These
tickets are sold to every tourist by Cook and Son, acting for the Government, cost
£\ each, and without them none of the " protected " monuments are visible. This
regulation was made none too soon, for enterprising Arabs were found who were
making traffic of the wall-paintings, selling them to agents in France and America.
Fortunately we were all provided with the talismanic tickets, and the gate was
opened. Down, down into the bowels of the mountain we penetrated, sometimes
by steps, sometimes by sharply-inclined planes, till we reached several chambers,
about 100 yards beyond the entrance. The passage was lofty and wide, and
daylight finds its way for a while, then total darkness. The custodian lit his
candles, and when a finer chamber than usual was reached flashed the flame of
ignited magnesium wire that we had provided. Chamber after chamber, passage
after passage, all beautifully painted, exquisite drawing, and in many places as fresh
as when done 3,500 years ago ! The ceilings are blue, with golden stars thereon,
the whole walls being painted with coloured hieroglyphic texts from the ancient
Egyptian Bible, the " Book of the Dead."
Scenes from the past life of the great art-loving king—scenes of his future
life beyond the grave—he appears before the gods and justifies himself by showing
his well-spent life, and enumerating the evil deeds he did not do—a negative
kind of virtuous self-justification. The soul of the dead man is weighed, and
found true; he is deemed ready for future bliss! Volumes would be needed to
enumerate every column of literature from Seti's tomb. Some illustrations and
translations have been published, but to decipher all would be over much.
In the days of Herodotus, who gave the outer world the earliest tales of
Egypt, the Tombs of the Kings, as far as known, were empty. Their entrances
were closed, though the priests could enter them by secret passages only known
to themselves. In later days many were violently broken open and robbed, but
the locale of the tomb of Seti seems to have been lost, unknown even to the Arabs
of the neighbourhood. Belzoni discovered the entrance to Seti's tomb in 1817,
and in the uttermost splendid domed chamber there lay the empty coffin, its lid
ride halted where some square-mouthed caves were seen here and there on each
side. The donkey-boys now began to act as guides. " Here the tomb of Ramses,
sir. Ramses the Great. You know him ? Here the tomb of the smali Ramses.
Ever so many Ramses. But here is the best tomb of all, the tomb of Seti, sir."
There are many tombs of kings, a very avenue of them, but we thought one
would do on this occasion. We said we would go down into Seti's, and were
about to do so, but a tall Arab barred our way; a dignified looking man in a white
garment and yellow turban wound round his tarboosh. Then he said politely,
" Your tickets for the tombs, sir." Then we saw that the slanting passage, running
steeply downwards to the tomb from the path, was closed by an iron gate. These
tickets are sold to every tourist by Cook and Son, acting for the Government, cost
£\ each, and without them none of the " protected " monuments are visible. This
regulation was made none too soon, for enterprising Arabs were found who were
making traffic of the wall-paintings, selling them to agents in France and America.
Fortunately we were all provided with the talismanic tickets, and the gate was
opened. Down, down into the bowels of the mountain we penetrated, sometimes
by steps, sometimes by sharply-inclined planes, till we reached several chambers,
about 100 yards beyond the entrance. The passage was lofty and wide, and
daylight finds its way for a while, then total darkness. The custodian lit his
candles, and when a finer chamber than usual was reached flashed the flame of
ignited magnesium wire that we had provided. Chamber after chamber, passage
after passage, all beautifully painted, exquisite drawing, and in many places as fresh
as when done 3,500 years ago ! The ceilings are blue, with golden stars thereon,
the whole walls being painted with coloured hieroglyphic texts from the ancient
Egyptian Bible, the " Book of the Dead."
Scenes from the past life of the great art-loving king—scenes of his future
life beyond the grave—he appears before the gods and justifies himself by showing
his well-spent life, and enumerating the evil deeds he did not do—a negative
kind of virtuous self-justification. The soul of the dead man is weighed, and
found true; he is deemed ready for future bliss! Volumes would be needed to
enumerate every column of literature from Seti's tomb. Some illustrations and
translations have been published, but to decipher all would be over much.
In the days of Herodotus, who gave the outer world the earliest tales of
Egypt, the Tombs of the Kings, as far as known, were empty. Their entrances
were closed, though the priests could enter them by secret passages only known
to themselves. In later days many were violently broken open and robbed, but
the locale of the tomb of Seti seems to have been lost, unknown even to the Arabs
of the neighbourhood. Belzoni discovered the entrance to Seti's tomb in 1817,
and in the uttermost splendid domed chamber there lay the empty coffin, its lid