Egypt Through The Stereoscope

A Journey Through The Land Of The Pharaohs

by James Henry Breasted | 1908 | 103,705 words

Examines how stereographs were used as a means of virtual travel. Focuses on James Henry Breasted's "Egypt through the Stereoscope" (1905, 1908). Provides context for resources in the Travelers in the Middle East Archive (TIMEA). Part 3 of a 4 part course called "History through the Stereoscope."...

Position 54 - Excavating The Famous Avenue Of Rams, Southeast To The Temple Of Karnak, Thebes

We now stand before the greatest pylon in Egypt, the back of which we saw from the other end of the temple a moment ago. The river is behind us, Luxor and the avenue of rams leading thence are on our right, and we look slightly obliquely down through the main entrance of the temple and down the main axis (Plan 11). Behind and to the left of that isolated column in the court, you see the gate of the second pylon, through which you may follow the central aisle between the columns of the great hall behind the second pylon, although you are hardly able to distinguish the individual columns which rise on either side of the aisle.

But you may even see beyond the hall, for if you will look carefully at the other end of the aisle, just where our further view is cut off by the left-hand tower of this first pylon, you will discern the obelisk of Thutmosis I, which was the smaller of the two which we saw from the other end of the temple (Position 53). That is the earliest monument visible from here, and there the buildings of the 18th Dynasty begin, and extend, as you saw, to the rear, while all on this side of it (except the tumbled pylon which forms the rear of the hall, not visible from here) is of the 19th Dynasty or later, that is, from about 1350 B. C.

But this enormous pylon before us is, as we noted when we saw it from the rear (Position 53), the latest portion of the building. It was possibly erected by the Ptolemies, who always favored the old religion of Egypt, and not merely respected its usages and sanctuaries, but themselves built splendid temples to the gods of the land. “We shall see one especially notable example when we have visited Edfu (Positions 81-83).

This scene furnishes us another good example of the way in which the rubbish and débris of fallen houses collect before and around and within the temples of Egypt. Look at the towers and see again the rows of holes in which the roofing timbers of such houses were supported. The rubbish all around us is the disintegrated mud-brick of their walls. Excavations have been going on here at Thebes for many years, for the purpose of clearing all this away, but there is still much to be done.

You see that the methods employed are thoroughly modern, the rubbish being removed as fast as it can be taken out, upon a little tramway leading down to the river behind us. Here for ten cents a day, the modern native carries away the remains of the houses of his ancestors, to uncover remains of his still older forefathers, and the avenue of rams, once completely covered, begins to take shape again and emerge from its long concealment.

We have been looking at this place as it was in 1896. Now we shall be permitted to see it as it is to-day, and thus gain some idea of the purpose and method of such excavations. But we should bear in mind that the excavation of a cemetery is a matter requiring far more accuracy, careful supervision and skill, than the mere clearance of a temple front as we see it going on here. Our next position is to be a few feet to our right as the red lines numbered 55 on Plan 11 show.

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