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 66 - From The Roof Of The Ramesseum Past The Fallen Colossus Of Ramses Ii, Southeast Over The Plain Of Thebes

Here, you see, we are practically reversing our position of a moment ago, when we stood on yonder pylon at the extreme right end and looked up here toward the hypostyle that is now beneath our feet (Plan 13). This is an admirable point for locating the temple with reference to the other shore, for as we look up the axis of the building we see that the white front of the hotel at Luxor, on the other side of the river, is almost in a line with it.

The river flows, as you know, directly in front of that hotel, off to our left or the northeast, but we cannot see it from here, as our point of view is not sufficiently elevated. Out of range on the left is Karnak, and behind us are, of course, the cliffs, which we have so often seen forming our western sky-line.

Under our feet is that central aisle, which we saw from the first pylon, and this native here on the right is sitting on an extending architrave which supports the roof beneath us. He is swinging his feet over the lower roof, which covers the side aisles immediately behind us. The vacant space before us is the second court, with its Osiris columns in front and rear (see Plan 13); those in front now face us, and of the four in the rear, which we saw from the pylon, you can discern only the arm or elbow of one, projecting from behind the pillar down here on our left. The first court now becomes more clear, as we see the first pylon which forms its front.

Through the door, half choked with fallen masonry, appears a peasant just riding past on a donkey, as he goes to superintend one of those numerous threshing floors scattered over the plain between us and the buildings of Luxor. This face of the pylon, though you cannot distinguish them from here, is occupied by enormous reliefs, depicting Ramses II at the famous battle of Kadesh, the same scene which we found also at Luxor. And there, with his giant head reposing directly in the middle aisle, is that colossal statue of the same king, the builder of this temple.

In the year 1300 B. C. it towered grandly above the pylons, and might have been seen far across the plain, but it has long lain as you see it now, a prey to the neighboring peasants who have broken it up for mill-stones. You will recognize its parts, in so far as they have survived, if you note that the native is standing on the forehead. The rest of the face is obliterated, but you can clearly see the band around the forehead in front of the native's feet. The projection on the right of the head is the heavy head-dress of linen, worn so commonly by the kings, and hanging down upon the right shoulder, which is still well preserved.

You saw the same head-dress on the statue of Khafre in the Cairo Museum (Position 10). On the right arm just below the shoulder you discern the royal cartouche or oval containing the name of the king; but you are not able to follow the arm down to the elbow, as the whole figure, arms and all, is broken off just below the breast. But you can discern the elbow on the great mass of the trunk, beyond the huge fracture, and even trace the beginning of the forearm.

The figure was seated like the Memnon colossi, with both hands on the knees, and as it here lies on its back the vast legs should rise to the front of the throne block, as its front would now be the upper side; but both legs and throne are now missing. It is 21½ feet across those gigantic shoulders, the arm above the elbow is 4 feet 9 inches thick, and judging from the dimensions, the figure must have been about 57½ feet high, which makes it the largest statue in Egypt, as we must deduct the bases from the height of the Memnon colossi.

We have seen (Position 60) the obelisks of Queen Makere, weighing some 350 tons, but here we have a figure cut from a single block, and weighing when finished over 800 tons. Yet that figure, being of Assuan granite, was brought down the Nile from the first cataract; and this same king accomplished a still more remarkable feat.

For Petrie found in the ruins of the Delta city of Tanis the scanty fragments of a red granite colossus, almost certainly belonging to Ramses II, which must have been about 92 feet high and weighed some 900 tons. The French expedition of Napoleon I found no less than eighteen of these colossi on this west side of the river alone, although, of course, they were not all as large as this of Ramses or those of Amenophis III, the Memnon colossi.

Let us now turn around more to the right and look from this fallen giant to its fellows out yonder on the plain. See the lines numbered 67, starting near the centre of Map 8. Comparison with the lines numbered 66, starting from the same point, shows more definitely how much more toward the south we are about to look. This position is given also on Map 9.

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