Anecdotes of Painters, Engravers, Sculptors and Architects and Curiosities of Art (Vol. 3 of 3) by S. Spooner (pdf to ebook reader .TXT) 📕

cut in the solid rock, were made before the building of the pyramid was

commenced. It is evident it was intended that the pyramid should not be

entered after the body or bodies were deposited in it, as blocks of

granite were fixed in the entrances to the principal passages, in such a

manner as not only to close them, but to conceal them.--There are

evidences, however, that this pyramid was entered both by the Roman and

Arab conquerors of Egypt.

The materials of all the pyramids are limestone, and, according to

Herodotus, were brought from the mountains near Cairo, where there are

ancient quarries of vast extent; but Belzoni is of opinion that a part

of them, for the second pyramid at least, was procured immediately on

the spot; others think that the greatest part of the materials came from

the west side of the Nile. The granite which forms the roofing of the

chambers, etc., was brought down the Nile from Syene. The stones of

which it is built, rarely exceed 9 feet in length, and 6½ in breadth;

the thickness has already been stated.

The ascent to the great pyramid, though not without difficulty and

danger, is frequently accomplished, even by females.

The pyramid of Cephren, the second in size, according to Belzoni, has

the following dimensions:

Side of the base,                     684 feet.

Vertical height,                     456 "

Perpendicular, bisecting the face of

   the pyramid,                       568 "

Coating from the top, to where it

   ends,                               140 "

Belzoni, after great exertion, succeeded in opening the second pyramid,

and after traversing passages similar to those already described in the

great pyramid, reached the main chamber, which is cut in the solid rock,

and is 46 feet 3 inches long, 16 feet 3 inches wide, and 23 feet 6

inches high. The covering is made of blocks of limestone, which meet in

an angular point, forming a roof, of the same slope as the pyramid. The

chamber contained a sarcophagus, formed of granite, 8 feet long, 3 feet

6 inches wide, and 2 feet 3 inches deep, on the inside. There were no

hieroglyphics on it. Some bones were found in it, which were sent to

London, and proved to be those of a bull or an ox. From an Arabic

inscription on the wall of the chamber, it appears that some of the Arab

rulers of Egypt had entered the pyramid, and closed it again. Belzoni

also discovered another chamber in this pyramid.

The pyramid of Mycernius, the third in size of the Jizeh group, is about

330 feet square at the base, and 174 feet high. This pyramid has never

been opened.

There are some large pyramids at Sakkârah, one of which is next in

dimensions to the pyramid of Cheops, each side of the base being 656

feet, and the height 339 feet. At Dashour there are also some large

pyramids, one of which has a base of 700 feet on each side, and a

perpendicular height of 343 feet; and it has 154 steps or platforms.

Another pyramid, almost as large at the base as the preceding, is

remarkable. It rises to the height of 184 feet at an angle of 70°, when

the plane of the side is changed, to one of less inclination, which

completes the pyramid. At Thebes, there are some small pyramids of sun

dried bricks. Herodotus says, "About the middle of Lake Moeris, there

are two pyramids, each rising about 300 feet above the water. The part

that is under the water is just the same height." It is probable that

these pyramids were built on an island in the lake, and that Herodotus

was misinformed as to the depth of the water. There are numerous

pyramids in Nubia--eighty or more--but they are generally small.

The object of the Egyptians in building these pyramids, is not known.

Some writers maintain that they were as memorials, pillars, or altars

consecrated to the sun; others, that they served as a kind of gnomon for

astronomical observations; that they were built to gratify the vanity

and tyranny of kings, or for the celebration of religious mysteries;

according to Diderot, for the transmission and preservation of

historical information; and to others, for sepulchres for the

kings,--which last was the common opinion of the ancients. Some suppose

that they were intended as places for secret meetings, magazines for

corn, or lighthouses; but their structure, and great distance from the

sea, are sufficient refutations of these absurd hypotheses.

PERILOUS ASCENT OF THE PYRAMID OF CEPHREN.

The upper part of this pyramid is still covered with the original

polished coating of marble, to the distance of 140 feet from the top

towards the base, which makes the ascent extremely difficult and

dangerous. Mr. Wilde, in his "Narrative of a Voyage to Madeira,

Teneriffe, and along the shore of the Mediterranean," published in 1840,

made the ascent to the top, and thus describes the adventure:

"I engaged two Arabs to conduct me to the summit of the pyramid--one an

old man, and the other about forty, both of a mould, which for

combination of strength and agility, I never saw surpassed. We soon

turned to the north, and finally reached the outer casing on the west

side. All this was very laborious to be sure, though not very dangerous;

but here was an obstacle that I knew not how the Arabs themselves could

surmount, much less how I could possibly master--for above our heads

jutted out, like an eave or coping, the lower stones of the coating,

which still remain and retain a smooth, polished surface. As

considerable precaution was necessary, the men made me take off my hat,

coat, and shoes at this place; the younger then placed his raised and

extended hands against the projecting edge of the lower stone, which

reached above his chin; and the elder, taking me up in his arms as I

would a child, placed my feet on the other's shoulders, and my body flat

on the smooth surface of the stone. In this position, we formed an angle

with each other; and here I remained for upwards of two minutes, till

the older man went round, and by some other means, contrived to get over

the projection, when, creeping along the line of junction of the casing,

he took my hands, drew me up to where he was above me, and then letting

down his girdle, assisted to mount up the younger, but less daring and

less active of the two. We then proceeded much as follows. One of them

got on the shoulders of the other, and so gained the joining of the

stone above. The upper man then helped me in a similar action, while the

lower pushed me up by the feet. Having gained this row, we had after to

creep to some distance along the joining, to where another opportunity

of ascending was offered. In this way we proceeded to the summit; and

some idea may be formed of my feelings, when it is recollected that all

of these stones of such a span are highly polished, are set on an angle

of little less than 45°, and that the places we had to grip with our

hands and feet were often not more than two inches wide, and their

height above the ground more than 400 feet. A single slip of the foot,

and we all three must have been dashed to atoms long before we reached

the bottom. (This actually happened to an English traveler in 1850.) On

gaining the top, my guides gave vent to sundry demonstrations of

satisfaction, clapping me on the back, patting me on the head, and

kissing my hands. From this I began to suspect that something wonderful

had been achieved; and some idea of my perilous situation broke upon me,

when I saw some of my friends beneath, waving their handkerchiefs and

looking up with astonishment, as we sat perched upon the top, which is

not more than six feet square. The apex stone is off, and it now

consists of four outer slabs, and one in the centre, which is raised up

on the end and leans to the eastward. I do not think human hands could

have raised it from its bed, on account of its size, and the confined

space they would have to work in. I am inclined to think the top was

struck by lightning, and the position of the stone thus altered by it.

The three of us had just room to sit upon the place. The descent, as

might be expected, was much more dangerous, though not so difficult. The

guides tied a long sash under my arms, and so let me slide down from

course to course of these coverings of stones, which are of a yellowish

limestone, somewhat different from the material of which the steps are

composed, and totally distinct from the rock at the base, or the coating

of the passages."

EGYPTIAN OBELISKS.

Obelisks belong to the oldest and most simple monuments of Egyptian

architecture, and are high four-sided pillars, diminishing as they

ascend, and terminating in a small pyramid. Herodotus speaks of them,

and Pliny gives a particular account of them. The latter mentions king

Mesphres, or Mestres, of Thebes, as the first builder of obelisks, but

does not give the time; nor is this king noticed either by Herodotus or

Diodorus. It is probable that these monuments were first built before

the time of Moses, at least two centuries before the Trojan war. There

are still several obelisks in Egypt; there is one erect, and another

fallen at Alexandria, between the new city and the light-house; one at

Matarea, among the ruins of old Heliopolis; one in the territory of

Fayoum, near ancient Arsinoë; eight or ten among the ruins of Thebes;

the two finest at Luxor, at the entrance of the temple, &c. These

obelisks, exclusively of the pedestals, are mostly from 50 to 100 feet

high, and of a red polished granite (sienite); a few of the later ones

are of white marble and other kinds of stone. At their base, they

commonly occupy a space of from 4½ to 12 feet square, and often more.

Some are adorned on all sides, and some on fewer, with hieroglyphics cut

in them, sometimes to the depth of two inches, divided into little

squares and sections, and filled with paint: sometimes they are striped

with various colors. Some are entirely plain and without hieroglyphics.

The foot of the obelisk stands upon a quadrangular base, commonly two or

three feet broader than the obelisk, with a socket, in which it rests.

They were commonly hewn out of a single stone, in the quarries of Upper

Egypt, and brought on canals, fed by the Nile, to the place of their

erection.

The Romans carried many of them from Egypt to Rome, Arles, and

Constantinople, most of which were afterwards overturned, but have been

put together and replaced in modern times. Augustus, for instance, had

two large obelisks brought from Heliopolis to Rome, one of which he

placed in the Campus Martius. The other stood upon the Spina, in the

Circus Maximus, and is said to have been the same which king

Semneserteus (according to Pliny) erected. At the sack of Rome by the

barbarians, it was thrown down, and remained, broken in three pieces,

amidst the rubbish, until, in 1589, Sixtus V. had it restored by the

architect Domenico Fontana, and placed near the church Madonna del

Popolo. Under Caligula, another large obelisk was brought from

Heliopolis to Rome, and placed in the Circus Vaticanus. It has stood,

since 1586, before St. Peter's church: it is without hieroglyphics; and,

with the cross and pedestal, measures 126 feet in height. It is the only

one in Rome which has remained entire. Its weight is estimated at 10,000

cwt. Claudius had two obelisks brought from Egypt, which stood before

the entrance of the Mausoleum of Augustus, and one of which was restored

in 1567, and placed near the church of Santa Maria Maggiore. Caracalla

also procured an Egyptian obelisk for his circus, and for the Appian

Way. The largest obelisk (probably erected by Rameses) was placed by

Constantius II., in the Circus Maximus at Rome. In the fifth century, it

was thrown down by the barbarians, and lay in pieces upon the ground,

until Sixtus V., in 1588, had it raised upon the square, before St.

John's church of the Lateran, thence called the _Lateran obelisk_. It is

beautifully adorned with sculpture; its weight is 13,000 cwt.; its

height, exclusive of the pedestal, 140 feet; with the pedestal, 179

feet. Several others have been erected by succeeding popes.

REMOVAL OF AN OBELISK BY FONTANA.

The following curious account of the removal of the obelisk in the

Circus Vaticanus to the centre of St. Peter's square, by Domenico

Fontana, is extracted from Milizia's life of that famous architect. It

shows plainly that the Egyptians must have attained great skill and

perfection in mechanics and