The Pyramids and Temples of Gizeh

by William Matthew Flinders Petrie

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1883 Excerpt: ...or a third of the whole, are now missing. The Arabs say that they were found lying dislodged in the temple; and that Mariette, when clearing up the place to exhibit (at the festivities of the opening of the Suez Canal) had them blasted to pieces by soldiers. This seemed scarcely credible, although very similar stories are reported of that Conservator of Antiquities; but among the quantities of broken granite, which is built into a rude wall to keep back the sand, I found many pieces with polished surfaces like the beams in question, and with distinct blast-holes cut in them, quite different in character to the holes drilled anciently. This ugly story, therefore, seems confirmed. Besides this great hall, with the colonnades 222-4 inches high, there is another hall to the east of it, which has been much higher; and from each end of the eastern hall is a doorway, one now blocked up, the other leading to a chamber. Out of the great hall a doorway, in the N.W. corner, leads to a set of six loculi; these are formed in three deep recesses, each separated in two by a shelf of granite. These recesses still have their roofs on, and are dark except for the light from the doorway, and from a ventilator. The lower part of the walls of each recess is formed of granite, resting on the rock floor; this is 6r6 to 617 high. Above this is the granite shelf, 28 thick, which extends the whole length of the recess. In the southern recess this shelf is nearly all of one block 176 x over 72 x 28. Upon this shelf, over the lower recesses, are placed two walls of alabaster, dividing the upper three loculi; both walls arc irregularly a few inches southward of the lower walls. The extraordinary length of these loculi--over 19 feet--seems strange; especially as the turn to the side loc...

Genres: History

104 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1990

About the author

Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie FRS, known as Flinders Petrie, was an English Egyptologist and a pioneer of systematic methodology in archaeology. He held the first chair of Egyptology in the United Kingdom, and excavated at many of the most important archaeological sites in Egypt, such as Naukratis, Tanis, Abydos and Amarna. Some consider his most famous discovery to be that of the Merneptah Stele. Petrie developed the system of dating layers based on pottery and ceramic findings.

Reviews

[John Gates · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is very interesting reading these old books, if nothing else than to gain some perspective on professionals of a different era. It is amazing the faculties of such individuals. This is one of many books perused by those interested in the progression of archaeology as it pertains to ancient Egypt and understanding where quotes and such came from is paramount. This is not only interesting in and of itself as I have stated thus far here within, but also is interesting in gaining perspective on historical writing styles. I'm glad I picked this up.

[Carlton Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of those high altitude cruising reads to understand what information lay within its covers - for another project i have in mind for this. This book contains precise measurements from the survey of Giza, and its associated descriptive information, by Sir Flinder's Petrie. I believe this represents a high quality data and description of everything which is Giza, before any agendas crept in.