E G Y

364

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periods by several nations, and had belonged to differentforms of religious worship ; and the union of these variousedifices, each of them in itself regular, and crowded togetherin this narrow spot, formed an irregular group of mostpicturesque and magnificent objects. I could here dis-tinguish eight sanctuaries or separate temples, of differentdimensions, built at various times, and the limits of eachhad been respected in the construction of the succeedingones, which had impaired the regularity of the whole.A part of the additions to the original buildings hadbeen made with a view of connecting the old to the new,avoiding with great dexterity false angles and generalirregularities. This kind of confusion of the architecturallines which appear like errors in the plan, produce in theelevation a picturesque effect, which geometrical rectitudecannot give; it multiplies objects, forms elegant groups, andoffers to the eye more richness than cold symmetry can evercommand. I was here able to convince myself of the truthof a remark which I had before made at Thebes and Tentyra ,which is, that the mode of building with the ancient Egyptians,was first to erect large masses, on which they afterwardsbestowed the labour of ages in the particulars of the decora-tion, beginning their work with shaping the architecturallines, proceeding next to the sculpture of the hieroglyphics,and concluding with the stucco and the painting. Ali thesedistinct periods of work are very obvious here, where nothingis finished but what belongs to the highest antiquity; where,as a part of the subordinate buildings which served to connectthe various monuments, had been left in many particularswithout finish, without sculpture, and even incomplete in thebuilding. The great and magnificent oblong monumentexhibits these different periods of workmanship; it wouldbe difficult to assign any use to this edifice, if the presenceof certain monuments representing offerings, had not pointedit out to be a temple. It has, however, the form neither ofa portico, nor of a temple ; the columns which compose itsouter circumference, and which are engaged in the wall onlyhalf their height, support nothing but an entablature, and acornice without roof or platform; it only opened by twoopposite doors, without lintels, which made a straight passagethrough, in a longitudinal direction. As it was doubtlessbuilt in the later period of the Egyptian power, it showsthe perfection of art in the highest purity; the capitals areadmirable in beauty and execution ; the volutes and thefoliage are gracefully waved, like the finest Greek architec-ture, and are symmetrically diversified like those of Apolli-nopolis, that is to say, differing from the contiguous capitals,and similar to the corresponding ones, and all are exactlykept within the same parallel.”

This group of buildings is 800 feet long and 420 feetbroad, and it is almost entirely covered with the most statelymonuments of different ages. The front is a rampart wall,to serve as a protection against the rising waters of the Nile .The entrance to the temple was approached by a magnificentdouble range of columns around a court 250 feet long, behindwhich were rooms for the priests. The pyramidal moles areeach 47 feet long, 27 feet thick, and 75 feet high ; tworows of gigantic hieroglyphics adorn them, representing fiveof their grand divinities ; there are likewise other figures ofpriests, &c.; on each side of the door (which is 26 feet high)is an obelisk 18 feet high, and a sphinx 7 feet long. Behindis a court 80 feet long, and 45 feet wide, also flanked bygalleries of columns. On the right, behind the columns, isa suite of cells 10 feet deep, and on the left a private dwell-ing, composed of a portico at each end, and of three roomsof various dimensions, communicating one with another, andopening to the porticos ; this is the only building that Denon

~ —— ~ —— - ———— ~~po> , -

ever saw of the kind. Two other moles serve as . jjjs )Sto the most beautiful and regular part of the edific pjlust 61 ' 3a species of portico, decorated by 10 columns and t . tb e

eleg‘ ’liiiff 8

4 feet in diameter, as magnificent as they arecolumns and walls are covered with sculptures, . (g s ...-are either painted in astronomical tables, or with pa 1 ^

on an azure ground. Beyond this again was the s oO eof the temple, 60 feet by 30, divided into f° ur 1 . [ ; 3 sap'leading to the others ; in these remote cliambeisposed that the sacred birds and reptiles were kept-

“ Besides this vast enclosure, in which these _ n g S foitemples were connected and grouped together by a ' v ar t; tl,ethe priests, there were two temples standing jj ; g ofl e' " ese r;

larger of the two I have already spoken of, the sm ? pre-- ,of the most beautiful that can be conceived, in P el t p eS ire ®vation, and so small, that it almost gives one 1 1carrying it away. I found within it some remains o ^ an 0scene, which seemed to be that of Joseph an ,j n a s vsuggested to me the subject of the flight into EgyP

of the utmost truth and interest.”

We have now described several of the P rlnCI ^i)ichments belonging to this style of architecture, fr°m p art® 11 '’be formed a very fair idea of the Egyptian metho , e( j up®®iDg and adorning their temples. We have not to . , tn l)

the pyramids, although the-subject can scarcelycompleted without some description of them ; w ® ,, 0 uve rl ' eI \ever, already extended this article to a somewhat in la 1 ®length, and would rather defer their consideration u gj C ieiiperiod, than treat them here in a summary al \ esC j-ipti on gmanner. The same reasoning applies to the ® thei'^ 01 ' 6 ’the sphinxes, and such like. We refer the rea ® ’ x>to the articles under the heads Pyramid and yer y c°®jThe subject we have been treating of is 0 ®® 0 . pra® 11 ? jsiderable interest, and, although not of dire c ar e *

utility to the architect, is yet well wort yconsideration. „ CEc^ 3 '

Egyptian -Hall, or Banqueting-Rooms. * .

Egyptian Pyramids. See Pyramids. d e3 „ll

EIDOGRAPH, an instrument for copyj|

lL uS®< h

...lilC®

1 to

common

invented by Professor Wallace of Edinburgh ^is an improvement on the pentagraph in c0 gmuch more correct, and can be used for p ul Pthe latter cannot be applied. .- on . ,, e J

EIDOLON, a likeness, image, or represents ^ pa ne® dELBOWS. of a Window, the two or^

work , one under each shutter, generally , l6 ba®^into the back, so that the two elbows ana lining round the three sides of the recess.

ELEOTHESION, the anointing-room, e

palestrae, called by the Romans unctuariwn. m®d® a s

ELEVATION, an orthographical P r ° j6 ' al - c liite ct0 th®a plane perpendicular to the horizon. I* 1 or fr° D ?j g isbuildings are constructed with vertical iac tQ a gi hjyplane of delineation is generally chosen P ara a y be s a®order that the measure in every direction part® v t j 0 u-obtained. What is generally called a sec .* ’ a s a se - ff iu^much of a geometrical projection or eleva i ^ aI1 ° r '°j 3 eSBy the elevations and plans, all the measur ^ 0 r a. 0 .object may be ascertained, whether t e y ne< j. I® {0 tl>®represented be horizontal, vertical, or inC en dicu lar . r ,graphical projections, all straight lines P P

plane of delineation are projected into^pmn^ p r oje ct d ,yith

s > an ‘.all

hit 1 " 5^'

lines parallel to the plane of delineation, a g situ&( estraight lines of equal lengths, and are a_ . j,t » rrl . s gregard to the plane of delineation, as the s g 0 f t 1 a®*

original object is with regard to the na e ^ ^e elTherefore, whatever lines are perpendicu

;0®®'