HISTORY OF EGYPT
CHALDEA, SYRIA, BABYLONIA, AND ASSYRIA IN THE LIGHT OF RECENT DISCOVERY BY L. W. KING and H. R. HALL
Department of Egyptian and Assyrian Antiquities, British Museum
Containing over 1200 colored plates and illustrations.
Copyright 1906
PUBLISHERS' NOTE
It should be noted that many of the monuments and sites of excavations in Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia, and Kurdistan described in this volume have been visited by the authors in connection with their own work in those countries. The greater number of the photographs here published were taken by the authors themselves. Their thanks are due to M. Ernest Leroux, of Paris, for his kind permission to reproduce a certain number of plates from the works of M. de Morgan, illustrating his recent discoveries in Egypt and Persia, and to Messrs. W. A. Mansell & Co., of London, for kindly allowing them to make use of a number of photographs issued by them.
PREFACE
The present volume contains an account of the most important additions which have been made to our knowledge of the ancient history of Egypt and Western Asia during the few years which have elapsed since the publication of Prof. Maspero's Histoire Ancienne des Peuples de l'Orient Classique, and includes short descriptions of the excavations from which these results have been obtained. It is in no sense a connected and continuous history of these countries, for that has already been written by Prof. Maspero, but is rather intended as an appendix or addendum to his work, briefly recapitulating and describing the discoveries made since its appearance. On this account we have followed a geographical rather than a chronological system of arrangement, but at the same time the attempt has been made to suggest to the mind of the reader the historical sequence of events.
At no period have excavations been pursued with more energy and activity, both in Egypt and Western Asia, than at the present time, and every season's work obliges us to modify former theories, and extends our knowledge of periods of history which even ten years ago were unknown to the historian. For instance, a whole chapter has been added to Egyptian history by the discovery of the Neolithic culture of the primitive Egyptians, while the recent excavations at Susa are revealing a hitherto totally unsuspected epoch of proto-Elamite civilization. Further than this, we have discovered the relics of the oldest historical kings of Egypt, and we are now enabled to reconstitute from material as yet unpublished the inter-relations of the early dynasties of Babylon. Important discoveries have also been made with regard to isolated points in the later historical periods. We have therefore attempted to include the most important of these in our survey of recent excavations and their results. We would again remind the reader that Prof. Maspero's great work must be consulted for the complete history of the period, the present volume being, not a connected history of Egypt and Western Asia, but a description and discussion of the manner in which recent discovery and research have added to and modified our conceptions of ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilization.
Contents
PUBLISHERS' NOTE
PREFACE
EGYPT AND MESOPOTAMIA
CHAPTER I—THE DISCOVERY OF PREHISTORIC EGYPT
CHAPTER II—ABYDOS AND THE FIRST THREE DYNASTIES
CHAPTER III—MEMPHIS AND THE PYRAMIDS
CHAPTER IV—RECENT EXCAVATIONS IN WESTERN ASIA AND THE DAWN OF CHALDÆAN HISTORY
CHAPTER V—ELAM AND BABYLON, THE COUNTRY OF THE SEA AND THE KASSITES
CHAPTER VI—EARLY BABYLONIAN LIFE AND CUSTOMS
CHAPTER VII—TEMPLES AND TOMBS OF THEBES
CHAPTER VIII—THE ASSYRIAN AND NEO-BABYLONIAN EMPIRES IN THE LIGHT OF
CHAPTER IX—THE LAST DAYS OF ANCIENT EGYPT
List of Illustrations
Book Spines
Frontispiece1
Frontispiece1-text
Titlepage1
007.jpg the Bed of an Ancient Watercourse in The Wadiyên, Thebes.
008.jpg Palaeolithic Implements of the Quaternary Period. From the Desert Plateau and Slopes West of Thebes.
009.jpg (right): Palaeolithic Implements. From Man, March, 1905.
012.jpg Upper Desert Plateau, Where Paleolithic Implements Are Found, Thebes: 1,400 Feet Above the Nile.
014.jpg Flint Knife
017.jpg (right) Buff Ware Vase, Predynastic Period, Before 4000 B.c.
027.jpg Camp of the Expedition Of The University Of California at Nag' Ed-dêr, 1901.
038.jpg Portion of the "Stele Of Vultures" Found At Telloh
038-text.jpg
041greek.jpg
050.jpg (left) Obverse of a Slate Relief.
051.jpg (right)
052.jpg Obverse of a Slate Relief.
053.jpg Reverse of a Slate Relief, Representing Animals.
054.jpg
060.jpg Prof. Petrie's Camp at Abydos, 1901.
065.jpg (right) the Tomb of King Den at Abydos. About 4000 B.c.
067.jpg Conical Vase-stoppers. From Abydos. 1st Dynasty: About 4000 B.c.
082.jpg the Tomb of King Tjeser at Bêt KhallÂf. About 3700 B.C.
086.jpg False Door of the Tomb Of Teta, About 3600 B.C.
089.jpg the Shunet Ez-zebib: The Fortress-town, About 3900 B.C.
100.jpg Statue No. 1 of the Cairo Museum, About 3900 B.c.
109.jpg Exterior of the Southern Brick Pyramid Of Dashur
111.jpg the Pyramids of Giza During The Inundation.
125.jpg (greek Word)
126.jpg (greek Word)
147.jpg List of Archaic Cuneiform Signs.
150.jpg Fragment of a List Of Archaic Cuneiform Signs.
154.jpg Obelisk of Manishtusu.
160.jpg Babil.
160a.jpg "Stele of Victory"
160a-text.jpg Text for "Stele of Victory"
161.jpg Roughly Hewn Sculpture of a Lion Standing over A Fallen Man, Found at Babylon.
163.jpg General View of the Excavations on The Kasr At Babylon.
165.jpg Within the Palace of Nebuchadnezzar II.
166.jpg Excavations in the Temple Op Ninib at Babylon.
168.jpg the Principal Mound at Shekghat, Which Marks The Site of Ashuk, the Ancient Capital Of The Assyrians.
169.jpg the Mound of Kuyunjik, Which Formed One Of The Palace Mounds of the Ancient Assyrian City Of Nineveh.
170.jpg Winged Bull in the Palace of Sennacherib On Kuyunjik, the Principal Mound Marking The Site of Nineveh.
172.jpg Clay Memorial-tablet of Eannadu.
175.jpg Marble Gate
188.jpg Stone Gate
190.jpg Statue of Gudea.
192.jpg Tablet Inscribed in Sumerian With Details of A Survey of Certain Property.
230.jpg Clay Tablet, Found at Susa, Bearing An Inscription in the Early Proto-elamite Character.
231.jpg Clay Tablet, Recently Found at Susa, Bearing An Inscription in the Early Proto-elamite Character.
231a.jpg Fractions
233.jpg Block of Limestone, Found at Susa, Bearing Inscriptions of Karibu-sha-shushinak.
240.jpg Brick Stamped With an Inscription Of Kudur-maburg
245.jpg Semitic Babylonian Contract-tablet
256.jpg a Kudurru Or "boundary-stone."
260.jpg Kuottrru, Or "boundary-stone."
264a.jpg Upper Part of the Stele Of Hammurabi, King Of Babylon.
280.jpg Clay Contract Tablet and Its Outer Case
282.jpg a Track in the Desert.
283.jpg a Camping-ground in the Desert, Between Birejik And Urfa.
284.jpg Approach to the City of Samarra, Situated on The Left Bank of the Tigris.
285.jpg a Small Caravan in the Mountains of Kurdistan.
286.jpg the City of Mosul.
287.jpg the Village of Nebi Yunus.
288.jpg Portrait-sculpture of Hammurabi, King Of Babylon
293.jpg a Modern Machine for Irrigation on The Euphrates.
297.jpg Kaiks, Or Native Boats on the Euphrates At Birejie.
298.jpg the Modern Bridge of Boats Across The Tigris Opposite Mosul.
299.jpg a Small Kelek, or Raft, Upon the Tigris At Baghdad.
320.jpg Statue of Mera
324.jpg XIth Dynasty Wall: Dêr El-bahari.
325.jpg XVIIIth Dynasty Wall, Dbr El-bahari.
326.jpg Excavation of the North Lower Colonnade Of The XIth Dynasty Temple, Der El-bahari, 1904.
327.jpg Granite Threshold
328.jpg Excavation of the Tomb Of a Priestess,
330.jpg Cases of Antiquities Leaving Dêr El-bahari For Transport to Cairo.
331.jpg Shipping Cases of Antiquities on Board the Nile Steamer at Luxor, for the Egypt Exploration Fund.
338.jpg Statue of Queen Teta-shera
344.jpg the Two Temples of Des El-bahari. Excavated By Prof. Naville, 1893-8 and 1903-6, for the Egypt Exploration Fund
346.jpg the Upper Court and Trilithon Gate
350.jpg the Tomb-mountain of Amenhetef III, in The Western Valley, Thebes.
356.jpg the Tomb-hill of Shekh 'abd El-kubna, Thebes.
358.jpg Wall-painting from a Tomb
360.jpg Fresco in the Tomb of Senmut at Thebes. About 1500 B.C.
368.jpg Page Image to Display Greek Words
369.jpg Page Image to Display Greek Words
372.jpg the Valley of The Tombs Of The Queens at Thebes.
374.jpg the Nile-bank at Luxor
376.jpg the Great Temple Of Kaknak.
379.jpg the Great Temple Of Kaknak.
381.jpg Portrait-group of a Great Noble and his Wife
382.jpg a Tomb Fitted up As an Explorer's Residence.
387.jpg
396.jpg Stone Object Bearing a Votive Inscription Of Arik-den-ilu.
397.jpg Entrance Into One of the Galleries Or Tunnels Cut Into the Principal Mound at Sherghat.
408.jpg Stone Tablet. Bearing an Inscription Of Tukulti-ninib I
410.jpg the Ziggurat, Or Temple Tower, of The Assyrian City of Calah.
413.jpg Work in Progress on One of the Rock-inscriptions Of Sennacherib
414.jpg the Principal Rock Sculptures in The Gorge of The Gomel
415.jpg the Rock and Citadel of Van.
417.jpg Ancient Flight of Steps and Gallery on the Face Of the Rock-citadel of Van.
419.jpg Part of the Ancient Fortifications Of The City Of Van, Between the Citadel and The Lake.
425.jpg Within the Shrine Of E-makh, The Temple Of The Goddess Nin-makh.
426.jpg Trench in the Babylonian Plain
447.jpg the Great Dam of Aswan
449.jpg the Kiosk at Philae in Process of Underpinning And Restoration, January, 1902.
450.jpg the Ancient Quay Of PhilÆ, November, 1904.
452.jpg the Rook of Konosso in January, 1902, Before The Building of the Dam and Formation Of The Reservoir.
EGYPT AND MESOPOTAMIA
In the Light of Recent Excavation and Research
CHAPTER I—THE DISCOVERY OF PREHISTORIC EGYPT
During the last ten years our conception of the beginnings of Egyptian antiquity has profoundly altered. When Prof. Maspero published the first volume of his great Histoire Ancienne des Peuples des l'Orient Classique, in 1895, Egyptian history, properly so called, still began with the Pyramid-builders, Sne-feru, Khufu, and Khafra (Cheops and Chephren), and the legendary lists of earlier kings preserved at Abydos and Sakkara were still quoted as the only source of knowledge of the time before the IVth Dynasty. Of a prehistoric Egypt nothing was known, beyond a few flint flakes gathered here and there upon the desert plateaus, which might or might not tell of an age when the ancestors of the Pyramid-builders knew only the stone tools and weapons of the primeval savage.
Now, however, the veil which has hidden the beginnings of Egyptian civilization from us has been lifted, and we see things, more or less, as they actually were, unobscured by the traditions of a later day. Until the last few years nothing of the real beginnings of history in either Egypt or Mesopotamia had been found; legend supplied the only material for the reconstruction of the earliest history of the oldest civilized nations of the globe. Nor was it seriously supposed that any relics of prehistoric Egypt or Mesopotamia ever would be found. The antiquity of the known history of these countries already appeared so great that nobody took into consideration the possibility of our discovering a prehistoric Egypt or Mesopotamia; the idea was too remote from practical work. And further, civilization in these countries had lasted so long that it seemed more than probable that all traces of their prehistoric age had long since been swept away. Yet the possibility, which seemed hardly worth a moment's consideration in 1895, is in 1905 an assured reality, at least as far as Egypt is concerned. Prehistoric Babylonia has yet to be discovered. It is true, for example, that at Mukay-yar, the site of ancient Ur of the Chaldees, burials in earthenware coffins, in which the skeletons lie in the doubled-up position characteristic of Neolithic interments, have been found; but there is no doubt whatever that these are burials of a much later date, belonging, quite possibly, to the Parthian period. Nothing that may rightfully be termed prehistoric has yet been found in the Euphrates valley, whereas in Egypt prehistoric antiquities are now almost as well known and as well represented in our museums as are the prehistoric antiquities of Europe and America.
With the exception of a few palasoliths from the surface of the Syrian desert, near the Euphrates valley, not a single implement of the Age of Stone has yet been found in Southern Mesopotamia, whereas Egypt has yielded to us the most perfect examples of the flint-knapper's art known, flint tools and weapons more beautiful than the finest that Europe and America can show. The reason is not far to seek. Southern Mesopotamia is an alluvial country, and the ancient cities, which doubtless mark the sites of the oldest settlements in the land, are situated in the alluvial marshy plain between the Tigris and the Euphrates; so that all traces of the Neolithic culture of the country would seem to have disappeared, buried deep beneath city-mounds, clay and marsh. It is the same in the Egyptian Delta, a similar country; and here no traces of the prehistoric culture of Egypt have been found. The attempt to find them was made last year at Buto, which is known to be one of the most antique centres of civilization, and probably was one of the earliest settlements in Egypt, but without success. The infiltration of water had made excavation impossible and had no doubt destroyed everything belonging to the most ancient settlement. It is not going too far to predict that exactly the same thing will be found by any explorer who tries to discover a Neolithic stratum beneath a city-mound of Babylonia. There is little hope that prehistoric Chaldæa will ever be known to us. But in Egypt the conditions are different. The Delta is like Babylonia, it is true; but in the Upper Nile valley the river flows down with but a thin border of alluvial land on either side, through the rocky and hilly desert, the dry Sahara, where rain falls but once in two or three years. Antiquities buried in this soil in the most remote ages are preserved intact as they were first interred, until the modern investigator comes along to look for them. And it is on the desert margin of the valley that the remains of prehistoric Egypt have been found. That is the reason for their perfect preservation till our own day, and why we know prehistoric Egypt so well.
The chief work of Egyptian civilization was the proper irrigation of the alluvial soil, the turning of marsh into cultivated fields, and the reclamation of land from the desert for the purposes of agriculture. Owing to the rainless character of the country, the only means of obtaining water for the crops is by irrigation, and where the fertilizing Nile water cannot be taken by means of canals, there cultivation ends and the desert begins. Before Egyptian civilization, properly so called, began, the valley was a great marsh through which the Nile found its way north to the sea. The half-savage, stone-using ancestors of the civilized Egyptians hunted wild fowl, crocodiles, and hippopotami in the marshy valley; but except in a few isolated settlements on convenient mounds here and there (the forerunners of the later villages), they did not live there. Their settlements were on the dry desert margin, and it was here, upon low tongues of desert hill jutting out into the plain, that they buried their dead. Their simple shallow graves were safe from the flood, and, but for the depredations of jackals and hyenas, here they have remained intact till our own day, and have yielded up to us the facts from which we have derived our knowledge of prehistoric Egypt. Thus it is that we know so much of the Egyptians of the Stone Age, while of their contemporaries in Mesopotamia we know nothing, nor is anything further likely to be discovered.
But these desert cemeteries, with their crowds of oval shallow graves, covered by only a few inches of surface soil, in which the Neolithic Egyptians lie crouched up with their flint implements and polished pottery beside them, are but monuments of the later age of prehistoric Egypt. Long before the Neolithic Egyptian hunted his game in the marshes, and here and there essayed the work of reclamation for the purposes of an incipient agriculture, a far older race inhabited the valley of the Nile. The written records of Egyptian civilization go back four thousand years before Christ, or earlier, and the Neolithic Age of Egypt must go back to a period several thousand years before that. But we can now go back much further still, to the Palaeolithic Age of Egypt. At a time when Europe was still covered by the ice and snows of the Glacial Period, and man fought as an equal, hardly yet as a superior, with cave-bear and mammoth, the Palaeolithic Egyptians lived on the banks of the Nile. Their habitat was doubtless the desert slopes, often, too, the plateaus themselves; but that they lived entirely upon the plateaus, high up above the Nile marsh, is improbable. There, it is true, we find their flint implements, the great pear-shaped weapons of the types of Chelles, St. Acheul, and Le Moustier, types well known to all who are acquainted with the
The idea was that in Palaeolithic days, contemporary with the Glacial Age of Northern Europe and America, the climate of Egypt was entirely different from that of later times and of to-day. Instead of dry desert, the mountain plateaus bordering the Nile valley were supposed to have been then covered with forest, through which flowed countless streams to feed the river below. It was suggested that remains of these streams were to be seen in the side ravines, or wadis, of the Nile valley, which run up from the low desert on the river level into the hills on either hand. These wadis undoubtedly show extensive traces of strong water action; they curve and twist as the streams found their easiest way to the level through the softer strata, they are heaped up with great water-worn boulders, they are hollowed out where waterfalls once fell. They have the appearance of dry watercourses, exactly what any mountain burns would be were the water-supply suddenly cut off for ever, the climate altered from rainy to eternal sun-glare, and every plant and tree blasted, never to grow again. Acting on the supposition that this idea was a correct one, most observers have concluded that the climate of Egypt in remote periods was very different from the dry, rainless one now obtaining. To provide the water for the wadi streams, heavy rainfall and forests are desiderated. They were easily supplied, on the hypothesis. Forests clothed the mountain plateaus, heavy rains fell, and the water rushed down to the Nile, carving out the great watercourses which remain to this day, bearing testimony to the truth. And the flints, which the Palaeolithic inhabitants of the plateau-forests made and used, still lie on the now treeless and sun-baked desert surface.