ABSTRACT

The Pyramid of I:Iawara was the tomb of Amen-em-I.lat III. j it is built of sun-dried bricks, and even now is of considerable size. It was entered in 1890 on the south side by Prof. Petrie, who discovered the mummy chamber j the remains of what must have been the funerary temple were also found near the entrance. The Pyramid of El·lahun was entered by Mr. W. Fraser, who found it to be the tomb of Usertsen II. j like the Pyramid of IJawara it is built of sun-dried bricks. The Labyrinth stood on the banks of Lake Moeris, and some have identified the ruins of the funerary temple of Amen-ern-bat with it. Strabo (xvii. r. § 37) declared that the tomb of the king who built the Labyrinth was near it, and desclibes it thus: " After proceeding beyond the first entrance of the canal about 30 or 40 stadia, there is a table-shaped plain, with a village and a large palace composed of as many palaces as there were formerly names. There are an equal number of aulre, surrounded by pillars, and contiguous to one another, all in one line, and forming one building, like a long wall having the au Ire in front of it. The entrances into the aulre are opposite to the wall. In front of the entrances there are long and numerous covered ways, with winding passages communicating with each other, so that no stranger could find his way into the aulre or out of them without a guide. The surprising circumstance is that the roofs of these dwellings consist of a single stone each, and that the covered ways through their whole range were roofed

in the same manner with single slabs of stone of extraordinary size, without the intermixture of timber or of any other material. On ascending the roof--which is not of great height, for it consists only of a single story-there may be seen a stone-field, thus composed of stones. Descending again and looking into the auhe, these may be seen in a line supported by 27 pillars, each consisting of a single stone. The walls also are constructed of stones not inferior in size to them. At the end of this building, which occupies more than a stadium, is the tom b, which is a quadrangular pyramid, each side of whIch is about four plethra (z'.e., about 404 feet) in length, and of equal height. The name of the persall buried there is Imandes [Diodorus gives Mendes or Marrus]. They built, it is said, this number of aulre, because it was the custom for all the nomes to assemble there according to their rank, with their own priests and priestesses, for the purpose of performing sacrifices and making offerings to the gods, and of administering justice in matters of great importance. Each of the nomes was conducted to the aula appointed for it." The account given by Herodotus (11., 148, Cary's translation) is as follows :-

A number of its ruined chambers are still visible. During the years 1890, 1891 Mr. Petrie carried out some interesting excavations at l,Iawara, Biyahl11u, El-lfihun, MedClI11 and other sites in the FayyClI11. The funds for the purpose were most generously provided by Mr. Jesse Haworth and Mr. Martyn Kennard.