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Explorations in Bible lands during the 19th century - H. V. Hilprecht

Explorations in Bible lands during the 19th century - H. V. Hilprecht

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DURING 19 CENTURY: EGYPT 641<br />

and <strong>in</strong> useful form <strong>the</strong> results of its discoveries. The men<br />

who have worked under <strong>the</strong> orders of <strong>the</strong> Egypt Exploration<br />

Fund are pr<strong>in</strong>cipally E. Gardner, F. L. Griffith, Ed.<br />

Naville, and W. M. Fl<strong>in</strong>ders Petrie. The first sites taken<br />

<strong>in</strong><br />

hand by <strong>the</strong> Exploration Fund were <strong>the</strong> much neglected<br />

ru<strong>in</strong>s <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Delta. The most important f<strong>in</strong>ds made <strong>the</strong>re<br />

were <strong>the</strong> Biblical Pithom and <strong>the</strong> famous Greek Naukratis.<br />

S<strong>in</strong>ce 1891 this Fund has made Upper Egypt <strong>the</strong> scene of<br />

its operations, and has had <strong>the</strong> temple of Der el-Bahri, one<br />

of <strong>the</strong> jewels of Egyptian architecture, cleared of its<br />

rubbish.<br />

Also Petrie, after giv<strong>in</strong>g up his connection with <strong>the</strong><br />

Egypt Exploration Fund, exchanged his field of work <strong>in</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> Delta for that of <strong>the</strong> Nile valley, and supported by<br />

two private persons, Jesse Haworth and Martyn Kennard,<br />

began excavations on his own account. In <strong>the</strong> Fay urn,<br />

<strong>the</strong> position of <strong>the</strong> Labyr<strong>in</strong>th and Lake Moeris was established<br />

; <strong>the</strong> pyramids of Hawara and El-Lahun were exam<strong>in</strong>ed,<br />

and <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> neighborhood of <strong>the</strong> former an extensive<br />

Roman cemetery was discovered ; and f<strong>in</strong>ally a whole town,<br />

dat<strong>in</strong>g from <strong>the</strong> second half of <strong>the</strong> Middle Empire, was<br />

brought to light. These magnificent archaeological works<br />

Petrie followed up by explor<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> pyramids of Medum,<br />

and <strong>the</strong> famous ru<strong>in</strong>s of Tell el- Amarna, c which have come<br />

so prom<strong>in</strong>ently to <strong>the</strong> front through <strong>the</strong> discovery of <strong>the</strong><br />

clay tablets of Amenophis IV. In 1894 <strong>the</strong> temple rema<strong>in</strong>s<br />

of ancient Coptos were dug out. The excavations<br />

carried on <strong>in</strong> 1895 on <strong>the</strong> west bank of <strong>the</strong> Nile near Naqada<br />

and Ballas led to <strong>the</strong> discovery of Ombos, mentioned<br />

by Juvenal, and many rema<strong>in</strong>s of <strong>the</strong> earliest Egyptian civilization.<br />

After work<strong>in</strong>g once more on his own responsibility<br />

near Thebes <strong>in</strong> 1896, Petrie aga<strong>in</strong> entered <strong>the</strong> service<br />

of <strong>the</strong> Egypt Exploration Fund, where he had earned his<br />

first laurels, and <strong>in</strong> whose <strong>in</strong>terests he has s<strong>in</strong>ce been carry<strong>in</strong>g<br />

on excavations <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> necropolis of Deshashe (1897),<br />

Dendera (1898), and Hou (1899).

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