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therefore , could tell so little , about this elder nation , must be the first part of our endeavours ; to explain why we know more , the second . Herodotus , Diodorus , Eratosthenes , and Manetho — noble names in the scroll of history ! Various were your deservings , but certainly
unhappy has been your fate ! One of you alone is full , and writes from his heart ; he saw with the keen eye of a traveller , measuring everything , repeating tales of inestimable value , from their animation and interest , little traits of Egyptian life and manners , some of which any traveller , since Benjamin of Tudela , or Syre John Maundeville , would find himself unread for recording . Mythology , geography , history , science , whether true or false , equally entertaining and of value , all found a garner in his pages , all were adorned
with the latent humour of his facile pen . And yet what has been the manner in which the writings of Herodotus have been received ? His single-hearted and clear-sighted narrative has been continually attacked , reviled , spurned , and then—when the antagonists of Herodotus thought themselves secure of an ovation for their shrewdnessa simple fact is brought to light by hieroglyphic study , and the book which had served as a literary mat for young critics to wipe their feet upon , suddenly becomes the book of authority once more . Witness the instance of Herodotus ' s account of the construction of
the pyramids : — " Therefore the highest parts / says he , " were first completed , and then they executed the next portions ; but last of all they finished the parts on the ground , that were at the bottom . " Hereupon , Herodotus being misunderstood , is considered
to have misrepresented or falsified , for his own purposes . But Dr . Lepsius , in 1843 , dissipated the misconception by his discovery of the method of construction of the pyramids . The following is a sketch of the mode in which the pyramids were progressively constructed , extracted from my note on the letter of Lepsius ,
announcing the discovery . f " At the commencement of each reigri , the rock-chamber , destined for the monarch ' s grave , was excavated , and one course of masonry erected above it . If the king died in the first year of his reign , a casing was put upon it and a pyramid formed ; but if the king did not die , another course of stone was added above , and two of the same height and thickness on each side : thus in process of time the
building assumed the form of a series of regular steps . These were cased over with stone , all the angles filled up , and stones placed for steps . Then , as Herodotus long ago informed us , the pyramid was finished from the top downward , by all the edges being cut away , and a perfect triangle only left . " Thus , in the case of the commentators versus Herodotus , verdict as usual went in favour of the defendant . True , to some minds , the very simplicity and straightforwardness of Herodotus , as well as the
* Herodotus , ii . 125 . + Lepsius ' s " Letters from Egypt and Ethiopia , " p . 44 , Mackenzie ' s translation Second edition .
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Untitled Article
therefore , could tell so little , about this elder nation , must be the first part of our endeavours ; to explain why we know more , the second . Herodotus , Diodorus , Eratosthenes , and Manetho — noble names in the scroll of history ! Various were your deservings , but certainly
unhappy has been your fate ! One of you alone is full , and writes from his heart ; he saw with the keen eye of a traveller , measuring everything , repeating tales of inestimable value , from their animation and interest , little traits of Egyptian life and manners , some of which any traveller , since Benjamin of Tudela , or Syre John Maundeville , would find himself unread for recording . Mythology , geography , history , science , whether true or false , equally entertaining and of value , all found a garner in his pages , all were adorned
with the latent humour of his facile pen . And yet what has been the manner in which the writings of Herodotus have been received ? His single-hearted and clear-sighted narrative has been continually attacked , reviled , spurned , and then—when the antagonists of Herodotus thought themselves secure of an ovation for their shrewdnessa simple fact is brought to light by hieroglyphic study , and the book which had served as a literary mat for young critics to wipe their feet upon , suddenly becomes the book of authority once more . Witness the instance of Herodotus ' s account of the construction of
the pyramids : — " Therefore the highest parts / says he , " were first completed , and then they executed the next portions ; but last of all they finished the parts on the ground , that were at the bottom . " Hereupon , Herodotus being misunderstood , is considered
to have misrepresented or falsified , for his own purposes . But Dr . Lepsius , in 1843 , dissipated the misconception by his discovery of the method of construction of the pyramids . The following is a sketch of the mode in which the pyramids were progressively constructed , extracted from my note on the letter of Lepsius ,
announcing the discovery . f " At the commencement of each reigri , the rock-chamber , destined for the monarch ' s grave , was excavated , and one course of masonry erected above it . If the king died in the first year of his reign , a casing was put upon it and a pyramid formed ; but if the king did not die , another course of stone was added above , and two of the same height and thickness on each side : thus in process of time the
building assumed the form of a series of regular steps . These were cased over with stone , all the angles filled up , and stones placed for steps . Then , as Herodotus long ago informed us , the pyramid was finished from the top downward , by all the edges being cut away , and a perfect triangle only left . " Thus , in the case of the commentators versus Herodotus , verdict as usual went in favour of the defendant . True , to some minds , the very simplicity and straightforwardness of Herodotus , as well as the
* Herodotus , ii . 125 . + Lepsius ' s " Letters from Egypt and Ethiopia , " p . 44 , Mackenzie ' s translation Second edition .