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Article EARLY ARCHITECTS. ← Page 3 of 4 →
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Early Architects.
the reign of Queen Hatasu , an architect named Semnut , who erected many of the finest obelisks , built a famous temple , and set up long avenues of sphinxes . The Queen erected a monument to him , which is now in the Berlin Museum . " The mention of these Egyptian architects , Mer-ab and Semnut ,
if purely architects , is very interesting ; and it would be advisable if it were jDossible , for some Egyptological brother to give us a list of knoAvn Egyptian architects . " In the next reign , that of Thothmes III ., was designed the great ' Hall of Pillars ' at Thebes , the most gigantic apartment eA * er
constructed , and two obelisks , which are now in London and New York . The grand - Hall of Columns , ' at Karnak , the highest effort of Egyptian architecture , was built in the reign of Seti I ., and tho Rameseum ( or Memnonium ) was commenced . The latter was completed in the reign of his son Rameses II ., under whom Moses was
educated . " Some very lively dissertations from Miss Amelia Edwards have lately appeared in "Knowledge , " as to the Pharaoh of Joseph and the Pharaoh of the Exodus , but such is still a moot point among Egyptologists .
There is no " a priori" reason , howeA * cr , as Moses Avas learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians , that he should not have been taught architecture , and a great deal , no doubt , may be fairly ach-aiiced in respect of his conscious or unconscious imitation of Egyptian prototypes . We think it but fair here to observe that we do not
ourselves feel so convinced , as some seem to be , that Ave are to trace back Masonic symbolism to Egypt . That there were mysteries in Egypt , and that the building Craft may haA * e been a secret organization , is not unlikely to be the truth ; and that Freemasonry preserves some traces of the purer mysteries , the
" Religio Prima . va , " and of the "Theo Didaktoi , " is , Ave are quite ready to concede , probable and possible . But the tendency of the hour is to square everything by Egyptian symbols ; and the idea of finding Masonic symbols " spick and span " on Egyptian obelisks , and among Egyptian hieroglyphics is , we apprehend , a " will o' the wisp "
altogether . But thus the able writer continues : — " The Israelites , therefore , sojourned in Egypt in the days of her greatest architectural glory , and could not have failed to transmit to their descendants noble traditions of its splendour . It was natural that they should Avish to
build a great temple to their God , and by the help of a Tyrian architect they succeeded in building one not less famous than those of E gypt . Hiram Abiff ' s mother was of the tribe of Dan ( 2 Chron . ii .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Early Architects.
the reign of Queen Hatasu , an architect named Semnut , who erected many of the finest obelisks , built a famous temple , and set up long avenues of sphinxes . The Queen erected a monument to him , which is now in the Berlin Museum . " The mention of these Egyptian architects , Mer-ab and Semnut ,
if purely architects , is very interesting ; and it would be advisable if it were jDossible , for some Egyptological brother to give us a list of knoAvn Egyptian architects . " In the next reign , that of Thothmes III ., was designed the great ' Hall of Pillars ' at Thebes , the most gigantic apartment eA * er
constructed , and two obelisks , which are now in London and New York . The grand - Hall of Columns , ' at Karnak , the highest effort of Egyptian architecture , was built in the reign of Seti I ., and tho Rameseum ( or Memnonium ) was commenced . The latter was completed in the reign of his son Rameses II ., under whom Moses was
educated . " Some very lively dissertations from Miss Amelia Edwards have lately appeared in "Knowledge , " as to the Pharaoh of Joseph and the Pharaoh of the Exodus , but such is still a moot point among Egyptologists .
There is no " a priori" reason , howeA * cr , as Moses Avas learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians , that he should not have been taught architecture , and a great deal , no doubt , may be fairly ach-aiiced in respect of his conscious or unconscious imitation of Egyptian prototypes . We think it but fair here to observe that we do not
ourselves feel so convinced , as some seem to be , that Ave are to trace back Masonic symbolism to Egypt . That there were mysteries in Egypt , and that the building Craft may haA * e been a secret organization , is not unlikely to be the truth ; and that Freemasonry preserves some traces of the purer mysteries , the
" Religio Prima . va , " and of the "Theo Didaktoi , " is , Ave are quite ready to concede , probable and possible . But the tendency of the hour is to square everything by Egyptian symbols ; and the idea of finding Masonic symbols " spick and span " on Egyptian obelisks , and among Egyptian hieroglyphics is , we apprehend , a " will o' the wisp "
altogether . But thus the able writer continues : — " The Israelites , therefore , sojourned in Egypt in the days of her greatest architectural glory , and could not have failed to transmit to their descendants noble traditions of its splendour . It was natural that they should Avish to
build a great temple to their God , and by the help of a Tyrian architect they succeeded in building one not less famous than those of E gypt . Hiram Abiff ' s mother was of the tribe of Dan ( 2 Chron . ii .