Manual of Egyptian archæology and guide to the study of antiquities in EgyptFor the use of students and travellers . ind,and many more will be discovered when a systematicsearch is made for them. 44 ARCHITECTURE—CIVIL AND MILITARY. The system of irrigation has not greatly changedduring the course of centuries. Some new canalshave been cut, others have slightly changed theircourse, while a larger number have been silted up,owing to the negligence of the proprietor, but the general scheme andmethods of irriga-tion are the do not de-mand much skilledlabour. WhereverI have been ableto ex
Manual of Egyptian archæology and guide to the study of antiquities in EgyptFor the use of students and travellers . ind,and many more will be discovered when a systematicsearch is made for them. 44 ARCHITECTURE—CIVIL AND MILITARY. The system of irrigation has not greatly changedduring the course of centuries. Some new canalshave been cut, others have slightly changed theircourse, while a larger number have been silted up,owing to the negligence of the proprietor, but the general scheme andmethods of irriga-tion are the do not de-mand much skilledlabour. WhereverI have been ableto examine theancient canals, Iha\e found no traceof masonry, eitherat the commence-ment or even atthe weak points oftheir course. Theyare mere ditchesfrom 20 to 70 feetwide ; the earthflung out duringthe work of exca-vating, and thrownto right and left formed irregular sloping banks from7 to 14 feet high. An early bas-relief, now at Oxford,shows one of the kings of the archaic period, in fullstate, pick in hand, breaking the sod for a new canalor some other public work, while an attendant holdsa basket (fig. 50).. upper Egypt, attended by fan-bearers,inaugurating some public work. Partof carved mace head, Oxford. IRRIGATION. 45 The ancient canals were generally straight, butoccasionally some slight irregularity in the groundwould turn them out of their course, and they wouldform immense curves. The dykes that traverse theplain, intersect the canals at intervals and divide thevalley into basins, which retain the water duringthe months of the inundation. These dykes aregenerally of earth, though sometimes of baked brick,as in the province of Girgeh. The embankment atKosheish is very exceptional ; it is constructed ofworked stone, and was made by Menes, the first kingof the First Dynasty, for the benefit of his new cityof Memphis. This system of dykes began nearSilsilis, and extended to the sea, keeping close to theNile throughout its course, except at Beni Suef,where it threw out
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