. The redemption of Egypt. amses II.; amile to the north lay the mighty assemblage of Karnac. Acrossthe river were the Colossi of Memnon, rising from the plain, Aviththe mingled Egyptian and Ptolemaic temples of Medinet Habu,and the beautiful ruins of the Ramesseum behind them ; westwardthe hill temple of Queen Makere rested under the shelter of theLybian range, Avhich hid in its secluded valleys the tombs of theKings and Queens. The main characteristics of the site of Thebes are nmch the 254 THE REDEMPTION OF EGYPT same now as they were when Strabo visited the place sometwenty years before th
. The redemption of Egypt. amses II.; amile to the north lay the mighty assemblage of Karnac. Acrossthe river were the Colossi of Memnon, rising from the plain, Aviththe mingled Egyptian and Ptolemaic temples of Medinet Habu,and the beautiful ruins of the Ramesseum behind them ; westwardthe hill temple of Queen Makere rested under the shelter of theLybian range, Avhich hid in its secluded valleys the tombs of theKings and Queens. The main characteristics of the site of Thebes are nmch the 254 THE REDEMPTION OF EGYPT same now as they were when Strabo visited the place sometwenty years before the birth of Christ. At this date the ancientcapital of Egypt had long been deserted, and the only buildingsthat remained were temples and tombs. Its place had beentaken by Ptolemais, lying a hundred miles to the north, whichStrabo calls the most important town in the Thebaid, and theequal of Memphis, being endowed with a constitution on theGreek model. ^ At this epoch, and during the succeeding cen- /T ?Rai5j> ? >. The Colossi of Memnon. turies, the chief attraction which the site of Thebes afforded tothe Roman visitor consisted of the twin Colossi of AmenophisIII., styled the Colossi of Memnon. The spectacle of these hugefigures on the west bank of the river, and the phenomenon ofthe plaintive note which issued at sunrise from the northernmostof the two, excited an interest in the Roman mind second only tothe interest with which the Pyramids were regarded. 1 xvii., c. 813.
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectegyptdescriptionandt
