Manual of Egyptian archæology and guide to the study of antiquities in EgyptFor the use of students and travellers . w\s us to whatthis art had attained in the first century of our era(fig. 226). A divinity and aqueen standing side by side areroughly carved out of a blockof grey granite. The work iscoarse and heavy, but it is notwithout energy and truth. Theschool that produced it, isolatedamong an uncivilised people,soon fell into barbarism andprobably came to an end shortlyafter the age of the art survived somewhatlonger under the a^gis of theRoman domination. The Caesars,
Manual of Egyptian archæology and guide to the study of antiquities in EgyptFor the use of students and travellers . w\s us to whatthis art had attained in the first century of our era(fig. 226). A divinity and aqueen standing side by side areroughly carved out of a blockof grey granite. The work iscoarse and heavy, but it is notwithout energy and truth. Theschool that produced it, isolatedamong an uncivilised people,soon fell into barbarism andprobably came to an end shortlyafter the age of the art survived somewhatlonger under the a^gis of theRoman domination. The Caesars,no less astute than the Ptolemies,realised that they strengthenedtheir dominion over the Nilevalley by humouring the reli-gious feelings of their Egyptiansubjects. At enormous costthey caused the temples of the national gods tobe rebuilt or restored according to the plans andideas of the past. Thebes had been destroyed bya earthquake in the year 22 and it was nowno more than a place of pilgrimage where devoteescame at daybreak to listen to the voice of Memnon,but at Denderah and Ombos the decoration of the. Fig. 226.—Group fromNaga. AND EXTINCTION. 273 temples was completed by Tiberius and Claudius,Caligula worked at Koptos, and the Antonines atPhilae and Esnah. The workmen employed hadsufficient knowledge to execute thousands of bas-reliefs according to the ancient rules. The workdone by them is feeble, ungraceful, and absurd,inspired merely by routine, but nevertheless it isfounded on ancient tradition, enfeebled and de-generate, but still living and capable of beinginvigorated with new life. The changes that occurredin the middle of the third century, the incursionsof the barbarians, and the progress and triumph ofChristianity led to the abandonment of the work andthe dispersion of the workmen. With them died allthat yet survived of the national art. 18 CHAPTER V. THE INDUSTRIAL ARTS. We have briefly surveyed the fine arts; it nowremains to turn our attentio
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