Physical conformation.—A. Of the Old Ægyptians preserved as mummies.—Hair, fine, and either waved or curly; skull, with an upright frontal, and a moderately depressed nasal profile; maxillary profile, moderately prognathic; teeth, much worn; colour, undetermined. According to the testimony of ancient writers and paintings, darker than that of the Greek, lighter than that of the Nubian. Perhaps brown, with tinges of yellow and red.
B. Of the Modern Copts.—Hair, black and crisp, or curled; cheek-bones, projecting; lips, thick; nose, somewhat depressed; nostrils, wide; complexion, varied, from a yellowish to a dark brown; eyes, oblique; frame, tall and fleshy; physiognomy, heavy and inexpressive.
Religion of the Modern Copts.—Christianity.
Pantheon of the Ancient Ægyptians.—Osiris, Isis, Anubis, Horus, Typhon, Phtha, Neith, &c.
Language.—Coptic in three dialects. 1. The Memphitic, 2. Sahitic. 3. Bashmuric.
Alphabets.—1. Hieroglyphic, of unknown, 2. Coptic, of Greek origin.
The researches of Benfey and others, have shown the extent to which the Ægyptian language, those of Morton (in the Crania Ægyptiaca) the extent to which the Ægyptian osteology is Semitic; indeed this side of the question has gained quite as much admission as the evidence justifies.
The determination of what may be called the other aspect of the Ægyptian language has been attempted with less success.
Klaproth compared it with the Caucasian languages: the evidence of Herodotus as to the Ægyptian origin of the Colchians indicating this relation.