Leaving Memphis we go on to Sakkara, for thousands of years the ancient Necropolis or burying-ground. In the centre stands the great Step Pyramid, built in steps of comparatively small pieces of stone. It is said to be not only the oldest pyramid, but also the most ancient monument of any kind in the world. The cemetery is four and a half miles long by an average of three-fourths of a mile in width, and being full of holes it is necessary to be very careful in crossing it. The ground is strewed with skulls and other human bones, some of the former being of great thickness. Soon we reached the house of Mariette Bey, built for his use when he was engaged in his explorations, and here, by his permission, parties are at liberty to rest and take their lunch.
The first object of interest is the Serapeum, or Apis Mausoleum. When alive, the sacred bull was worshipped in a splendid temple at Memphis, and lodged in an adjoining palace. When dead he was buried in this mausoleum, in a vault excavated out of the solid rock, his body being placed in a huge sarcophagus hewn out of a single piece of granite, and hollowed into a regular square to receive the body. A cover, also of granite, and weighing many tons, was then placed over it. The size of the sarcophagus is 13ft. long, 7ft. 6in. wide, and 11ft. high.
This mausoleum had for ages been known to exist somewhere, but no one knew the locality. The ancient Strabo wrote, “There is also a serapeum in a very sandy spot where drifts of sand are raised by the wind to such a degree that we saw some sphinxes buried up to their heads, and others half covered.” Mariette, recollecting this passage, observed in 1860 a sphinx’s head appearing through the sand, and it at once occurred to him that this must be the site of the avenue of which mention is made by another ancient writer, so he commenced a clearing and laid bare 141 sphinxes. To do this he had to make a cutting in the sand 70ft. deep; but at length he was rewarded by discovering the entrance to the mausoleum.
There are several galleries for the different dynasties, but only one is now shown, the interments in which date from 650 B.C. down to 50 B.C. The galleries extend for 400 yards, and there are now twenty-four sarcophagi in their places. Three of these are beautifully sculptured. One of them is of polished granite, and although the engraving is only 1/16 in. deep, a mere scratch in the polish, it is as clear as when first done, over 2,000 years ago, and so perfect is the stone that it rings like a bell when struck.
From the Serapeum we proceeded to examine one of the tombs, also excavated by Mariette Bey. It is called the Tomb of Tih. Over the doorways of these ancient tombs it was the custom to inscribe the name and titles of the deceased, and also an invocation to the God of Tombs (the tomb having been built during life by the person himself), with these objects:—
1st.—To accord to deceased propitious funeral-rites, and a good burial-place after a long and happy life.
2nd.—To be favourably disposed to deceased in his journey beyond the tomb.
3rd.—To secure to him, to all eternity, the proper payment of funeral-offerings by his relations.
A list of these offerings is carved upon the walls, which are covered with sculptures representing the scenes in which the deceased had been engaged during life, ending with a representation of the conveyance of the mummy to the tomb. The tomb itself contains several apartments, in which the relatives met upon certain anniversaries to present votive-offerings, etc.