Two other colossal heads exist also in the Museum, Nos. 4 and 6, which, as belonging probably to nearly the same period as those last described, will be best noticed in this place. They were both procured by Mr. Salt from an excavation, to which we have already alluded, which he made behind the Vocal Memnon. There is therefore strong probability that they are intended for heads of Amenoph III., whose features they much resemble. Many such statues, we know, stood facing the great Colossi in the intervals of the front columns of the Propylon. The material of both heads is a brownish breccia highly crystallized, which has on No. 6 peeled off from the right side of the face, so as to reveal the component parts of the stone. The portions which are uninjured still retain a high polish. The beard, unconfined by any case, is indicated by transverse incisions on the stone. On the forehead of these colossal heads may be seen the traces of the usual serpent, represented in the same manner as on the other statues, the tail being higher than the head, and extending up the surface of the stone to which it is attached.

The expression on the countenances of these two statues is peculiar, and unlike that of any other figures in the Museum. The angles of the mouth, though elevated in most Colossi, so as to give the effect of a smile, are raised much more so in these than in any other specimens we have met with. The distance, too, between the nostrils and the upper lip of No. 6 is only 1 inches, which is very small when compared with the proportions of the rest of the face. An examination of the remains of the cap and bandages will show that these breccia heads must have had the same high cap which we noticed in our description of No. 15.

No. 67 is half of a very beautifully executed statue of Rameses II. (Sesostris), in fine red granite, presented to the Museum in 1840, by W. R. Hamilton, Esq. The dress is particularly rich and elegant, and the cap bears great resemblance to that of the red granite head of Amenoph III. already described. Decorations in this style are unusual at so early a period. The head-dress is surmounted by the pschent, the emblem of dominion over the upper and lower world, and ornamented with a collar and bracelets; the arms are crossed upon the breast, and hold respectively the flail and whip, the emblems of Osiris; on the right and left shoulders are two cartouches with hieroglyphics, the left bearing the name, "Rameses beloved of Amen." On the plinth, behind, are two perpendicular lines of inscription, alluding to the local Divinities under whose protection the Monarch is placed. This fragment was found at Ele

phantina, and is 4 feet 8 inches in height: it is probable that it was originally in a seated position, and not attached, like many other statues, to a Caryatid pilaster. If so, the Hieroglyphics must have been cut on the back of the throne or chair.

No. 61 is a remarkable statue, finely executed in red granite, of a Monarch, whose name cannot with certainty be determined. He wears on his head the absh or white crown, the snake being visible in front over the forehead. On the shoulders are the name and prenomen of Rameses II., and on the chest those of Menephthah the name on the belt has been erased. There seems some ground for believing that the statue itself is older than either of these Monarchs, and that they each in their turn appropriated it to themselves. The apron which hangs down in front is well represented, but the right arm and the two hands, which are in excellent preservation, have a rude and unfinished appearance. This statue has generally been attributed to Menephthah, who was the successor of Rameses II., and his thirteenth son. There are few historical records of his reign: adorations are indeed found in his honour at Silsilis, and in the quarries we find him represented adoring Amen, together with his wife Esi-nofre. At Thebes he has carved his legends on the Smaller Obelisk, and also in the palace at Gourneh: but the chief monument of his reign is his Tomb at the Bibán-alMuluk (the Tombs of the Kings), from which Mr. Hay has succeeded in obtaining an excellent plaster cast. The reign of Menephthah is variously given by different interpreters, at from three to forty years. He probably ascended the throne about B.C. 1499.

No. 26 is a finely executed statue of the monarch Seti-Menephthah II. (called by Rosellini Menephthah III.), carved in a light brown or whitish sandstone, and well preserved. His name and prenomen are cut upon his shoulders, the usual place in these statues, and he holds before him, by both hands, a small naos or altar, on which is the head of a ram, the living emblem of the god Noum, one of the types of Amen-ra. Round the base of the throne runs an inscription, and there are two cartouches under his feet. One of the cartouches bears the name, "Sethei beloved of Phthah," or Menephthah." The name of the God Set or Typhon has been erased, but the elements of its form are still distinct.

66

From this statue we may form a good estimate of the amount of anatomical knowledge possessed by the ancient Egyptians. The bony structure of the legs and the ankle joints are very strongly and distinctly marked; but the forms are treated with that formal

straightness which is the characteristic of Egyptian sculpture in all perfect statues. In seated figures the feet are generally placed nearly parallel to each other, while in those which are standing they are generally in the same right line, one perhaps being rather more advanced than the other.

The Seti-Menephthah here described is believed to be the Sethos of the Nineteenth Dynasty, who succeeded in expelling the second invasion of the Shepherds of Phoenicia or Palestine. His conquests are found recorded on some papyri which apparently recount the exploits of himself and his grandfather. Sir Gardner Wilkinson agrees in this attribution, but shows that this monarch is omitted in the procession at Madinat Háboo, from which circumstance it may be conjectured that either his ascendancy was unconstitutional, or his memory uncongenial to his descendants.

No. 12 is the last of the statues of Kings which we shall select as particularly worthy of note and description. It is of red granite, and has been called, not very properly, an altar. It consists of an upright shaft, broader at the base than at the top, with its four sides decorated with sculptures in alto-rilievo. On the broad side are two figures, and one on each narrow side. Their subject is the reception of the Monarch Thothmes III. under the protection of the Deities Month-ra (Mars) and Athor (Venus), each of whom holds him by the hand. The King himself appears in higher relief than the other figures, and, before the block was injured, wore a casque or helmet; round his waist is the shenti, and on his belt his prenomen, which is repeated with the titles of the Gods, on the vertical line at the side above him. The hawk-headed God at his side is Month-ra, and the female Divinity with the disk and horns is Athor. The feet of all the figures are wanting, and the upper part of the block has been broken off, on the sides over the head of Month-ra and the King. The figures of the Gods appear anciently to have been changed. This sculpture was found among the ruins of Karnak, probably not far from the Granite Sanctuary of Thothmes III., close to the wall containing the Statistical Tablet of Karnak. The French when in Egypt wished, but were unable, to remove it; subsequently it was procured by Mr. Salt, from whom it came to the Museum. The figures, which are twice repeated, are well executed and beautifully polished. Its present height is about 5 feet 6 inches.

Thothmes III., who is commemorated on this monument, has been justly deemed one of the most eminent of the Egyptian Monarchs, and to deserve the title of Great as compared with other Kings of the The whole of Egypt, and even Nubia, bears testimony

same name.