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Voyage in Lower and Upper Egypt, during the Campaigns of General Bonaparte. Vivant Denon | | | | |
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Chapter 42: Syene. - Elephantine Island. (p.204)
I
went with General Belliard to take possession for the government of
Syene. During my stay in this city, my drawings will supplement my
diary and replace it.
I
first made the view that I have just described, which is a kind of
bird's eye map, in which one can see at a glance the general picture of
the country, the entrance of the Nile into Egypt crossing the granite
bank which forms its last cataracts, Elephantine Island between
Contra-Syene and Syene, the monuments of this city, in which we can
distinguish the various eras, or rather the periods of its existence.
The ruins of its earliest antiquity are easily recognized; it must then
have been a very considerable city, if the buildings on the right and
left of the Nile and those of Elephantine formed only one city, as one
must believe, since they are only separated by the river, which in this
place is deeper than wide: the Arab ruins are grouped on a rock at
Test; at the bottom, are Roman monuments, which are also found in
structures on Elephantine Island: all this was succeeded by a large
village, better built, with straighter streets than ordinary villages;
which must be attributed to the presence of the stone and the quantity
of ancient materials. In the middle is a Turkish castle hidden on all
sides, and which cannot be of any defense.
In my first walks, I
drew the profiles of the objects of which I had made the map; and
getting closer to the rock on which the ancient Arab city was located,
I made that of Elephantine Island and its monuments, the site of which
can be seen before understanding its details.
We spent (p.205)
our first moments establishing ourselves: we had a fairly nice
neighborhood; It was the kiachef's house, built of stone, with one
floor, terraces, and vaulted apartments: we made beds, tables, benches;
undressing, sitting down and lying down seemed to me to be indulgence,
a real pleasure: the soldiers did the same. On the second day of our
establishment there were already in the streets of Syene tailors,
shoemakers, goldsmiths, French barbers with their brands, caterers and
restaurateurs at fixed prices. The station of an army presents the
picture of the most rapid development of the resources of industry;
each individual implements all his means for the good of society: but
what particularly characterizes a French army is to establish the
superfluous at the same time and with the same care as the necessary;
there were gardens, cafes, and public games, with cards made in Syene.
At the exit of the village an avenue of aligned trees headed north; the
soldiers placed a mile column there with the inscription, Route de
Paris, n° eleven hundred and sixty-seven thousand three hundred and
forty: it was a few days after having received a distribution of dates
for all rations that they had such ideas pleasant or philosophical.
Only death can put an end to so much bravery and cheerfulness; the
greatest misfortunes can do nothing about it.
On this side of
the river there is no other remains of the Egyptian city than a small
square temple surrounded by a gallery, but so destroyed and so
shapeless that we can only see the embrasure of the two intercolumns,
with the capitals, and a small part of the entablature: this fragment
is what Savari, who confesses not to have come to Syene, indicates on
his word as possibly being the remains of the observatory, in which it
is necessary , according to him, look for the nilometer. I made the
particular drawing of this little ruin, to destroy an error of which we
cannot accuse our ardent and elegant (p.206) traveler, who searched for
everything, indicated everything, and who often painted marvelously
even what he had not seen.
"No.
1.—View of Elephantine, taken from the foot of the rocks, on which are
perched the ruins of the ancient fortified city of the Arabs in the
time of the Caliphs, where we can still see Egyptian inscriptions on
the granite hillocks which served as a base for this city; to the left
of the print the profile of Elephantine Island, the rocks and the
ancient coverings which defend the southern part from the efforts of
the Nile current, and from the weight of the mass of its waters at the
time of the flood; granite hillocks covered with hieroglyphics; a
portion of the quay, bearing the remains of an open gallery overlooking
the river; at river water level a door opening onto a granite
staircase, which may have served as a nilometer; above a series of
ruins of Egyptian monuments, composed of corridors; small rooms
decorated with very careful hieroglyphic sculptures -; this continuity
of ruins seems to join and arrive at the factories which surrounded a
temple. Quite to the right of the print, among the palm trees, a pot
chain for raising the water, placed on a construction against which is
inlaid a bas-relief in white marble, Roman work, representing the
figure of the Nile in the same attitude of that of the statue of this
river which is at the Belvedere in Rome." (Comments by Vivant Denon in vol.2, Explanations of Plates.)
Elephantine Island became at once my
country home, my place of delights, observation, and research; I
believe I have turned over all the stones there, and questioned all the
rocks that make it up: it was in its southern part that the Egyptian
city and the Roman and Arab dwellings that succeeded it were located.
We only recognize the Roman occupation by the bricks, the shards of
pottery, the little terracotta and bronze deities that we still find
there: we only recognize that of the Arabs by the garbage with which it
covered the ground, and which usually form the ruins of their
buildings. All those of later times have barely left traces of their
existence; everything has perished in front of these Egyptian
monuments, dedicated to posterity, and which have resisted men and
times.
In the middle of the vast field of bricks and terracotta,
of which I have just spoken, still stands a very ancient square temple (plate 30-2),
surrounded by a gallery of pilasters, with two columns in the portico;
only two pilasters are missing at the left corner of this ruin: other
buildings had been added later, of which only a few fragments remain,
which cannot indicate anything about the shape they had, but only
attest that the accessories were larger than the sanctuary; the latter
is covered on the outside and in with hieroglyphics in fairly well
preserved and very well sculpted reliefs: I drew a whole side of the
interior part; the one facing him is almost only a repetition. This
type of painting is (p.297) so much more interesting to offer for
discussion, as it has a unity that I had not yet encountered in these
kinds of decorations, usually divided into compartments: j I also
designed a whole side of the exterior, and a single pilaster; all the
others more or less resemble it: the picturesque view of the entirety
of this small building will give an idea of its importance and the
state of its conservation.
"No.
2.—Ruins of one of the temples of Elephantine. This monument is of
great interest for its fame, for its conservation, for the beauty of
its interior sculptures; it occupied the center of Elephantine Island,
dedicated to wisdom under the name of Cneph; preserved almost entirely
in the middle of the rubble of the monuments by which it was
surrounded, it has only one corner of its gallery damaged: the two
parallel fragments that can be seen behind are two jambs of a granite
door; the statue in the second plane is that of a god, a priest or an
initiate; it is too crude to distinguish its attributes; it is made of
granite and 10 feet in proportion: the stones in front are the rubble
of a building whose substructions will join the fabric of the temple,
and depended on it according to all appearance: a hundred toises in
front of this view, and even on the edge of the Nile, the entire space,
is covered with the debris of degraded and almost shapeless
structures." (Comments by Vivant Denon in vol.2, Explanations of Plates.)
Was this the temple of Cneph, the
good genius, the Egyptian god, who comes closest to our ideas of the
Supreme Being? or was this temple, cited by historians, the one seen
six hundred steps further north, which is more ruined, of the same
shape, of the same size, and of which all the ornaments are accompanied
by the serpent, emblem of wisdom and eternity, and particularly of the
god Cneph. Judging by all that I have seen of Egyptian buildings, the
latter is of the order most anciently used, it is absolutely of the
type of the temple of Kournou in Thebes, the one which seemed to me the
oldest of this city. What I found particular about the sculpture of
this temple is more movement in the figures, longer and more composed
dresses: the three figures of this last bas-relief seem to thank a hero
of having delivered them from a fifth character who was almost erased,
but who we recognize as having been overthrown. Is this sculpture,
where it seems that there is a kind of grouped composition, with
perspective, earlier or later than that where the Egyptians had
established a rhythm for their figures, in order to make them, like
writing, characters, the meaning of which we recognized at first sight,
which we explained without almost needing to look at them? There is
only one column of the portico preserved from this last building, and
one whole side of the gallery in pilasters; the rest is absolutely
destroyed.
Plate 37-2: Temple on Elephantine Island.
"No.
2.—View of the ruin of a temple on Elephantine Island, taken from the
south-east corner, from where we see the portion of gallery which
surrounded the temple." (Comments by Vivant Denon in vol.2, Explanations of Plates.)
(p.208) In the middle of the island, there are two
jambs of a large exterior door, made of granite blocks, decorated with
hieroglyphs: this debris undoubtedly belonged to some monuments of
great magnificence, some of which A weak excavation could reveal the
extent. To the east is another fragment of a very small and very neat
building; what we see of it is the western side of a narrow chamber or
a very small temple, and what remains of the hieroglyphics is perfectly
carved; the ornaments are overloaded with the lotus, and among others
with the flowers of this plant, whose leaning stem seems to be revived
by a figure who waters it as in the painting I found at Lolopolis. This
chamber or temple consisted of a narrower corridor, which, judging by a
series of factories, led to a gallery opening onto the Nile, and
resting on a large covering which protected the eastern part of the
island from being degraded. by the swirl of the river's current: there
are still three porticos of this gallery, and a granite staircase which
goes down to the river; Would this gallery, this decorated room, and
this staircase not be this observatory and this nilometer that
travelers seek in vain in Syene? Concerned by this idea, I looked
carefully and could not discover any mark on the covering of the
staircase which indicated any graduation; but for the rest the very
steps of the staircase could have been used, and the upper part of this
staircase being cluttered, it is possible that the measurements were
marked in this part which I was not able to see [1].
All these
structures stand on masses of rocks, covered with hieroglyphs engraved
with more or less care. Further on, advancing towards the north, we
find two portions of parapet, which leave between them an (p.209)
opening to descend to the river: on the interior right flank is a
marble bas-relief, representing the figure of the Nile, four feet in
proportion, in the attitude of a colossus which is in Rome, and which
represents this same river. This copy of the same idea proves at the
same time that the building is Roman, that it is later than the time
when this Greek masterpiece was brought to Rome, and that the Romans in
their establishment at Syene, having able to add luxury and superfluous
ornaments to the constructions of basic necessity, there had been more
than a military station, but a powerful colony: the baths and precious
bronze utensils that are still found there daily provide support of
this opinion on the wealth and duration of this colony.
The
island of Elephantine, defended to the south by breakers, was
undoubtedly greatly increased to the north by alluvium; these alluviums
daily become plowed land and quite pleasant gardens, which, perpetually
watered by rosary wheels, produce four or five harvests per year; also
the inhabitants are numerous, well-off, and very friendly. I called
them from the other side; they came to get me with their boats; I was
soon accompanied by all the children, who brought me and sold me
fragments of antiquity, and raw carnelians: with a few crowns, I made
many little ones happy, and their parents became my friends; they
invited me, prepared me for lunch in the temples where I was to come
and draw; finally I was like the benevolent owner of a garden, where
everything that we seek elsewhere to imitate was there in reality,
islets, rocks, desert, fields, meadows, gardens, bocage, hamlets, dark
woods, extraordinary plants and varied, river, canals and mills,
sublime ruins: a place all the more enchanted because, like the gardens
of Armida, it was surrounded by the horrors of nature, those of the
Thebaïs finally, whose contrast made one feel happiness . The senses,
and (p.210) imagination also in activity, I have never spent more hours
delightfully busy than those I gave on my solitary walks in
Elephantine: this island alone is worth the entire territory of
mainland which borders the city.
The population of Syene is
large; trade, however, is reduced to senna and dates, and these two
articles paid for all the other needs of the inhabitants, the
maintenance of a kiachef, a governor, and a Turkish garrison: the senna
which grows around Syene is mediocre; we only sell it by fraudulently
mixing it with that of the desert that the Barabra bring, and that they
sell for about a hundredth part of what we pay for it in Europe; it is
true that a number of duties are imposed before arriving there, and
that it is one of the most important articles of the customs of Cairo
and Alexandria. The second item of export is that of dates; They are
dry and small, but so abundant that, in addition to being the main food
of the inhabitants, boats loaded with them arrive every day in Lower
Egypt.
Chapter 43: Cavalry Combat against the Mamluks. (p.210)
We
learned from our spies that the Mamluks were going back as far as
possible beyond the cataracts, that they were ravaging the two banks of
the Nile which still provided them with some fodder. They had brought
provisions of flour and dates from Deir and Bribes; but the aga who
resides there told them that this help would dry up. They occupied ten
leagues of space on both banks; their rear guard was only four leagues
from us, from where they knew everything we did, (p.211) as we were
informed of all their movements by the same means, and perhaps by the
same emissaries, who faithfully served both parties with the same
exactitude.
General Daoust had encountered Assan-bey on the
right bank, opposite Edfu, at the moment when he was approaching the
Nile to draw water: the eminent danger of losing his crews made him
charge with fury ; the eagerness of our people to seize it, and a
little contempt that they had taken at the battle of Samanhout, made
them attack with too much negligence. This combat of two hundred
horsemen against two hundred horsemen was rather a melee than a battle;
both parties demonstrated incredible valor. The charge lasted half an
hour: the battlefield remained with the French; but Assan-bey obtained
what he had wanted, which was to save his crews: there remained thirty
to forty dead on our side and as many wounded; there were twelve
Mamluks killed and many wounded: Assan was injured in the leg: so that
no one had to applaud this encounter.
Chapter 44: Careers. (p.211)
We
went in search of the boats that the Mamluks had tried to sail up: our
plan was at the same time to see the cataracts; through the granite
rocks we came across the quarries from which the blocks were detached
which were used to make these colossal statues which have been the
object of admiration for so many centuries, and whose ruins still
strike us astonishment; it seems that the intention was to illustrate
the masses which produced them, by leaving hieroglyphic inscriptions on
the spot which perhaps commemorate them. The operation by which we
(p.212) detached these blocks had to be the same as that which is used
today, that is to say, that we prepared a crack, and that we burst the
mass by a series of wedges struck all at once.
The edges of
these first operations are preserved so vividly in this unalterable
material that it still seems as if the work was only suspended
yesterday. I made a drawing of it. The quality of this granite is so
hard and so compact that the rocks found in the current, instead of
deteriorating by decomposing, have acquired luster by the friction of
the water. The most beautiful granite, the most abundant, is pink
granite; the gray is often too micaceous: between these blocks we find
veins of very shiny quartz, layers of a red stone which reflects the
nature and hardness of porphyries, and other beds of this black and
hard stone, which we have long taken for basalt, and which the
Egyptians often used for their medium-sized statues.
Footnotes:
1.
[Author's footnote:] Strabo, who had observed Syene carefully, and who
described it in detail, said that this nilometer was a well which
received the waters of the Nile, and that the marks according to which
the flood were engraved on the sides of this well.
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