View of Ancient and Modern Egypt - 1831 Author:Michael Russell Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION. Importance of Egyptian Antiquities—Egypt an old Country in the Infant Age of Greece—Thebes famous in the Days of Home... more »r—Learning and Science of Europe derived from Egypt through Phenicia and Greece—Inquiry into the Source of Egyptian Learning and Civilization —The early Improvement of Nubia and Abyssinia—Resemblance between the Religion, the Symbols, and Architecture of India and of Egypt—Anecdote of the Sepoys in the British Army—Remarks on the Temples in both Countries—A similar Resemblance between the Egyptians and Chinese—All primitive Tribes derived their Knowledge from the same Source—Institution of Castes in Egypt and India —Statements of Herodotus and Diodorus on that Subject—Probability that Civilization and the Arts descended the Nile—Contrast between their advanced Knowledge an their debased Worship—Reflection on the Importance attached to the durable Nature of Architectural Monuments Page 17 CHAPTER II. PHYSICAL PROPERTIES AND GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF EGYPT. General Description of Egypt—Origin of the Name—Opinions of the Ancients—Egypt the Gift of the Nile—Depth of the Soil—Attempts to ascertain the mean Rate of Deposition—Opinions of Shaw, Savary, Volney, and Bruce—Speculations of the French Philosophers—Proof that Egypt has acquired an Elevation of Surface—Fear of Dr. Shaw in regard to the eventual Sterility of the Land—Constancy of the Inundations—Frauds by the Government—Qualities of the Water— Analysis of the Mud—Accident witnessed by Belzoni—Seasons in Egypt—Heat—Infrequency of Rain—The Winds, Simoom—The Po- " litical Geography of Egypt—Mouths of the Nile—Natron Lakes— Waterless River Page 26 CHAPTER III CIVIL HISTORY OF ANCIENT EGYPT. . Obscurity of Egyptian Annals—Variety of Hypotheses—Reign of Me...« less