Places of land was filled with places of worship. The great temples, with their elaborate establishments, were supplemented by smaller structures of the same nature 12, fig. 7). Wherever the Egyptian stood or went, before him were the external signs and displays of his religion, impelling him to devotion. Everywhere he saw the images or the emblems of his gods, either occupying their fixed places or carried about as standards figs. 20-22).
The mysteries indeed remained an exclusive posses sion of the priestly class. But by gratifying the senses of the people the priests were enabled during the lapse of thousands of years to maintain the orthodox creed, to overcome the attempts of some kings to break their power by the introduction of new systems, and to survive even the inso lence and coercion of foreign conquerors, like the Persians. The Greeks and Romans were shrewd enough to complete their conquests by union with the priests; and the Romans did not disdain to lean for support on the Egyptian religious structure when their own fell into ruins.
The King.—It was natural that the life of the king, who as chief priest and representative of the Deity stood in so close a relation to the religious system, should be passed in an established round of ceremonials, by which lie was held fettered by the completest rule and constraint, while it allowed hint at the same time to be exhibited to the eyes of the people in almost supernatural glory. Whether making his offerings as priest or occupying the throne as supreme judge, whether carried about in the pro cessions as king or mounted in his war-chariot as commander, lie was always surrounded by the greatest pomp, which changed its symbolism with the varying occasion.
Embalming.—The Egyptian believed that after the lapse of from three to ten millenniums the departed intelligence would return to its body, to which it would be reunited for all eternity. Hence the methods adopted for preserving the corpse and for rendering inviolate the place of its sepulture. We give in brief the statement of Herodotns as to the most approved method of embalming: "The brain is in part removed through the nostrils by means of a crooked bronze implement, and in part by rins ing with drugs. The viscera arc drawn out through an incision made in the left side with a sharp flint knife. The abdomen is cleansed by washing thoroughly with palm wine, and sometimes by a subsequent infusion of pounded aromatics; after which it is filled with bruised myrrh, cassia, cinnamon, and other spices, and the opening is sewed up. Next, the entire body is plunged in natron and kept covered with it for seventy days.
It is then washed, swathed from head to foot with bandages of fine linen smeared with gum, and returned to the relatives, who enclose it in a wooden case shaped into the figure of a man." Figures 9 and to (IV 12), copied from the originals in the museum of Berlin, show the present con dition of such embalmed corpses.
Besides human bodies, the Egyptians frequently embalmed their sacred animals (Jigs. 12), especially the Apis if it had died a natural death, and the Ibis nearly always. Numerous mummies of sheep are found at Thebes. The embalmed animals were enclosed in linen or woollen ban dages, over which were fitted fine thread nets. A kind of embalming was followed also with smaller animals, Mammalia, Amphibia, etc.
The embalmers must have been a numerous class, with profitable em ployment, as it has been estimated that during the twenty-seven hundred years ending with goo A. D., when embalming ceased, the average yearly number of embalmed corpses was above one hundred and fifty-five thou sand, making the total for that period about four hundred and twenty millions (G. Rawlinson). Diodorus, who may have exaggerated the cost of embalming, gives the expense of the most approved method as a talent of silver, or nearly twelve hundred dollars, and the expense of a secondary method as one-third that sum. There was also a third and much less expensive method employed for the poorest classes.' Funeral embalming formed the beginning of the funeral ceremonies. The corpse was, according to established rules, be wailed by women, consecrated by the priests of the lower world, who wore the anubis or "dog mask," placed in a richly-ornamented receptacle on a bier (N. II, jig. 23), and brought to the bank of the Nile, accompanied by relatives and by priests of the sacred bull. Having in similar manner been conducted across the river, it was delivered to the Judges of the Dead, and, after its lot for all eternity had been proclaimed by the priests in the name of Osiris, it was interred in a mummy-coffin in some burial place on the west of the Nile.' Figure 17 (pl. 14) shows the exterior of such a coffin covered with symbolic paintings, after the original in posses sion of Colonel von of Nuremberg, while Figure 18 shows the bandage-enveloped mummy, the lid of the coffin being removed. Figure i6 portrays, after an old Egyptian "Book" or "Ritual of the Dead," the crossing of the deceased in the sacred ship to the tomb. At the head of the corpse stands Nephtys lamenting, and at the feet Isis her sister. A priest offers incense in a censer, of which we give a larger illustration on Plate ri (fig. i6).