Archaeology of ancient egypt in Biblical History

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What is the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt?
        THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF ANCIENT EGYPT
        "Egypt is the monumental land of the earth," says Bunsen, "as the Egyptians are the monumental people of history." Among the most interesting ancient cities are:
(1) On or Heliopolis, "the city of the Sun," 10 miles north-east of Cairo, where are traces of massive walls, fragments of sphinxes, and an obelisk of red granite, 68 feet high, bearing an inscription of Osirtasen I. of the twelfth dynasty, and erected, therefore, previous to the visit of Abraham and Sarah to the land of the Pharaohs. Formerly the two "Needles of Cleopatra" stood here also, but were removed to Alexandria during the reign of Tiberius; and one of them has lately been transported to London, and now stands on the banks of the Thames. Joseph was married at Heliopolis, Gen 41:45, and there (according to Josephus) Jacob made his home; it was probably the place where Moses received his education, where Herodotus acquired most of his skill in writing history, and where Plato, the Greek philosopher,studied.
(2) Thebes "of the hundred gates," one of the most famous cities of antiquity, is identified with No or No-Amnion of Scripture. Jer 46:25; Eze 30:14-16; Nah 3:8. The ruins are very extensive, and the city in its glory stretched over 30 miles along the banks of the Nile, covering the places now known as Luxor, Karnak, and Thebes.
(3) Memphis, the Noph of Scripture, Jer 46:10. "Nothing is left of its temples and monuments but a colossal statue of Rameses II., lying mutilated on the face in the mud."

         Only a very brief notice of the wonderful monuments can be given here. For convenience these may be grouped into two classes: (a) The pyramids, obelisks, and statues; (b) the palaces, temples, and tombs.

         (a) The number of pyramids still existing in Egypt is variously stated at from 45 or 65 to 130. Brugsch says "more than 70;" Lepsius speaks of no less than 30 that had escaped the notice of former travellers (1842-1844); others count as many as 130, including all pyramidal structures, ancient and modern. Piazzi Smyth (1874) reduces them all to 28, and gives a list of them. The largest and most remarkable are those near Memphis, at Sakkara, Aboosir, Dashoor, and Gizeh. The three at Gizeh are the most interesting of all. The largest of these is that of Cheops, which was erected from 2000 to 3000 years before Christ. It was old when Rome was built, when Homer sang, when David reigned, and even when Moses led out the Israelites. This pyramid, according to General Vyse, is 450 feet 9 inches high (it was formerly about 30 feet higher), the present length of its base is 746 feet (it was formerly 764 feet), and it covers an area of about 13 acres. It has been stripped of its polished stone casing in centuries past to adorn the palaces of Greeks, Romans, and Saracens. It is the largest, and probably the oldest, structure in the world. The second pyramid is scarcely inferior to the first in height, being 447 feet 6 inches high and having a base 690 feet 9 inches square. A great part of its casing has been preserved. The third pyramid is smaller than either of the other two, but in beauty and costliness of construction is unexcelled by any other pyramid. These colossal structures were erected as monuments and tombs of the kings. The body of the dead monarch was embalmed, placed in a stone sarcophagus, put into the massive tomb, and the entrance closed. See Schaff's Bible Lands, p. 40. Near the pyramids is the great Sphinx, a massive man-headed lion in a recumbent posture, nearly 190 feet long, with immense paws, formerly 50 feet in length. The vast figure is buried in the sand, except his colossal head. There are also six other smaller pyramids near the three here described, three standing to the east of the Great Pyramid and three to the south of the third one. Southward of those at Gizeh are the pyramids at Aboosir, and about 2 miles still farther are those of Sakkara, while about 5 miles beyond are those of Dashoor, two of which are built of stone and three of brick.

         (b) Of the palaces, temples, and tomb-structures, the most remarkable is the famous Labyrinth, in the Feiyoom district, which Bunsen calls the most gorgeous edifice on the globe; it includes 12 palaces and 3000 saloons. The temples at Karnak and Luxor are the most interesting, the grandest among them all being the magnificent temple of Rameses II. See No and No-Ammon. There are ruins of temples at Denderah, Abydos, Philae, Heliopolis, and at Ipsamboul, 170 miles south of Philae, in Nubia. Among the noted tombs are those at Thebes, Beni-Hassan, and Osiout, and among the obelisks are those at Luxor, Karnak, Heliopolis, and Alexandria. These wonderful ruins attest the magnificence and grandeur, but also the absolute despotism and slavery, of this land in the earliest ages and as far back as before the days of Abraham, and they also attest in the most impressive manner the fulfilment of prophecy.

         In a cave near Thebes 39 royal mummies and various other objects were discovered in 1881. Among the mummies was that of Rameses II., the Pharaoh of the oppression, which has been fully described by Maspero. A trilingual inscription, perhaps a century older than the Rosetta Stone, has also been lately found, and one of the oldest pyramids opened.

         The Egyptians believed in the immortality of the soul, and that when the soul reached the Hall of Double Justice, the heart in its vase was placed in one scale, and the goddess of Truth in the other. Horus and a cynocephalus conducted the process of weighing, Anubis superintended, Thoth recorded the result, and Osiris, with 42 counsellors, pronounced sentence. If the heart was light, the soul suffered the torments of hell, or was sent into a pig or some unclean animal, then returned to begin life anew, and have another trial by judges. If the heart was heavy, the soul was sent to the regions of the blest. (See Baedeker's Lower Egypt, p. 137.)

Bibliography Information
Schaff, Philip, Dr. "Biblical Definition for 'archaeology of ancient egypt' in Schaffs Bible Dictionary".
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