The Pyramids evidently are the very earliest, the oldest of the architectural structures in Egypt, commenced, no doubt, by the joint action of the first settlers under the three great rulers of the upper and lower Nile country, Ethiopia and Egypt, as sacred historical depositories of their bodies after death, as well, probably, also with scientific significance for astronomical and other purposes. It is said that, by certain geometrical calculation. they record mathematically the history of all time past to the erection. But of this there is nothing authentic.
The great Pyramid of Cheops was evidently designed for Ham, the Father Prince, and Cephenes for his successor of the sons, whichever followed him to the tomb. The third one in size for the son which followed last. To show the mathematical precision with which these structures were reared, it is said to have required one hundred thousand men twenty years to erect the first. By this it can be seen that one of any other given size after that, could be built in any givn time. The form of these structures comport with the simplicity of the early period in which they were erected. The stone, cubic blocs, were modified and shaped to a cone(to use a paradox), which required an acquaintance with the science of conic sections and trigonometry. But they had it, whether by inspiration or acquirement, we know not, and need not care. There they stand to this day, "living monuments" of that race which first peopled that part of Africa.
The hieroglyphics among the earliest of their inventions, we shall next call attention to, as a department of their social polity. "We are informed by Diodorus Siculus, that the Ethiopians. Thus, among them, a hawk signified anything that made a quick dispatch, that bird in switftness exceeding most others; the crocodile denotes malice; the eye, the maintainer of justice, and the guard of the body; the right hand, open, represented plenty; and the left, closed, a secure possession of property. But whether the Egyptians or Ethiopians first, in reality, hit upon this way of writing, cannot certainly be known, though Diodorus attributes the invention of it to the latter."ibid.
We here introduce the hieroglyphics, the reading of which will be observed, accord to our version, or that which we obtained from study among the Africans themselves, by learning the significance or meaning of certain objects or things.
The reading of the first column or hieroglyphic paragraph, is thus rendered: "O King, may thy soul (vital or never dying parts), as a boat upon the waters, run with thirst to God the fountain, everlasting Creator and Maker (or Builder) of all things, and all mankind" (men and women).
Had the bird a disc of the sun over it thus, then the meaning and significance would have been very different, and read: "O! King, son of a king (son of one who had been a king), the son of a king, may thy soul attain," etc.
The reading of the second column or paragraphs, is thus to be rendered: "O! ever watchful eye, Thy name shall run and be handled as a boat upon the water, stand firm as the pillars of heaven, as long as water and land (earth) and all things under heaven and earth(all other things exist, standing with timeas solid as a rock above the waters, while the sun continues to shine."
By closely comparing the words italicized, in regular order with the emblems, it will be seen that these hieroglyphics are comprehensible by study, and beautifully illustrative of the philosophy of those illustrious ancient Africans, to whom the age is indebted for the propagation of that glorious light of progressive civilization, religion, philosophy, arts, science and literature in general, which now illuminate the world. To illustrate some of these curious linguistic symbols. Take, for example, the figure:
The outlines of the eye; hence, a representation of God. Also, the picture of an owl, always an ominous bird, standing near a water pot, by which it is conjectured that nothing could have induced so cautious a creature to approach but thirst.
And the representation of a man building the wall of a city, and other things next below it; and lastly a mer man and mer maid, or part man fish and part woman fish, with other things below them; the peculiar horse headlike figure, also representing God(Khuam), will almost give a key to the whole system.
These hieroglyphics are copied from the obelisks of Luxor, taken by Champollion from Egypt to Paris, where they are now deposited as relics of antiquity.
His translation of the first column is thus rendered: "Thy name is as firm as heaven; the duration of thy days (is as) the disc of the sun."
That of the second column, thus: "May thy soul attain to Khuam (spirit of God, one of the forms of Ammon the Creator) the Creator of all mankind(literally man and woman)."
This is claimed by Champollion to be a record of Rameses III, as Sesotris. Rameses II from all the facts of history, we think much more reconcilable with that of the person of Sesostris. Ham as we have shown was Jupiter Ammon and Rameses I he being the first ruler in Egypt, while Cush his eldest son, settled on the upper Nile, establishing the Kingdom of Ethiopia, and Mizraim in Midian. But Mizraim left the land of Midian, and joining his father, ruled jointly with him as a subruler, when succeeding to the throne of Egypt after the death of Ham, he became Rameses II and consequently must have been Sesostris.
One fact in the hieroglyphical record seems to settle the identity of the persons and periods of their rule in Egypt.
The figure thus:
is read, "Son, son of a son," which signifies a king, the son of a king, who was the son of a king. But in the case of the first inscription of the Luxor column, instead of that, we have this:
the same symbol with a unit or figure I (one) above it, which implies that the prince it represents was not the son of a prince who ruled in that country, indicating this prince himself to be the first of his line who ruled. We think from this it is plain, that the Luxor inscription cannot refer to Rameses III, as instead of I (one) above the bird which represents a phoenix, it should have been the disc of the sun:
had it represented the dynastic successor of a ruler.
This important fact must also be remembered, that in addition to the sun disc over the phoenix, the symbol of the country over which he ruled must be placed under it thus:
showing that he ruled over that country.
We think that it is plain, instead of the interpretation of Champollion, that the inscription on the left hand column of the obelisk of Luxor, now deposited in France, as being in commemoration of Rameses III, it is none other than Rameses I Ham, or Jupiter Ammon.
As strikingly establishing the Ham line of the Rameses dynasty, and of great importance to the student of Ethiopians and Egyptian archaeology, we call attention to the fact, that this important relation in the princehood of "Son of a son," was founded to have existed in long periods after the Rameses dynasty, even among the Pharoahs.
This may be true; and is it any wonder that the dynasty of the Rameses should be copied or imitated by those who came after? In the dynasty of the Pharoahs has been found the Assyrian, as we read in the Scriptures the complaint of the Israelits in Egypt,"the Assyrian has oppressed us." As Nimrod, the grandson of Ham was the founder of the Assyrian Empire, may we not in this find a solution of the Assyrian Empire, may we not in this find a solution to the "Son of a Son," being found in the dynasty of the Pharoahs? We think the problem in this is solved, and that the princehood of a "Son of a Son" clearly belongs to the line of Ham.
