File:Nubia and Abyssinia- comprehending their civil history, antiquities, arts, religion, literature, and natural history (1833) (14783147673).jpg

Identifier: nubiaabyssiniac00russ (find matches)
Title: Nubia and Abyssinia: comprehending their civil history, antiquities, arts, religion, literature, and natural history
Year: 1833 (1830s)
Authors: Russell, Michael, 1781-1848
Subjects:
Publisher: New York, J. (and) J. Harper
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Toronto

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n that it must shortlytake a place beside the others. The lower parts of all thecolumns bear representations of figures about three feethigh, of which the inferior half is concealed by a tablet in-scribed with hieroglyphics. They are executed in the verybest style, as are all the sculptures remaining in the temple,though in some places they have not been finished. Amongthese Jupiter Ammon appears twice; and to him it is morethan probable, that the whole structure was originaUy dedi-cated. Mr. Waddington observes, that the temple of Solebaffords the lightest specimen he had anywhere seen ofEgyptian or Ethiopian architecture. The sandstone, ofwhich most of the columns are composed, is beautifullystreaked with red, giving them from a distance a rich andglowing tint. As the walls have almost entirely disappeared,and the roof fallen in, there remains no ponderous heap ofmasonry to destroy the effect of these beautiful pillars, backedby the mountains of the desert or the clear blue horizon.
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NUBIA AND ABYSSINIA. 43 Here the man of taste does not contemplate a gloomy edifice,where heaviness is substituted for dignity, height for sub-limity, and size for grandeur, nor measures a pyramidal massof stone work, climbing up to heaven in defiance of nature andpropriety. We seemed, says the traveller just named, to be at Segesta, at Phigalea, or at Sunium, where lightness,and colour, and elegance of proportion, contrasted with thegigantic scenery about them, make the beauty of the build-ings more lovely, and their durability more wonderful.There is no attempt to imitate or rival the sublimity thatsurrounds them; they are content to be the masterpieces ofart, and therefore they and nature live on good termstogether, and set off each others beauty. Those worksthat aim at more than this, after exhausting treasuries, andcosting the life and happiness of milUons, must be satisfiedat last to be called hillocks.* Upon inspecting the map of Nubia it will be observed, thatat a point near O

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