EGYPTIAN CRAFTWORKS

EGYPTIAN CRAFTWORKS

King Chephren, IV Dynasty, successor to Cheops and alleged constructor of the second largest pyramid. This diorite statue was found in a pit in the temple adjacent to the Sphinx, and the building of the temple and Sphinx is attributed to Chephren (but see the final chapter for a detailed discussion of these allegations). Can a man who looks like this really be a primitive materialist, with a mind still half asleep?

Hesire: Vizier to King Zoser, III Dynasty. One of a series of wood carvings from Hesire's tomb in Saqqara. If scholars choose, they may continue to regard the early Egyptians as 'primitive materialists' with minds 'still half asleep', but the layman may think otherwise on the basis of the message implicit in artistry of this order.

Hesire seems rather wide awake, unless this is flattery imposed by the unknown artist, in which case, at least the artist must have briefly surfaced from his reveries. The hieroglyphs are already complete, and later Egypt will never succeed in carving them with more power or purity.
Still earlier hieroglyphs are no less complete, but in general less well executed. Nothing supports a postulated 'period of development'. But it is possible that guardians of the ancient tradition required a number of generations in which to bring artists and artisans up to this standard.

The Egyptian technique for producing inlaid eyes reached the height of its perfection in the IV Dynasty and was never equalled subsequently either in Egypt or anywhere else. The Egyptians must have taken careful note of reflection and refraction properties of the material used; the result, even in a photograph, is striking; in person it is practically overpowering. Of the examples found to date, more are blue or grey-eyed than brown-eyed. Can this have anything to do with the long,supposedly 'legendary' rule of Egypt prior to Menes by the 'venerables of the North',To avoid confusion, and also to avoid the clumsy device of repeatedly distinguishing between pure Schwaller de Lubicz ideas and my own illustrations , opinions and conclusions, it is well to make a general distinction here at the beginning . As a rule , when I write of the knowledge, understanding , language , philosophy and religion of the ancient Egyptians I am presen ting Schwaller de Lubicz's ideas in as pure a form as I can, and wherever possible, illustrating with his own diagrams and photos . Whenever I make use of metaphor and analogy, Philosophy and Science, as we now know them, are Greek inventions.

The rise of Greek civilisation which produced this outburst of intellectual activity is one of the most spectacular events in history. Nothing like it has ever occurred before or since Philosophy and Science began with Thales of Miletus in the early Sixth Century , BC What course of previous events had come to set off this sudden unfolding of the Greek genius? Among the civilisations of the world the Greek is a late comer. Those of Egypt and Mesopotamia are older by several millennia . These agricultural societies grew up along the great rivers and were ruled by divine kings , a military aristocracy and a powerful class of priests who presided over the elaborate polytheistic religious systems. The bulk of the population were serfs who worked the land .
Both Egypt and Babylon furnished some knowledge which the Greeks later took over. But neither developed Science or Philosophy . Whether this is due to lack of native genius or to social conditions is not a fundamental question here. What is significant is that the function of religion was not conducive to the exercise of the intellectual adventure .