igh.
Although Thebes had greatly fallen off from its ancient splendor at
the time of Cambyses, yet it was the fury of this merciless conqueror
that gave the last blow to its grandeur. This prince pillaged the
temples, carried away all the ornaments of gold, silver, and ivory,
which decorated its magnificent buildings, and ruined both its temples
and its buildings. Before this unfortunate epoch, no city in the world
could be compared with it in extent, splendor, and riches; and,
according to the expression of Diodorus, the sun had never seen so
magnificent a city.

Previous to the establishment of the monarchical government, Thebes
was the residence of the principal college of the priesthood, who
ruled over the country. It is to this epoch that all writers refer the
elevation of its most ancient edifices. The enumeration of them all
would require more time than we have.

Here was the temple, or palace of Karnac, of Luxor; the Memnonium; and
the Medineh-Tabou, or, as some other travelers spell it,
Medinet-habou.

The temple, or the palace of Karnac was, without doubt, the most
considerable monument of ancient Thebes. It was not less than a mile
and a half in circumference, and enclosed about ten acres. M. Denon
employed nearly twenty minutes on horseback in going round it, at full
gallop. The principal entrance of the grand temple is on the northwest
side, or that facing the river. From a raised platform commences an
avenue of Crio-sphinxes leading to the front propyla, before which
stood two granite statues of a Pharaoh. One of these towers retains a
great part of its original height, but has lost its summit and
cornice. Passing through the pylon of these towers you arrive at a
large open court, or area, 275 feet by 329 feet, with a covered
corridor on either side, and a double line of columns down the centre.
Other propylaea terminate this area, with a small vestibule before the
pylon, and form the front of the grand hall of assembly, the lintel
stones of whose doorway were forty feet ten inches in length. The
grand hall, or hypostyle hall, measures 170 feet by 329 feet,
supported by a central avenue of twelve massive columns, 62 feet high
(without the plinth or abacus), and 36 feet in circumference; besides
122 of smaller, or, rather less gigantic dimensions, 42 feet 5 inches
in height, and 28 feet in circumference, distributed in seven lines,
on either side of the former. It had in front two immense courts,
adorn