elisks raised by Ramses at Heliopolis. But
these were only minor undertakings, and it is at Tanis that we must seek
the most characteristic examples of their activity. Here it was that
Psiukhannit rebuilt the brick ramparts which defended the city, and
decorated several of the halls of the great temple. The pylons of this
sanctuary had been merely begun by Sesostris: Siamon completed them,
and added the sphinxes; and the metal plaques and small objects which he
concealed under the base of one of the latter have been brought to light
in the course of excavations. The appropriation of the monuments of
other kings, which we have remarked under former dynasties, was also
practised by the Tanites. Siamon placed his inscriptions over those of
the Kamessides, and Psiukhannit engraved his name on the sphinxes and
statues of Ame-nemhait III. as unscrupulously as Apophis and the Hyksos
had done before him. The Tanite sovereigns, however, were not at a loss
for artists, and they had revived, after the lapse of centuries, the
traditions of the local school which had flourished during the XIIth
dynasty.

[Illustration: 404.jpg THE TWO NILES OF TANIS]

Drawn by Faucher-Gudin, from a photograph by Emil Brugsch-
Bey.

One of the groups, executed by order of Psiukhannit, has escaped
destruction, and is now in the Gizeh Museum. It represents two figures
of the Nile, marching gravely shoulder to shoulder, and carrying in
front of them tables of offerings, ornamented with fish and
garnished with flowers. The stone in which they are executed is of an
extraordinary hardness, but the sculptor has, notwithstanding, succeeded
in carving and polishing it with a skill which does credit to his
proficiency in his craft. The general effect of the figures is a
little heavy, but the detail is excellent, and the correctness of pose,
precision in modelling, and harmony of proportion are beyond criticism.
The heads present a certain element of strangeness. The artist evidently
took as his model, as far as type and style of head-dress are concerned,
the monuments of Amenemhait III. which he saw around him; indeed, he
probably copied one of them feature for feature. He has reproduced the
severity of expression, the firm mouth, the projecting cheek-bones, the
long hair and fan-shaped beard of his model, but he has not been able
to imitate the broad and powerful treatment of the older artists; his
method of execution has a certain hardness and c