surrounded with a variety of ornaments,
as usual richly painted. These last, though sometimes found at Thebes,
were more general about Memphis and the Delta; and two good instances
of them are preserved at the British Museum, brought from a tomb near
the Pyramids.

Even at the early period when the Pyramids were built, the doors were
of one or two valves: and both those of the rooms and the entrance
doors opened inwards, contrary to the custom of the Greeks, who were
consequently obliged to strike on the inside of the street door before
they opened it, in order to warn persons passing by; and the Romans
were forbidden to make it open outward without a special permission.

The floors were of stone, or a composition made of lime or other
materials; but in humbler abodes they were formed of split date-tree
beams, arranged close together or at intervals, with planks or
transverse layers of palm branches over them, covered with mats and a
coating of mud. Many roofs were vaulted, and built like the rest of
the house of crude brick; and not only have arches been found of that
material dating in the 16th century before our era, but vaulted
granaries appear to be represented of much earlier date. Bricks,
indeed, led to the invention of the arch; the want of timber in Egypt
having pointed out the necessity of some substitute for it.

Wood was imported in great quantities; deal and cedar were brought
from Syria; and rare woods were part of the tribute imposed on foreign
nations conquered by the Pharaohs. And so highly were these
appreciated for ornamental purposes, that painted imitations were made
for poorer persons who could not afford them; and the panels, windows,
doors, boxes, and various kinds of woodwork, were frequently of cheap
deal or sycamore, stained to resemble the rarest foreign woods. And
the remnants of them found at Thebes show that these imitations were
clever substitutes for the reality. Even coffins were sometimes made
of foreign wood; and many are found of cedar of Lebanon. The value of
foreign woods also suggested to the Egyptians the process of
veneering; and this was one of the arts of their skillful cabinet
makers.

The ceilings were of stucco, richly painted with various devices,
tasteful both in their form and the arrangement of the colors; among
the oldest of which is the Guilloche, often miscalled the Tuscan or
Greek border.

Both in the interior and exterior of their houses the walls were
somet