Nubia and Abyssinia; Comprehending Their Civil History, Antiquities, Arts, Religion, Literature, and Natural History (Paperback)

Book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1833. Excerpt: ... NUBIA AND ABYSSINIA. CHAPTER I. Introduction. Difficulties to be encountered by the Historian of Ethiopia--Record of Monuments; their Uncertainty--Obstacles which opposed the Knowledge of the Ancients--Supposition that Civilization descended the Nile --Progress of Oriental Emigration--Resemblance of Nubian Temples to those of India--Fame of Ancient Ethiopians--Ambiguity of the Term--Two great Classes of Africans--Mixture of Arabians--Opinion of Heeren as to Language--Discoveries of Hornemann and Lyon-- Tuaricks and Tibboos--Nubians--Abyssinians--Hypothesis of Heeren --Connexion of Commerce and Religion--Chain of Temples--Similar Connexion among Jews and Christians--Early Improvement of Ethiopians mentioned in Scripture--Defence of the Opinion that Egypt derived Learning anl Science from the Upper Nile. In attempting to trace the history of the countries known to the ancients by the name of Ethiopia, we have to encounter the numerous obstacles which arise from the absence of a national literature, as well as from a succession of conquests made by a variety of barbarous tribes. Here indeed, as in Egypt, we possess the record of monuments which indicate the genius and religion of the people by whom the land was occupied at a very distant period; but it is manifest that, in reading the language supplied by the arts, it must be extremely difficult to avoid the ambiguity inseparable from their expression in regard to the precise date at which they flourished. The ruins of cities, of temples, and of obelisks may no doubt bear evidence to the wisdom of former ages, to the power of conquerors, and to the spirit of magnificence which threw a transient splendour even over the path of destructive armies; still, we cannot discover in them the genealogy of the nations to whom they were indebted ...