* Egyptian,

Museum

Oriental

[ P u rh o it, ^ fo u n d a tio n , ^ la in tz n a n c z
t a n d in g

as w e do upon the shoulders o f the great civilizations which have

S preceded ours, poised betw een a trem endous past and a vast unseen future, it
behooves us to know more of this foundation upon w hich we rest. From a study
of the things o f yesterday can come th a t understanding which, if w e choose to
use it, will m ake for a greater tom orrow .
A m useum of antiquities provides an excellent place for such an inquiry into
the past. It is only fitting, therefore, th a t the Rosicrucian O rder, A M O R C , a
non-sectarian, w orld-w ide, philosophic fra tern ity active for centuries in diffusing
knowledge p ertaining to mans n atu re, his place in the universe, and his acc m'
plishments m aintain an institution fo r the preservation of those things which
depict the achievem ents and th e record o f errors of our forebears. T h e Rosicrucian
Egyptian, O rien tal M useum was therefore established by the Rosicrucian O rder,
A M O R C , u n d e r the authority of D r. H. Spencer Lewis, its chief executive, to
house such a collection of E gyptian and O riental antiquities as w ould prove in
structive and interesting to the membership of the O rder and the general public
alike. T hough the museum is entirely financed and m aintained by the Rosicrucian
O rder, an exam ination of its exhibits and enjoym ent of its facilities are made
possible to the public w ithout fee or obligation.

. K E N D A L I. B R O W E R
. . V IO L E T G L U T H
. . R A L P H M. L E W IS

CURATOR. .
C H IE F H O S T E S S
SECRETA RY . .

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S A M U E L A . B. M E R C E R
. H U G H M A T IE R
. . C A R L R O B IN SO N

A S S Y R I O L O G IS T ...................................
EG YPTO LO G Y , GEOLOGY . . .
A N T H R O P O L O G IC A L E X H IB IT S .

jLLiatLoniA M E R IC A N A S S O C IA T IO N O F M U SE U M S
E G Y P T IA N E X P L O R A T IO N S O C IE T Y
P A T R O N O F S M IT H S O N IA N IN S T IT U T E
O

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R O S IC R U C IA N PA R K

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S A N JO SE, C A L IF O R N IA , U. S. A .

^ lo c a tio n oj'

'clLCz i Lz i a n d 'ExfiL&Lti

'C ' or the convenience o f visitors, the floor plan of the m useum 's galleries, with the
location of the principal display cases an d exhibits, is show n below. Galleries
are indicated by letters of the alphabet, and cases and exhibits by number. For
method of locating exhibits, see explanation opposite.

LJndzx oj- <

L p riincL^ial S xP iitjiti
principal exhibits only are show n in the following index. These exhibits
are first divided into general classifications and then by particular objects.
For example, to locate hum an mummies, by referring to the general classification
heading of F u n e r e a l , and running dow n the following list, we come to the.
caption M u m m i e s . Opposite, we find th e letter E which indicates the gallery,
and follow ing th a t arc given the case numbers, 3, 6. N ow , by looking at the
floor plan of the galleries on the opposite page, and locating the corresponding
gallery and case numbers, the exhibit can be found.

HF.

P R E H IS T O R IC
Busts of princip al types o f early
man (D -4 ).
D ioram as showing prehistoric h a b i
tats (D -4 ).
Flints a n d tools (D -5 ).
E G Y P T IA N
A ltars (sacrificial) (D -2, E -5).
A m ulets and Scarabs (D -7, E -4).
A rch itectu ral C olum ns (A ).
Closed P ap y ru s.
C o n n t h i a n - G r e c ia n (e v o lu tio n from the
E g y p t ia n ).
O p en Papyrus.

Benediction Stone (D -7 ).
C artouches
L i m e s t o n e c a r t o u c h e of Q u e e n N e f e r ti ti ( D - 7 ) .
R ed granite
carto u ch e of Ram eses
X il (D -7).

Jewelry
N e c k l a c e s , r i n g s , b e a d s, etc. ( D - 6 , E - 4 ) .
O riginal R o sa ry of A m e n h o te p I V with
r o s e a n d cr os s ( E - 4 ) ,

Paintings
" P r e p a r in g a M u m m y for B urial, by
D r . H . S p e n c e r Le wi s ( E - 6 , w a l l )
" T h e Love Idoi, Q u e e n N e fe rti ti, by
D r. H . S pence r Lewis (A - 2 , w a ll).

P ottery
C ollection o f early D y n a sty p o ttery
(D -5).
P red y n astic to G recian perio d ( D - l ) .
F rag m e n ts o f colored fa ie n c e p o ttery
(D -6).

S tatu ary
Bust of Q u e e n N efertiti ( A - 2 ) .
H ead of A m enhotep IV (D -6)
R e d g r a n i t e fi g u r e o f H o r u s , t h e h a w k
h e a d e d G o d ( G - l ).
Sacred R a m of A m o n R a (G -8 ).
H eroic s u e o f A m e n h o te p III (G -2 ).
Bust o f R am eses I! ( G - 7 ) .
Sck h m e t, lion -h ead ed goddess ( G - 4 ) .
P r ie s t o f t h e t e m p l e o f P t a h ( G - 6 ) .
T w o c a r v e d li o ns o f t h e 18 t h D y n a s t y
(G -3, G -5).

T om bs a n d Tem ples
Full-size r e p r o d u c t i o n o f a n E g y p t i a n
rock to m b ( A - l )
_
M o d e l o f K in g T u t a n k h a m o n 's tom b
(A -4).

M o d el of the great p y ra m id of Cheops

(A -J).
R econstruction o f an A ncien t M e m
phis T e m p le ( G ) .

U tility and B eauty O bjects

B ronze
arrow heads,
k n if e ,
m ir ro rs,
ne e d le s , awls, r a z o r , adz, a la ba s te r
c o s m e ti c jars, et c. ( D - J , D - 6 ) .

F U N E R E A L E X H IB IT S
C a n o p i c ja rs ( u s e d t o c o n t a i n th e vis
c e ra o f e m b a l m e d b o d y ) ( E - 3 ) .
C a rto n n a g e (gilded a n d painted m um m y
masks) ( E - l ) ,
M u m m ies ( h u m a n a n d animal) (E-3,
E-6).
M u m m y shroud (E , w all).
S a r c o p h a g i ( m u m m y ca se s ) ( E - 2 , E-3,
E-6).
S tatuettes
(of
carved
wood,
clay.
F ai e nc e, b r o n z e a n d s t o n e ) ( E - i , E-4
E -6 , D - 8 ) .
U s h a b t i u t o m b fi g u ri n e s of b r o n z e ,
stone, w o o d a n d clay (D -8, E -6).

M U M M IE S
H u m a n a n d animal ( E - J , E -6).

A S S Y R IA N
Bas -R el ief s ( F , w a l l s ) .
C o n e s a n d t a b le t s ( F - l , F -?)
H o u s e h o l d G o d s ( F - 1) .
M a s k ( s c u l p t u r e d t r a g i c ) ( F -4 ).
Ba sa lt O b e li s k i n s c r i b e d in c u n e i f o r m
a n d bas- rel ie fs ( F - 3 )
Se al s l a p i d a r y w o r k { F - 1 ).

B A B Y L O N IA N
B a s a l t i n s c r i p t i o n s t o n e of N e b u c h a d
nezzar I I ( F - 2 ) .
Calendar
stone
of
A lexander
th e
G reat (F-T).
C l a y br ic ks f r o m t h e H a n g i n g G a r d e n s
( F-4 )
F r a g m e n t s o f g la z e d b r ic k ( F - 5 ) ,
Ish tar G ate of B abylon (reco n stru c
tion) (E ).

G R E C IA N A N D R O M A N
Statuary ( C ) .

O R IE N T A L
B u d d h a Statues ( B - l . B-4).
C hinese c a rv in g (B - 2 ) .

T H IB E T A N
A

co ll e c t io n o f s a c r e d ob je ct s
T h i b e t a n T e m p l e s ( B - 3 ).

fr om

C O P Y R IG H T , 1939, BY A M O R C
F IR ST E D IT IO N , J A N U A R Y , 1939

L ith o g ra p h e d in th e U n ite d S ta te s of A m e ric a

T h e R o s ic ru c ia n P re ss, L td .

San Jose, California

E A R T H , MAN and C IV IL IZ A T IO N
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tfiz ^W oxd

organized and aiert mind is never satisfied to accept occurrences, the

causes of w hich are not apparent. W e instinctively feel th a t things do not
just happen, T h is is, perhaps, because w e are conscious of how m any things our
own thinking and doing have brought about. Knowing, therefore, that we are
causative th a t is, that we can intentionally cause something to, or n o t to, happen,
we are convinced that some cause also exists behind every phenom enon of nature.
This belief of man is reflected in nearly all of his religions and in many of his
philosophies. It commonly takes the form that in the beginning a deity gave voice
to a decree, w hich words, as a cause, created the universe and all that is in it.
It is significant that many great philosophies have referred to this divine creative
w ord, or logos as the ancient G reeks term ed it, as the law o f the universe. W e
may, in our consideration of the physical aspects o f our universe, lay aside religious
and philosophical interpretations, but there is much to support a belief in the
universe existing and functioning according to well ordered laws. All about us,
on this com paratively small orb of some 8,000 miles in diam eter on which w c
exist, are exam ples of the regularity of effects that is, th a t like conditions always
produce like results. This u n ita ry condition is not limited to earth , but exists in
the universe at large. W h e n we study the spectra of the stars and planets, we find
them composed o f elements w hich are to be found on earth. T h e laws of motion
of liquids and solids are found to govern the form ation of nebulae, as well as the
common things w ith w hich w e are fam iliar. A ll about us, change is. ever appar
ent som ething is constantly becoming something else. T he surface of our earth
also gives evidences of having gone through gigantic upheavels in past geologic
ages. These past cataclysmic transitions correspond to the processes which some of
the heavenly bodies are now going through, and which we can witness in our
great astronom ical observatories.
O nly one thing seems to rem ain stationary and a dependable reality, and that
is the laws w hich underlie n atu re both its macrocosmic and microcosmic aspects.
Logically, therefore, to understand the m anner in which our earth had physical
existence and w hy it provides the varied m anifestations it does and w hat its re
lation is to the great Cosmos, it is necessary that we make a study o f these realities,
these ubiquitous and eternal laws.
In earth itself we have a gigantic laboratory, well equipped w ith a great many
subjects for examination. T hey provide us with a w ealth of facts from which
wc deduce the workings of natural law. W h en we lift our eyes an d project our
thoughts and direct our inquiry above the earth, our exam ination becomes ex
tremely lim ited: in the stellar spaces there exist countless
w orlds besides our own, which is extrem ely small in com
parison, yet, ou r only contact w ith them is by the energy
they radiate, or the light they reflect. O u r perceptions of
them arc therefore obviously limited. A know ledge of those
laws which gave existence, in ages
C an yon D ia b lo M etepast, to things still perceivable on
orite, w eig h in g 5 8 ,5 0 0
earth or above- - -makes it possible to
R o T r u o ? " "p fie tar"
P ^ n d intelligently and reasonably
ium,)
the fu tu re of earth and its phenomena.

W ELL

P age 5

A rtists con cep tion of

life d u rin g the h eigh t
o f t h e M am m alian
P eriod , about 6 0 ,0 0 0 ,
0 0 0 years ago.

The Advent of Life

f~ '\U R earth has gone through a series of developm ents, by w hich we can approxi
m ate the age and origin of its existence. T h a t it has gone through degrees
of solidifying, through eons of tim e in a molten state, its jelly-like surface quiver
ing w ith the pressure of subterranean gases, and th a t for still another unknowable
period of time its extrem e tem perature, generating steam from the atmosphere,
caused torrents of rain to fill its cavities, and th a t the w hole was frequently
Convulsed and its masses pushed upw ard, crushed and ground, arc known facts
to geologists. T hey have read this history of developm ent in the rocks and strata
of the earth itself.
In the geologic calendar, the pages of w hich are composed of the earth, is one
that is know n as the A rchaeozoic Period. Som ething occurred then, which, so far
as we have been able to determ ine, is unique to earth. In th e slimy sediment and
saline w aters of the earth came in to existence living m atter, protoplasmic beings,
which developed into simple organism s like jellyfish w hich swam about in
ocean bottoms. T heir fossilized rem ains are plentifully scattered throughout the
w orld, and are found deep in soil an d rocks, in which time
has shrouded them. N ow here above th e earth, in the thou
sands of island universes and galaxies of stars and hosts of
planets are to befound even
the characteristics which the
simplest living things display.
Successively after, but n ot necessarily from, this enig
matic beginning, came all living creatures and eventually
man. M an made his appearance, it is estim ated, about 1,000,
000 years ago, a date fairly recent in com parison to the advent
of life, w hich occurred about 1,850,000,000 years ago.
For an understanding of w hat constitutes the very basic
natu re of man, th a t which is ini'
N eo lith ic , o r N e w
m anent and n o t an assimilation of
S ton e A g e , M an salut
his exterior influences, there is no
in g the daw n betw een
more im p o rtan t study than man him
rows o f u p righ t m o n o
liths.
self. In a consideration of past ages,
Pape 6

C ro-M agnon artists of

1 3 ,0 0 0 y e a r s
ago,
pain tin g scenes on the
w all of a cavern- (S ee
lifelik e dioram a in gal
lery D ,
Rosicrucian
E gyp tian M u seu m .)

before history and w ritten records, the study of man is lim ited entirely to, first,
the things he used or made and left behind him, and, second, the fragments of his
skeletal stru ctu re, from w hich m ust be reconstructed his physical form and
deduced his characteristics and habits.

The Products of Necessity

^ W s a jio n i(l ltzm iis, {Jmjxtsm&ntu
adage, 'necessity is the m other of invention, is also a truism. It is the
need fo r things which has caused man to seek ways and means to provide
them. M an existed for milleniums before he had even the simplest form of
w eapon or tool. In all probability, du rin g this daw n age w hen century after
century rolled by w ithout any appreciable change in his status, w hen he roamed
like the beasts around him, he w ould reach instinctively for a stone at his feet
and perhaps hurl it at an enem y, anim al or hum an, in defense.
T o a g reat extent, we can trace the progress of man by the development of
his w eapons and implements. A t first he sought flints, naturally hard but brittle
stones, which w ere more or less of a shape which he could con
veniently hold in his fist and which had a sharp end. It was not until
considerably later that he was able to affix a wooden handle to such
hatchets or knives. Finally he learned how to shape these implements
to his liking by striking off their rough edges w ith
alarger stone.
T his method is know n as percussion.M uch time elapsed before
he
discovered the means of sharpening and shaping tools by pressure,
that is, placing a larger stone along the edges of the
flint and breaking off its undesired projections, Even
tually he learned the m ethod of grinding, w hich is still
used in our times. T he breaking
Flint o f the P aleolith ic
of points of sticks, w hich he had
P re-dynastic w ine jar
Period, perhaps o f the
sharpened to use as spears, caused o f Egypt, estim ated
M o u s t e r i a n culture
him to invent this m e th o d - -or per period 5 0 0 0 B, C- (S e e
approxim ately 4 0 ,0 0 0
years ago. (S e e co llec
haps he discovered it by accident- - collection of pottery
in G allery D , in Rosi'
tion of flints in gallery
o f heating the tip in the fire, which
crucian E gyp tian Mu*
D , in the Rosicrucian
considerably hardened it.
seum .)
Egyptian M useum .)

he

T h e T e m p le of Kom
O m bo
near A sw an,
b u ilt d u rin g the P to le
m aic era. A n exam ple
o f the m agnificen t co n
struction o f the ancient
E gyp tian s.

Civilization
t i m e s , during the end of th e M am m alian period, w hen giant creatures
still stalked the earth, man w as ill-equipped to com bat them and he must
have found it far b etter to have th e support of his k ind in hunting woolly
mammoths or giant tusked rhinoceroses for their hides, th an to undertake killing
them single-handed. T his m utual protection against actual and imagined enemies
bound the natural, instinctive fam ily groups together.
C ivilization, however, comes w hen man is conscious of his society: that is,
w hen he no longer desires to live w ith those o f his kind like a herd of animals,
but attem pts to order his m ethod of living for th eir m u tu al good. C ulture arises
from th e natural segregation o f those possessing skill an d abilities, and en
couraging them to exchange the products of their a p titu d e for necessities, so that
others n o t so fortunately possessed of talents may enjoy their effects.
Before civilization, as we know it, spcech and language de
veloped from the natural cries of fear, surprise, and pain which
man uttered. V ocal sounds w ere com bined until man became
sufficiently articu late to convey his ideas verbally to another.
T he rudim ents of speech must have, and did, exist for a great
unknow n period before man began his crudest form of writing.
T he object o f language, spoken o r w ritte n , is the communica
tion of ideas. W e think in pictures, th a t is, mentally, 111 our
m inds eye, w e see the thing we w an t to express. It is natural,
therefore, to try to create som ething w hich will convey that
picture in m ind to the mind of another.
Before language w as sufficiently developed
for conversation to express a thought, man

N EARLY

S tatue of A m en h otep
III, P haraoh of E gyp t
in 1411-1375 B. C.. of
the 18th D yn asty. E x
am ple of early Em pire
P e r i o d sculp tu rin g.
(S e e statue in M em
phis T em p le, G allery
F, in the R osicrucian
Egyptian M u seum .)
P age 8

N e c k la c e of E gyp tian
n ob lem an s w ife. E x
am ple o f g o o d crafts
m anship. (O n d isp lay
w ith an cien t jew elry
in G allery E, in Rosicrucian E gyptian M u
seum .)

Fragment from
the
Book o f T h e D ea d ,
which contains the rit
uals and funeral lit
urgies of the an cien t
Egyptians.

resorted to draw ing and painting crude forms, w hich told the story
of his thoughts better th an his words. T h e first w ritin g , therefore,
w as picture w riting. F u rth e r developm ent reached a point when
there w as no visual relation betw een the strokes an d the original
p icture from w hich they evolved, yet the im port remained the
same. C onsequently, the strokes became symbols out o f w hich later developed
the early alphabets.

Religion
(!b.i

1l l j i o n du to m

as w e know it today is m ainly organized thought. T h e fundam ental

spirit of religion is the recognition o r presentim ent th at there exists some
supernatural pow er or force th a t is g reater than those things w hich man con
trols, and w hich is also the creator o f certain things or conditions.
T he early religions, like some still in existence today, w ere polytheistic. They
included m any gods. F urther, the gods w ere not anthropom orphic, that is, they
did not have, to the mind of man, th e form or person of man. Some of these
gods w ere the elements, such as the w ind, lightning, rain, and even the sun, the
moon, and the stars. In fact, most agencies of n atu re w hich w ere feared were
worshipped. E arly religion was not altogether reverential to w ard its gods. M en
did not always love them.
In 1350 B. C ., in Egypt, P haraoh Amenhotcp IV , as if divinely infused w ith the con
cept, declared for the first tim e in the w o rld s
history, that there was but one sole, ever-living
God. W ith this monotheistic religion, a tre
mendous effect w as had upon th e customs and
practices of the people, w hich w as never en
tirely lost, even to the time of C hristianity.
W ith one god ruling the earth, man n o longer
had the belief th a t there was a conflict betw een
the gods, as betw een men. G od came to rep
resent the suprem e virtues and absolute good.
M an, therefore, desired to be godlike and em u
late the ideals he had of his G od.

e lig io n

U sh a b ti or resp ond en t
g od , a statuette w hich
was su pposed to do
the m en ial work for
the departed in the
n ext world. ( S e e c o l
lection of U sh a b tiu in
G allery E, in the Rosicrucian E gyp tian M u
seum .)

R ed gran ite statue of

th e G od H oru s, taken
from A b ou k ir, Egypt.
( O n d isp lay in M em
p h is T e m p le , G allery
F, in the R osicrucian
E g y p tia n M u se u m ,)
Pag e 9

Egyptian Burial Customs

U L IX ^VutuE to
'J ^ T

any

laym en cannot see the need of expeditions being conducted at great

expense to excavate tombs, th e last resting places of kings, queens, phar

aohs, and lesser im portant personages of centuries ago. T o many, it seems a
desecration w ithout sufficient justification. H ow ever, the tom bs of the ancients,
particularly those of th e E gyptians, are virtu al storehouses of articles which
clearly tell how peoples of that m agnificent civilization lived, w hat they believed,
whom they w orshipped, w hat they w ore, ate, d ran k , an d m ost im portant, what
they learned of life and the w orld in w hich they lived. T h e tom bs and w hat they
contain are the result of the ancient E gyptians' religious concepts. T he Egyptians
believed in im m ortality and the du ality o f man. A vital life force was said to
enter m ans body at birth and rem ain w ith him as his double, and this inner
guide w as called Ka, and was som ew hat equivalent to w h a t w e term conscience.
In addition, man possessed a Soul. A t death, Ka w as liberated and w ent to the
h ereafter as did the Soul. In th e h ere after it w ould live n ot unlike it lived on
earth, possessing many of its earth ly treasures. A t a fu tu re time, Ka would
retu rn to take up residence once again in the body it h a d le ft behind. Eternal
Houses, or pyram ids, w ere erected to preserve th e body an d store the treasures
which w ere for use in the afterw o rld , and again in th is one when Ka should
return. N o t only w ere elaborately carved fu rn itu re , m ade from hardwood and

nducted at great

gs, queens, phar'

nany, it seems a
of the ancients,
>f articles which
tat they believed,
im portant, what
3S and what they
i. T he Egyptians
Dree was said to
, and this inner
term conscience,
and w ent to the
nlike it lived on
time, Ka would
ichind. Eternal
jre the treasures
vhen Ka should
1 hardwood and

inlaid w ith gold, and beautiful vases,

necklaces, rings, gold platters, glass
utensils, A labaster statuary, bronze
weapons and tools placed in these
tombs, b u t on th eir walls w ere p a in t'
ings depicting th e accom plishments of
the departed stories w ritten in the
hieroglyphic language of th e time,
relating the events of the deceased's
life.
Stilt more im portant w ere
murals, beautifully painted, show '
mg how th e fields were tilled for
sowing and how the grain was reaped
and how the grapes w ere pressed for
wine. Scenes revealing goldsmiths,
cabinet makers, and other craftsm en
at work w ith th e tools common to
their period. C onsequently it was
these influences of the E gyptian re
ligion w hich m ade it possible for th eir
posterity, fo r us of today, to know
something more o f th e origin, n ot only
of ourselves, o f th e m igration of races,
but of our customs and habits.

H u m an m um m ies of the Saite

P eriod o f Egypt- (T h e se hum an,
and also an im al, m um m ies are
to be seen in G allery E, in the
R osicracian E gyp tian M useum .)

O n e o f several cases
in G allery E , in the
R osicru cian Egyptian
M u seum ,
disp layin g
m u m m ies and funeral
accoutrem ent of the
an cien t Egyptians.

Page n

The Cedars of Lebanon

J

p r e - g l a c ia l t i m e s ,

incongruous as it m ay seem, geologists inform us there

existed on w hat is now the plateau o f the Sahara D esert, a magnificent forest
of giant hardwoods. This forest, of course, never existed in th e memory of man,
and the prim itive Egyptians, w ho thousands of years later settled along the Nile
Valley, found no trees except date palm s and some acacias, an d a few of other
varieties along the great river's banks.

D uring the Feudal an d Em pire periods

of Egyptian history, wood was very m uch in dem and, especially such woods as
could resist the terrific heat o f the N ile V alley and its arid climate. Expeditions
were sent far up the N ile to equatorial A frica to bring back hardw oods from
the great tropical forests.

In Syria, in northw estern A sia M inor, not a great

distance from the city of Damascus, w ere the g reat forests of cedar, renowned
in history as the C edars of Lebanon. T h is w ood was fo u n d to he most suitable
for the purposes o f the E gyptians and could be b ro u g h t through the M editer
ranean Sea, along the coast, and up the N ile m ore easily th an tim ber could be
brought from the forests of equatorial A frica.
Demands w ere therefore m ade by the P haraohs on th e princes of Lebanon
to prepare great quantities o f the tim ber for export to E gypt. Sarcophagi (mummy
coffins) in particular were made from these cedars. T h a t th e E gyptians were wise

in their choice of this wood is indi

cated by th e fact that the m ajority
of the cedar sarcophagi excavated to
day are found to be in an excellent
state of preservation,
some w ere

even

though

periodically subm erged,

due to the seasonal inundation of the

region by the N ile River. A study of
the construction of sarcophagi shows
that even as early as 3000 B. C. the
carpenters

and

Egypt knew

cabinet

m akers

the structural

of

a rt of

lamination.
History recounts how later King
Solomon and business associates deait
extensively in th e im portation of these
Lebanon cedars, of w hich there are
today but a few rem aining and these
are preserved as a national m onum ent.

F ull-sized rep rod u ction of a rock

tom b of th e F eudal A g e of
E gyp t. T h e o n ly reproduction
o f its kind in A m erica, (G allery
A , in the R osicru cian Egyptian
M u seu m .)

D isp la y case con tain

in g sarcophagi (m u m
m y co ffin s), bronze
v o tiv e statuettes, can
o p ic jars used to h old
th e viscera of em
b alm ed bodies, and
m um m ified
a ni ma l s
a n d birds. (C ase in
G a llery E, in the R os
icru cian E gyptian M u
seu m .)

P age X?

'^Ss*Sffi*5^4SH8&

A reproduction in
Gallery G of one of the
magnificent temples of
the ancient Egyptian
city of Memphis. A
visitor to the museum
may walk about in this
atmosphere of thou
sands of years ago and
examine statues of the
kings and gods of the
period.
(For more
complete description,
see Page 22.)

Egyptian Sciences
cix<
je[

o f tfiE c^~fnaiznti

huge m onuments of Egypt stand in silent testim ony to the greatness of

genius possessed by these peoples of centuries ago. T h e enorm ous pyram ids- composed of huge blocks o f stone exceeding tw o and a h alf tons in w eight, one
lifted high above the other hundreds of feet above the surface, each not varying
in its dimensions one-sixteenth of an inch, the whole mass composing a perfect,
m athem atically correct pyram id, w ith th e apex
exactly above the center o f its base these arc
evidential of a skill and a know ledge of such
sciences as mathematics, leverage, and masonry.
G reat irrigation canals, glass-surfaced tiling, m ag'
nificent colonnaded temples, mosaic floorings, a
calendar of 365 days, copper and tile w ater pipes,
papyrus scrolls revealing an am azing knowledge
of the hum an anatom y and even using for the first
time the term brain, maps of the heavensJKj
these are not the consequence o f accident, but of
. :
the careful investigations, probings, and conclujS
.
sions of minds which today w ould excel in our
scientific fields. In fact, their accomplishments,
because o f the laws of nature w hich they dis
covered, tabulated, and used to make them
sible, w ere definite scientific achievements.
1 | 'H E

ill .

A b o v e a com p lete Rosicrucian reproduction on a

tw o-thirds scale of a great
obelisk o f H elio p o lis, Egypt,
erected b y U sertsen in 2433
B. C. T h e H elio p o lis ob e
lisk w as o f red granite,
quarried possib ly near A ssu
an, and w eigh ed nearly a
thou san d tons.
B elo w a cartonnage (m u m
m y m a sk ), covered with gold
lea f and painted with en
during enam el. S om e were
m ade o f solid g o ld . (S e e d is
p la y in g a llery E, in the
R osicrucian Egyptian M u
seum .)

Page 16

E xterior view
o f the great
Pyram id o f Gizeh, b u ilt about
2 9 0 0 B. C .} com
p osed of over 2 ,
3 0 0 ,0 0 0 h u ge blocks
o f stone w eigh in g in
excess o f two and a
h a lf tons each.

T h e o rigin of glass is attri

b u ted to the E gyp tian s, glass
b ead s, such as this necklace,
b ein g fou n d in the tom bs of
th e F ourth M illen iu m . Glass
v essels w ere com m on in the
X V I I I D yn asty.

. sum#*."'- >

'

Splendor
( }VzoUCjflt in
( f io h l a n d

reproduction of the
fourth and inner sarcophagus
(mummy case) of the famous King
T utankham en. This is the only r e
production' in the world of the
costly original, which is to he seen
in the C airo Museum. T h e sa r
cophagus conforms to the contours
of the body which it contained,
and the face is a delicately modeled
intended likeness. T he original,
made of solid gold and inlaid w ith
rare gems, has an intrinsic value
estim ated in exxess of $250,000.00,
It is a masterpiece of the ancient
goldsmiths art, not to be excelled
by the craftsmen of today. T his
sarcophagus was encased in three
others, each in turn larger, the
largest looking somewhat like a
residence garage. (T o be seen in
G allery E, in the Rosicrucian
Egyptian M useum.)
"P

Pag* 18

u l l -s i z e d

Scarabaeidae
cZcjijjitum Jca%a(ji a n d c ^ n z iX z ti
A MULETS are articles, made o r found in a n atu ral state, w hich are thought to
possess religio-magic properties. T hese properties are sometimes believed
to be inherent and at other times thought to have been endow ed by sorcerers,
priests of the temple, or by other persons believed to have com m union w ith su p er
natural powers. The w earer is thought to assume the beneficial or detrim ental
influences of the am ulet, w hich may be in one of m any forms. Some have been
nothing more than brightly polished pebbles, or the claws, teeth, an d organs of
animals, or leaves of rare plants, and insects. In E gypt, a beetle, indigenous to the
land, and known now by the entomological classification of scarabaeidae, became
an accepted am ulet. Because of the fact th a t this insect seemed to have the pow er
to revive itself w hen apparently dead fo r some time, it became a symbol of im
mortality. T he hard shell-like back w as inscribed w ith prayers an d ritualistic
phrases. T he demand for these increased until artificial ones w ere carved from
wood, alabaster, serpentine, and talc, and finally m oulded from a clay-like sub
stance. V arious kinds were designed for varied purposes. Pectoral or heart
scarabs were placed on the body of th e deceased, bearing the inscription, O h,
my heart, rise not up against me as a w itness. T his was in ten d ed to silence
the heart w hen the departed stood in judgm en t before the G o d Osiris, so the
evil he had com mitted on earth would n o t be revealed to this judge of hum ans
in the after-world.

T o p view
lection o f scarabs in G allery D ,
Rosicrucian E gyptian M u seum .)

Pectoral scarab placed on

of mum m y to silen ce the voice
of the heart, w hen it stood in
judgm ent in the afterworld.

o f scarab b earin g
inscription.

U zat

19

I
I

Vanity and Oddity

idiosyncrasies and the love of ostentation o f th e ancients w ere no more
or less than our own. I f they seem obvious or stran g e to us today, it- is
only because the perspective of tim e has revealed them in their true light.
M ilady of 2000 B. C. sought to beautify her person by m eans of cosmetics, as
does the fashionable w om an of today. T h e w om an o f good circumstances of
forty centuries ago had her com plete toilet set consisting of handsome alabaster
jars containing rouge and kohl, th e la tte r a substance fo r darkening the eye
brows and lashes. She also had an array o f vessels w hich contained complexion
creams. As she adorned herself, she gazed in to gracefully designed and highly
polished hand m irrors, the polished surface serving fo r glass. T h e mother of
King T eta, 4366 B. C., and know n as Shesh, earned fam e at th a t early date by
inventing a hair wash.
W idow s were not perm itted to m arry until glass bottles w ere filled with their
tears of m ourning for the d ep arted husbands.
H igh priests, and those w ho could confer pow er and au th o rity by the laying
on of hands, had am ulets and gems em bedded in th e flesh o f th eir hands when
they were embalmed at death.

he

' W / ; oi o
to

n esh,
Aifa.c n f e r'

t!l n

of

'"/inf '5

~ i

A lab aster an d a rg o n ite cosm etic

jars co n ta in in g r o u g e and kohl
(ey e-la sh d a r k e n e r ), ( S e e ex
h ib it in G a llery D , in the Rosicrucian E g y p tia n M u seu m .)
P age 20

Sumerian, Assyrian, Babylonian

(2ujiIization a n d d u t tu iE.
Tigris-Euphrates V alley of A sia M inor, thought by some historians
to be the cradle of civilization, several thousand years B. C ., there began a
civilisation w hich rivalled in m ilitary m ight th at of the Egyptians, In the
dim past, no one knows just w hen, persons of the great w hite race of the high'
lands far to the ndrth came southw ard and followed the E u p h rates and T igris
rivers to their outlet at the mouth. P erhaps they w ere driven southw ard by the
descending glaciers that sw ept all life before them.
N THE

These peoples we call the Sumerians. G rad u ally they crept n o rth again along
the banks of the twin rivers, building thrivin g tow ns and developing the land
in between into a great agricultural center. Clashing eventually w ith the Semetics
and finally merging, they gave w ay to th e later A ssyrian, Babylonian, C haldean,
H ittite and M edian civilizations, w hich all fought for suprem acy in this ancient
world. Though these people w ere very w arlike, Babylon, th e chief city of
Babylonia, was at one time a center of w orld culture and learning. D uring the
reign of the Chaldean Em peror, N ebuchadnezzar, the restorer o f Babylon, the
visitor to that city saw magnificent terraced palaces, hanging gardens, walls lined
with beautiful faience, tow ering structures reaching a height of ever three h u n
dred feet, great canals and dams, asphalt roadw ays, ornate costumes and well
tilled lands.
Ish tar G ate nam ed after the B ab ylon ian goddess,
Ishtar, w h o rivalled in relig io u s p rom inence
M ard u k , the ch ief B ab ylon ian G od who was
declared to be creator o f all. T h ro u g h the o rig
inal of this gatew ay, rising to about eigh ty feet
in h eig h t, and alon g the S acred W ay b eh in d it,
m arch ed not on ly religiou s procession als but at
tim es such historic characters as Cyrus, D arius,
N eb u ch ad n ezzar and A lex a n d er th e Great. (S e c
rep rod u ction in G allery G , in the R osicrucian
E g y p tia n M u seum .)

T h e obelisk of Shalm anser III, 700 B. C.,

in th e form o f on e of
the B ab ylon ian tower
tem p les.
Inscriptions
and figures tell of c o n
quests. O n display in
G allery G, in R osi
cru cian Egyptian M u
seu m .)

Pag e 21

The Love Idol

'[PaLntin.Cj o f cJ-fiito'iic izirznt

Ay [j^r.

<Jbf2nc% jCs-wii

w ife of the Egyptian P haraoh, A m enhotep IV , w as know n as the most

beautiful queen of E gypt and she ruled w ith her husband in 1350 B.C.
H er nam e was N efertete, w hich in th e E gyptian language m eant "Beautys
A rriv al. T he king desired to have a bust statue made o f his beautiful wife and
he selected the chief of his artists, w ho w as Thutm osis, to do the work, T he king
had changed the lifeless, formless a rt o f E gypt in to anew and more modern
style and had engaged the best artists and sculptors o f E g y p t to live w ith him
in his new city called "T h e C ity o f the S u n " on the banks of the Nile. He gave
each artist and sculptor a beautiful home and w orkshop so th a t they might live
happily and produce the greatest art of th e ir period.
r "pH E

W h en Thutm osis saw the queen, he w as dum bfo u n d ed by her beauty and
expressed the fear that he w ould never be able to do justice to her beautiful
countenance. But it w as arranged that she should go daily to the studio of
Thutm osis and there pose in the queen s chair for him.
Several thousand years later, the statue w as fo u n d in the excavations of the
sculptors studio in the old Sun C ity algng the N ile, an d today the original bust
is in the museum in Berlin and replicas of it are in every large museum in the
world.

Memphis Temple
czf^zconittucH on o f c^-f-naUnt (E gyptian
' T ' h e Egyptian Tem ple shown in color on the preceding pages is a reproduction
of one of the magnificent tem ples of the ancient city of M emphis. Memphis
was the early capital of Egypt, and derived its name from the C reek corruption
of the w ord "M enofer, the nam e of a pyram id built there by Pharaoh Pepi I.
M emphis grew at that period into E gy p ts intellectual center, as A thens later
became in Greece. T he pillars o f the tem ple, as seen in th is reproduction, were of
red sandstone quarried in the range of m ountains paralleling the eastern shore of
the R ed Sea. Each of these pillars weighed several tons. T h ey were erected on
the floor o f the open desert. T he only canopy over the temple w as the sky.
Between the massive pillars could be seen the desert sands w hich at night were
bathed in cool moonlight. T he flooring of the tem ple, w hich composed an open
curt, consisted of tile, Said in a geom etrical design. T em ples such as these were
used for religious and sacred ceremonies.
T his reproduction depicts one of these tem ples as seen at the break of dawn.
A s we look across the desert, wc see silhouetted against d istan t horizons, stately
obelisks standing in oases, scanty islands of vegetation. T h e fiery light of the
sunrise reflects the sombre, graven expressions of the sta tu a ry deities standing
against the pillars, facing the ceremonial courtyard. T his tem ple was constructed
from special photographs and m easurem ents provided by the V atican Museum
staff in Rome, Italy. It is a replica of the one in th a t institution. W ith the
exception of the one in Rome, this temple is the only one of its kind in the world.
P age 22

Egyptian Art of Embalming

P 'ainimq

cSji.zncE.i

f rt j

r p 0 m a n y PERSONS

J 2 z ls jL

the study o f mum m ies is a m orbid pursuit, y et it reveals

the masterful knowledge the E gyptians had of anatom y an d the com pounding
of many useful drugs, as well as m any o th e r related sciences an d arts. It is cornmonly thought that modern science has n o t discovered the means an d materials
which were used by the ancient E gyptians in their m ethods of mumm ifying.
This is an error of opinion, for science has made a thorough analysis of the
materials and substances they used, and through archaeology an d history has
learned even the methods employed.

T h e bodies w ere preserved by bitum en,

spices, gums, and natron. T he w o rd "m um m y, in fact, is believed to be derived

from an A rabic w ord m eaning bitum en, or "bitum inised th ings. W h e th e r the
art of mummifying came from A siatic countries or originated w ith th e Egyptians
is not definitely know n, b u t it is know n th a t the second king of th e first D ynasty,
or Teta, as early as 4366 B. C ., w rote a book on anatom y, for the purpose of
embalming, and th at he experim ented w ith drugs to dissolve the in tern al organs.
Herodotus, the em inent ancient G reek historian, has left us an excellent
account of the methods of E gyptian em balm ing. H e states th a t the female memhers of the family of the deceased left the body in the house, then sm eared their
hands and faces w ith mud, shredded th eir clothes, exposed th eir breasts and beat
themselves as they w andered am ong th e people- all of this as signs of grief.
Later the body w as carried out and taken to the embalmers. T h e re w ere three
methods of embalming or mummifying. T h e first method cost a silver talent, or
about $1,000.00; th e second about $300.00; an d the th ird w as very inexpensive.
The first and most expensive m ethod w as to draw out the brains through the
nostrils with an iron hook and by the infusion of drugs dissolve the remains.
N est, an incision was made in the side a n d the bowels and organs removed. T he
abdomen was then cleansed by rinsing w ith palm w ine, and sprinkled w ith
powdered perfumes. Finally it was filled w ith pure m yrrh po u n d ed and also
cassing, and then sewed up.

N ex t th e entire body w as steeped in n atron to r

seventy days; a longer period was considered illegal.

A fte r rem oval from the

natron, it was washed and carefully w rap p ed in bandages of flaxen cloth and
smeared with gum ; then the coffin or sarcophagus w as built to conform to the
shape of the body, and the outside w'as frequently painted to look like the
body within. The other and less expensive m ethods w ere not as elaborate, and
were more commonly used.
Pag e 25

The Story of the Rosetta Stone

ft O/afuE to cJ-fiitoxij
J

t is

a com paratively short tim e ago, as w e th in k o f tim e in history, that very

little was known to us about the lives and customs o f th e ancicnt Egyptians,
T ravelers saw in E gypt the vestiges of g reat stone edifices, coiossai temples,
pyram id-like structures, and superbly sculptured sta tu a ry , m any of which were
inscribed w ith peculiar characters, little of w hich could be understood. That
some great civilization had left these behind w as obvious, and that they were
Egyptians was also know n. A lm ost all th a t w as k now n came from the histories
of later peoples. T he accounts o f th eir lives and events w hich the Egyptians had
left for posterity could not be deciphered. T h e im portance o f the Rosetta stone,
therefore, is th at it provided the key to th e lost E g y p tian alphabet, which
opened to modern man the stone pages o f the history of a nearly forgotten great
people.
C o n tra ry to general opinion, the E gyptians themselves did not intend the
R osetta Stone as any such key. T h e R osetta Stone is composed of black basalt
and was found near the m outh of the N ile in a to w n th e Egyptians called
Rashid, and we call R osetta. Some accounts relate th a t it was found on the
ground, others say in an old watl. T he finder was Boussard, an officer of
engineers in N apoleon's arm y cam paigning in E g y p t at th a t time. The find
occurred in A ugust, 1799. Suspecting th a t it m ight have some importance, he
sent it to A lexandria. L ater N apoleon ordered it taken to the In stitu t N ational"
and fu rth e r ordered that im pressions o f the inscriptions be sent to certain
students throughout the w orld fo r exam ination. In E ngland s capitulation treaty
w ith France in 1801, she dem anded, and finally, received, the Rosetta Stone.
T he Rosetta Stone s inscriptions consist o f tw o languages, Egyptian and
A rchaic Greek. T he Egyptian is dual in natu re, the first an d upper portion is
hieroglyphic, the ancient p icture w riting. T he second is the dem otic or modified
hieratic, a development from the hieroglyphic.
tri-lingual in inscription.

T h e R o setta Stone is therefore

It was assumed, upon exam ination, th a t th e oval inscriptions it contained

had w ithin them the name of Ptolem y.

Extensive research bore this out and

the name in the oval, or cartouche, was com pared w ith sim ilar inscriptions and
found to be the same.

C om paring these inscriptions in tu rn w ith the Greek

inscriptions, which are identical w ith the E gyptian, in so far as significance is

concerned, the key to the hieroglyphic alphabet was discovered after years of
study, in 1822. T o a num ber of authorities m ust go cred it for such tedious
analysis and research, particularly C ham pollion an d Young.
Page 26

T h e R osetta S to n e bearing th e tri-lingua! in

scrip tion s w hich becam e the k ey to the d e
cip h erm en t o f the E gyp tian h ieroglyp h ics. (R ep
lica on d isp lay in G allery O , in th e Rosicrucian
E gyp tian M u seu m .)
P ag e 27

R O S IC R U C I A N P L A N E T A R IU M
oj- tfiL 'zS/lij
' T'. h e Rosicrucian P lanetarium is called T h e T h e a tre of th e Sky because it
presents the greatest dram a of all th e ages the m ythological traditions and
cosmic roles of the planets and th e stars, revealing th eir surprising mysteries
and giving young and old a clearer conception of th e w onders of the heavens.
T here are only six planetarium s in the U nited States an d each of these has been
built at an enormous outlay of m oney and time.
W h ile com fortably seated in the domed am p h ith eatre o f the planetarium,
the spectator may see over his head a reprodu ctio n o f th e heavens, only to be
seen otherw ise through the largest telescopes; b u t in th e Planetarium , within
tw enty-four minutes, the spectator can see a m ovem ent o f the stars and planets
and a change in th e heavens th a t w ould take a ce n tu ry to view through a tele
scope. T h e P lanetarium spectator pulls aside the c u rta in of tim e removes the
barriers of space and sees the universe on parade. H e can gaze upon the same
heavens, the same arrangem ent of stars w hich guided C olum bus on his epochal
journey across the w atery w astes of the A tlantic. H e can see a presentation of
the heavens as they appeared at various times in th e w o rld 's history.
T he P lanetarium is ow ned and operated by the R osicrucian O rder, A M O R C ,
and is open to the public fo r dem onstration at regular periods w eekly, at a nominal
admission charge. Students of astronom y and lovers of n atu re 's mysteries will
be enthralled by this scientific visual presentation of th e universe. Lectures are
given so that the lay m ind may grasp in a few
m om ents an u n d erstan d in g o f the fundamentals
o f the astronom ical sciences. Planetarium dem
onstrations are definitely n o t motion pictures, but
th e result of an elaborate, ingenious, complex
devicc, w hich d uplicates the motions of stars
and planets, and accelerates their movement
! thousands of times.

T h e large, extrem ely co m p li

cated
and
in g en io u s
d evice
w h ich projects and d u p licates
the m o tio n and form s of the
stars and p lan ets as seen by o b
servers th rou gh large telescop es
today and as seen by the an
cien ts centuries ago.

P age 28

'

r rV hriivvu'

mmS