PYRAMIDS OF GEBEL BARKAL foundation of two or more layers, according to the thickness of the stones in each layer and the size of the pyramid. 2. A casing of stones, single or double, according to the size and height of the pyramid. 3. A core formed of pieces of sandstone, basalt, &c., the interstices of which are filled with sand, mud, or any earthy substance available. 4. A chapel or shrine which is always built on the side of the pyramid which faces nearest to the south-east. The building of the Sudfin pyramids must have presented little difficulty, for it is clear that the stone casings VIEW OF THE PYRAMIDS OF GEBEL BARKAL IN 1832.

[From Hoskins, Travels, Plate 26.

were filled with the core as soon as they were laid, and an inclined plane made of sand, which could be heightened and lengthened without very much trouble, was all that the workmen needed to give them access to the pyramid. The only pyramids in the Sudan built of stone throughout are those of Nuri.

The pyramids of Gebel Barkal fall naturally into three groups. The first group stood immediately on the western side of the mountain, and contained four pyramids. The two northern pyramids of this group (A, B) had lost their casing and chapels even in Lepsius' time, and neither Cailliaud nor Hoskins thought them worthy of mention. The two southern pyramids (C, D) were 153