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Lecture Notes in Management and Industrial Engineering

Fethi Calisir
Hatice Camgoz Akdag Editors

Industrial
Engineering in the
Industry 4.0 Era
Selected Papers from the Global Joint
Conference on Industrial Engineering
and Its Application Areas, GJCIE 2017,
July 20–21, Vienna, Austria
Lecture Notes in Management and Industrial
Engineering

Series editor
Adolfo López-Paredes, Valladolid, Spain
This book series provides a means for the dissemination of current theoretical and
applied research in the areas of Industrial Engineering & Engineering Management.
The latest methodological and computational advances that both researchers and
practitioners can widely apply to solve new and classical problems in industries and
organizations constitute a growing source of publications written for and by our
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The aim of this book series is to facilitate the dissemination of current research in
the following topics:

• Strategy and Enterpreneurship;


• Operations Research, Modelling and Simulation;
• Logistics, Production and Information Systems;
• Quality Management;
• Product Management;
• Sustainability and Ecoefficiency;
• Industrial Marketing and Consumer Behavior;
• Knowledge and Project Management;
• Risk Management;
• Service Systems;
• Healthcare Management;
• Human Factors and Ergonomics;
• Emergencies and Disaster Management; and
• Education.

More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/11786


Fethi Calisir Hatice Camgoz Akdag

Editors

Industrial Engineering
in the Industry 4.0 Era
Selected Papers from the Global Joint
Conference on Industrial Engineering and Its
Application Areas, GJCIE 2017, July 20–21,
Vienna, Austria

123
Editors
Fethi Calisir Hatice Camgoz Akdag
Industrial Engineering Department Management Engineering Department
Istanbul Technical University Istanbul Technical University
Macka/Istanbul Macka/Istanbul
Turkey Turkey

ISSN 2198-0772 ISSN 2198-0780 (electronic)


Lecture Notes in Management and Industrial Engineering
ISBN 978-3-319-71224-6 ISBN 978-3-319-71225-3 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71225-3
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017958732

© Springer International Publishing AG 2018


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Preface

This book compiles extended versions of a selection of the best papers presented at
the Global Joint Conference on Industrial Engineering and Its Application Areas
(GJCIE) 2017 held in Vienna, Austria. They represent a good sample of the current
state of the art in the field of industrial engineering and its application areas.
The papers presented in this book address methods, techniques, studies, and
applications of industrial engineering with the theme of “Industrial Engineering in
the Industry 4.0 Era”. Industry 4.0 is a collective term for the technologies and
concepts of value chain organization, which bring together Cyber-Physical
Systems, the Internet of Things, the Industrial Internet of Things, and the
Internet of Services. These systems allow intelligent products, processes, and ser-
vices to communicate with each other and with people in real time over a global
network. This challenges the way that we educate engineers and the way that we
manage companies. This book will shed new light on the role of industrial engi-
neering in this endeavor. Contributions have been arranged in three parts:
• Industrial Engineering
• Engineering and Technology Management
• Healthcare Systems Engineering and Management
We would like to express our gratitude to all the contributors, reviewers, and
international scientific committee members who have aided in publication of this
book. We would also like to express our gratitude to Springer for their full support
during the publishing process. Last but not least, we gratefully acknowledge the
sponsors (ITU Ari Teknokent, Aselsan, and Entertech) of GJCIE 2017.

Istanbul, Turkey Fethi Calisir


July 2017 Hatice Camgoz Akdag

v
Contents

Part I Industrial Engineering


A Note on Fuzzy Multiattribute Grey Related Analysis Using DEA . . . . 3
Mohammad Sadegh Pakkar
Storage and Retrieval Machine with Elevated Track Opens New
Applications in Warehouse Technology and Material Supply . . . . . . . . 11
Reinhard Koether
Nurse Scheduling with Shift Preferences in a Surgical Suite
Using Goal Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Esra Agca Aktunc and Elif Tekin
Implementing EWMA Yield Index for Product Acceptance
Determination in Autocorrelation Between Linear Profiles . . . . . . . . . . 37
Yeneneh Tamirat
Evaluating Airline Network Robustness Using Relative
Total Cost Indices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Peiman Alipour Sarvari and Fethi Calisir
A Two-Phase Optimization Approach for Reducing the Size of the
Cutting Problem in the Box-Production Industry: A Case Study . . . . . . 63
Sam Mosallaeipour, Ramtin Nazerian and Mazyar Ghadirinejad
Physical Discomfort Experienced in Traditional Education and
Tablet-Assisted Education: A Comparative Literature Analysis . . . . . . . 83
Banu Numan Uyal, Elif Binboga Yel and Orhan Korhan
Future Research and Suggestions Based on Maritime
Inventory Routing Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Elifcan Gocmen and Ebru Yilmaz

vii
viii Contents

Lean Transformation Integrated with Industry 4.0


Implementation Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Sule Satoglu, Alp Ustundag, Emre Cevikcan
and Mehmet Bulent Durmusoglu
Selecting the Best Strategy for Industry 4.0 Applications
with a Case Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Melike Erdogan, Betul Ozkan, Ali Karasan and Ihsan Kaya
Musculoskeletal Discomfort Experienced by Children
and Adolescents During the Use of ICT: A Statistical Analysis
of Exposure Periods and Purposes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Banu Numan Uyal, Elif Binboga Yel and Orhan Korhan
A Closed-Loop Reverse Supply Chain Network Design
for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Gokhan Aldemir and Hur Bersam Bolat
Analyzing the Recycling Operations Data of the White
Appliances Industry in the Turkish Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Alperen Bal, Peiman Alipour Sarvari and Sule Itir Satoglu
Application of Q-R Policy for Non-smooth Demand
in the Aviation Industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Merve Sahin and Fahrettin Eldemir
A Closed-Loop Sustainable Supply Chain Network Design with
System Dynamics for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment . . . . . 173
Gokhan Aldemir, Tugce Beldek and Dilay Celebi

Part II Engineering and Technology Management


The Relationships Among the Prominent Indices: HDI-GII-GCI . . . . . . 187
Basak Cetinguc, Eyup Calik, Lutfihak Alpkan and Fethi Calisir
The Influence of the Strategic Planning Approach
on the Research Agenda of R&D Organizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Husam Arman
Effect of Organizational Justice on Job Satisfaction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Aylin Ozel and Cahit Ali Bayraktar
Importance of Developing a Decision Support System
for Diagnosis of Glaucoma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Murat Durucu
Determinants of Mobile Banking Use: An Extended TAM
with Perceived Risk, Mobility Access, Compatibility,
Perceived Self-efficacy and Subjective Norms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Cigdem Altin Gumussoy, Aycan Kaya and Erhan Ozlu
Contents ix

Radiologists’ Perspective on the Importance of Factors


for MRI System Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Gulsah Hancerliogullari, Cuneyt Calisir, Murat Durucu and Fethi Calisir

Part III Healthcare Systems Engineering and Management


Relation of Grip Style to the Onset of Elbow Pain
in Tennis Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Peiman Alipour Sarvari, Fethi Calisir and Selim Zaim
Application of Lean Principles in Hospitals: A Process Design
in an Emergency Department . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Hatice Camgoz Akdag, Cansu Ozge Kaya, Gizem Savuran
and Nuh Zafer Canturk
Part I
Industrial Engineering
A Note on Fuzzy Multiattribute Grey
Related Analysis Using DEA

Mohammad Sadegh Pakkar

Abstract Wu and Olson (2010) applied data envelopment analysis (DEA) in a


grey-related fuzzy methodology to derive attribute weights that are most favorable
for each alternative. However, their model may not reflect the desired degree of
discrimination between alternatives for unlikely weight combinations. In this paper,
we propose an extended version of their model by using two sets of weights that are
most favorable and least favorable for each alternative. An illustrated example of a
nuclear waste dump site selection is used to highlight the usefulness of the proposed
“extended model”.


Keywords Grey related analysis Data envelopment analysis  Fuzzy numbers
Multiple attribute decision making

Introduction

In a paper, Wu and Olson (2010) propose the application of data envelopment


analysis (DEA) as an objective way to derive weights in a fuzzy multiattribute grey
related analysis methodology. The advantage of their model is that all alternatives
are treated impartially and equitably by giving full flexibility to obtain a set of most
favorable weights in a way that maximizes their grey related grades. This relaxes
the negative impacts of subjective factors on weight settings. The disadvantage is
that some alternatives may obtain a grey related grade of 1 because of assigning
zero values to the weights of some attributes and neglecting the importance of these
attributes in a decision-making process. To avoid this issue, Wu and Olson (2010)
apply restrictions on the attribute weights based on the ratio of weights, without
further explanation on how a decision maker can define the relationships between
the attribute weights using weight restrictions. When using weight restrictions, it is
important to estimate the appropriate values for the parameters in the restrictions.

M. S. Pakkar (&)
Faculty of Management, Laurentian University, Sudbury ON P3E 2C6, Canada
e-mail: ms_pakkar@hotmail.com

© Springer International Publishing AG 2018 3


F. Calisir and H. C. Akdag (eds.), Industrial Engineering in the Industry 4.0 Era,
Lecture Notes in Management and Industrial Engineering,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71225-3_1
4 M. S. Pakkar

The purpose of this short paper is to present an extended version of the Wu and
Olson (2010) model by incorporating some additional features to avoid the afore-
mentioned deficiencies for a fuzzy multiattribute grey related analysis methodology.

Grey Related Analysis with Data Envelopment Analysis

Let A ¼ fA1 ; A2 ; . . .; Am g be a discrete set of alternatives and C ¼ fC1 ; C2 ; . . .; Cn g


be a set of attributes. Let ~yij ¼ ðy1ij ; y2ij ; y3ij ; y4ij Þ be a trapezoidal fuzzy number
representing the value of attribute Cj ðj ¼ 1; 2; . . .; nÞ for alternative
Ai ði ¼ 1; 2; . . .; mÞ. Using the a-cut technique, a trapezoidal fuzzy number can be
transformed into an interval number as follows:
h i  
yij ¼ y þ
ij ; yij ¼ ay2ij þ ð1  aÞy1ij ; ay3ij þ ð1  aÞy4ij Þ ð1Þ

þ þ
where yij ¼ ½y 
ij ; yij , yij  yij , is an interval number representing the value of
attribute Cj ðj ¼ 1; 2; . . .; nÞ for alternative Ai ði ¼ 1; 2; . . .; mÞ. Then alternative Ai is
 þ  þ  þ

characterized by a vector Yi ¼ ½y i1 ; yi1 ; ½yi2 ; yi2 ; . . .; ½yin ; yin  of attribute values.
The term Yi can be translated into the comparability sequence Ri ¼
  þ  þ  þ

½ri1 ; ri1 ; ½ri2 ; ri2 ; . . .; ½rin ; rin  by using the following equations:
" #
h i y yijþ n o
rij ; rijþ þ
¼ max y1jþ ; y2jþ ; . . .; ymj
þ
ij
¼ þ ; þ 8j; yjðmaxÞ ð2Þ
yjðmaxÞ yjðmaxÞ

for desirable attributes,


"  #
h i y y  n o
rij ; rijþ ¼ y   
iðminÞ iðminÞ
; þ 8j; jðminÞ ¼ min y1j ; y2j ; . . .; ymj ð3Þ
y
ij yij

for undesirable attributes.


Now, let A0 be
 a virtual ideal alternative which  is characterized by a reference
þ þ þ
sequence U0 ¼ ½u ; u
01 01 ; ½u 
; u
02 02 ; . . .; ½u 
; u
0n 0n  of the maximum attribute val-
ues as follows:
n o
u
0j ¼ max r  
; r
1j 2j ; . . .; r 
mj 8j; ð4Þ
n o
u0jþ ¼ max r1jþ ; r2jþ ; . . .; rmj
þ
8j: ð5Þ

To measure the degree of similarity between rij ¼ ½rij ; rijþ  and u0j ¼ ½u þ
0j ; u0j 
for each attribute, the grey related coefficient, nij , can be calculated as follows:
A Note on Fuzzy Multiattribute Grey Related Analysis Using DEA 5

hh ii h i h i h i
 þ  þ    þ  þ 
mini minj  u ; u
0j 0j  r ij ; r ij  þ q max i max j  u ; u
0j 0j  r ij ; r ij 
nij ¼ h i h i h i h i
  þ    þ 
 u0j ; u0j  rij ; rijþ  þ q maxi maxj  u þ
0j ; u0j  rij ; rij 

ð6Þ
þ  þ
while the distance between u0j ¼ ½u 0j; u0j  and rij ¼ ½rij ; rij  is measured by
     
u0j  rij  ¼ max u  r  ; u þ  r þ  q 2 ½0; 1 is the distinguishing coeffi-
0j ij 0j ij
cient, generally q ¼ 0:5. It should be noted that the final results of GRA for
multiple attribute decision making problems are very robust to changes in the
values of q. Therefore, selecting the different values of q would only slightly
change the rank order of alternatives (see Kuo et al. 2008). Now, let k be the index
for the alternative under assessment (known as a decision making unit in the DEA
terminology) where k ranges over 1, 2,…, m. To find an aggregated measure of
similarity between alternative Ak , characterized by the comparability sequence Rk ,
and the ideal alternative A0 , characterized by the reference sequence U0 , over all the
attributes, the grey related grade can be computed as follows:

X
n
Ck ¼ max wj nkj
j¼1
X
n
ð7Þ
s:t: wj nij  1 8i;
j¼1

wj  0 8j;

where Ck is the grey related grade for alternative under assessment Ak and wj is the
weight of attribute Cj ðj ¼ 1; 2; . . .; nÞ. The first set of constraints assures that if the
computed weights are applied to a group of m alternatives, ði ¼ 1; 2; . . .; mÞ, they
do not attain a grade of larger than 1. The process of solving the model is repeated
to obtain the optimal grey related grade and the optimal weights required to attain
such a grade for each alternative. It should be noted that the grey related coefficients
are normalized data. Consequently, the weights attached to them are also
normalized.

The Proposed Model

Model (7) assesses the performance of each alternative based on the ratio of its
distance from the best-practice frontier that is constructed by the best alternatives.
Therefore, the weights obtained for each alternative are the most favorable weights
in comparison to the other alternatives. However, as mentioned before, the disad-
vantage of model (7) is that some alternatives may obtain a grey related grade of 1
6 M. S. Pakkar

because of assigning zero values to the weights of some attributes and neglecting
the importance of these attributes in a decision-making process. To avoid this issue,
we extend a similar model as follows:

X
n
C0k ¼ max w0j nkj
j¼1
X
n
ð8Þ
s:t: w0j nij  1 8i;
j¼1

w0j  e0min 8j;

where e0min is the minimum weight bound on the attribute weights which can be
estimated by solving the following model (Wu et al. 2012):

maxe0
X
n
s:t: w0j nij  18i; ð9Þ
j¼1

w0j fkj  e0 8j;

The main idea of model (9) is to maximize the weighted grey related coefficients.
Obviously, e0 is a positive variable. Solving model (9) respectively, for each
alternative, we can obtain me0 values. Then, we select the minimum one, i.e.,
e0min ¼ minfe01 ; . . .; e0m g, as the lower bound for the attribute weights.
On the other hand, a similar model can be developed in order to assess the
performance of each alternative under the least favorable weights as follows:

X
n
C00k ¼ min w00j nkj
j¼1
X
n
ð10Þ
s:t: w00j nij  1 8i;
j¼1

w00j  e0min 8j;

Here, we seek the worst weights in the sense that the objective function in model
(10) is minimized. Each alternative is compared with the worst alternatives and is
assessed based on the ratio of distance from the worst-practice frontier. The first set
of constraints assures that the computed weights do not attain a grade of smaller
than 1. The second set of constraints imposes the minimum weight bound on the
attribute weights as estimated by model (9). It is worth pointing out that the
worst-practice frontier approach is not a new approach in the DEA literature.
Conceptually, it is parallel to the worst possible efficiency concept as discussed in
Zhou et al. (2007) and Takamura and Tone (2003).
A Note on Fuzzy Multiattribute Grey Related Analysis Using DEA 7

In order to combine the grey related grades obtained from models (8) and (10),
i.e., the best and worst sets of weights, the linear combination of corresponding
normalized grades is recommended as follows:

C0k  C0min C00  C00min


Dk ðkÞ ¼ k 0 0 þ ð1  kÞ 00 k ð11Þ
Cmax  Cmin Cmax  C00min

where C00max ¼ maxfC0k ; k ¼ 1; 2; . . .; mg, C0min ¼ minfC0k ; k ¼ 1; 2; . . .; mg, C00max ¼


maxfC00k ; k ¼ 1; 2; . . .; mg, C00min ¼ minfC00k ; k ¼ 1; 2; . . .; mg and 0  k  1 is an
adjusting parameter, which may reflect the preference of decision maker on the best
and worst sets of weights. Dk ðkÞ is a normalized compromise grade in the range
[0,1].

Numerical Example: Nuclear Waste Dump Site Selection

In this section we present the application of the proposed approach for nuclear
waste dump site selection. The multi-attribute data, adopted from Wu and Olson
(2010), are presented in Table 1. There are twelve alternative sites and 4 perfor-
mance attributes. Cost, Lives lost, and Risk are undesirable attributes and Civic
improvement is a desirable attribute. Cost is in billions of dollars. Lives lost reflects
expected lives lost from all exposures. Risk shows the risk of catastrophe (earth-
quake, flood, etc.) and Civic improvement is the improvement of the local com-
munity due to the construction and operation of each site. Cost and Lives lost are
crisp values as outlined in Table 1, but Risk and Civic improvement have fuzzy data
for each nuclear dump site. We use the processed data as reported in Wu and Olson
(2010). First the trapezoidal fuzzy data are used to express linguistic data in
Table 1. Using the a-cut technique, the raw data is expressed in fuzzy intervals as
shown in Table 2. These data are turned into the comparability sequence by using
Eqs. (2) and (3). Each attribute is now on a common 0–1 scale where 0 represents
the worst imaginable attainment on an attribute, and 1.00 the best possible
attainment.
Using Eq. (6), all grey related coefficients are computed to provide the required
(output) data for models (7), (8), (9) and (10) as shown in Table 3. Note that grey
related coefficients depend on the distinguishing coefficient q, which here is 0.80.
The minimum weight bound for the attribute weights, using model (9), is equal to
e0min ¼ 0:1418 that belongs to Anaheim. Table 4 presents the results obtained from
models (7), (8) and (10) as well as the corresponding composite grades at k ¼ 0:5.
If decision makers have no strong preference, k ¼ 0:5 would be a fairly neutral and
reasonable choice. It can be seen from Table 4, Rock Sprgs with a compromise
8 M. S. Pakkar

Table 1 Data for nuclear waste dump site selection


Site Cost Lives Risk Civic
Nome 40 60 Very high Low
Newark 100 140 Very low Very high
Rock Sprgs 60 40 Low High
Duquesne 60 40 Medium Medium
Gary 70 80 Low Very high
Yakima 70 80 High Medium
Turkey 60 70 High High
Wells 50 30 Medium Medium
Anaheim 90 130 Very high Very low
Epcot 80 120 Very low Very low
Duckwater 80 70 Medium Low
Santa Cruz 90 100 Very high Very low

Table 2 Fuzzy interval nuclear waste dump site data


Site Cost Lives lost Risk Civic
Nome [0.80–1.00] [0.40–0.70] [0.00–0.10] [0.10–0.30]
Newark [0.00–0.05] [0.00–0.05] [0.90–1.00] [0.90–1.00]
Rock Sprgs [0.70–0.95] [0.70–0.90] [0.70–0.90] [0.70–0.90]
Duquesne [0.50–0.85] [0.70–0.90] [0.40–0.60] [0.40–0.60]
Gary [0.40–0.60] [0.10–0.30] [0.70–0.90] [0.90–1.00]
Yakima [0.50–0.70] [0.10–0.30] [0.10–0.30] [0.40–0.60]
Turkey [0.75–0.90] [0.20–0.40] [0.10–0.30] [0.70–0.90]
Wells [0.85–0.95] [0.85–1.00] [0.40–0.60] [0.40–0.60]
Anaheim [0.00–0.30] [0.00–0.10] [0.00–0.10] [0.00–0.10]
Epcot [0.10–0.40] [0.00–0.20] [0.90–1.00] [0.00–0.10]
Duckwater [0.30–0.50] [0.20–0.40] [0.40–0.60] [0.10–0.30]
Santa Cruz [0.10–0.40] [0.10–0.30] [0.00–0.10] [0.00–0.10]

grade of 1 stands in the first place while seven and four alternatives are ranked in
the first position by models (7) and (8), respectively. This indicates that the pro-
posed approach can significantly improve the degree of discrimination among
alternatives. It is worth noting that, although Rock Sprgs has the highest compro-
mise grade (=1), it does not have the highest grey related coefficient with respect to
each attribute (Table 3). It is likely due to the fact that Rock Sprgs not only has
relatively high values of grey related coefficients but also has a better combination
among the different attributes.
A Note on Fuzzy Multiattribute Grey Related Analysis Using DEA 9

Table 3 Results of grey related coefficients for nuclear waste dump site selection
Site Cost Lives lost Risk Civic
Nome 0.9383 0.6281 0.4578 0.4872
Newark 0.4444 0.4444 1 1
Rock Sprgs 0.8352 0.8352 0.7917 0.7917
Duquesne 0.6847 0.8352 0.6032 0.6032
Gary 0.6281 0.5033 0.7917 1
Yakima 0.6847 0.5033 0.4872 0.6032
Turkey 0.8837 0.539 0.4872 0.7917
Wells 0.9383 1 0.6032 0.6032
Anaheim 0.472 0.4578 0.4578 0.4578
Epcot 0.5033 0.472 1 0.4578
Duckwater 0.5802 0.539 0.6032 0.4872
Santa Cruz 0.5033 0.5033 0.4578 0.4578

Table 4 Results of grey related grades obtained from models (7), (8) and (10), and the
corresponding compromise grades
Site Ck C0k C00k Dk ðk ¼ 0:5Þ
Nome 1.0000 (1) 0.9102 (7) 1.0944 (9) 0.4592 (8)
Newark 1.0000 (1) 1.0000 (1) 1.1048 (7) 0.5710 (5)
Rock Sprgs 1.0000 (1) 1.0000 (1) 1.7382 (1) 1.0000 (1)
Duquesne 0.8921 (8) 0.8755 (8) 1.3594 (3) 0.5982 (4)
Gary 1.0000 (1) 1.0000 (1) 1.2262 (4) 0.6532 (3)
Yakima 0.7855 (9) 0.7565 (9) 1.1088 (6) 0.2895 (9)
Turkey 1.0000 (1) 0.9448 (5) 1.1688 (5) 0.5499 (6)
Wells 1.0000 (1) 1.0000 (1) 1.4187 (2) 0.7836 (2)
Anaheim 0.5735 (12) 0.5715 (12) 1.0000 (12) 0.0000 (12)
Epcot 1.0000 (1) 0.9441 (6) 1.0833 (10) 0.4912 (7)
Duckwater 0.7351 (10) 0.7154 (10) 1.0991 (8) 0.2350 (10)
Santa Cruz 0.5943 (11) 0.5937 (11) 1.0109 (11) 0.0333 (11)
*The site ranks are given in parentheses

Conclusion

In this short paper, we present an extended version of the DEA model, introduced in
Wu and Olson (2010) to obtain the weights of attributes in a fuzzy GRA
methodology. The proposed model can lead to grey related grades with higher
discrimination power since it uses two sets of weights that are most favorable and
least favorable for each alternative. An illustrative example of a nuclear waste dump
10 M. S. Pakkar

site selection is presented to compare our model with the Wu and Olson’s model.
The interested readers who seek the further studies on the combined methodologies
with DEA and GRA may refer to Pakkar (2016a, b, 2017, 2018).

References

Kuo Y, Yang T, Huang GW (2008) The use of grey relational analysis in solving multiple attribute
decision-making problems. Comput Ind Eng 55(1):80–93
Pakkar MS (2016a) An integrated approach to grey relational analysis, analytic hierarchy process
and data envelopment analysis. J Centrum Cathedra 9(1):71–86
Pakkar MS (2016b) Multiple attribute grey relational analysis using DEA and AHP. Complex
Intelligent Syst 2(4):243–250
Pakkar MS (2017) Hierarchy grey relational analysis using DEA and AHP. PSU Res Rev 1 (2) (in
press)
Pakkar MS (2018) A fuzzy multi-attribute grey relational analysis using DEA and AHP. In Xu J,
Gen M, Hajiyev A, Cooke FL (eds) Proceedings of the eleventh international conference on
management science and engineering management (Lecture notes on multidisciplinary
industrial engineering) Springer (in press)
Takamura Y, Tone K (2003) A comparative site evaluation study for relocating Japanese
government agencies out of Tokyo. Socio-Econ Plan Sci 37(2):85–102
Wu DD and Olson DL (2010) Fuzzy multiattribute grey related analysis using DEA. Comput Math
Appl 60(1):166–174
Wu J, Sun J, Liang L (2012) Cross efficiency evaluation method based on weight-balanced data
envelopment analysis model. Comput Ind Eng 63(2):513–519
Zhou P, Ang BW, Poh KL (2007) A mathematical programming approach to constructing
composite indicators. Ecol Econ 62(2):291–297
Storage and Retrieval Machine
with Elevated Track Opens New
Applications in Warehouse Technology
and Material Supply

Reinhard Koether

Abstract An innovative Storage and Retrieval (S/R-) machine can drive around
obstacles like conveyor lines or escape routes in the upper and lower part of a
warehouses shelf. This innovative S/R machine can also drive around a second S/R
machine in its warehouses aisle, so that one or two of these machines can operate
independently in one aisle. These improvements open new applications in ware-
house planning, management and production:
• The dimensions of the warehouse (height, length width) can be easier adjusted
to the existing building development and building regulations.
• The handling capacity can be upgraded aisle by aisle, which allows to scale the
handling capacity to the increasing demand.
• The warehouse can be integrated in the manufacturing or assembly area and
integrates in house transport into storage.
These improvements enhance storage capacity, save space and expand handling
capacity, thus saving investment and cost compared to conventional warehouse
technology.

Warehousing and the Design Concept of the Innovative


Storage and Retrieval Machine

The best warehouse is no warehouse. This rule of lean management and lean
process design is almost impossible to realize in real life material supply.
Warehouses are still needed
• to level out batch supply and continuous consumption,
• to secure supply,

R. Koether (&)
Munich University of Applied Sciences, 82131 Munich, Germany
e-mail: koether@hm.edu

© Springer International Publishing AG 2018 11


F. Calisir and H. C. Akdag (eds.), Industrial Engineering in the Industry 4.0 Era,
Lecture Notes in Management and Industrial Engineering,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71225-3_2
12 R. Koether

• to guarantee supply,
• to enable economies of scale in centralized manufacturing and decentralized
consumption by worldwide customers.
But warehouses need investment in warehouse technology, space and inventory
and they generate operation cost for handling and warehouse administration. In
standard warehouses like a storage for palletized goods the palettes are handled,
stored and retrieved by
• high bay fork trucks with driver or by
• automated Storage and Retrieval Machines (S/R-Machines) that are guided by
tracks on the floor and on top of the shelf.
The S/R machines are faster and automated but they are less flexible in use than
fork trucks. In almost any case an S/R machine is configured to a specific ware-
house location.
The number of S/R-machines determine the handling capacity of the warehouse
system, measured in double cycles per hour (= numbers of storage and retrieval
operations per hour). As only one S/R machine can be operated in an aisle of the
warehouse, the desired handling capacity determines the minimum number of aisles
and in consequence the width of the warehouses layout.
In any case the warehouse is like an impermeable block that does not allow
crossway traffic. Therefore, the warehouse is located in a separate building or at the
border area of a production building. This is to avoid fixed points and obstacles in
future changes of the layout.
An innovative S/R machine changes these rules and additionally allows a better
use of space in a warehouse facility: The innovative S/R-machine is guided by an
upper and a lower track, which is fixed on the storage rack (Fig. 1). A telescopic
mast is used to access the bottom and top areas of the shelf. A conventional load
handling device on the telescopic mast stores and retrieves the load units from the
shelves on both sides of the aisle.

Improved Space Utilization

The telescopic mast of the innovative S/R machine allows driving around obstacles
in the aisle or in the shelves (Fig. 2). Such obstacles can be conveyor lines on the
floor or on higher level, they can be traverses of the building, pipe lines for ven-
tilation or power supply. In conventional warehouses these high obstacles would
limit the accessible height of the S/R machine on the full length of the aisle, but not
only at the point of installation like for the innovative S/R machine. This function
improves the space utilization of the warehouse building. Compared to conven-
tional warehouses the alternative warehouse saves investment in floor space and
building volume.
Storage and Retrieval Machine with Elevated Track Opens … 13

Fig. 1 Sketch of the innovative S/R machine with elevated tracks

Fig. 2 The innovative S/R machine (center) can drive around obstacles in a warehouses shelf like
an aisle for escape route and material transport (bottom left), an overhead conveyor (top center) or
the cross conveyor to connect the marshalling area with the storage area (bottom right)

Benefits of the Design Concept in Warehousing

Flexibility in Warehouse Design and Warehouse Upgrade

The obstacle to drive around can also be a dynamic obstacle, in the aisle of a
warehouse: Another S/R machine can be passed if one S/R machine has lowered its
14 R. Koether

load handling device, while the other S/R machine in the same aisle lifts its load
handling device (see Fig. 1). Two S/R machines in one aisle run on tracks fixed on
the racks on both sides of the aisle, one on the left shelf, the other on the right shelf.
As the two S/R machines can operate in one aisle independently, except when the
pass, the handling capacity in one aisle can be almost doubled.
In warehouse planning, the room (length  width  height) determines toge-
ther with the width of the aisle the storage capacity measured in number of bin
locations. The width of the aisle is wider for fork trucks and smaller for S/R
machines. The number of fork trucks or S/R machines determines the handling
capacity measured in double cycles per hour (= number of storage and retrieval
operations per hour). As in conventional warehouses only one or less S/R machines
or fork trucks can operate in one aisle, the number of aisles determines the maxi-
mum handling capacity. So in conventional warehouses handling capacity can only
be enlarged by adding aisles which can conflict with the footprint of the space
available.
The innovative S/R machine enlarges flexibility in warehouse planning. As S/R
machines can operate independently in one aisle, the handling capacity is no longer
connected with the number of aisles. Consequently, it is much easier to adjust the
warehouses dimensions to the footprint of the available space. The number of aisles
can be designed to the space available, no longer to the handling capacity needed.
In the fictive example shown in Fig. 3, the same storage capacity and handling
capacity could be attained with six aisles or three aisles, if two S/R machines can
work in one aisle independently.
If an upgrade of handling capacity is needed after years of operation, the han-
dling capacity can be even enlarged after start of operation. The additional S/R

Fig. 3 Two innovative S/R machines can operate in one warehouses aisle independently, thus
enhancing flexibility in warehouse
Storage and Retrieval Machine with Elevated Track Opens … 15

machines can be added aisle by aisle and the handling capacity can be scaled. In
contrast adding handling capacity to an existing conventional warehouse means
greater measures on the warehouse building.

High Handling Capacity

The function to drive around obstacles opens a further opportunity for high han-
dling capacity, which is needed for intensive order picking (see Koether 2014) or
any other high turnover rate. In a conventional warehouse the cross conveyor that
connects the aisles of the warehouse to the marshalling area is installed at the front
of the warehouses racks. The innovative S/R machine can jump over conveyors like
the cross conveyor. So this conveyor can be placed in the middle of the racks
(Fig. 4), with two effects:
1. The average distance from the cross conveyor to the shelf space is shorter,
allowing shorter driving time and speeding up the S/R machine’s handling
operations.
2. The warehouse can be divided in two virtual blocks on the right and left side of
the cross conveyor. In every aisle now up to four S/R machines can operate
independently, two on each side.
Again this feature can scale the number of S/R machines operating in one aisle
from one to four S/R machines and the number of S/R machine in a specific aisle
can be chosen independently from other aisles.

Fig. 4 With the central cross conveyor in every aisle 2 S/R machines can operate left of the
conveyor and 2 S/R machines right of the conveyor independently
16 R. Koether

Fig. 5 Supply and collections of palettes on the central cross conveyor

The highest handling capacity is achieved by four S/R machines in one aisle,
which are connected to the marshalling area by a central cross conveyor. To avoid
bottlenecks in the supply of goods to store (input palettes) and the collection of
stored items (output palettes) a synchronized handling process of the cross con-
veyor was developed (see Fig. 5).
In the marshalling area the input palettes are placed on the cross conveyor
(1 Begin) and then driven halfway into the shelf area (2). Input palette I1 is pushed
on the empty transfer place to the left, while simultaneously output palette O5 is
loaded on the cross conveyor from the right (3). In the next step the palettes on the
cross conveyor move forward and at the same time palettes I1 and O6 move one
position to the left (4). In the 5th step input palettes I2, I4, I5 and I7 are pushed to
the transfer places on the left and right side of the cross conveyor und the output
palettes O1, O4, O6 and O8 are loaded on the cross conveyor, so that in step 5 8
palettes are moved simultaneously. The row of input and output palettes on the
cross conveyor is moved by one position. At the same time output palettes O2, O3
and O7 approach the cross conveyor and input palettes I2, I5 and I7 leave the
transfer places next to the cross conveyor (6). Then similar to step 5 6 palettes are
loaded and unloaded simultaneously: I3, I6 and I8 are pushed from the conveyor to
the respective transfer places while O2, O3 and O7 are loaded on the cross con-
veyor. Only output palettes are now sitting on the cross conveyor (7). They are
moved in one chain to the marshalling area (8 End).

Save Investment for Floor Space and Building

The feature of multiple S/R machines operation in one aisle allows saving floor
space for warehouses with high turnover rate, because the number of aisles can be
Storage and Retrieval Machine with Elevated Track Opens … 17

determined by the storage spaces needed, not by the handling capacity. In addition,
the handling capacity of existing warehouses can be enlarged without building
measures.
The aspect of floor space which is needed per aisle to achieve the handling
capacity is even greater for manually operated warehouses with fork trucks. As fork
trucks offer less handling capacity per device than S/R machines, even more aisles
would be needed for a certain handling capacity. In addition, the aisle width for fork
truck operation must be larger which consumes even more floor space and building
volume. The investment for floor space and for the building can be saved. These
savings allow paying off the larger investment for the innovative S/R machine
compared to conventional ones or compared to fork trucks.

New Opportunities in Material Supply

Figure 6 shows an exemplary modular layout of an assembly line with warehouse


in a 15 m  15 m raster of pillars. The warehouse that guarantees a secure supply
is located adjacent to the manufacturing or assembly area.

Fig. 6 Layout of assembly with adjacent warehouse (exemplary sketch). Legend: 1 Material
supply zone, 2 assembly line, 3 working area 4 drive way for internal transport and for escape
route, 5 loading docks, 6 floor transfer of assembly line, 7 overhead transfer of assembly line, 8
preassembly line, 9 loading docks for just in time (JIT) supply, 10 conventional warehouse for
assembly material
18 R. Koether

Table 1 Process for material supply and return of empty containers


Conventional process, separate warehouse Lean process, integrated warehouse with
innovative S/R machine
Receive purchased item form outside supplier Receive purchased item form outside supplier
or prefabricated item from in house cost or prefabricated item from in house cost
center center
Place item in warehouse Place item in warehouse
Demand of manufacturing or assembly Demand of manufacturing or assembly
Retrieve item from warehouse Move item in the warehouse from bin
Ship item with internal transportation (fork position to point of consumption by
truck or tugger train) to manufacturing or innovative S/R machine
assembly
Place item at point of consumption (machine,
workplace, assembly station)
Remove empty container and return it to Remove empty container by innovative S/R
staging area machine and place in storage bin until return
Return empty container from staging area to to supplier
supplier

A typical supply process in production is shown in the left column of Table 1.


Conventional warehouses are set apart from assembly or manufacturing area for
two reasons: It is hard to move a warehouse with racks and inventory when the
layout is changed. And warehouses are like blocks that cannot be penetrated
crossways e.g. by escape routes that have to be clear all the time.
The innovative S/R machine can get over obstacles on the floor, it can get over
escape routes. This characteristic allows using these S/R machines in manufacturing
and assembly areas with people operating machines or assembling work pieces.
Consequently, the shelves for warehousing and the innovative S/R machines can be
located in the manufacturing or assembly area, which give two opportunities for
cost saving:
1. Simplify the supply process (Table 1, compare left and right column)
2. Save space for aisles and save investment for floor space and building.
Figure 7 illustrates an exemplary sketch of an assembly’s layout with integrated
warehouse. The assembly line with working area and material supply zone is
similar to the conventional layout (Fig. 6). So is the infrastructure with loading
docks and handling area next to assembly line and warehouse area. The warehouse
area which is separate from the assembly in Fig. 6 is integrated in the assembly
lines in Fig. 7. Two integrated warehouse aisles with four shelves fill a space that
used to be a driveway for internal transportation and for emergency exits. The
emergency exists are specific escape routes (15), crossways to the shelves in the
integrated layout (Fig. 7).
As the assembly of every part number is assigned to a specific station of the
assembly line, it is dedicated where the part number has to be stored in the upper or
lower aisle of the warehouse block. The S/R machine can retrieve the part’s
Storage and Retrieval Machine with Elevated Track Opens … 19

Fig. 7 Layout of assembly with integrated warehouse (exemplary sketch). Legend: 1 Material
supply zone, 2 assembly line, 3 working area 4 drive way for internal transport and for escape
route, 5 loading docks, 6 floor transfer of assembly line, 7 overhead transfer of assembly line, 8
preassembly line, 9 loading docks for just in time (JIT) supply, 12 integrated warehouse for
assembly material, 13 material supply zone, material placed by innovative S/R machine, 14 floor
transfer of assembly line over passed by innovative S/R machine, 15 escape route crossing shelves

container from shelves of either side of the aisle and relocate it to the material zone
of the assembly line.
Every second driveway still exists to connect the escape routes (15) with the
drive ways (4) and to enable conventional transportation for all material that is not
stored in the warehouse sections with innovative S/R machine. Such parts can be
packed in oversized or special containers, they can be sequenced or preassembled
items or they can be parts that are delivered Just In Time (JIT) form outside or
inside suppliers. So every workplace and every section of the assembly line has
access to the driveway.
As two innovative S/R machines can operate independently in one aisle one
machine can handle palettes, the other one small part containers. Thus it is possible
to supply palletized material and small parts directly from the warehouse without
intermediate handling.
The warehouse sections in the integrated layout (Fig. 7) are part of the assembly
layout structure. This structure typically can be reused for modernized, upgraded
and new products. To match the layout and the number of assembly stations with
the planned volume the layouts in Figs. 6 and 7 are configured by modular elements
of area. These modules can be copied and inserted (see Fig. 8). To enlarge the
length of the assembly lines, the elements of vertical area module in column B and
C can be copied, multiplied and pasted like column BCa, BCb, BCc and so on. To
insert more assembly lines the elements of horizontal area module between the
20 R. Koether

Fig. 8 Modular design of layout with integrated warehouse

pillars in row 1 and 2 can be copied. The sequence of the assembly hall naves from
top to bottom would then be: 1,2, 1,2, 1,2, .. 3, 4.
A short glance at Figs. 6 and 7 already shows that the assembly line with
integrated warehouse demands less floor space than the conventional layout with
separated assembly and warehouse zones. Less floor space means less investment
for land and for the building. Furthermore, the simplified and automated process
(Table 1), saves time and handling cost.

Conclusion

The innovative S/R machine described is applied for a patent. Together with an
industrial partner a detailed design and control concept will be developed in the
near future.

References

Koether R, Zwei Regalbediengeräte in einer Regalgasse. Animation available on you tube: https://
youtu.be/vvmWM-ZUiOI
Storage and Retrieval Machine with Elevated Track Opens … 21

Koether R (2014) Distributionslogistik. Effiziente Absicherung der Lieferfähigkeit. 2., aktualisierte


und überarbeitete. Auflage. Wiesbaden: Springer-Gabler (also available as eBook: ISBN
978-3-8349-4663-8)
Koether R, Zwei Regalbediengeräte in einer Gasse - geht das? Hochgesetzte Führungsschienen
machen “Ausweichmanöver” möglich. In: f+h—Materialfluss, Warenwirtschaft und
Logistik-Management 11/2015, S. 14–17
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
some measurements making it more, and some less than the 100
feet here given.
When things were in their natural state, undisturbed by man, the
Birket el Keiroon was a lake, as it is now. In those days, as in our
own, it was supplied with water, just as the pool within the enclosure
of Karnak, and other pools, and all the wells in Egypt, by natural
infiltration; for the water of the river percolates readily through the
porous strata, and flows into any sufficiently deep depressions, or
excavations. The existence of the oases also in the desert must be
accounted for in this way.
The Bahr Jusuf Canal had, at some unrecorded date, been
brought along the foot of the Libyan range. Starting from Diospolis
Parva, by the air-line forty miles below Thebes, it had traversed the
whole of the rest of the valley; then, passing through the Delta, it had
reached the sea, somewhere in the neighbourhood of modern
Alexandria; a distance, again, in the air-line of 400 miles; though, of
course, this falls very far short of giving the measure of its ceaseless
sinuosities. This Grand Canal of old Egypt now carries off about a
twenty-eighth part of the water that passes over the cataract of
Philæ. In its course it flows along the depressed range that forms the
eastern boundary of the Faioum. In this depressed range there is a
ravine through which in early days, at the season of the inundation,
some of the overflow of the Bahr Jusuf found its way to the top level
of the Faioum. It is not easy now, to decide whether it got through
naturally at first, or whether the ravine was canalized to enable it to
pass through. At all events it is evident that, if there had originally
been a natural passage, it was levelled and enlarged by man
availing himself of natural fissures and depressions. But however
this might have been, the inundation having found its way on to the
upper level of the Faioum, appears to have formed there an
immense morass.
The first condition, then, of the district had been a dry desert,
precisely resembling any other part of the desert, except that it
slanted from what may be spoken of as the rim of its mussel-shell-
like depression down to the spring-fed Birket el Keiroon. Its second
condition, that now before us, is what was brought about by the
water of the inundation, that had in some way or other been let into
the district: it formed wherever it was retained, and chiefly on the
upper plateau, a vast extent of morasses. We have the evidence of
geology for the former—for we see that the original surface of the
district consisted of thin layers of limestone, alternating with layers of
clay—and of tradition for the latter.
We now come to the third, which is the historical, stage. By a
series of enormous dykes, some of them several miles in length, the
enclosed space having a breadth also of some miles, the inflowing
water was confined to certain portions of the upper plateau; perhaps
the whole of the upper plateau was by these means formed into a
lake. The water thus retained and secured, was amply sufficient for
the perennial irrigation of the whole of the descent reaching from the
upper southern plateau down to the Birket el Keiroon, and for a
district to the west and south, and, when the effects of the inundation
began to be exhausted in the valley of Egypt, for the contiguous
departments of Memphis and Heracleopolis. In this way the creation
of the Faioum, the most fertile province in Egypt, was far from being
the whole of the benefit derived from these vast waterworks.
The lake, or series of connected lakes, formed on the summit of
the plateau may have been twenty miles long, and two or three wide.
This was the famous Lake Mœris. The water was made to enter the
lake by a channel, which probably commenced at the modern
Howarah, and was drawn off for irrigation outside the Faioum by a
channel which appears to have passed out at Illahoun. In each of
these a sluice was constructed. The extreme costliness of opening
and shutting these sluices shows that they must have been
enormous structures: but this was only in proportion to the vast
volume of water that passed through them. To fill such lakes during
the time of the high water of the inundation nothing less than a
considerable river would have sufficed. We can only think it very
much to the credit of these primæval engineers that they managed
such sluices at all. Nothing like either the slatts, or the locks, on
some of our rivers for holding back the water, would have answered
their purpose. They wisely made the channel for letting out the water
quite distinct from that for letting it in; for, if one of the sluices got out
of order, then the other might be used while the damages of the
injured one were being repaired. In a matter of life and death to so
many it would not have done at all to have had only one string to
their bow.
But to revert to the gains of these vast hydraulic constructions. An
entirely new department had been added to Egypt. It was called the
Arsinoite, or Crocodilopolite nome, from Arsinöe or Crocodilopolis, its
capital; and turned out, from its more thorough exposure to air than
was possible in the valley of Egypt, the richest and most productive
part of the kingdom. Its produce was better and more varied. For the
six low-water months also during which the stored-up treasure of its
great lake flowed back into the valley, it maintained the irrigation of
the contiguous river-side departments. Some of the canals of India
may have done as much, but no work of man was ever grander in its
conception, more completely successful in all it aimed at achieving,
or of greater and more undoubted utility. It must have brought into
being, and kept in existence, more than 500,000 souls in the
department it created, and in those whose productiveness it
increased; for we are speaking of land which, we must remember,
was not cultivated as our farms, or even as our gardens are, and
which produced never less than two crops a year; and which not
being inundated, as the land in the valley, but irrigated, and warped,
regularly, and at will, all the year round, was capable of yielding three
crops annually. Every square foot of ground in the Faioum, all the
conditions of warmth, fertility, and moisture being always present,
was kept working, at the highest power, through every hour of the
twelve months.
In Lake Mœris the crocodile abounded, having come in with the
water. It thus became to the inhabitants of the nome the symbol of
the life-giving water; and, having become to their minds the
representative of that upon which everything depended, as had been
the case with other symbols, it was held sacred, and eventually
worshipped. Just so in the lower departments outside, where they
had once had too much water, and which had not become
inhabitable till the water had been drained, and dyked off, and
regulated, not the crocodile, but the ichneumon, the enemy of the
crocodile, had, by an analogous process, become an object of
worship. They had suffered from water, and could only with difficulty
keep it from overwhelming their lowlands; and so they made a
symbol, for the idea of regulating water that encroached and was
destructive, of that which was supposed to destroy what their
neighbours had made a symbol of water itself. Here was a symbol
upon a symbol. But these were people who thought in hieroglyphics;
and to get to an understanding of what they meant we must translate
their hieroglyphical modes of thought and expression into our own
direct modes.
This lake so abounded in fish—more than twenty species were
found in it—that the daily take, during the six months the water was
flowing out, was sold for a talent of silver, about two hundred pounds
of our money. During the time the water was flowing in the average
of the amounts of the daily sales was the third of a talent. The king
gave these proceeds of the lake fisheries to the queen for pin-
money. The quantity of fish taken was so great that there was at
times a difficulty in pickling and drying it.
Herodotus describes Lake Mœris as 450 miles in circumference.
These figures are probably not those of an ignorant copyist, but what
the historian himself set down in his original manuscript, for he gives
the measurement in schœni as well as in stadia. The statement, of
course, is an impossibility, for the true Lake Mœris could not have
been more than twenty miles in length, or more than four in width.
No one can suppose that Herodotus is here drawing a long bow to
astonish his countrymen with a traveller’s tale. If he had been at all
capable of doing anything of this kind, he never could have written a
book of such value as all competent judges have ever assigned to
his great work; and whatever he might have written would soon have
fallen into deserved contempt. It has occurred to me that we may
explain his figures by supposing that he meant them to give the
circumference of the whole water-system of the Faioum. On the
southern ridge of the mussel-shell he saw the great Lake Mœris;
along its northern side he saw what we distinguish by the name of
Birket el Keiroon; he saw the eastern extremities of the two
connected by a broad canal, and in like manner their western
extremities; and throughout the intervening descent he found a
complete network of irrigating canals. As he makes no separate
mention of the Birket el Keiroon, the probability is that he considered
it to be a part of Lake Mœris. Regarding, then, the two lakes as part
of the same plan, and as equally the work of man, and finding them
so intimately connected with canals, he looked upon the whole as
one lake enclosing the cultivated Faioum, and so he speaks of the
whole under a single name, and gives a measurement of the
circumference of the whole as that of Lake Mœris. What he says of
the difficulty he had in understanding what had become of the earth
raised in excavating the lake would apply to Birket el Keiroon,
supposing it to have been artificially formed. This is almost a
demonstration of his having regarded it as a part of Lake Mœris. Of
course there could have been no difficulty of this kind with respect to
the true Lake Mœris, for that had not been formed at all by
excavation, but by dykes: it was a great dam, or series of dams, and
the earth required for the construction of the dykes was all the earth
that had been moved. The difficulty, therefore, here must have been
just the very opposite to that which occurred to Herodotus, because,
before the water of the inundation had deposited any or much mud in
the district, the problem the engineer had to solve was, where he
was to get sufficient earth from to make the dykes.
Some travellers have spoken of the broad belt of shingly gravel on
the south side of Birket el Keiroon, as a phenomenon that needs
explanation. They ask—Where is the fertile soil that ought to be
there? The answer, I suppose, is—That it may be found precisely
where it ought to be, that is, at the bottom of the Birket el Keiroon. At
times a great deal of water has passed through the canals, as
formerly from Lake Mœris itself, into the Birket el Keiroon. This must
have been very great on the occasion of such a mishap as a break in
the dykes, which doubtless occurred at times, especially when things
were going out of order. The beach, therefore, of the Birket el
Keiroon has been very variable, having often been very considerably
advanced. To whatever point the water rose, so far the wash of the
waves, breaking on the beach, would float off the light particles of
soil, and transport them to the quiet bottom of deep water. What
there would be a difficulty in explaining would be, not the absence of,
but the finding of Nile-mud soil in this belt that margins the Birket el
Keiroon.
In some parts of the old bed of the now dry Lake Mœris we find
deposits of Nile-mud sixty feet thick. Again, this is what might have
been expected. The water of the inundation flowed into the lake
heavily charged with mud. The lake was still water. The sediment,
therefore, was speedily deposited at the bottom. This process was
repeated every year. Say that a film of the fourth of an inch was
deposited each year from Amenemha to Strabo, the whole of the
sixty feet will be accounted for. But this deposition of mud must also
have been going on during the antecedent unrecorded centuries of
the morass-period.
This will also account for something more, that is, for the disuse
and obliteration of the lake. The mud had at last taken the place of
the water. The dykes had not been made of any great height at first,
but, as the soil rose both within and on the outside, they had, in the
course of two thousand years, been frequently raised
correspondingly. Of course, the bed of the Nile, like that of the Po,
gradually rises, but the amount of this rise is not great, and would
bear but a small proportion to the rise of the bottom of the lake. Lake
Mœris, therefore, contained in itself, as so many natural lakes have
done, a suicidal element. What made it a lake was destined to make
it one day, what it has long been, dry land. This was, from the first,
only a question of time. Water could, of course, again at this day be
dammed up upon the site of the old lake, but only by taking it from
the river at a higher point than of old; higher, that is to say, than the
inlet of the Bahr Jusuf Canal at the old Diospolis Parva; for instance,
it might be necessary to take it now from above the Cataract of
Philæ, though, indeed, if that could be engineered, we cannot
suppose that it would pay, for the Faioum, including the bed of the
old lake, is pretty well irrigated now, though, of course, it has no
storage of water for the needs of the adjacent river-side lands.
It is obvious that we must connect with these vast and
scientifically-carried-out hydraulic works of the Faioum, the
registration of the height of the annual inundation Herodotus
mentions, and of which we have still existing evidence in the rock-cut
records at Semnéh, we referred to in our first chapter. He says this
registration was commenced in the time of Mœris. Now Mœris was
that Amenemha III., who constructed these great reservoirs of the
Faioum, and after whom they were ever afterwards called. The
connexion between the yearly marking of the height of the rising at
Semnéh, in Nubia, and the reservoirs of the Faioum might have
been that the register at Semnéh was a detective apparatus for
showing how much water ought each year to have been brought into
the reservoirs; it would also indicate what was the need for irrigation
in the contiguous departments outside the Faioum; and thus be a
guide for the regulation of the amount of water that ought to be let
out each year.
In the waterworks of the Faioum there was a grand utility with
which our thought is more than satisfied: in the Labyrinth was seen
the architectural glory of the newly-created province; it was the
greatest construction of the old Monarchy: the Pyramids had been a
rude introduction to it; and it suggested to the younger monarchy the
chief structures of Karnak. If we could now behold it, as it stood at
the time when the Hyksos broke into Egypt to become its masters for
between four and five centuries, we should regard it as one of the
most historically interesting and instructive buildings ever erected in
the world.
Its primary conception had been that of a place of assembly for the
Parliaments of old Egypt. At that time one court, to which were
attached 250 chambers, half being above, and half below ground,
appears to have been assigned to each of the twenty-seven
departments of the kingdom. Each of these chambers was roofed
with a single stone slab. No material but stone had been used
throughout the structure. Its pillars were monoliths of red granite, and
of a limestone so white as to have been mistaken for Parian marble,
and of so compact a texture as to receive a good polish. The
sculptures of the courts and chambers were singularly bold and
good. Those of each court, and its connected chambers, had
reference to the history, the peculiarities, and the religion of the
department to which it had been assigned. Besides the chambers
were numerous halls, porticoes, and passages. The area of the roof,
composed of the enormous slabs just mentioned, may have formed
the actual place of assembly for the collected deputies of the
departments. On the north side stood the Pyramid in which was
buried Amenemha III., who, if he had not originally designed the
Labyrinth, had, at all events, been its chief constructor, for his
scutcheon is frequently found in the existing remains. This Pyramid
was cased with the white limestone used in the Labyrinth itself. The
dimensions of the figures sculptured upon it were unusually large.
This form having been incorporated into the general design, for it
was placed in front of the north, which was the open side, must have
gone some way towards breaking the monotony of the horizontal
and perpendicular lines of the Labyrinth itself.
Herodotus saw it after its partial restoration by the Dodecarchs.
They had restored twelve of its courts, one for each of themselves.
Those were days of decadence, when what would contribute to the
greatness, not of the kingdom, but of the individual ruler, was the
governing idea in royal minds. It had first fallen into decay, because
into disuse, during the long period of Hyksos occupation; and on the
rise of the new monarchy the place of assembly had been removed
to Thebes, where Sethos had constructed his grand hypostyle hall
for that very purpose. It had, therefore, at the time when the twelve
kings took it in hand, been disused and dilapidated for a period of
between fifteen and twenty centuries, probably for as long a time as
has elapsed from the days of Augustus to our own day. In that long
period we can imagine to what an extent it had been resorted to as a
quarry for limestone, and building materials. This will account for the
restorations of the twelve kings having been so considerable, that
Herodotus speaks of them as having been the builders of the
structure he saw.
Above two thousand years more have since elapsed, the whole of
which have been years of neglect, and wilful dilapidation; and sad,
indeed, is now the state of the grand building, once the grandest in
all the world, upon which men had bestowed so much labour and
thought, and of which those, to whom it belonged, had been so
proud. An Arab canal has been carried through the centre of it. What
remains is buried in the rubbish-heaps formed by its own overthrow
and destruction. Still, there must be much within and beneath those
heaps that might be disinterred. The whole ought to be carefully and
critically examined. It is evident that these remains, from their extent
and their connexion with the old monarchy, of which the original
structure was the chief and most historical monument, are the most
promising of all fields for Egyptological investigation.
CHAPTER XV.
HELIOPOLIS.

A sense of our connexion with the past vastly enlarges our sympathies, and
supplies additional worlds for their exercise.—Edinburgh Review.

In going to Heliopolis I turned out of the way a few steps to look at


the old sycamore many a pilgrim visits in the belief that Joseph and
Mary, and the young Child, during their flight into Egypt, rested in its
shade. There is no intimation that the Holy Family went beyond
Pelusium, or Bubastis. To have gone so far would satisfy the
requirements of the sacred narrative. As they were poor, probably
they did not go far into the land, except that it might have been in the
exercise of Joseph’s trade: though indeed I cannot imagine any one
in Egypt, except a Jew, employing a Jewish carpenter. Of course, of
the Jews who went down into Egypt there would be some who would
be desirous of visiting Heliopolis, the On of Genesis, which was very
interestingly connected with Jewish history; and, therefore, it is just
possible the Holy Family may have gone so far.
But as to this tree. If one of its kind could possibly have lived so
many centuries in Egypt, which is highly improbable, even under all
the circumstances most favourable for the supply of water and
protection from the wind, it would have required an oft-repeated
miracle to have saved it from the axe during the many long periods
of disorder Egypt has passed through since Joseph’s sojourn. The
wood of a large tree is, in Egypt, too tempting at such times to be
long spared.
I do not know the date of the first mention of this tree, but I think
two hundred and fifty years would amply satisfy all the appearance
of age it presents. Pococke, from whom I may observe in passing,
that a great deal of the information, and many of the learned
references contained in several modern works on Egypt, have been
borrowed without acknowledgment, and in some cases taken
verbatim, tells us that at the date of his visit, which was in 1737, a
tree, I conclude the one still standing, was shown by the Copts as
the one that afforded shelter to the Holy Family; but that the Latins
denied its genuineness, affirming that they had cut down the true
tree, that is to say, the one that had previously done duty in
supplying a visible object for the legend, and had carried it to
Jerusalem. This was probably false. Supposing it, however, to be
true, it was a discreditable act, such as you might have expected
from such monks.
But we have arrived at the tree. It at once appears that the feelings
of some of the party are too deep for utterance. On these occasions
knowledge and reason have to fight, against something or other, a
battle that is lost often before it is begun. Belief is so much more
natural and pleasant than iconoclasm. If you would but let yourself
alone—of course you say nothing that would disillusion other people
—their devout and heart-contenting imaginations would be reflected
in yourself. As it is, you cannot help feeling the contagion. The
upshot of the matter is, you are not altogether satisfied with your own
unbelief, nor at all benefited by your half disposition to participate in
the belief of your friends. As to the believer, his emotions are every
way pleasant and satisfactory to himself.
But what took me to On was not to see the tree, but that I might
stand before the Obelisk of Osirtasen, the oldest obelisk in Egypt,
which has been pointing to the sky now for more than four thousand
years—from the days of the old monarchy, previous to the invasion
of the Hyksos. To them we may feel thankful for having allowed it to
stand; and there was no International in those days. It had been
erected for some centuries, when Abraham came down into Egypt.
Joseph and Moses, who had both been admitted to the Priest Caste,
and were learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, stood before it,
and read the inscription, word for word, as the erudite Egyptologer
reads it this day. Thales, Solon, Pythagoras, and Plato all studied
here. Heliopolis was then the most celebrated university in the world
for philosophy and science. Strabo was shown the house in which
Plato had resided. Herodotus found the priests here in better repute
for their learning than any elsewhere in Egypt. All these, and a host
of other well-known Greeks, Romans, and Jews resided and studied
here, during the many centuries of its renown. They all visited again
and again, and walked round and deciphered, or had deciphered to
them, the inscription on each side of this spit of granite. In those
days it seemed to them a wonderful monument of hoar antiquity—far
beyond anything that could be seen in their own countries.
Everything they then saw at Heliopolis has been reduced to mounds
of rubbish now, excepting this single stone. What a halo of interest
invests it! Who would not wish to see it? Who can be unmoved as he
looks upon it? Fifty centuries of history, and all the wisdom of Egypt
are buried in the dust under his feet. You shift your position, and then
smile at yourself—a sort of feeling had come upon you that you were
obstructing the view of Joseph, or of Herodotus; that you were
standing in the way of Plato, or of Moses.
But though the carking tooth of time has in no way set its mark on
the monument of Osirtasen, a small fly has for the present
obliterated, on three sides of it, the record he placed upon them. It
has done this by filling up the incised hieroglyphics with its mud-
cells. Whether it be a mason-wasp, or a bee, I was unable to
discover, the cells being out of reach. I saw the same temporary
eclipse of the sculptures and hieroglyphics going on at Dendera and
elsewhere. The venom of this little insect is, I was told, equal to what
I saw of its impudence.
The drive to Heliopolis is well worth taking on its own account. I
found by the wayside a greater variety of culture, and of plants, than
elsewhere in Egypt; oranges, lemons, ricinus, (which, with its spikes
of red flowers and broad leaves, is, here, a handsome plant,)
cactuses, vineyards, olive-trees, Australian eucalyptuses, and many
other trees and plants.
Before I went to Heliopolis I asked a Scotchman I found myself
seated next to at dinner one day at the table d’hôte, whether it was
worth one’s while to go? ‘I will tell you just how it is,’ he replied. ‘I
have been there. There is nothing to see; but it will give you a
pleasant afternoon. It is like going out a fishing. The day is fine. The
country looks well. You have a pleasant friend, and a good luncheon,
with cigars and whisky. You come home without having seen a fish;
but you are not dissatisfied with yourself for having gone.’ Having
again met this gentleman after I had been there, he asked me how I
had liked Heliopolis? He seemed so thoroughly satisfied with his own
matter-of-fact, and very intelligible, way of regarding the world, and
all it contains, that I refrained from telling him what I had thought. In
his presence I almost doubted whether any pearls, excepting his,
were not counterfeits: at all events, I was sure they would appear so
to him. This, however, was but a momentary misgiving. There are
some other sorts which, though not so common, are quite as
genuine as his; perhaps, too, (but when one writes in English this
must not be said without expressions of humility, and of readiness to
receive correction,) they may have been formed by animals, the
ingredients of whose food were somewhat more varied than is the
case with the ordinary mollusk. But, be this as it may, those that are
of the rarer sort have the advantage that, while they do not in the
least interfere with the enjoyment of the sunshine, the pleasant
scene, the friend, the good cigar, and the old whisky (perhaps rather
giving depth to the enjoyment, because refining it), they are in
themselves, and even without these agreeable adjuncts, a source of
never-failing enjoyment. They are, as was said of such things long
ago, as good for the night as for the day. They go with us into the
country, and accompany us on our travels. It may, however, be
objected to them that, in this country, they generally make their
possessor unpractical, and leave him poorer, except in ideas, than
they found him. There is no denying that it is so here, very often. Is
the reason of this that our governing class, whether we interpret
those words to mean the class from which our legislators, and
administrators, have hitherto very generally been taken, or the class
that put them in their places, that is, the shopocracy (can we hope
anything better from our new governing class, that of the British
artizan?) have cared but little for these things? Influences of this kind
have made us a money-worshipping people—not that we have loved
money more than other people, but that money has had too much
power amongst us—so that too many of us, like my Scotch
acquaintance, have learnt to pooh-pooh everything which does not
fetch money—that is to say, nature and history, which are the
materials out of which truth is constructed; and art, poetry,
philosophy, and science, which are the construction itself: everything
but money, and what will bring money in the market. And so, too, it
came about that our highest education was merely a form of
classicism accommodated to a narrow and shortsighted theology:
what both nature and history might have taught would have been
inconvenient, or, be that as it may, was not needed.
We know that in certain exceptional cases (they ought not to be so
very exceptional) a man may possess the world that is to come, as
well as the world my Scotch acquaintance had so tight a grip of. This
is a difficult thing to do: on our system, and with our ideas, a very
difficult thing; still one that may be done. The difficulty, however,
appears to be very considerably increased, when the attempt is
made to add to these two the possession of the world that has been.
It is hard to keep two balls up in the air, and going, at the same time;
but, to add a third, and to attend to all three properly, to give each its
own due space and time, and to get them all to work harmoniously
together, is a feat that reveals a very un-English mind, but still it is
the master-mind. What were the performances of Egyptian Proteus
to this? By turns he was many things, but here is a man who, at one
and the same time, has three souls, and lives three lives. It is so,
however, only in appearance: the interpretation of the Parable is that
the man has passed mentally out of the flat-fish stage of being, in
which sight is possible only in one direction; and has reached the
higher stage in which it is possible to look in every direction; and so
to connect all that is seen all around, as that the different objects
shall not reciprocally obscure, but illumine each other.
CHAPTER XVI.
THEBES—LUXOR AND KARNAK.

For all Egyptian Thebes displays of wealth,


Whose palaces its greatest store contain:
That hundred-gated city that sends forth
Through every gate an hundred cars of war,
Well horsed, well manned.—Homer’s Iliad.

Luxor, Karnak, and Thebes, are three fragments of the hundred-


gated city of Homer. The landing, to which you moor your boat, is
about two hundred yards from the great temple of Luxor. The open
space, between the landing and the temple, is a slight acclivity, and
is completely covered with sand. To the right and left of the open
space are the mean buildings of the modern town. Those on the right
cluster round and conceal the greater part of the temple, leaving only
a grand colonnade visible from the water, at the further side of the
open sandy acclivity. As you enter this colonnade, and stand in the
roofed hall among the mighty pillars that support the roof, a feeling
comes over you that you have shrunk to the dimensions and
feebleness of a fly. The oldest sanctuary, of which there are any
remains still standing here, was built by Amenophis III., who
belonged to the dynasty that expelled the Hyksos. It was now seen
that Thebes would be a safer capital than Memphis, which was too
near the Semitic border. The close connexion also that had now
been formed with Ethiopia, sometimes being that of its complete
subjection, made a more southern capital desirable. The erection of
the splendid temple of Amenophis indicates the complete triumph of
the new policy. This took place about four thousand years ago.
Rameses the Great, the most magnificent and prolific architect the
world has ever seen, was not satisfied with the original structure.
Following the example of his father, Sethos, he conceived a plan for
investing Thebes with a grandeur and a glory that none of the
Empires, that have grown to greatness during the thousands of
years that have passed since his day, have done anything to rival, or
approach. And this plan he carried out to a successful completion.
Part of it was the architectural connexion of Luxor and Karnak. For
this purpose it was necessary to give additional height and
massiveness to Luxor. This he did by attaching to the extremity of
the temple of Amenophis, nearest to Karnak, a grand court, enriched
externally with colossal statues of himself and two obelisks; one of
which is now standing where he placed it; the other is in the Place de
la Concorde at Paris. Having made the Temples of Luxor and
Karnak, by their height and massiveness, their lofty courts, propylæa
and obelisks, reciprocally conspicuous and imposing from each
other, the direct connexion was effected by a broad straight road, or
street, nearly two miles in length, guarded on either side by a row of
sphinxes. Some of these, at the Karnak end of the connecting street,
still remain; they are ram-headed. Fragments of others are found in
the débris nearer Luxor.
Along the line of this old street, which, however, except at its
northern end, is quite obliterated by rubbish mounds, cultivation, and
palm-groves, you ride to Karnak. As you pass no houses by the way
the distance seems great. Here was for many centuries the splendid
centre of the most splendid city in the world. On nothing like it did the
sun shine. The dwelling-houses, many of them Diodorus tells us four,
some even five, stories high, were, we may be sure, not allowed to
approach so near as to interfere with the solemnizing effect of the
long dromos of sphinxes. This effect was the very object of these
avenues of sphinxes and colossi, which were prefixed to the
temples. They shut out the world as the worshipper approached the
temple, and prepared his mind for the services and the influences of
the house of God.
The area of the sacred enclosure at Karnak was a square of about
2,000 feet each way. The enclosing wall is still everywhere traceable.
In some parts it is but little injured by time. There were twenty-six
temples within the enclosure. It was a city of temples. The axis of the
main series points across the river to the gorge of the valley, in the
Libyan hills, at the head of which were placed the tombs of the kings.
Another series of temples reached down to the south-west entrance
of the enclosure, where was the termination of the Luxor-Karnak
street. These two series of temples may be roughly described as
close and parallel to the north-eastern and north-western sides of the
enclosure. The rest of the space was filled with more or less
detached structures.
Here was, if not the sublimest—for the mass and simplicity of the
Great Pyramid may contest that—yet certainly the most magnificent
architectural effort ever made by man. What prompted it? At what did
it aim? Of course it was the embodiment of an idea, and that idea
was, in its simplest expression, the same as the idea contained in
the Greek temple, and the Christian cathedral. It was the glorification
of the builders conception of the Deity. The difference in the
structures, in their fashion and effect, arose out of the differences in
the conceptions these people had respectively formed of the Deity.
In the conception of the Egyptian awe was the predominant feature.
Whatever else Deity might be, awfulness was its first attribute.
Beauty, if at all, came in a comparatively low degree. With the
Greeks and the Christians it was very different. The gods of the
Greeks were connected with and took delight in Nature. The God of
the Christians was the author of Nature. With them, therefore, the
recognition, the creation, and the exhibition of what was beautiful,
formed a part of the service of God. They felt that in religion a sense
of, and the sight of, the beautiful dispose to love. The Egyptian
beholder and worshipper was not to be attracted and charmed, but
overwhelmed. His own nothingness, and the terribleness of the
power and will of God, was what he was to feel. The soul of the
Greek, and of the Christian, was to be elevated, not crushed; to be
calmed, to be harmonized. One was the work of minds in which the
instinct of freedom was operative; the other of minds which felt the
powerlessness, the helplessness of man in the face of an
unchangeable iron order alike of Nature and of society.
Moreover, as we have already seen, in Egypt Nature herself did
not originate and nurture the thought of beauty. In Egypt were no
rocky, moss-margined streams, no hanging woods, no shady groves,
no lovely valleys. The two paramount objects in Nature, as they
presented themselves to the eye and the thought of the Egyptian,
suggested to him absolute power on the part of Nature, and absolute
dependence on the part of man. These two objects were a singularly
dull and monotonous river, but without which the Egyptian world
would be a desert, and the scorching sun, but without which all
would be darkness and death. They did everything. Without them
everything was nothing.
These stupendous structures, then, expressed the feebleness of
the worshipper by magnifying the power of the object of his worship.
They awed him, as was intended, into a sense of personal
nothingness, while they called into being and fed a sense of
irresistible power, external to man, the idea of which the peculiarities
of everything Egyptian gave rise to. Moral ideas, engendered by the
structure and working of Egyptian society, and ideas of the physical
forces which were ever before them, and to which they felt their
subjection, were entangled in their minds in an inextricable knot, and
that knot was their religion.
On the walls of these stupendous structures is written and
sculptured the history, as well as the religion, of Egypt, from
Osirtasen I., who reigned four thousand five hundred years ago,
down to the Roman Augustus: these are the earliest and the latest
names inscribed on the lithotomes of Karnak. The included space of
time embraces the two last dynasties of the primæval monarchy; the
Hyksos period; the whole of the new monarchy, when Egypt rose to
its zenith of power, glory, art, wealth, and wisdom; the domination of
Persia; the Ptolemaic sovereignty; and a part of the Roman rule.
None inscribed so much history on these walls as the two mightiest
of Egyptian conquerors and builders, Sethos, and the stronger son of
a strong father, his successor, Rameses the Great. These two
Pharaohs themselves made more history than all who had gone
before them; and none who followed them attained to their
eminence. The buildings they erected are history, as much as their
conquests.
The Coliseum is a part of Roman history. Its magnitude and its
purpose are history. It tells us that Cæsar could issue a decree that
all the world should be taxed; that Cæsar found it necessary to
dazzle and amuse the populace; that the amusements of the
populace were brutal; that amusement, not religion, was the order of
the day. So in the stones of Karnak we see the plunder and the
tribute of Asia and Ethiopia. Many a city had been made a desolate
heap, and many a fair region had been ravaged, and the silver and
the gold collected, and the surviving inhabitants swept into the
Egyptian net, and carried away captive into Egypt, to assist in
building the grand hypostyle Court of Karnak, the grandest hall ever
constructed by man. In the direction of the axis of the connected
series of temples this hall is 170 ft. long. Its width is 329 ft. It is
supported by one hundred and thirty-four columns. The central
twelve are 62 ft. high in the shaft, and 36 ft. in circumference. The
remaining one hundred and twenty-two columns are 42 ft. in height,
and 28 ft. in circumference. The lintel stone of the great doorway is
within 2 in. of 41 ft. in length. Every part of the walls, the pillars, and
the roof is covered with coloured sculptures cut by the chisel of
history, and of religion, which, however, as far as we are concerned,
belongs to history. The purpose of this hall was to provide a fitting
place for the great religious diets of the nation. It must have
appeared to the thoughts of those times that the gods had assisted
the king—who was already becoming their associate—in designing
and erecting such a structure. We, however, are aware that no
people can imagine, or undertake such structures, unless they are
inspired with the sentiment that they are the greatest among the
nations, and at the head of the world. Great things—it is more true of
literature than of architecture, but it is true of everything—are not
done by imitation but by inspiration, and nothing inspires great things
but greatness itself.
To the north-west of this stupendous and overpowering hall is an
hypæthral court 100 ft. longer, and of the same width of 329 ft. A
double row of columns traverses its central avenue. It has corridors
on each side. It was left incomplete. This is plain from the enormous
pyramidal propylons, by which it is entered, never having been
sculptured. None who came after the Great Rameses were able to
rise to the height of his conceptions. In the unsculptured walls of
these propylons are the sockets, drilled, horizontally, through their
whole thickness, for holding the beams which supported the lofty
staffs for the flags which were used on great occasions. These lofty
towers and these far-seen flags connected the temples of Karnak
with the temples on the western bank of the river, and with the
funeral processions to the catacombs of the kings in the opposite
valley of the Libyan range, just as the south-western propylons, and
the dromos of sphinxes, connected them with Luxor.
Though the name of Sesortosen, or Ositarsen I., is the first that
appears on this series of temples, it would be a mistake to suppose
that the date of the greatness of the city must be taken from his
reign. This is impossible, for he was the founder of the dynasty which
came from Thebes. Thebes, therefore, in his time—4,500 years ago
—had become sufficiently powerful to give a dynasty to Egypt. And
when we look at its site, the island in the river, the great extent of
fertile land on the east bank, with no inconsiderable extent also on
the west, and the convenient approach of the Libyan Hills to the river
side, we see that this was a spot designed by nature for one of the
great cities of old Egypt. It was great under the old monarchy, and
gave to the country the two last dynasties of that first monumentally-
known period of its history. During the succeeding 400 years of the
Hyksos domination, a cloud of almost impenetrable darkness settled
down upon it, as upon everything else Egyptian. It rose under, and
with the new monarchy. The disadvantages of the site of Memphis,
and the conveniences of that of Thebes, had been discovered. It,
therefore, now became unreservedly the repository of all the glories,
and the chief shrine of the religion of the country. The spoils of war,
the tribute of subject nations, the rent of the royal demesne, which
comprised one-third of the land of Egypt, were spent here. Next to
the court came the numerous and wealthy body of the priests; and
they, too, were chiefly—though they had also other sources of
income—supported by the rents of their estates. Besides these there
was the official class, which again we know was numerous and
wealthy. Trade also must have largely contributed to the wealth of
Thebes; for it was the emporium for the camel-borne produce of the
interior of the continent, and for the water-borne commerce with
Egypt of the East Coast of Africa, of Arabia, and of India. We may
form an estimate of the extent of this trade from the magnificence of
the Temples, which, of old times, in the East was generally
proportionate to the amount and value of the commerce carried on

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