Egyptian Cemetary Gardens

13. The cemeteries of the Egyptians appear to have been ornamented, but probably more by architecture than vegetation. The great Egyptian cemetery on the farther shore of the lake Acherusia, near Memphis, was ornamented with trees and water-courses, and answered to the Elysian fields of latter times. The more wealthy Egyptians sacrificed this natural taste for the ambition of architectural splendour, and their mummies were gathered into catacombs, as the coffins of modern rich men are preserved from returning to nature by being piled up in vaults under churches.