DOI Artikel:
Naville, Edouard: Egypt Exploration Fund, [6]: Excavations at Deir el Bahari
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.10056#0017
Excavations at Deir el Bahaki.
5
thick longitudinal plank of sycamore wood, and not from a section across
the stem of the tree, which would have made a much stronger affair. As
the wheel split several times along the grain of the wood, it was
mended with leather thongs. From its appearance it seems to have
been much used before being abandoned in the rubbish which filled
the tomb.
The work of copying Las been carried on actively by Mr. Howard Carter
and Mr. Percy Brown. The interesting sculptures of the walls of Punt,
and of the Southern Hall of Offerings, are now ready for publication,
and will form the third part of the work on Deir el Bahari. Most of
the inscriptions copied had been erased, and were difficult to read, but
owing to the familiarity which the artists have acquired with the hiero-
glyphs at Deir el Bahari, and to their skill in recognizing a sign from a
few broken lines or a small coloured fragment, it has been possible not
only to correct the former publications of the Punt Expedition by
Mariette and Duemichen, but here and there to add materially to Avhat
had been deciphered previously by those scholars. These texts have
now been subjected to several revisions, made at different hours during
the dayT, and often at night by candle-light.
As regards clearing, the work is now completed. There is no part of
the temple which is not visible, and some rebuilding has been done
where this was necessary to the progress of the excavations; for
instance, in a small chamber with very fine painted sculptures, close to
the Southern Hall of Offerings, I had to raise the door-lintel and rebuild
the two jambs, before the place could be cleared. But this is a small
matter, and what strikes the visitor is the necessity of doing some
rebuilding on a large scale, such as is being done now at Medinet Ilabfi,
where the temple also has been cleared. Pillars and walls must be
consolidated if they are to be saved from the ruin which will surely come
upon them at the slightest shock of earthquake, or as surely by the
slow effect of time. In some places the walls will have to be taken
down and rebuilt, as, for instance, the northern part of the retaining wall
of the Upper Platform. As a great part of it is Coptic work made up of
blocks taken from all parts of the building, we shall recover important
inscribed fragments : several such are even now visible turned upside
down, and many others must be hidden in the masonry. Some repre-
sentations have been put together out of the fragments, and will have to
be replaced. We have an example of a reconstruction of this kind in the
transport of the obelisk which is published in this report. It belonged to
the Lower Platform, but the blocks were scattered all over the temple,
5
thick longitudinal plank of sycamore wood, and not from a section across
the stem of the tree, which would have made a much stronger affair. As
the wheel split several times along the grain of the wood, it was
mended with leather thongs. From its appearance it seems to have
been much used before being abandoned in the rubbish which filled
the tomb.
The work of copying Las been carried on actively by Mr. Howard Carter
and Mr. Percy Brown. The interesting sculptures of the walls of Punt,
and of the Southern Hall of Offerings, are now ready for publication,
and will form the third part of the work on Deir el Bahari. Most of
the inscriptions copied had been erased, and were difficult to read, but
owing to the familiarity which the artists have acquired with the hiero-
glyphs at Deir el Bahari, and to their skill in recognizing a sign from a
few broken lines or a small coloured fragment, it has been possible not
only to correct the former publications of the Punt Expedition by
Mariette and Duemichen, but here and there to add materially to Avhat
had been deciphered previously by those scholars. These texts have
now been subjected to several revisions, made at different hours during
the dayT, and often at night by candle-light.
As regards clearing, the work is now completed. There is no part of
the temple which is not visible, and some rebuilding has been done
where this was necessary to the progress of the excavations; for
instance, in a small chamber with very fine painted sculptures, close to
the Southern Hall of Offerings, I had to raise the door-lintel and rebuild
the two jambs, before the place could be cleared. But this is a small
matter, and what strikes the visitor is the necessity of doing some
rebuilding on a large scale, such as is being done now at Medinet Ilabfi,
where the temple also has been cleared. Pillars and walls must be
consolidated if they are to be saved from the ruin which will surely come
upon them at the slightest shock of earthquake, or as surely by the
slow effect of time. In some places the walls will have to be taken
down and rebuilt, as, for instance, the northern part of the retaining wall
of the Upper Platform. As a great part of it is Coptic work made up of
blocks taken from all parts of the building, we shall recover important
inscribed fragments : several such are even now visible turned upside
down, and many others must be hidden in the masonry. Some repre-
sentations have been put together out of the fragments, and will have to
be replaced. We have an example of a reconstruction of this kind in the
transport of the obelisk which is published in this report. It belonged to
the Lower Platform, but the blocks were scattered all over the temple,