DOI Artikel:
Naville, Edouard; Hall, H. R.: Egypt Exploration Fund: excavations at Deir El-Bahari
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.12055#0019
Excavations at Deir El-Bahari.
7
excavations of next season will show. There are also traces of a building
of the XVIIIth Dynasty.
On the south side of the platform a court on the lower level was found
like the north court, but necessarily much smaller, owing to the narrow
space available between the platform and the hill-slope. In this court an
important discovery was made. Six black granite statues of King
Usertsen III, of the Xllth Dynasty, were found. They probably stood
on the platform, and were broken and thrown down into the court. All
have been broken off at the knees, and the lower parts of all have dis-
appeared. The heads of four are well preserved, with the exception of the
nose. There is a certain difference between the portraits, which shows
that they represent the King at different periods of his life. The statue in
pi. iv, fig. 8, has the oldest portrait.
Many votive statues of this kind, as well as stelae, were dedicated in
the temple at different periods. Besides those of Amenhetep I, already
mentioned, the most important found are two figures, unluckily somewhat
damaged, of Paser, the well-known governor of Thebes in the reign of
Kamses II. They are of sandstone, painted red, white, yellow and black,
with blue hieroglyphs. They stand about four feet high. A very beautiful
face of a limestone statue of a man must be snecially mentioned. No more
of the figure was found: it has been assigned to America. A large
number of fragments of the reliefs of the wall of the ambulatory on the
platform have been found, as last year. Many of the scenes represented
are of considerable interest (especially some representations of birds), but
the actual workmanship does not equal that of the shrine-reliefs already
mentioned, some of which are sculptured in a delicate-coloured relief of
remarkable height (see pi. iv, figs. G, 7), a technique previously unknown.
This high relief is, of course, original Xlth Dynasty work, untouched
in later times ; the wall reliefs, especially on the south side of the pyramid,
may have been re-touched under the XLXth Dynasty.
Among the objects found in the debris covering the platform the most
important and interesting was a beautiful alabaster head of a cow (pi. iv,
fig. 9) about half life-size, whose eyes were originally inlaid with lapis-
lazuli, while its horns were probably of silver with a golden disk between
them. This was no doubt the head of one of the holy images of Hathor,
preserved in the speos-shrine of the great temple. It is a very fine
specimen of the Egyptian sculptor's art.
A large number of workmen's tools, hoes, mallets, etc., were found, and
also a fine copper graving tool, mounted in a wooden handle, which
was retained at Cairo, like the chisel found last year. The interesting
7
excavations of next season will show. There are also traces of a building
of the XVIIIth Dynasty.
On the south side of the platform a court on the lower level was found
like the north court, but necessarily much smaller, owing to the narrow
space available between the platform and the hill-slope. In this court an
important discovery was made. Six black granite statues of King
Usertsen III, of the Xllth Dynasty, were found. They probably stood
on the platform, and were broken and thrown down into the court. All
have been broken off at the knees, and the lower parts of all have dis-
appeared. The heads of four are well preserved, with the exception of the
nose. There is a certain difference between the portraits, which shows
that they represent the King at different periods of his life. The statue in
pi. iv, fig. 8, has the oldest portrait.
Many votive statues of this kind, as well as stelae, were dedicated in
the temple at different periods. Besides those of Amenhetep I, already
mentioned, the most important found are two figures, unluckily somewhat
damaged, of Paser, the well-known governor of Thebes in the reign of
Kamses II. They are of sandstone, painted red, white, yellow and black,
with blue hieroglyphs. They stand about four feet high. A very beautiful
face of a limestone statue of a man must be snecially mentioned. No more
of the figure was found: it has been assigned to America. A large
number of fragments of the reliefs of the wall of the ambulatory on the
platform have been found, as last year. Many of the scenes represented
are of considerable interest (especially some representations of birds), but
the actual workmanship does not equal that of the shrine-reliefs already
mentioned, some of which are sculptured in a delicate-coloured relief of
remarkable height (see pi. iv, figs. G, 7), a technique previously unknown.
This high relief is, of course, original Xlth Dynasty work, untouched
in later times ; the wall reliefs, especially on the south side of the pyramid,
may have been re-touched under the XLXth Dynasty.
Among the objects found in the debris covering the platform the most
important and interesting was a beautiful alabaster head of a cow (pi. iv,
fig. 9) about half life-size, whose eyes were originally inlaid with lapis-
lazuli, while its horns were probably of silver with a golden disk between
them. This was no doubt the head of one of the holy images of Hathor,
preserved in the speos-shrine of the great temple. It is a very fine
specimen of the Egyptian sculptor's art.
A large number of workmen's tools, hoes, mallets, etc., were found, and
also a fine copper graving tool, mounted in a wooden handle, which
was retained at Cairo, like the chisel found last year. The interesting