DOI Artikel:
Naville, Edouard; Hall, H. R.: Egypt Exploration Fund: excavations at Deir El Bahari
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.12051#0016
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Egypt Exploration Fund.
tombs in the cliffs. On either side of this trench is a single colonnade of
six octagonal pillars, so that it forms a kind of small colonnaded court. At
the end of it is an inclined passage, cut in the rock, as yet unexcavated,
and which possibly leads to a tomb as already mentioned. Here wasfouud
a magnificent red granite stela of TJsertseu IIL, dedicated to Am on and
Neb-hepet-Ka and recording the gifts of that king to the temple of his
predecessor (PI. iii, fig. 12).
On the north side of the dromos the rock was originally quite symmetrical
to the south ; it followed an oblique direction, as may be seen from the low
enclosure curb in limestone which is still in situ. At the time of the
XVIIIth Dynasty a triangle was cut out of the rock down to a level
three feet higher than the old temple, so as to have a platform lined on
the north and on the west by vertical facings. This platform was
prolonged over the enclosure wall, and became a square forehall consisting
of two chambers and a passage, the shape and dimensions of which can be
traced on the floor, but which have entirely disappeared, as also has the
wall which covered the rock on the north side.
This forehall must have been reached from the east side by a stepway,
on both sides of which probably stood sixteen-sided columns with large
architraves, fragments of which bearing the name of Thothmes III. have
been preserved. A broken doorpost with the end of an inscription of an
XVIIIth Dynasty king (discovered Dec. 1901 : see last year's Ileport,
p. 7*) was still standing. On it were also graffiti, in which a scribe
venerated Anion and Hathor, so that we might suppose that we had
reached a sanctuary of both gods. The forehall was completely filled with
rubbish, perhaps very ancient. The only find we made was a well-
preserved black granite crouching statue of a man called Nezem, who bears
on his shoulders the cartouches of Mereuptah and Eameses III. It is
difficult to understand why this monument was left quite alone here, with
no other monuments of the same kind.
The rubbish having been cleared from the north side, the western face
came out more and more, and suddenly there appeared the top of an arch
made of two blocks leaning against each other. When a hole was made
underneath, it showed that this arch was the forepart of an arched room,
nearly clear of rubbish, but occupied by a Hathor cow of natural size, in
sandstone, painted, and in a perfect state of preservation (figs. 8, 11, 14).
This cow was the great find of the year. It is the first time that a
shrine has been found with its goddess. Probably the falling of the
rubbish covered the entrance in old times and saved the cow. The entrance
* '• There are also traces of a building of the XVIIIth Dynasty."
Egypt Exploration Fund.
tombs in the cliffs. On either side of this trench is a single colonnade of
six octagonal pillars, so that it forms a kind of small colonnaded court. At
the end of it is an inclined passage, cut in the rock, as yet unexcavated,
and which possibly leads to a tomb as already mentioned. Here wasfouud
a magnificent red granite stela of TJsertseu IIL, dedicated to Am on and
Neb-hepet-Ka and recording the gifts of that king to the temple of his
predecessor (PI. iii, fig. 12).
On the north side of the dromos the rock was originally quite symmetrical
to the south ; it followed an oblique direction, as may be seen from the low
enclosure curb in limestone which is still in situ. At the time of the
XVIIIth Dynasty a triangle was cut out of the rock down to a level
three feet higher than the old temple, so as to have a platform lined on
the north and on the west by vertical facings. This platform was
prolonged over the enclosure wall, and became a square forehall consisting
of two chambers and a passage, the shape and dimensions of which can be
traced on the floor, but which have entirely disappeared, as also has the
wall which covered the rock on the north side.
This forehall must have been reached from the east side by a stepway,
on both sides of which probably stood sixteen-sided columns with large
architraves, fragments of which bearing the name of Thothmes III. have
been preserved. A broken doorpost with the end of an inscription of an
XVIIIth Dynasty king (discovered Dec. 1901 : see last year's Ileport,
p. 7*) was still standing. On it were also graffiti, in which a scribe
venerated Anion and Hathor, so that we might suppose that we had
reached a sanctuary of both gods. The forehall was completely filled with
rubbish, perhaps very ancient. The only find we made was a well-
preserved black granite crouching statue of a man called Nezem, who bears
on his shoulders the cartouches of Mereuptah and Eameses III. It is
difficult to understand why this monument was left quite alone here, with
no other monuments of the same kind.
The rubbish having been cleared from the north side, the western face
came out more and more, and suddenly there appeared the top of an arch
made of two blocks leaning against each other. When a hole was made
underneath, it showed that this arch was the forepart of an arched room,
nearly clear of rubbish, but occupied by a Hathor cow of natural size, in
sandstone, painted, and in a perfect state of preservation (figs. 8, 11, 14).
This cow was the great find of the year. It is the first time that a
shrine has been found with its goddess. Probably the falling of the
rubbish covered the entrance in old times and saved the cow. The entrance
* '• There are also traces of a building of the XVIIIth Dynasty."