DOI Artikel:
Naville, Edouard: Egypt Exploration Fund: excavations at Deir el-Bahari
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.12424#0019
Excavations at Deie el-Bahaki.
5
Temple the symbol of the Ka of Queen Hatshepsu was a big fan, which
is seen lying on a throne;1 this symbol, which occurs frequently, may
have been the same in the temple of the Xlth Dynasty. A line of holes
all round the shrine was probably intended for hooks or pegs from
which the offerings hung, as is found in some Greek temples.
The shrine has been left untouched on the spot. An iron door put at
the entrance of the passage prevents people from going in. The ceiling
will have to be consolidated in certain places before the passage can
safely be entered.
Eeverting to the temple above the passage we found, as I said, the
remains of a large hypostyle hall with eighty columns, which was the
end of the construction on the west. The faces of the rock on the three
sides were masked by sandstone slabs, with coloured sculptures of crude
style. These are now nearly all destroyed. In the middle of the
western face, in the axis of the temple, is a small artificial cave or speos
in which nothing remains but the bare rock (PI. iv., Fig. 13). It must
have contained a shrine like that of the cow. In front of the entrance is a
cubic block of limestone with a circular depression cut on the sloping top ;
this is an altar (Figs. 13, 14). A kind of vestibule leading to the
shrine was formed by two limestone walls enclosing six of the columns
of the hypostyle hall, and turning at right angles so as to make a door
(PI. ii., Fig. 5; iv., Figs. 13, 14). On the walls of this vestibule (or cella,
as it has been called) were beautiful sculptures, with vivid colours
representing Mentuhetep and various gods. They have been partly erased
by Amenhetep IV., and restored by Eameses II., who inscribed his name.
In the two corners of the hypostyle hall are tombs. The northern one,
which we numbered 16, is a very small chamber which we found quite
empty. Close to it was a granite table of offerings (seen on the right
of PI. iv., Fig. 13), with the name of Mentuhetep II., which had been seen
many years ago by Mariette. The southern tomb (No. 15 ; see PI. iv.,
Figs. 10, ll)2 is much larger. A sloping passage, partly subterranean, leads
to a chamber captaining a large sarcophagus of common alabaster (Fig. 12),
with thick sides, and made of five pieces. The lid had disappeared, and we
could not find any traces of painted or sculptured inscriptions on the
sides. We cannot definitely say as yet who was buried in this tomb.
When we had finished the clearing of the hypostyle hall, the rock
having been reached on all sides, we were certain that we had the whole
temple of Mentuhetep II. before us. The work of excavating it was
1 Deir el-Buhari, IV., pi. 89, 91.
8 See Mr cJ-JJahiri; XJth Dyn. L, pp. 12, 51; Arch, Report, 1903-4, p. 7.
5
Temple the symbol of the Ka of Queen Hatshepsu was a big fan, which
is seen lying on a throne;1 this symbol, which occurs frequently, may
have been the same in the temple of the Xlth Dynasty. A line of holes
all round the shrine was probably intended for hooks or pegs from
which the offerings hung, as is found in some Greek temples.
The shrine has been left untouched on the spot. An iron door put at
the entrance of the passage prevents people from going in. The ceiling
will have to be consolidated in certain places before the passage can
safely be entered.
Eeverting to the temple above the passage we found, as I said, the
remains of a large hypostyle hall with eighty columns, which was the
end of the construction on the west. The faces of the rock on the three
sides were masked by sandstone slabs, with coloured sculptures of crude
style. These are now nearly all destroyed. In the middle of the
western face, in the axis of the temple, is a small artificial cave or speos
in which nothing remains but the bare rock (PI. iv., Fig. 13). It must
have contained a shrine like that of the cow. In front of the entrance is a
cubic block of limestone with a circular depression cut on the sloping top ;
this is an altar (Figs. 13, 14). A kind of vestibule leading to the
shrine was formed by two limestone walls enclosing six of the columns
of the hypostyle hall, and turning at right angles so as to make a door
(PI. ii., Fig. 5; iv., Figs. 13, 14). On the walls of this vestibule (or cella,
as it has been called) were beautiful sculptures, with vivid colours
representing Mentuhetep and various gods. They have been partly erased
by Amenhetep IV., and restored by Eameses II., who inscribed his name.
In the two corners of the hypostyle hall are tombs. The northern one,
which we numbered 16, is a very small chamber which we found quite
empty. Close to it was a granite table of offerings (seen on the right
of PI. iv., Fig. 13), with the name of Mentuhetep II., which had been seen
many years ago by Mariette. The southern tomb (No. 15 ; see PI. iv.,
Figs. 10, ll)2 is much larger. A sloping passage, partly subterranean, leads
to a chamber captaining a large sarcophagus of common alabaster (Fig. 12),
with thick sides, and made of five pieces. The lid had disappeared, and we
could not find any traces of painted or sculptured inscriptions on the
sides. We cannot definitely say as yet who was buried in this tomb.
When we had finished the clearing of the hypostyle hall, the rock
having been reached on all sides, we were certain that we had the whole
temple of Mentuhetep II. before us. The work of excavating it was
1 Deir el-Buhari, IV., pi. 89, 91.
8 See Mr cJ-JJahiri; XJth Dyn. L, pp. 12, 51; Arch, Report, 1903-4, p. 7.