DOI Artikel:
Griffith, Francis Ll.: Progress of Egyptology: archaeology, hieroglyphic studies, etc
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.12583#0038
24
Progress of Egyptology.
"At the beginning of last season (November, 1900), work was resumed
on the two palaces at Der-el-Ballas. In December and January a small
plundered archaic cemetery at Ballas, about a kilometer north of Petrie's
work, was excavated. Here again, in addition to a fair collection of the
usual archaic objects, photographs were taken of practically every grave
excavated.
"February 1st, 1901, while one European remained at Ballas with ten
men, finishing up notes, maps and plans, the rest of the force moved to
Naga-ed-Der, opposite G-irgeh. Our attention had been called to this place
again by Mr. Quibell, inspector of the Service des Antiquites. Natives
from Abydos had been engaged in plundering the cemetery the previous
summer and fall. The cemetery (or cemeteries) occupies a series of knolls
and wadies for about a kilometer along the edge of the narrow lower desert.
The southernmost cemetery extends from the cultivation back along a low
gravel hill to the wall of tbe high desert, about 200 metres. The oldest
part of the cemetery is near the cultivation, where the burials are in the
archaic position, head to south, in simple rectangular pits, or in cists. Near
the middle of the cemetery the burials are mixed, some in the archaic
position with head to south, some in the archaic position with head
to north, and some in the Meduni position (head to north, body
on left side, knees bent only slightly). The graves change also in
character. Among them occur stairway tombs and sealed vaults (rough
corbelled vaults). Further on, the burials are all in the Medum position,
except at one spot where there were about fifteen untouched graves sealed
with mud. This cemetery yielded very little pottery, but an abundance of
alabaster and other stone ware. The later tombs contained a large number
of button seals of ivory, and also many amulets (turtles, crocodiles,
scorpions, scarabs, hands, animal heads, &c.) of ivory, glaze, carnelian
and other stones. Several very rough stelae were also found.
" The second cemetery, slightly further north, was the most important.
It contained a few late archaic graves and about fifteen large tombs, usually
with one main chamber and two small chambers at each end. These tombs
were of two types, (1) roofed over with wood, without a stairway, (2) roofed
over with a corbelled vault and entered from the riverside (local west) by a
stairway. No. 1 is earlier than No. 2. The burials in these tombs are in
the archaic position, head to south. The pottery is similar to that found
by Petrie at Abydos in tombs of the 1st and llnd Dynasties. These
tombs yielded a large quantity of fine stoneware made of slate, alabaster,
and volcanic ash, two perfect flint knives of remarkable form, several
copper implements, a very fine lot of gold jewellery, and sixteen seal
Progress of Egyptology.
"At the beginning of last season (November, 1900), work was resumed
on the two palaces at Der-el-Ballas. In December and January a small
plundered archaic cemetery at Ballas, about a kilometer north of Petrie's
work, was excavated. Here again, in addition to a fair collection of the
usual archaic objects, photographs were taken of practically every grave
excavated.
"February 1st, 1901, while one European remained at Ballas with ten
men, finishing up notes, maps and plans, the rest of the force moved to
Naga-ed-Der, opposite G-irgeh. Our attention had been called to this place
again by Mr. Quibell, inspector of the Service des Antiquites. Natives
from Abydos had been engaged in plundering the cemetery the previous
summer and fall. The cemetery (or cemeteries) occupies a series of knolls
and wadies for about a kilometer along the edge of the narrow lower desert.
The southernmost cemetery extends from the cultivation back along a low
gravel hill to the wall of tbe high desert, about 200 metres. The oldest
part of the cemetery is near the cultivation, where the burials are in the
archaic position, head to south, in simple rectangular pits, or in cists. Near
the middle of the cemetery the burials are mixed, some in the archaic
position with head to south, some in the archaic position with head
to north, and some in the Meduni position (head to north, body
on left side, knees bent only slightly). The graves change also in
character. Among them occur stairway tombs and sealed vaults (rough
corbelled vaults). Further on, the burials are all in the Medum position,
except at one spot where there were about fifteen untouched graves sealed
with mud. This cemetery yielded very little pottery, but an abundance of
alabaster and other stone ware. The later tombs contained a large number
of button seals of ivory, and also many amulets (turtles, crocodiles,
scorpions, scarabs, hands, animal heads, &c.) of ivory, glaze, carnelian
and other stones. Several very rough stelae were also found.
" The second cemetery, slightly further north, was the most important.
It contained a few late archaic graves and about fifteen large tombs, usually
with one main chamber and two small chambers at each end. These tombs
were of two types, (1) roofed over with wood, without a stairway, (2) roofed
over with a corbelled vault and entered from the riverside (local west) by a
stairway. No. 1 is earlier than No. 2. The burials in these tombs are in
the archaic position, head to south. The pottery is similar to that found
by Petrie at Abydos in tombs of the 1st and llnd Dynasties. These
tombs yielded a large quantity of fine stoneware made of slate, alabaster,
and volcanic ash, two perfect flint knives of remarkable form, several
copper implements, a very fine lot of gold jewellery, and sixteen seal