DOI Artikel:
Naville, Edouard; Hall, H. R.: Egypt Exploration Fund: excavations at Deir El-Bahari
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.12053#0015
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Egypt Exploration Ftjxd.
the main work, has not progressed far enough for a definite statement to be
made as to its purpose and extent. It may be the core of what was to
have been a great altar, left unfinished when Hatshepsu's death put an end
to work at Deir el-Bahari (PI. iii. fig. 7).
Beyond the unfinished beginning of the platform we came upon traces of
rough foundations for further work, which also soon ceased. Beyond
these we struck directly south into the mounds of debris, clearing away the
loose rubbish down to the rock-surface. A small serig or simple squared
grave was found : it had been entirely disturbed, but enough remained
in it to show that its original occupants had lived under the Xlth Dynasty.
Then appeared the remains of a wall, immediately south of and opposite
to the small wall, which may be seen on the plan of the great temple
published in the Archaeological Report for 1894-5, projecting southwards
from the southern enclosure wall (near the tomb and the foundation-deposit
pit in the passage between the enclosure wall and the Middle Platform, but
on the other side of the wall). It seemed to limit a small couft at the
foot of the Hathor shrine. It was immediately seen that the new wall
unearthed this year was its continuation southwards. Its western face
was cleared until the workmen were brought up short by another wall
running west at right angles to the first, and roughly parallel with the
great wall of Hatshepsu's Hathor-shrine, which lies about sixty feet to
the north. This wall differed entirely from the first and from any other
building hitherto discovered at Deir el-Bahari, or indeed anywhere in
the Thebaid. Its blocks are much larger than any of the blocks of the
great temple (some measuring 6 ft. by 3 ft. 6 in.), much more finely
jointed, and laid in bonded courses of broad and narrow blocks alternately.
The sandstone base of the wall (of blocks 5 ft. across and 1 ft. high)
is much more massive and generally finer than the similar bases of the
XVIIIth Dynasty walls. The nearest parallel in Egypt seemed to be the
Xllth Dynasty walls at Dashur, and it was evident that we had come
upon Xlth Dynasty buildings at Deir el-Bahari still in situ.
This wall soon proved to be a mask to a solid mass of mountain-rock,
carefully squared, about 15 to 18 ft. in height. At this height the rock
ceased and was found to be artificially squared on the top as well as at the
side. Examining the surface, remains of a pavement of heavy slabs of dull
grey sandstone were brought to light. It was evident that we had here
an artificially prepared platform with the remains of building upon
it, probably the Xlth Dynasty work, the existence of which had
already been presumed, but the situation and character of which were
unknown.
Egypt Exploration Ftjxd.
the main work, has not progressed far enough for a definite statement to be
made as to its purpose and extent. It may be the core of what was to
have been a great altar, left unfinished when Hatshepsu's death put an end
to work at Deir el-Bahari (PI. iii. fig. 7).
Beyond the unfinished beginning of the platform we came upon traces of
rough foundations for further work, which also soon ceased. Beyond
these we struck directly south into the mounds of debris, clearing away the
loose rubbish down to the rock-surface. A small serig or simple squared
grave was found : it had been entirely disturbed, but enough remained
in it to show that its original occupants had lived under the Xlth Dynasty.
Then appeared the remains of a wall, immediately south of and opposite
to the small wall, which may be seen on the plan of the great temple
published in the Archaeological Report for 1894-5, projecting southwards
from the southern enclosure wall (near the tomb and the foundation-deposit
pit in the passage between the enclosure wall and the Middle Platform, but
on the other side of the wall). It seemed to limit a small couft at the
foot of the Hathor shrine. It was immediately seen that the new wall
unearthed this year was its continuation southwards. Its western face
was cleared until the workmen were brought up short by another wall
running west at right angles to the first, and roughly parallel with the
great wall of Hatshepsu's Hathor-shrine, which lies about sixty feet to
the north. This wall differed entirely from the first and from any other
building hitherto discovered at Deir el-Bahari, or indeed anywhere in
the Thebaid. Its blocks are much larger than any of the blocks of the
great temple (some measuring 6 ft. by 3 ft. 6 in.), much more finely
jointed, and laid in bonded courses of broad and narrow blocks alternately.
The sandstone base of the wall (of blocks 5 ft. across and 1 ft. high)
is much more massive and generally finer than the similar bases of the
XVIIIth Dynasty walls. The nearest parallel in Egypt seemed to be the
Xllth Dynasty walls at Dashur, and it was evident that we had come
upon Xlth Dynasty buildings at Deir el-Bahari still in situ.
This wall soon proved to be a mask to a solid mass of mountain-rock,
carefully squared, about 15 to 18 ft. in height. At this height the rock
ceased and was found to be artificially squared on the top as well as at the
side. Examining the surface, remains of a pavement of heavy slabs of dull
grey sandstone were brought to light. It was evident that we had here
an artificially prepared platform with the remains of building upon
it, probably the Xlth Dynasty work, the existence of which had
already been presumed, but the situation and character of which were
unknown.