Benson, Margaret; Gourlay, Janet: The temple of Mut in Asher: an account of the excavation of the temple and of the religious representations and objects found therein, as illustrating the history of Egypt and the main religious ideas of the Egyptians (London, 1899)

42 THE TEMPLE OF MUT. [part ii.

court; thus the greater part stood on the higher
level. There were however a few against the east
part of the south wall, and pieces evidently out of
place in other parts.

The clearing of the court was difficult, owing to
the fact before-mentioned that the pavement was
almost entirely destroyed. There was also a great
deal of stone in the court, which made the work
slow.

Turning- the north-east corner we worked south
again and came across a small black-granite head
belonging to a sphinx, partly broken, as well as the
shoulder and defaced head of a similar sphinx. The
face of the first was evidently a portrait, and the
cartouche on the shoulder of the second piece was
that of Rameses III. (plan no. 6, pi. XVII., fig. i).

About the middle of the court we came on a rose-
granite pedestal, much injured by the salt of the soil
and crumbling. It still preserved however the very
rare cartouche of Tutankhamen (plan no. 7).

A little further on a similar block of alabaster
was found bearing the partly erased cartouches of
Rameses VI. (plan no. 8).

Here too we came upon another fragment which
might, with the statue of the first year, have given
us a clue to future finds. It was a piece of fine
white limestone, on the front of which were the
middle parts of two figures; on the back was
a delicately cut inscription. The fragment wras
part of a double statue of a priest and his wife,