DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.51705#0014
2
THE SITE IN GENERAL
CHAPTER I
THE SITE IN GENERAL
3. The previous publications of the site are: (a)
Kahun, Gurob and Hawara, 1889, by W.M. F. Petrie.
This covers the area shewn in pls. I and II and
deals only with the New Kingdom, (b) Illahun,
Kahun and Gurob, 1889—1890, by W. M. F. Petrie.
In this volume, which covers nearly the same ground
as the previous year’s work, the temple enclosure
of Thutmose III is discussed. The well-known Gurob
papyri were first found in these excavations, (c)
Saqqara Mastabas and Gurob, the latter place by
L. Loat, F. Z. S. 1904. This apparently, covers the
ground shewn on pl. II and the other cemeteries
to the south of it. The principal subject of this
volume consists of the fish cemetery, which was
situated “on a small kom or eminence about half
a mile south of the ancient town, close to the culti-
vated land,” and a shrine of the XVIIIth or XIXth
dynasty, “to the W. N. W., on the outskirts of the
ancient town, and about fifty yards from the large
temple . . .”. Of this shrine we found no reliable
traces and we no longer know how it lay in relation
to the large temple of Thutmose III. He notes a “pre-
historic” cemetery in some place south but says
that he found no other cemetery of that date. This
“prehistoric” cemetery we now know to be proto-
dynastic (see chap. IV). (d) Kahun Papyri, by F.
LI. Griffith, which gives translations and discussions
of some of the papyri from Gurob. (e) Some re-
ferences to this site in Harageh by R. Engelbach.
In the desire to complete the results, the present
return to the site was decided on.
Gurob to-day appears, from what Prof. Petrie
tells us, to be very different from its condition
thirty years ago when he first began work there. Then
the dealers had not begun their ravages, and the
sabdkh or town-rubbish level stood nearly five feet
higher about the temple site. The work of the
sabbdkhin has now reduced the town nearly down
to desert level, exposing, perhaps, many new traces
of town walls, but having done a great amount of
harm by sifting out the majority of the objects
always found in ancient towns. The extent of the
ancient site is now shewn by masses of sherds
thrown out from the sieves of these sabbdkhin.
This limit is shown in pl. I by a broken line.
The survey of the graves was made by taking
bearings and distances from various cairns by means
of a very good prismatic compass, keeping the
distance measured, wherever possible, less than
50 yards. Owing to the ploughed-up nature of the
cemeteries, permanent survey lines were not prac-
ticable. These cairns were accurately tied-in one
with the other.
4. In describing the cemeteries, we have decided
to call them after the name of the nearest cairn
with a view to facilitating the finding of the graves
on the map. The real division of the cemeteries is
as follows:—
(1) Cemetery O. A few graves of the 0—1 dynasty.
(2) Cemetery C. Contracted burials of the Archaic
Period.
(3) Cemetery C 2. Apparently of the same period
as the above.
(4) Cemetery A and B. Full-length burials of
the Old Kingdom, but containing a very few con-
tracted and late graves.
(5) Cemetery El, E2 and E3. Full-length burials
of the Vth—XI th dynasties, with a considerable
number of the III rd dynasty contracted burials.
(6) Main cemetery. This stretches from the point
Q southwards to the point S, most of it being
under the sherd accumulations. From the map on
pl. I, it appears to be a succession of small groups
of graves; but this is not the case, as the whole
area has been excavated and sifted by sabbdkhin,
and there must have been at least double the number
of graves in the area to those shown, all of which
we worked. None of them were shafts, but all
small graves. Their peculiarities are discussed in
chapter VII. The ground slopes from these graves
up to another large cemetery along the top of a hill
running North and South about 300 yards distant
from the line OS. These were shafts but had
all been completely gutted, mostly, we believe, by
dealers. No shaft yielding anything worth even
recording was found, and so the whole series are
omitted from the map. The hill cemeteries, which
must have contained at least 500 shafts, have there-
fore been lost, as far as archaeological evidence is con-
cerned. Only those around point W (see pl. II) gave
us any objects, possibly owing to their large size
making it difficult for modern dealers to clear them out.
(7) Cemetery D. Burials of the XIX th dynasty,
mostly worked by Mr. Loat.
THE SITE IN GENERAL
CHAPTER I
THE SITE IN GENERAL
3. The previous publications of the site are: (a)
Kahun, Gurob and Hawara, 1889, by W.M. F. Petrie.
This covers the area shewn in pls. I and II and
deals only with the New Kingdom, (b) Illahun,
Kahun and Gurob, 1889—1890, by W. M. F. Petrie.
In this volume, which covers nearly the same ground
as the previous year’s work, the temple enclosure
of Thutmose III is discussed. The well-known Gurob
papyri were first found in these excavations, (c)
Saqqara Mastabas and Gurob, the latter place by
L. Loat, F. Z. S. 1904. This apparently, covers the
ground shewn on pl. II and the other cemeteries
to the south of it. The principal subject of this
volume consists of the fish cemetery, which was
situated “on a small kom or eminence about half
a mile south of the ancient town, close to the culti-
vated land,” and a shrine of the XVIIIth or XIXth
dynasty, “to the W. N. W., on the outskirts of the
ancient town, and about fifty yards from the large
temple . . .”. Of this shrine we found no reliable
traces and we no longer know how it lay in relation
to the large temple of Thutmose III. He notes a “pre-
historic” cemetery in some place south but says
that he found no other cemetery of that date. This
“prehistoric” cemetery we now know to be proto-
dynastic (see chap. IV). (d) Kahun Papyri, by F.
LI. Griffith, which gives translations and discussions
of some of the papyri from Gurob. (e) Some re-
ferences to this site in Harageh by R. Engelbach.
In the desire to complete the results, the present
return to the site was decided on.
Gurob to-day appears, from what Prof. Petrie
tells us, to be very different from its condition
thirty years ago when he first began work there. Then
the dealers had not begun their ravages, and the
sabdkh or town-rubbish level stood nearly five feet
higher about the temple site. The work of the
sabbdkhin has now reduced the town nearly down
to desert level, exposing, perhaps, many new traces
of town walls, but having done a great amount of
harm by sifting out the majority of the objects
always found in ancient towns. The extent of the
ancient site is now shewn by masses of sherds
thrown out from the sieves of these sabbdkhin.
This limit is shown in pl. I by a broken line.
The survey of the graves was made by taking
bearings and distances from various cairns by means
of a very good prismatic compass, keeping the
distance measured, wherever possible, less than
50 yards. Owing to the ploughed-up nature of the
cemeteries, permanent survey lines were not prac-
ticable. These cairns were accurately tied-in one
with the other.
4. In describing the cemeteries, we have decided
to call them after the name of the nearest cairn
with a view to facilitating the finding of the graves
on the map. The real division of the cemeteries is
as follows:—
(1) Cemetery O. A few graves of the 0—1 dynasty.
(2) Cemetery C. Contracted burials of the Archaic
Period.
(3) Cemetery C 2. Apparently of the same period
as the above.
(4) Cemetery A and B. Full-length burials of
the Old Kingdom, but containing a very few con-
tracted and late graves.
(5) Cemetery El, E2 and E3. Full-length burials
of the Vth—XI th dynasties, with a considerable
number of the III rd dynasty contracted burials.
(6) Main cemetery. This stretches from the point
Q southwards to the point S, most of it being
under the sherd accumulations. From the map on
pl. I, it appears to be a succession of small groups
of graves; but this is not the case, as the whole
area has been excavated and sifted by sabbdkhin,
and there must have been at least double the number
of graves in the area to those shown, all of which
we worked. None of them were shafts, but all
small graves. Their peculiarities are discussed in
chapter VII. The ground slopes from these graves
up to another large cemetery along the top of a hill
running North and South about 300 yards distant
from the line OS. These were shafts but had
all been completely gutted, mostly, we believe, by
dealers. No shaft yielding anything worth even
recording was found, and so the whole series are
omitted from the map. The hill cemeteries, which
must have contained at least 500 shafts, have there-
fore been lost, as far as archaeological evidence is con-
cerned. Only those around point W (see pl. II) gave
us any objects, possibly owing to their large size
making it difficult for modern dealers to clear them out.
(7) Cemetery D. Burials of the XIX th dynasty,
mostly worked by Mr. Loat.