DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.51705#0019
THE FIRST INTERMEDIATE CEMETERIES
7
Coffins were notably absent, traces being found
in seven cases only, two of these for infants.
Their place was taken in most cases by matting,
either of reeds, rushes, palm-fibre, millet- or maize-
stalks, wrapped round the corpse; in fact these mats
were so decayed, that they may have disappeared
entirely in some graves. It was customary to bury
infants with pots, generally old and broken, in-
verted over them; eight such are recorded. Baskets,
boxes, and matting were used as well.
Traces of cloth-wrappings are often visible: they
probably existed in every case, and it is just
possible, though not likely, that the ash observed
in graves 163, 177 and 317 may have really been
carbonised grave clothes. A layer of charcoal was
placed under the corpse in 381.
The poverty of the burials was striking: even
pottery being almost absent. Only four graves
contained whole or nearly whole pots: 149 type2
(pl. VII) before chest, 163 type 14 before face
with sherds probably like type 6 (pl. Ill), 551 type 1
before face, and 383, which was possibly disturbed,
types 2, 4 and 5. The remaining pottery, excluding
the infant burials, consisted of sherds only, which
may have drifted in from the rubbish lying on the
surface.
Beads occurred 13 times, and single shells
three times. Where the position was observed, it
was always at the neck. Only one male was found
with beads, and four females: the majority of
eleven instances being children, who had often a
single bead only.
The only other ornament found was a thin bra-
celet of bone (152). One head rest, roughly made of
limestone, lay in 538: in three other cases bricks
of mud or sand had to do duty: while in one
case sherds were placed under the skull.
Beyond the remains of bread in 169, no food
offerings were placed in the graves.
15. Special graves.
Tomb 141. Body lay head W., contracted so
that the knees were above the head. Photograph
pl. VIII, 1.
Tomb 149. Body lay head N., on left side, tightly
contracted, male. The skull rested on a brick. In
front of the chest lay a bowl of fine red “Meydum”
pottery (pl. VII. 2). See photograph pl. VIII, 2, 8.
Tomb 153. Body of a woman, head W., tightly
contracted on left side, and wrapped in matting.
A small child was buried south of her in the same
grave, head north-east, and also contracted.
Tomb 163. Body of a woman, head south,
covered with matting, and a layer of ash above
that. Before the face, close to the eye, was the pot
14 (pl. VII), and under it rough sherds of an earth-
moulded dish, probably type 6 (pl. III). Between
the pot and the sherds lay a string of beads or
amulets of pale blue glaze in the following arrange-
ment: types 2, 1 shell (marex ternispina), 5, 3,
17, 3, 3 (pl. VII), while beads of types 8 and 4 had
fallen from position.
Tomb 539. A tightly contracted body of a young
male wrapped in reeds roped together. No objects
in grave. The skull showed peculiarities which are
described by Prof. D. E. Derry at the end of
this volume.
CHAPTER VI
THE FIRST INTERMEDIATE
CEMETERIES
16. Round points A, B, E, E2 and E3 were
groups of graves containing bodies contracted and
extended. The contracted bodies have already
been dealt with. The remainder will now be de-
scribed. The question of dating was a difficulty.
The A—B group was fixed rather vaguely to the
V—VIII th dynasties by the pottery. The E groups
on the other hand, partly owing to the presence of
scarabs, were originally dated to the Second Inter-
mediate Period, between the XII th and XVIII th dyn-
asties. Subsequent work at Sedment, and Qau-el-
Kebir (soon to be published) has made it quite
plain that these graves are all prior to the
XII th dynasty. The clearest point to consider is
the attitude of the bodies. To my knowledge, the
position on the left or right side is not found after
the XIIth dynasty: but in the E group, 36, or
more than 50%, are on their sides. The coffins,
too, where they could be measured, are all of the
narrow XII th or pre-XIIth type. The pottery
(pls. IX, XI) has many forms in common with the
types at Sedment, such as 30s, 34, 49s, 51 h,
62j, 64b, f, 1, 66m, 67p, 86n (Petrie, Sedment I,
XXIX—XXXV), where they are dated to VI—X dyn-
asties. The copper axe-blade (XII, 74) again cannot
be later than the XII th dynasty. (Petrie, Tools
7
Coffins were notably absent, traces being found
in seven cases only, two of these for infants.
Their place was taken in most cases by matting,
either of reeds, rushes, palm-fibre, millet- or maize-
stalks, wrapped round the corpse; in fact these mats
were so decayed, that they may have disappeared
entirely in some graves. It was customary to bury
infants with pots, generally old and broken, in-
verted over them; eight such are recorded. Baskets,
boxes, and matting were used as well.
Traces of cloth-wrappings are often visible: they
probably existed in every case, and it is just
possible, though not likely, that the ash observed
in graves 163, 177 and 317 may have really been
carbonised grave clothes. A layer of charcoal was
placed under the corpse in 381.
The poverty of the burials was striking: even
pottery being almost absent. Only four graves
contained whole or nearly whole pots: 149 type2
(pl. VII) before chest, 163 type 14 before face
with sherds probably like type 6 (pl. Ill), 551 type 1
before face, and 383, which was possibly disturbed,
types 2, 4 and 5. The remaining pottery, excluding
the infant burials, consisted of sherds only, which
may have drifted in from the rubbish lying on the
surface.
Beads occurred 13 times, and single shells
three times. Where the position was observed, it
was always at the neck. Only one male was found
with beads, and four females: the majority of
eleven instances being children, who had often a
single bead only.
The only other ornament found was a thin bra-
celet of bone (152). One head rest, roughly made of
limestone, lay in 538: in three other cases bricks
of mud or sand had to do duty: while in one
case sherds were placed under the skull.
Beyond the remains of bread in 169, no food
offerings were placed in the graves.
15. Special graves.
Tomb 141. Body lay head W., contracted so
that the knees were above the head. Photograph
pl. VIII, 1.
Tomb 149. Body lay head N., on left side, tightly
contracted, male. The skull rested on a brick. In
front of the chest lay a bowl of fine red “Meydum”
pottery (pl. VII. 2). See photograph pl. VIII, 2, 8.
Tomb 153. Body of a woman, head W., tightly
contracted on left side, and wrapped in matting.
A small child was buried south of her in the same
grave, head north-east, and also contracted.
Tomb 163. Body of a woman, head south,
covered with matting, and a layer of ash above
that. Before the face, close to the eye, was the pot
14 (pl. VII), and under it rough sherds of an earth-
moulded dish, probably type 6 (pl. III). Between
the pot and the sherds lay a string of beads or
amulets of pale blue glaze in the following arrange-
ment: types 2, 1 shell (marex ternispina), 5, 3,
17, 3, 3 (pl. VII), while beads of types 8 and 4 had
fallen from position.
Tomb 539. A tightly contracted body of a young
male wrapped in reeds roped together. No objects
in grave. The skull showed peculiarities which are
described by Prof. D. E. Derry at the end of
this volume.
CHAPTER VI
THE FIRST INTERMEDIATE
CEMETERIES
16. Round points A, B, E, E2 and E3 were
groups of graves containing bodies contracted and
extended. The contracted bodies have already
been dealt with. The remainder will now be de-
scribed. The question of dating was a difficulty.
The A—B group was fixed rather vaguely to the
V—VIII th dynasties by the pottery. The E groups
on the other hand, partly owing to the presence of
scarabs, were originally dated to the Second Inter-
mediate Period, between the XII th and XVIII th dyn-
asties. Subsequent work at Sedment, and Qau-el-
Kebir (soon to be published) has made it quite
plain that these graves are all prior to the
XII th dynasty. The clearest point to consider is
the attitude of the bodies. To my knowledge, the
position on the left or right side is not found after
the XIIth dynasty: but in the E group, 36, or
more than 50%, are on their sides. The coffins,
too, where they could be measured, are all of the
narrow XII th or pre-XIIth type. The pottery
(pls. IX, XI) has many forms in common with the
types at Sedment, such as 30s, 34, 49s, 51 h,
62j, 64b, f, 1, 66m, 67p, 86n (Petrie, Sedment I,
XXIX—XXXV), where they are dated to VI—X dyn-
asties. The copper axe-blade (XII, 74) again cannot
be later than the XII th dynasty. (Petrie, Tools