DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4656#0019
ARCHAEOLOGICAL NOTES.
13
means of judging; some of the doorways in the
temple would take doors 6 m. high, and this pylon
door may have been as big. We cannot say that we
know anything about this pylon except some frag-
ments of its ground plan, which is much confused by
small buildings of Roman date. The limestone sides
of the gate stand about 75 cm. clear of the bricks of
the flanking walls ; the space between may have been
filled with plaster, but evidence is wanting. The
southern flank wall has a portion recessed two bricks
back, at the S. end of it; this is the only way in
which it differs from the N. flank of the gate. In
this, as in many other buildings, we see that the
Egyptians were not bound by rigid symmetry. In
Roman times they evidently found this S. flank a
convenient spot—probably it was shady—so they
built a series of small rooms on the old foundations ;
the N. flank has no such additions, as it would be in
full glare of the sun most of the day.
From the base of the flank of the pylon the wall
proceeds to the Southward for 64'5 m., where it turns
to the E. The designers probably intended the angle
to be 900, but it is in fact 910 20'. The W. wall, as a
whole, is not straight, as it bows out slightly to the
W., the furthest part of the curve being at the N.
side of the gate flank wall.
Of the S. wall only 30 m. remain. We cannot
say how far the walls continued to the E., and the
only certain dimensions we have are given below.
30. In the N.W. part of the temenos enclosure we
found a gateway, 41 m. from the W. wall, and 28 m.
from the N. wall. The floor of the gate is about
2|m. below the desert level. The wide part of the
gate is 4"45 m., and the narrow part 2*75 m., across.
The narrow part continues in a long passage to the
South, approximately parallel to the W. wall, and
about 69 m. long. The passage is lined with sand-
stone blocks covered with religious inscriptions, not
yet unearthed. The axis of this passage points to
the North, to a mound of sand 93 m. to the N. of the
Temenos wall. The level of the desert inside the
Temenos wall rises to the N.W. corner from the
centre of the enclosure. The passage leads from
the low level desert into the hill, and is there roofed
over ; it extends probably to outside the temenos, as
the wall is built on made ground, which appears to
be the filling in over the passage. Further excava-
tion may show that the passage continues under the
wall of the Temenos to a chamber under the sand
mound to the North of the Temenos. The greater
219-5 m.
2-75 m.
3-0 m.
6-5 m.
64*0 m.
62-3 m.
28*4 m.
14
0 m
124
0 m
227
0 m
108
5 m
87
0 m
part of the excavation by the Research Account this
season has been spent in disclosing the extent of this
great passage, which still awaits complete clearing.
31. The principal measurements of the temenos
are as follow. Width N. to S. over all, at between
temple and west wall, inside 212*5 m-» outside
218-4 m.
Width at the west wall outside .
Thickness of N. wall 3*15 m., of S.
wall .......
Thickness of W. wall in greater part .
Thickness of projection in W. wall
Width of projection at start
Width at its W. front
Composed of N. half 28-4 m. ; pylon
opening 5 • 5 m. ; S. half
Projection sets forward on N. 14*10,
on S. .
From pivot of desert pylon to temple .
Same to front pylon
Inside W. wall of temenos to temple
at N.W. 110 m., at S.W.
Inside N. wall of temenos to temple at
N.W........
Inside S. wall of temenos to temple at
S.W........15-2 m.
CHAPTER III.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL NOTES.
By W. M. F. Petrie.
32. The construction of the Temple of the Kings
by Sety I and Ramessu II involves many interesting
problems which we can begin now to unravel, but
which require also still more examination of the
structure before they can be fully solved.
The main discoveries, which throw an entirely
fresh light upon the building, and enable us for the
first time to read its purpose, are those of the Temenos,
the desert pylon, and the relation to the Royal Tombs
of the earliest dynasties. These essential features at
once remove this from being merely a " temple of
Sety," like many other buildings in Egypt, and show
that it is the Temple of the Kings, for the kings of
the early dynasties, strictly analogous to the funereal
chapels which are always found connected with the
tombs of Egyptian kings.
At first the place of offerings was closely connected
13
means of judging; some of the doorways in the
temple would take doors 6 m. high, and this pylon
door may have been as big. We cannot say that we
know anything about this pylon except some frag-
ments of its ground plan, which is much confused by
small buildings of Roman date. The limestone sides
of the gate stand about 75 cm. clear of the bricks of
the flanking walls ; the space between may have been
filled with plaster, but evidence is wanting. The
southern flank wall has a portion recessed two bricks
back, at the S. end of it; this is the only way in
which it differs from the N. flank of the gate. In
this, as in many other buildings, we see that the
Egyptians were not bound by rigid symmetry. In
Roman times they evidently found this S. flank a
convenient spot—probably it was shady—so they
built a series of small rooms on the old foundations ;
the N. flank has no such additions, as it would be in
full glare of the sun most of the day.
From the base of the flank of the pylon the wall
proceeds to the Southward for 64'5 m., where it turns
to the E. The designers probably intended the angle
to be 900, but it is in fact 910 20'. The W. wall, as a
whole, is not straight, as it bows out slightly to the
W., the furthest part of the curve being at the N.
side of the gate flank wall.
Of the S. wall only 30 m. remain. We cannot
say how far the walls continued to the E., and the
only certain dimensions we have are given below.
30. In the N.W. part of the temenos enclosure we
found a gateway, 41 m. from the W. wall, and 28 m.
from the N. wall. The floor of the gate is about
2|m. below the desert level. The wide part of the
gate is 4"45 m., and the narrow part 2*75 m., across.
The narrow part continues in a long passage to the
South, approximately parallel to the W. wall, and
about 69 m. long. The passage is lined with sand-
stone blocks covered with religious inscriptions, not
yet unearthed. The axis of this passage points to
the North, to a mound of sand 93 m. to the N. of the
Temenos wall. The level of the desert inside the
Temenos wall rises to the N.W. corner from the
centre of the enclosure. The passage leads from
the low level desert into the hill, and is there roofed
over ; it extends probably to outside the temenos, as
the wall is built on made ground, which appears to
be the filling in over the passage. Further excava-
tion may show that the passage continues under the
wall of the Temenos to a chamber under the sand
mound to the North of the Temenos. The greater
219-5 m.
2-75 m.
3-0 m.
6-5 m.
64*0 m.
62-3 m.
28*4 m.
14
0 m
124
0 m
227
0 m
108
5 m
87
0 m
part of the excavation by the Research Account this
season has been spent in disclosing the extent of this
great passage, which still awaits complete clearing.
31. The principal measurements of the temenos
are as follow. Width N. to S. over all, at between
temple and west wall, inside 212*5 m-» outside
218-4 m.
Width at the west wall outside .
Thickness of N. wall 3*15 m., of S.
wall .......
Thickness of W. wall in greater part .
Thickness of projection in W. wall
Width of projection at start
Width at its W. front
Composed of N. half 28-4 m. ; pylon
opening 5 • 5 m. ; S. half
Projection sets forward on N. 14*10,
on S. .
From pivot of desert pylon to temple .
Same to front pylon
Inside W. wall of temenos to temple
at N.W. 110 m., at S.W.
Inside N. wall of temenos to temple at
N.W........
Inside S. wall of temenos to temple at
S.W........15-2 m.
CHAPTER III.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL NOTES.
By W. M. F. Petrie.
32. The construction of the Temple of the Kings
by Sety I and Ramessu II involves many interesting
problems which we can begin now to unravel, but
which require also still more examination of the
structure before they can be fully solved.
The main discoveries, which throw an entirely
fresh light upon the building, and enable us for the
first time to read its purpose, are those of the Temenos,
the desert pylon, and the relation to the Royal Tombs
of the earliest dynasties. These essential features at
once remove this from being merely a " temple of
Sety," like many other buildings in Egypt, and show
that it is the Temple of the Kings, for the kings of
the early dynasties, strictly analogous to the funereal
chapels which are always found connected with the
tombs of Egyptian kings.
At first the place of offerings was closely connected