DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4194#0012
THE MASTABA OF PTAHHETEP
AND AKHETHETEP.
PAET I.
THE CHAPEL OF PTAHHETEP AND THE HIEROGLYPHS.
CHAPTEE I.
THE CHAPEL OF PTAHHETEP.
1, The present volume has a natural connexion
with that which precedes it in the series of the
Archaeological Survey. It was very desirable
that A Collection of Hieroglyphs, the types
figured in which dated from the Middle and
New Kingdoms, should be followed by a study
of the earlier forms of the signs. Amongst the
splendid tombs of the Old Kingdom in the
Memphite necropolis, from which such a collec-
tion would naturally be gathered, the choice
fell upon the chapel of Ptahhetep, so famous
for its fine work, which dates from the Vth
Dynasty. This selection was largely deter-
mined by the loan to the Survey of an almost
perfect set of paper squeezes of the walls of
the chapel by the Berlin Museum. For this
courteous and generous furtherance of its
objects the Society is indebted to the good
offices of Professor Erman and Dr. Schaefer.
The squeezes are of unsurpassable excellence.
They were taken many years ago by Herr Ernst
Leben, who lived for a long time in Egypt, and
after his death they were presented to the
Berlin Museum in 1886.
A secondary motive for turning to this tomb
existed in a natural desire to know what further
inscriptions, if any, the mastaba might contain;
for, notwithstanding the descriptions of the tomb
byMariette and Diimichen (Photographische Be-
sultate, p. 16), there was reason to believe that
other portions of the building were sculptured.
It was determined, therefore, that the chamber
should be re-excavated, and that the series of
hieroglyphs, most of which had been copied
from the squeezes, should be revised on the
spot; while at the same time a survey of the
mastaba should be made, sufficiently complete
to show the relation of the chamber to the rest
of the building, and to determine whether there
were other sculptured work in the tomb. Any
such new material would, of course, be copied
in full. In this way the existing publications
of an interesting mastaba would be usefully
supplemented.
B
AND AKHETHETEP.
PAET I.
THE CHAPEL OF PTAHHETEP AND THE HIEROGLYPHS.
CHAPTEE I.
THE CHAPEL OF PTAHHETEP.
1, The present volume has a natural connexion
with that which precedes it in the series of the
Archaeological Survey. It was very desirable
that A Collection of Hieroglyphs, the types
figured in which dated from the Middle and
New Kingdoms, should be followed by a study
of the earlier forms of the signs. Amongst the
splendid tombs of the Old Kingdom in the
Memphite necropolis, from which such a collec-
tion would naturally be gathered, the choice
fell upon the chapel of Ptahhetep, so famous
for its fine work, which dates from the Vth
Dynasty. This selection was largely deter-
mined by the loan to the Survey of an almost
perfect set of paper squeezes of the walls of
the chapel by the Berlin Museum. For this
courteous and generous furtherance of its
objects the Society is indebted to the good
offices of Professor Erman and Dr. Schaefer.
The squeezes are of unsurpassable excellence.
They were taken many years ago by Herr Ernst
Leben, who lived for a long time in Egypt, and
after his death they were presented to the
Berlin Museum in 1886.
A secondary motive for turning to this tomb
existed in a natural desire to know what further
inscriptions, if any, the mastaba might contain;
for, notwithstanding the descriptions of the tomb
byMariette and Diimichen (Photographische Be-
sultate, p. 16), there was reason to believe that
other portions of the building were sculptured.
It was determined, therefore, that the chamber
should be re-excavated, and that the series of
hieroglyphs, most of which had been copied
from the squeezes, should be revised on the
spot; while at the same time a survey of the
mastaba should be made, sufficiently complete
to show the relation of the chamber to the rest
of the building, and to determine whether there
were other sculptured work in the tomb. Any
such new material would, of course, be copied
in full. In this way the existing publications
of an interesting mastaba would be usefully
supplemented.
B