DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4194#0015
THE MASTABA OF PTAHHETEP AND AKHETHETKP.
life gave the artists among them a specially
keen eye for this subject, and peculiar freedom
in the treatment of it. The exception which
has been made in favour of some of the animals
on the east wall in PI. xxii. will therefore need
no other justification.
6. As will be seen from the plans, the
chapel of Ptahhetep is the inmost room of the
mastaba, and is reached through the corridor
and pillared hall, and lastly through a passage
or ante-room, which is furnished with a shelved
recess on the west side. The floor of the chapel
is on a lower level than that of the corridor,
and, to judge from the position of the doorsill,
than that of the great hall also.
The ceiling
also of this chamber is nearly two feet lower
than that of the hall. The room measures
17 feet 5 inches by 7 feet 2 inches, the greatest
length being north and south. It is 12 feet
4 inches in height; 9 feet of this is sculptured,
and is of fine white limestone, while the lower
courses are of coarser stone. It is very massively
constructed. The west Avail, which contains the
two false doors and measures about 200 square
feet, is formed by two enormous blocks, each
of which occupies half the space. They are
naturally of immense thickness also. To obtain
the projection of the torus moulding and the
cavetto cornice of the southern door, the whole
remaining surface of the huge stone must have
been reduced by several inches. The pride
which this ancient people took in feats of
mechanical enterprise seems to have led them
to consider that an erection, or any part of it,
was most noble in proportion as it approached
construction in a single piece. In this case the
extreme of massive simplicity was only given
to the wall that held the sacred doors. The
other Avails, though containing some very large
blocks, do not exhibit equal ambition. They
are built up of several stones, and in places
some very small pieces are used. It is as a
consequence of this patching that the east Avail
has suffered its only serious mutilation.
7. The ceiling is formed of tAvo immense
roofing stones, the under surface of Avhich is
coloured a warm red, and is grooved to repre-
sent a roofing formed by the trunks of palm-
trees laid transversely across the chamber. A
section of the stone is given in PL ii. From
this it Avill be seen that the imitation is no
longer realistic, unless it be the trimmed
baulks Avhich are here represented. A some-
what similar ceiling is to be seen in a rock-
heAvn tomb in the necropolis of Gizeh. The
northernmost roofing-stone is broken completely
across in a Avay to cause great apprehension to
all Avho hope that this fine example of an Old
Kingdom funerary chapel may be preserved in
its present state for many generations to come.
The danger is not lessened by the great mound
of sand Avhich is heaped above it Avith the com-
mendable intention of preserving the chamber
from violation.
8. The east Avail is disfigured by an oblong
hole Avhich has been made through the sculp-
tures at the centre (see PL xxi.). Except at
the face of the Avail it is perfectly regular in
shape. I oavc to Professor Petrie a satisfactory
solution of this puzzle. It Avould seem that a
slip of stone of this size Avas used by the
original builders to repair some irregularity in
the upper surface of a large block. This neat
insertion proved too tempting to plunderers,
Avho prised it out for building-stone. A gap
in the list of offerings on the Avest wall seems
due to the same temptation and offence.
An attempt has also been made upon the
upper part of the south Avail, but the block
seems to have proved too . massive for the
violators. A hole, hoAvever, has been forced
near the ceiling, and the sculptures have been
injured at the joint of the masonry by the
concussion from the bloAvs. Slight injuries,
due apparently to natural causes, are observable
also in a feAv places on the east and north Avails.
The photographs reveal in addition hoAV
Avantonly the Avails, particularly on the east
. been defaced
>ted
.beconfessed
** cast-**
L^iamen
i>thefut
id an incres
;0fthenecessa:
L d south wa
filing by a sh
| nil and roof
,|jft, which slan
pliably from tl
■lings are at press
i their further
if the mastaba
1 They were evic
: or air, perhaps
k such aperture
I Something si
, and I hai
1 of a mastaba ii
er of th
Mope of reco
k the broken
5 ^ cleared do
^'e I found tl
m remaining
< a smip
and its position
^% embedded
Svecon,
*»* stone
Scribed
ls'i.anc
e lid of
esK wl
life gave the artists among them a specially
keen eye for this subject, and peculiar freedom
in the treatment of it. The exception which
has been made in favour of some of the animals
on the east wall in PI. xxii. will therefore need
no other justification.
6. As will be seen from the plans, the
chapel of Ptahhetep is the inmost room of the
mastaba, and is reached through the corridor
and pillared hall, and lastly through a passage
or ante-room, which is furnished with a shelved
recess on the west side. The floor of the chapel
is on a lower level than that of the corridor,
and, to judge from the position of the doorsill,
than that of the great hall also.
The ceiling
also of this chamber is nearly two feet lower
than that of the hall. The room measures
17 feet 5 inches by 7 feet 2 inches, the greatest
length being north and south. It is 12 feet
4 inches in height; 9 feet of this is sculptured,
and is of fine white limestone, while the lower
courses are of coarser stone. It is very massively
constructed. The west Avail, which contains the
two false doors and measures about 200 square
feet, is formed by two enormous blocks, each
of which occupies half the space. They are
naturally of immense thickness also. To obtain
the projection of the torus moulding and the
cavetto cornice of the southern door, the whole
remaining surface of the huge stone must have
been reduced by several inches. The pride
which this ancient people took in feats of
mechanical enterprise seems to have led them
to consider that an erection, or any part of it,
was most noble in proportion as it approached
construction in a single piece. In this case the
extreme of massive simplicity was only given
to the wall that held the sacred doors. The
other Avails, though containing some very large
blocks, do not exhibit equal ambition. They
are built up of several stones, and in places
some very small pieces are used. It is as a
consequence of this patching that the east Avail
has suffered its only serious mutilation.
7. The ceiling is formed of tAvo immense
roofing stones, the under surface of Avhich is
coloured a warm red, and is grooved to repre-
sent a roofing formed by the trunks of palm-
trees laid transversely across the chamber. A
section of the stone is given in PL ii. From
this it Avill be seen that the imitation is no
longer realistic, unless it be the trimmed
baulks Avhich are here represented. A some-
what similar ceiling is to be seen in a rock-
heAvn tomb in the necropolis of Gizeh. The
northernmost roofing-stone is broken completely
across in a Avay to cause great apprehension to
all Avho hope that this fine example of an Old
Kingdom funerary chapel may be preserved in
its present state for many generations to come.
The danger is not lessened by the great mound
of sand Avhich is heaped above it Avith the com-
mendable intention of preserving the chamber
from violation.
8. The east Avail is disfigured by an oblong
hole Avhich has been made through the sculp-
tures at the centre (see PL xxi.). Except at
the face of the Avail it is perfectly regular in
shape. I oavc to Professor Petrie a satisfactory
solution of this puzzle. It Avould seem that a
slip of stone of this size Avas used by the
original builders to repair some irregularity in
the upper surface of a large block. This neat
insertion proved too tempting to plunderers,
Avho prised it out for building-stone. A gap
in the list of offerings on the Avest wall seems
due to the same temptation and offence.
An attempt has also been made upon the
upper part of the south Avail, but the block
seems to have proved too . massive for the
violators. A hole, hoAvever, has been forced
near the ceiling, and the sculptures have been
injured at the joint of the masonry by the
concussion from the bloAvs. Slight injuries,
due apparently to natural causes, are observable
also in a feAv places on the east and north Avails.
The photographs reveal in addition hoAV
Avantonly the Avails, particularly on the east
. been defaced
>ted
.beconfessed
** cast-**
L^iamen
i>thefut
id an incres
;0fthenecessa:
L d south wa
filing by a sh
| nil and roof
,|jft, which slan
pliably from tl
■lings are at press
i their further
if the mastaba
1 They were evic
: or air, perhaps
k such aperture
I Something si
, and I hai
1 of a mastaba ii
er of th
Mope of reco
k the broken
5 ^ cleared do
^'e I found tl
m remaining
< a smip
and its position
^% embedded
Svecon,
*»* stone
Scribed
ls'i.anc
e lid of
esK wl