DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.809#0149
124
'CARAVANSERAI' BY ROAD-HEAD
Spring-
basin
beneath
petrified
surface.
appeared to be the bare rock surface of the neighbouring terrace level West.
This seemed most unpromising, and, even after beginning the work, there
was at first no evidence that we had not to deal with the native ' kouskouras:'
formation, rendered almost as hard as cement by saturation with the gypsum
of the waters derived from the hill-side above. Our persistence was, how-
ever, rewarded by the emergence, not more than a few inches below the
surface, of the upper wall surfaces of a quadrangular chamber.
Had we at last hit on an important tomb ? As we hewed out our way
downwards a niche appeared in the West wall, which itself at first suggested
a miniature 'false door' of the Egyptian sepulchral class. Lower down,
Fig. 59. Stone Lamps and Bowl ; Entrance of Spring-Chamber.
however, where the work was somewhat easier owing to the amount of
moisture in the soil, the true character of the structure revealed itself. It
turned out in fact to be a subterranean Spring-Chamber, with a central basin
approached from the front Court of the adjoining building by three descending
steps, at the bottom of which to the right was a round socket for a door-post.
See Plan and Section, Fig. 60.
The basin itself, with its overlapping slabs on every side, resembled
that of the bath for foot-washing, described above, the depth of the water
being, as there, 45 centimetres. In this case, however, the water was not
supplied by means of a duct above, but welled naturally from the bosom of
the earth, the flooring of gypsum slabs being here replaced by a simple layer
of pebbles between which the spring rose. That it had been largely drawn
upon for outside use is clear from the fact that the border slab by the entrance
had been much worn away in the process of filling water-vessels (see Fig. 61
and Suppl. PI. XVI). An overflow duct was visible beneath this slab, the
'CARAVANSERAI' BY ROAD-HEAD
Spring-
basin
beneath
petrified
surface.
appeared to be the bare rock surface of the neighbouring terrace level West.
This seemed most unpromising, and, even after beginning the work, there
was at first no evidence that we had not to deal with the native ' kouskouras:'
formation, rendered almost as hard as cement by saturation with the gypsum
of the waters derived from the hill-side above. Our persistence was, how-
ever, rewarded by the emergence, not more than a few inches below the
surface, of the upper wall surfaces of a quadrangular chamber.
Had we at last hit on an important tomb ? As we hewed out our way
downwards a niche appeared in the West wall, which itself at first suggested
a miniature 'false door' of the Egyptian sepulchral class. Lower down,
Fig. 59. Stone Lamps and Bowl ; Entrance of Spring-Chamber.
however, where the work was somewhat easier owing to the amount of
moisture in the soil, the true character of the structure revealed itself. It
turned out in fact to be a subterranean Spring-Chamber, with a central basin
approached from the front Court of the adjoining building by three descending
steps, at the bottom of which to the right was a round socket for a door-post.
See Plan and Section, Fig. 60.
The basin itself, with its overlapping slabs on every side, resembled
that of the bath for foot-washing, described above, the depth of the water
being, as there, 45 centimetres. In this case, however, the water was not
supplied by means of a duct above, but welled naturally from the bosom of
the earth, the flooring of gypsum slabs being here replaced by a simple layer
of pebbles between which the spring rose. That it had been largely drawn
upon for outside use is clear from the fact that the border slab by the entrance
had been much worn away in the process of filling water-vessels (see Fig. 61
and Suppl. PI. XVI). An overflow duct was visible beneath this slab, the