DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4657#0012
THE PRE-DYNASTIC SITES.
and pottery scraps upon its floor, was to the south
of these piles. Is it to be supposed that, like the
nomads of to-day, these pristine settlers raised their
shelter only against the cold northerly winds ? In
the portion S i the indications were less definite;
there was the appearance of twigs and mud, but no
accompanying piles. Instead, there appeared here
and there, in no apparent system, the traces of walls
of mud. The traces of actual habitation were scant,
but the ground had been too much turned over in
recent years to allow of any satisfactory conclusion
being deduced. At one point a large stem (apparently
of a then growing tree) had been built up to by a low
wall, from one direction only. The number of small
worked flints of the finer quality taken from this
portion, was greater than from the other.
The whole area was strewn with flints, some
rough, others worked or chipped. At one point on
the outskirts was found a deposit of curious natural
flints, a selection from which is illustrated on Pl. V.
Though some of them are of a snake-like appearance,
not all are so. They were found buried in clean sand
at a depth of one metre.
— 21. At another point just to the south of the
place S I was cleared a series of pot kilns, unique
in character. The photographs of Pl. III. at the
bottom show the best preserved kiln, with pot in
position, supported by vertical bars of brick. Owing
to the difficulty of getting good light from this point of
view (from the north) the photographs do not show the
details with satisfactory clearness. [A diagrammatic
drawing appeared in "Man" for March, 1902, Art. 29.]
A large earthenware pot (or majur) is apparently in
the act of being baked. It is supported upon a bed
of clay, which is lined with a thin layer of charred
material, probably some kind of herbage. This clay
is held in position by a series of fire-bricks arranged
vertically, in graduated sizes, at equal distances apart,
and so entirely supporting the superimposed weight.
These bars are flat on one side and round on the
other; similar bricks (but broken) had been noticed
by Professor Petrie at Naqada, but their use was
not known. One of the longest of these measured
28 inches. The whole rested upon a prepared clay-
bed, and was surrounded by a wall of fire-brick of
ordinary character. It seems probable that the
obvious explanation is correct: that the fire was
placed between the bars below for the purpose of
baking the pot that rested above. Possibly there
was a roof to the kiln, but it had been destroyed.
The kiln proved to lie in the corner of a group
arranged somewhat regularly together, though all
appeared to be independent, and not merely parts of
a common furnace. Several other isolated examples,
and groups of two and three, were found near, but
were in bad preservation. The large pot could not
be removed, being already broken and not thoroughly
baked ; so the whole kiln was carefully covered over,
and the authorities of the museum informed of its
position. A similar large pot, well baked, but un-
fortunately cracked, was found in the settlement. It
was of unusual size, being 4 feet 6 inches high, and
it was indented along the rim with regular rectangular
indentations like that which was in the kiln.
22. The flint objects found within the area of this
settlement possess some special features of interest.
As may be seen by a glance at the plate, there are
two distinct types, which in Europe would be named
Palaeolithic and Neolithic respectively. On PL. III.
is figured a group of the finer-worked examples from
the point S 2 of the settlement. These include pieces
of knives and cutting implements, some saw-edged
pieces, and portions of bracelets. Two other kinds
require special consideration. The one is a round
flint, somewhat thick, worked down nearly all round
to a fine cutting edge on one side only; two examples
are shown on the right hand of this photograph ;
another, of rougher sort, appears on Pl. V. in the last
photograph on the left hand at the bottom from the
site S 1. The other is the arrow or lance-head, of
which several varieties are shown in the photograph.
It has a double barb only. In the adjoining photo-
graph of clay models from a tomb of the cemetery at
Alawniyeh are shown some models in unbaked clay
of the identical form. There can remain no longer
any doubt as to the real pre-dynastic character of
these flint-heads.
Turning now to Pl. V., there are three groups of
flints selected for illustration from the great quantity
that were found as representatives in the main of the
different classes which they typify. Perhaps the best
series is that of the Flint Hoes, unfortunately photo-
graphed on a scale somewhat too small. There is
one of these in particular, now in the Pitt-Rivers
Museum, which is noteworthy ; it is shown in the
centre of the bottom row. One side, on the upper
half, has received and retained a remarkable polish,
as by long-continued friction with a non-gritty earth.
The action of sand alone (says Mr. Balfour) would
not have created such perfect smoothness. The other
side, at the same end, has a polish not so marked ;
while the other end is hardly smoothed at all, having
and pottery scraps upon its floor, was to the south
of these piles. Is it to be supposed that, like the
nomads of to-day, these pristine settlers raised their
shelter only against the cold northerly winds ? In
the portion S i the indications were less definite;
there was the appearance of twigs and mud, but no
accompanying piles. Instead, there appeared here
and there, in no apparent system, the traces of walls
of mud. The traces of actual habitation were scant,
but the ground had been too much turned over in
recent years to allow of any satisfactory conclusion
being deduced. At one point a large stem (apparently
of a then growing tree) had been built up to by a low
wall, from one direction only. The number of small
worked flints of the finer quality taken from this
portion, was greater than from the other.
The whole area was strewn with flints, some
rough, others worked or chipped. At one point on
the outskirts was found a deposit of curious natural
flints, a selection from which is illustrated on Pl. V.
Though some of them are of a snake-like appearance,
not all are so. They were found buried in clean sand
at a depth of one metre.
— 21. At another point just to the south of the
place S I was cleared a series of pot kilns, unique
in character. The photographs of Pl. III. at the
bottom show the best preserved kiln, with pot in
position, supported by vertical bars of brick. Owing
to the difficulty of getting good light from this point of
view (from the north) the photographs do not show the
details with satisfactory clearness. [A diagrammatic
drawing appeared in "Man" for March, 1902, Art. 29.]
A large earthenware pot (or majur) is apparently in
the act of being baked. It is supported upon a bed
of clay, which is lined with a thin layer of charred
material, probably some kind of herbage. This clay
is held in position by a series of fire-bricks arranged
vertically, in graduated sizes, at equal distances apart,
and so entirely supporting the superimposed weight.
These bars are flat on one side and round on the
other; similar bricks (but broken) had been noticed
by Professor Petrie at Naqada, but their use was
not known. One of the longest of these measured
28 inches. The whole rested upon a prepared clay-
bed, and was surrounded by a wall of fire-brick of
ordinary character. It seems probable that the
obvious explanation is correct: that the fire was
placed between the bars below for the purpose of
baking the pot that rested above. Possibly there
was a roof to the kiln, but it had been destroyed.
The kiln proved to lie in the corner of a group
arranged somewhat regularly together, though all
appeared to be independent, and not merely parts of
a common furnace. Several other isolated examples,
and groups of two and three, were found near, but
were in bad preservation. The large pot could not
be removed, being already broken and not thoroughly
baked ; so the whole kiln was carefully covered over,
and the authorities of the museum informed of its
position. A similar large pot, well baked, but un-
fortunately cracked, was found in the settlement. It
was of unusual size, being 4 feet 6 inches high, and
it was indented along the rim with regular rectangular
indentations like that which was in the kiln.
22. The flint objects found within the area of this
settlement possess some special features of interest.
As may be seen by a glance at the plate, there are
two distinct types, which in Europe would be named
Palaeolithic and Neolithic respectively. On PL. III.
is figured a group of the finer-worked examples from
the point S 2 of the settlement. These include pieces
of knives and cutting implements, some saw-edged
pieces, and portions of bracelets. Two other kinds
require special consideration. The one is a round
flint, somewhat thick, worked down nearly all round
to a fine cutting edge on one side only; two examples
are shown on the right hand of this photograph ;
another, of rougher sort, appears on Pl. V. in the last
photograph on the left hand at the bottom from the
site S 1. The other is the arrow or lance-head, of
which several varieties are shown in the photograph.
It has a double barb only. In the adjoining photo-
graph of clay models from a tomb of the cemetery at
Alawniyeh are shown some models in unbaked clay
of the identical form. There can remain no longer
any doubt as to the real pre-dynastic character of
these flint-heads.
Turning now to Pl. V., there are three groups of
flints selected for illustration from the great quantity
that were found as representatives in the main of the
different classes which they typify. Perhaps the best
series is that of the Flint Hoes, unfortunately photo-
graphed on a scale somewhat too small. There is
one of these in particular, now in the Pitt-Rivers
Museum, which is noteworthy ; it is shown in the
centre of the bottom row. One side, on the upper
half, has received and retained a remarkable polish,
as by long-continued friction with a non-gritty earth.
The action of sand alone (says Mr. Balfour) would
not have created such perfect smoothness. The other
side, at the same end, has a polish not so marked ;
while the other end is hardly smoothed at all, having