DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4657#0020
THE TOMBS.
IS
the photographs shown on PL. XXIV. The sides of
both passages are cut down at a slight slope, which
becomes conspicuous as the shafts deepen.
44. In the tomb K 3 there are three chambers:
two open out from the passage which leads from the
door, and were found to contain vases and tables of
alabaster, pottery, and some copper implements, of
the types illustrated. The third chamber was larger,
formed by the widening out of the passage at its end,
and, as in the tomb K 2, was on the western side.
This was the burial chamber: a small recess had
been cut in the floor to receive the coffin, which had
apparently been of wood, but was destroyed. The
bones and skull of the burial remained in fair pre-
servation. The furniture of this tomb was chiefly
remarkable for the unusual size of some of the vessels
and tables of offerings ; an example of each kind is
outlined, the former on PL. XXVIL, No. 14, and the
latter on Pl. XXIX., No. 6.
In the other tomb, K 4, there was a slight differ-
ence in the arrangement of the chambers, but the
same general plan was carried out. Within these
were three small recesses for offerings, and the burial
chamber opened out in a similar situation beyond.
A single sealing of rough characters only was legible,
giving reference to the King Neter-Khet.
45. Of the bones recovered from the tomb K 3,
the measures of which have already been tabulated in
section 42, Dr. C. S. Myers writes :—
"The skull is intact save for a broken mandible
and left pterion, and the loss of teeth. It is capacious,
but somewhat lightly built. It is of the forma beloides
(Sergi) in vertical view. The frontal region is very
narrow, the parietal region is correspondingly broad
between the eminences. In side view the frontal
eminences are strongly developed; between them
and the well marked glabella is an obvious depres-
sion. Ill-defmed supra-orbital ridges are present over
the inner third of the orbits. From the glabella the
profile line passes without sensible depression down
to the nasion. The nasal bones are short, and highly
concave. The nasal spine is moderately developed.
The face is orthognathous. The temporal crests are
very faintly marked. The mastoid processes are of
average size. The profile curve is long and low,
taking an almost vertical direction below the parietal
foramina down to 25 m.m. below the lambda, whence
it passes in a long straight line downwards and for-
wards. The pterion on each side is in H. Seen from
behind, the parietal eminences are high, large, and
round, giving the norma occipitalis a rounded pen-
tagonal shape. The parieto-occipital sutures, like the
anterior part of the interparietal suture, are very
complicated. The superior nuchal line is exceedingly
prominent, terminating at its middle in a projecting
spur. Seen from below, the skull presents unusually
deep depressions behind the occipital condyles. The
inter-maxillary and palato-maxillary sutures are open;
the basi-sphenoid suture is closed. The third right
upper molar is just appearing ; the corresponding left
upper molar is absent. All the remaining molars and
two left upper bicuspids are present. From in front
the forehead appears high, full, but narrow. The
nasal bones are very narrow, rounded, and somewhat
fiat. The lower margins of the nasal apertures are
well defined. The cheek-bones are small and widely
set;' the zygomatic arches are not powerfully de-
veloped. The mandible is a slight, weakly-ridged
bone."
46. The remaining one of these three tombs,
number K 5, is situated apart, somewhat conspicu-
ously upon the plain, between the group of tombs
and the cultivation. It is in every way larger than
the group of tombs K 3, K 4, covering an area almost
as great as that of Hen-Nekht, K 2, and in several
parts of its construction showing features of interest
not preserved by any of the others. Like the other
private tombs, the descent to its chambers was
straight, or that portion of it which may have existed
in the superstructure had been denuded. It consisted
of two flights of stairs, with a horizontal footway in
the middle, the portion marked be in the section AB
on Pl. XXV. The sides of the passage were strongly
walled with brick to a depth of about 10 feet, to
support a roof which had covered its whole length.
In the course of time this had collapsed, and its
bricks were found lying upon the floor of the passage.
Sufficient remained, however, of the courses from
which it sprang, to show the manner in which it had
been constructed; a photograph is reproduced on
Pl. XXIV. It was built on the principle of the
false arch, of overhanging bricks, the opposite sides
supporting one another when united by mutual
pressure.
47. As usual, a large stone protected the doorway.
It was avoided on this occasion by forcing an entrance
from above it, a course which the nature of the desert
did not permit in all cases. The chambers within
were found to have been anciently plundered by a
vertical hole sunk from above. [The same course is
found to have been taken in some of the tombs in the
necropolis of this period at Reqaqnah, some two
IS
the photographs shown on PL. XXIV. The sides of
both passages are cut down at a slight slope, which
becomes conspicuous as the shafts deepen.
44. In the tomb K 3 there are three chambers:
two open out from the passage which leads from the
door, and were found to contain vases and tables of
alabaster, pottery, and some copper implements, of
the types illustrated. The third chamber was larger,
formed by the widening out of the passage at its end,
and, as in the tomb K 2, was on the western side.
This was the burial chamber: a small recess had
been cut in the floor to receive the coffin, which had
apparently been of wood, but was destroyed. The
bones and skull of the burial remained in fair pre-
servation. The furniture of this tomb was chiefly
remarkable for the unusual size of some of the vessels
and tables of offerings ; an example of each kind is
outlined, the former on PL. XXVIL, No. 14, and the
latter on Pl. XXIX., No. 6.
In the other tomb, K 4, there was a slight differ-
ence in the arrangement of the chambers, but the
same general plan was carried out. Within these
were three small recesses for offerings, and the burial
chamber opened out in a similar situation beyond.
A single sealing of rough characters only was legible,
giving reference to the King Neter-Khet.
45. Of the bones recovered from the tomb K 3,
the measures of which have already been tabulated in
section 42, Dr. C. S. Myers writes :—
"The skull is intact save for a broken mandible
and left pterion, and the loss of teeth. It is capacious,
but somewhat lightly built. It is of the forma beloides
(Sergi) in vertical view. The frontal region is very
narrow, the parietal region is correspondingly broad
between the eminences. In side view the frontal
eminences are strongly developed; between them
and the well marked glabella is an obvious depres-
sion. Ill-defmed supra-orbital ridges are present over
the inner third of the orbits. From the glabella the
profile line passes without sensible depression down
to the nasion. The nasal bones are short, and highly
concave. The nasal spine is moderately developed.
The face is orthognathous. The temporal crests are
very faintly marked. The mastoid processes are of
average size. The profile curve is long and low,
taking an almost vertical direction below the parietal
foramina down to 25 m.m. below the lambda, whence
it passes in a long straight line downwards and for-
wards. The pterion on each side is in H. Seen from
behind, the parietal eminences are high, large, and
round, giving the norma occipitalis a rounded pen-
tagonal shape. The parieto-occipital sutures, like the
anterior part of the interparietal suture, are very
complicated. The superior nuchal line is exceedingly
prominent, terminating at its middle in a projecting
spur. Seen from below, the skull presents unusually
deep depressions behind the occipital condyles. The
inter-maxillary and palato-maxillary sutures are open;
the basi-sphenoid suture is closed. The third right
upper molar is just appearing ; the corresponding left
upper molar is absent. All the remaining molars and
two left upper bicuspids are present. From in front
the forehead appears high, full, but narrow. The
nasal bones are very narrow, rounded, and somewhat
fiat. The lower margins of the nasal apertures are
well defined. The cheek-bones are small and widely
set;' the zygomatic arches are not powerfully de-
veloped. The mandible is a slight, weakly-ridged
bone."
46. The remaining one of these three tombs,
number K 5, is situated apart, somewhat conspicu-
ously upon the plain, between the group of tombs
and the cultivation. It is in every way larger than
the group of tombs K 3, K 4, covering an area almost
as great as that of Hen-Nekht, K 2, and in several
parts of its construction showing features of interest
not preserved by any of the others. Like the other
private tombs, the descent to its chambers was
straight, or that portion of it which may have existed
in the superstructure had been denuded. It consisted
of two flights of stairs, with a horizontal footway in
the middle, the portion marked be in the section AB
on Pl. XXV. The sides of the passage were strongly
walled with brick to a depth of about 10 feet, to
support a roof which had covered its whole length.
In the course of time this had collapsed, and its
bricks were found lying upon the floor of the passage.
Sufficient remained, however, of the courses from
which it sprang, to show the manner in which it had
been constructed; a photograph is reproduced on
Pl. XXIV. It was built on the principle of the
false arch, of overhanging bricks, the opposite sides
supporting one another when united by mutual
pressure.
47. As usual, a large stone protected the doorway.
It was avoided on this occasion by forcing an entrance
from above it, a course which the nature of the desert
did not permit in all cases. The chambers within
were found to have been anciently plundered by a
vertical hole sunk from above. [The same course is
found to have been taken in some of the tombs in the
necropolis of this period at Reqaqnah, some two