DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.6641#0043
tukh el
been found there. In this case, they spoke the
truth. There never was a more disappointing
Tell, in spite of its size and its promising appear-
ance. It consists of a large mound, which on all
sides is supported or enclosed by a very thick
brick wall. More than half the area on the eastern
side is high, and consists of the debris of ruined
buildings; but the high ground breaks away
abruptly in a straight line, and between the old
city and the western enclosure wall there is an
open space, now covered with grass. I at first
thought that it might be a cemetery; it may, at
all events, have been consecrated ground. The
temple itself was near tbe eastern wall; the
direction of the avenue leading to it is still dis-
cernible, as on both sides the buildings slope
down towards it.
The site of the temple was easy to recognize
owing to the great quantity of limestone chips,
indicating that this had been the site of a large
stone building, and also that lime-burning had
been very active. It had been only too active ;
everything is destroyed, and we did not find a
single stone monument. It is especially curious
that we failed to discover any fragment of hard
stone, statue, or tablet. The temple had evidently
not been remarkable for its size or its beauty.
Working on the principle of Mr. Petrie's fine
discovery, we looked at once for corner deposits.
It was not difficult to trace the foundation walls
in all their length. The rectangle which they
formed was about 200 feet by 100. Three of the
corners gave us deposits, or at least what remained
of them, for they had evidently been disturbed.
We found one small plaque of gold, another of
porcelain, and several of carnelian, but without
any sign or hieroglyph giving a date or a name.
karmus. 29
As deposits are sometimes found near the middle
of the temple, we cut a trench through the axis,
and we came quite unexpectedly on a large deposit.
I happened to arrive just at the moment when
the workmen had taken out a number of blue
porcelain saucers. I picked out the rest of them,
besides several pots of coarse red pottery, four
mortars, and four corn-rubbers, and some carnelian
pins. The saucers were thirty-two in number.
Still there was nothing which gave a clue to the
date. Seeing the reward given to his companions,
one of the workmen then brought us an enamel
plaque (plate VIII. b.) which came from there.
It is inscribed with the name of Philip Arrhidaeus.
Hence the temple of Tukh must be assigned to
a late date, and the time when it was built may
account for its having been so small and devoid
of ornament.
The place, after all, may not have been of
a sacred character. It somewhat resembles a
fortress, with its high walls, and the great number
of storehouses still standing. Some of these are
near the temple ; others are on the hill near the
entrance. They are curiously constructed. They
consist of a square chamber inside of which a round
one has been built. Though we cleared several
of them nearly to the bottom, nothing was
found except coarse pottery. Near the entrance
we found the most interesting object discovered at
Tukh; a large pottery vase in blue enamel, having
a hieratic inscription in black burnt into the paint,
and a figure of Harmakhis sculptured in relievo
(plate VIII). The vase, which is now at the Boolak
Museum, is above a foot high. There are some
curious errors in the signs, for instance in the
name of Osiris. The whole inscription reads as
follows: —
been found there. In this case, they spoke the
truth. There never was a more disappointing
Tell, in spite of its size and its promising appear-
ance. It consists of a large mound, which on all
sides is supported or enclosed by a very thick
brick wall. More than half the area on the eastern
side is high, and consists of the debris of ruined
buildings; but the high ground breaks away
abruptly in a straight line, and between the old
city and the western enclosure wall there is an
open space, now covered with grass. I at first
thought that it might be a cemetery; it may, at
all events, have been consecrated ground. The
temple itself was near tbe eastern wall; the
direction of the avenue leading to it is still dis-
cernible, as on both sides the buildings slope
down towards it.
The site of the temple was easy to recognize
owing to the great quantity of limestone chips,
indicating that this had been the site of a large
stone building, and also that lime-burning had
been very active. It had been only too active ;
everything is destroyed, and we did not find a
single stone monument. It is especially curious
that we failed to discover any fragment of hard
stone, statue, or tablet. The temple had evidently
not been remarkable for its size or its beauty.
Working on the principle of Mr. Petrie's fine
discovery, we looked at once for corner deposits.
It was not difficult to trace the foundation walls
in all their length. The rectangle which they
formed was about 200 feet by 100. Three of the
corners gave us deposits, or at least what remained
of them, for they had evidently been disturbed.
We found one small plaque of gold, another of
porcelain, and several of carnelian, but without
any sign or hieroglyph giving a date or a name.
karmus. 29
As deposits are sometimes found near the middle
of the temple, we cut a trench through the axis,
and we came quite unexpectedly on a large deposit.
I happened to arrive just at the moment when
the workmen had taken out a number of blue
porcelain saucers. I picked out the rest of them,
besides several pots of coarse red pottery, four
mortars, and four corn-rubbers, and some carnelian
pins. The saucers were thirty-two in number.
Still there was nothing which gave a clue to the
date. Seeing the reward given to his companions,
one of the workmen then brought us an enamel
plaque (plate VIII. b.) which came from there.
It is inscribed with the name of Philip Arrhidaeus.
Hence the temple of Tukh must be assigned to
a late date, and the time when it was built may
account for its having been so small and devoid
of ornament.
The place, after all, may not have been of
a sacred character. It somewhat resembles a
fortress, with its high walls, and the great number
of storehouses still standing. Some of these are
near the temple ; others are on the hill near the
entrance. They are curiously constructed. They
consist of a square chamber inside of which a round
one has been built. Though we cleared several
of them nearly to the bottom, nothing was
found except coarse pottery. Near the entrance
we found the most interesting object discovered at
Tukh; a large pottery vase in blue enamel, having
a hieratic inscription in black burnt into the paint,
and a figure of Harmakhis sculptured in relievo
(plate VIII). The vase, which is now at the Boolak
Museum, is above a foot high. There are some
curious errors in the signs, for instance in the
name of Osiris. The whole inscription reads as
follows: —