DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.6641#0059
ANTIQUITIES EKOM THE TUMULI.
In III. 5, bricks were arched over a child's body without
coffin.
In the vast majority of cases the body was placed with its
ornaments in a cylindrical coffin, being introduced through
an opening at tli3 head, which was afterwards closed by a
movable face-piece, on which the features were more or less
rudely represented. The coffin was then enclosed by a single
row of bricks laid on edge, and others arched over the top in
pairs, small vases or bronze vessels being inserted in the
arch. Bronze implements, food vessels, and wine-flasks were
placed in order round the grave, and the whole was covered
with sand and blocks of stone.
In III. 21, an exceptional interment, there were no
bricks.
In II. the stones held together by mud were used instead
of bricks. All the coffins of adults had been opened by
people who were in the secret, knowing what was worth
rifling, where they would find the coffins, and what was the
best place for opening them. The robbers removed a few
bricks at the head, broke out half the face-piece, snatched
the valuables from the breast, neck, and fingers, and left the
rest in some disorder. Sand and stones fell into the coffin
through the hole which they had made; otherwise it was
empty, except that a few bones remained, and occasionally a
careful search produced a scarab that had been overlooked.
In only two or three instances had the robbers opened the
coffin over the breast, and never at the foot.
The bones were in an extremely friable state, and I saved
only one skull in fair condition. It is now in the Natural
History Museum at South Kensington. The legs and body
were generally left inside the coffin, but the skull in several
cases had been wrenched off and lay outside. This shows
that the rifling took place after the body had decayed, per-
haps in the XXIInd dynasty. I much doubt whether the
bodies had been mummified, the painted and moulded coffin
offering a cheaper substitute.
At Nebesheh the mummies of the fifth to third centuries
B.C. were easily recognizable, or even fairly well preserved,
but much depends on the nature of the ground.
45
Pottery.
Each coffin, including the head-piece, seemed to have been
made in one piece, through the foot, which was closed up after-
wards. The head-piece was clearly sliced out of the coffin after
it had been formed, aiid thus fitted exactly. A small round
hole was pierced at the head and foot.
The coffins of adults varied in length and girth to some
extent. An average measurement was 6ft. 6in. long by 1ft.
8in. broad. Many of them were unpainted, the pottery
having a whitish surface. Most were painted on the front
half only, in three colours, red, yellow, and black ; some in
four, adding blue. Of the four colours there were instances
in II., III., and IV.
The pattern was the same on all, as far as it could be
traced, and was an imitation of the bands of a mummy car-
tonnage. On the breast there was generally a winged figure
kneeling; between the legs ran a line of blundered hierogly-
phics, intended to represent a common formula, with the name
of the deceased (in one case,in tumulus III.,it was written quite
legibly, fed an ama^l %er Asar mad yeru . . . mad yeru,
the name unfortunately being left blank). On each side of
this strip were four or five seated deities, including Thoth,
and the four genii, separated by bands, on which
occurred, with more sham hieroglyphics.1 The back of the
coffin was always plain. The colours and designs were sel-
dom in an intelligible state, especially from the breast
upwards.
The heads varied considerably. Sometimes the whole
face, sometimes only the most prominent features, were added
in separate lumps of clay to the curved surface. Painted
stucco was occasionally used to complete them. Apparently
all the coffins had the moulded face-pieces, but they were
generally opened at that place by the robbers and the
fragments of the face-pieces were scattered. Those that
belonged to painted coffins were also painted, one having a
lotus flower over the forehead. Moulded earrings,
crossed arms, &c, were sometimes added.
Most of the coffins were accompanied by vases; of these
a sufficient number of perfect specimens were found to give
a good series of types.
Two small fragments were of the blue-painted red pottery
that occurs at Hajj Qandil, Qurneh, and other sites of the
XVIIIth to XlXth dynasties.
The remainder was of a plain red, yellowish, or whitish
ware, with a fine and sometimes polished surface. Sometimes
deep red staining was employed to give a broad edging to jars
and platters of pale reddish ware, and brownish lines were
painted on the pilgrim bottles.
The large pottery was placed outside the grave, the
smaller pieces were laid inside the coffin, or in the brick arch
over it, or at the head outside, if the latter position was not
due to the robbers.
PI. xiv. 3, heart-shaped, from VI., one only.
4, from VI., IV. 3, &c, several.
5, many, generally near the foot. On emptying them a
quantity of decayed vegetable matter was invariably found
at the bottom, in the middle of which was a bronze rasp or
grater. In III. 2, marked with a rude C > another has a
-f on the handle.
6, usually in pairs near the head, one of them being closed
by a small platter. Varied considerably in shape. The
specimen figured is a fine type, coloured red, from III. 10.
7 may be considered an extreme variety of 6. It is
yellowish brown, polished, and with red bands painted round
the neck and upper part, from IV. 3.
The above, I suppose, are food jars.
9. Two specimens, one from IV. 4, with an inscription,
1 M. Naville, however, would seem to have detected a
proper name, where I could only recognize blundered formulse
followed by the
name
of Osiris and other
divinities.
In III. 5, bricks were arched over a child's body without
coffin.
In the vast majority of cases the body was placed with its
ornaments in a cylindrical coffin, being introduced through
an opening at tli3 head, which was afterwards closed by a
movable face-piece, on which the features were more or less
rudely represented. The coffin was then enclosed by a single
row of bricks laid on edge, and others arched over the top in
pairs, small vases or bronze vessels being inserted in the
arch. Bronze implements, food vessels, and wine-flasks were
placed in order round the grave, and the whole was covered
with sand and blocks of stone.
In III. 21, an exceptional interment, there were no
bricks.
In II. the stones held together by mud were used instead
of bricks. All the coffins of adults had been opened by
people who were in the secret, knowing what was worth
rifling, where they would find the coffins, and what was the
best place for opening them. The robbers removed a few
bricks at the head, broke out half the face-piece, snatched
the valuables from the breast, neck, and fingers, and left the
rest in some disorder. Sand and stones fell into the coffin
through the hole which they had made; otherwise it was
empty, except that a few bones remained, and occasionally a
careful search produced a scarab that had been overlooked.
In only two or three instances had the robbers opened the
coffin over the breast, and never at the foot.
The bones were in an extremely friable state, and I saved
only one skull in fair condition. It is now in the Natural
History Museum at South Kensington. The legs and body
were generally left inside the coffin, but the skull in several
cases had been wrenched off and lay outside. This shows
that the rifling took place after the body had decayed, per-
haps in the XXIInd dynasty. I much doubt whether the
bodies had been mummified, the painted and moulded coffin
offering a cheaper substitute.
At Nebesheh the mummies of the fifth to third centuries
B.C. were easily recognizable, or even fairly well preserved,
but much depends on the nature of the ground.
45
Pottery.
Each coffin, including the head-piece, seemed to have been
made in one piece, through the foot, which was closed up after-
wards. The head-piece was clearly sliced out of the coffin after
it had been formed, aiid thus fitted exactly. A small round
hole was pierced at the head and foot.
The coffins of adults varied in length and girth to some
extent. An average measurement was 6ft. 6in. long by 1ft.
8in. broad. Many of them were unpainted, the pottery
having a whitish surface. Most were painted on the front
half only, in three colours, red, yellow, and black ; some in
four, adding blue. Of the four colours there were instances
in II., III., and IV.
The pattern was the same on all, as far as it could be
traced, and was an imitation of the bands of a mummy car-
tonnage. On the breast there was generally a winged figure
kneeling; between the legs ran a line of blundered hierogly-
phics, intended to represent a common formula, with the name
of the deceased (in one case,in tumulus III.,it was written quite
legibly, fed an ama^l %er Asar mad yeru . . . mad yeru,
the name unfortunately being left blank). On each side of
this strip were four or five seated deities, including Thoth,
and the four genii, separated by bands, on which
occurred, with more sham hieroglyphics.1 The back of the
coffin was always plain. The colours and designs were sel-
dom in an intelligible state, especially from the breast
upwards.
The heads varied considerably. Sometimes the whole
face, sometimes only the most prominent features, were added
in separate lumps of clay to the curved surface. Painted
stucco was occasionally used to complete them. Apparently
all the coffins had the moulded face-pieces, but they were
generally opened at that place by the robbers and the
fragments of the face-pieces were scattered. Those that
belonged to painted coffins were also painted, one having a
lotus flower over the forehead. Moulded earrings,
crossed arms, &c, were sometimes added.
Most of the coffins were accompanied by vases; of these
a sufficient number of perfect specimens were found to give
a good series of types.
Two small fragments were of the blue-painted red pottery
that occurs at Hajj Qandil, Qurneh, and other sites of the
XVIIIth to XlXth dynasties.
The remainder was of a plain red, yellowish, or whitish
ware, with a fine and sometimes polished surface. Sometimes
deep red staining was employed to give a broad edging to jars
and platters of pale reddish ware, and brownish lines were
painted on the pilgrim bottles.
The large pottery was placed outside the grave, the
smaller pieces were laid inside the coffin, or in the brick arch
over it, or at the head outside, if the latter position was not
due to the robbers.
PI. xiv. 3, heart-shaped, from VI., one only.
4, from VI., IV. 3, &c, several.
5, many, generally near the foot. On emptying them a
quantity of decayed vegetable matter was invariably found
at the bottom, in the middle of which was a bronze rasp or
grater. In III. 2, marked with a rude C > another has a
-f on the handle.
6, usually in pairs near the head, one of them being closed
by a small platter. Varied considerably in shape. The
specimen figured is a fine type, coloured red, from III. 10.
7 may be considered an extreme variety of 6. It is
yellowish brown, polished, and with red bands painted round
the neck and upper part, from IV. 3.
The above, I suppose, are food jars.
9. Two specimens, one from IV. 4, with an inscription,
1 M. Naville, however, would seem to have detected a
proper name, where I could only recognize blundered formulse
followed by the
name
of Osiris and other
divinities.