DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4142#0011
DEIR EL BAHARI.
PLATES I
THE NICHE IN
Niche in the Northern Wall op the Vestibule to
the Altar Court. This niche was reconstructed by
Mr. John B. Newberry in 1894. The colouring of the
figures is still very vivid, and the reconstruction illus-
trates well the degree of success, which can be reason-
ably expected in attempts to repair ancient sculptured
walls after once they have fallen to ruin, or have been
destroyed intentionally. All the, original stones are
now in their original places, and the bas-reliefs have
been rendered intelligible once more. But the diffi-
culty of finding masons in modern Egypt, who can
lay stones with as much accuracy as their forefathers,
coupled with the ragged condition of the edges of the
blocks, necessitates a use of cement, which to a certain
extent mars the pictoi'ial effect.
There were a great number of such niches in the
temple, and a good many have been preserved. They
are all exactly on the same plan. Each was once
closed by a door, whose hinge and bolt holes are still
visible in many cases, and each probably contained
a statue of the lea of the individual to whom the
niche was consecrated. The niches are to the temple
chambers what the serddb is to the tomb, and they bear
representations of all that was necessary to the life of
the lea. As M. Maspero has conclusively shown, the
lea being the Double, the image of the deceased, its
life could be maintained by the images or Doubles of
food; the lea was satisfied with pictures or models of
bread, wine and meat, and the pictorial representation
of feasts and ceremonies. This fact explains the
presence in these niches of long lists of offerings
and of pictures of altars laden with provisions, whose
originals were not actually presented to the deceased.
A priest makes the offerings, and the formula is
identical with that in use on funerary stelae.
All the niches of the temple bear the same kind of
sculptures. The most important representation is that
on the end wall, where a king, or more often the queen
II. AND IV.
THE VESTIBULE.
in the guise of a man, is seen standing in the presence
of one or two deities. In the niche of the Vestibule
and the niches in the Altar Court the figure of the
queen is always erased, so that nothing remains except
the vestiges of her cartouche. On the side walls the
individual to whom the niche is dedicated is seen
seated before an altar, and offerings are presented to
him by a priest.
Plate III.—End Wall of the Niche. The god
Amon is seen standing alone, but originally he faced
the queen, whose figure is completely erased. Part
of the cartouche is preserved, together with the
formula engraved behind the queen (see pi. ii.), saying
that " protection, life, stability, purity, are behind
her for ever." Several of the signs inscribed behind
Amon are defaced, but the sentence evidently reads :
" I will give thee all life which is within me, all health
which is within me ; thy joy is for ever."
Plate IV.—Western side oe the Nichk. The figure
of the queen is well preserved, and is remarkable
for its vivid colouring. She is represented as a
bearded man seated upon a throne, her right hand
is extended towards an altar of offerings, her left
holds a kind of knot, the symbolical meaning of
which is not yet well determined. Over her head
is the vulture of Upper Egypt. Her cartouche is
imperfectly erased ; she is called
1 I 2 (MMJAf
neter nefer nebt to-ui Bamalca tu aii/c/i
the good god the lady of the two lands Ramaka living,
au ab-s
her joy
o
Ra
Ea
md zetto
like for ever
On the left of the altar was a list of offering
identical with those of the west side.
PLATES V.-VII.
THE WESTERN NICHE OF THE ALTAR COURT.
Plate V.—End Wall. This scene is very different
from what it was when first sculptured. Originally
the queen stood between Horus and Amon Ea; but
the scene has suffered two erasures—first at the hands
of Thothmes III., who destroyed the cartouche of the
queen, and afterwards another much more complete at
the hands of Khuenaten, who obliterated both figure
and name of the god Amon. Afterwards, probably
HHMHHpp
^_-
PLATES I
THE NICHE IN
Niche in the Northern Wall op the Vestibule to
the Altar Court. This niche was reconstructed by
Mr. John B. Newberry in 1894. The colouring of the
figures is still very vivid, and the reconstruction illus-
trates well the degree of success, which can be reason-
ably expected in attempts to repair ancient sculptured
walls after once they have fallen to ruin, or have been
destroyed intentionally. All the, original stones are
now in their original places, and the bas-reliefs have
been rendered intelligible once more. But the diffi-
culty of finding masons in modern Egypt, who can
lay stones with as much accuracy as their forefathers,
coupled with the ragged condition of the edges of the
blocks, necessitates a use of cement, which to a certain
extent mars the pictoi'ial effect.
There were a great number of such niches in the
temple, and a good many have been preserved. They
are all exactly on the same plan. Each was once
closed by a door, whose hinge and bolt holes are still
visible in many cases, and each probably contained
a statue of the lea of the individual to whom the
niche was consecrated. The niches are to the temple
chambers what the serddb is to the tomb, and they bear
representations of all that was necessary to the life of
the lea. As M. Maspero has conclusively shown, the
lea being the Double, the image of the deceased, its
life could be maintained by the images or Doubles of
food; the lea was satisfied with pictures or models of
bread, wine and meat, and the pictorial representation
of feasts and ceremonies. This fact explains the
presence in these niches of long lists of offerings
and of pictures of altars laden with provisions, whose
originals were not actually presented to the deceased.
A priest makes the offerings, and the formula is
identical with that in use on funerary stelae.
All the niches of the temple bear the same kind of
sculptures. The most important representation is that
on the end wall, where a king, or more often the queen
II. AND IV.
THE VESTIBULE.
in the guise of a man, is seen standing in the presence
of one or two deities. In the niche of the Vestibule
and the niches in the Altar Court the figure of the
queen is always erased, so that nothing remains except
the vestiges of her cartouche. On the side walls the
individual to whom the niche is dedicated is seen
seated before an altar, and offerings are presented to
him by a priest.
Plate III.—End Wall of the Niche. The god
Amon is seen standing alone, but originally he faced
the queen, whose figure is completely erased. Part
of the cartouche is preserved, together with the
formula engraved behind the queen (see pi. ii.), saying
that " protection, life, stability, purity, are behind
her for ever." Several of the signs inscribed behind
Amon are defaced, but the sentence evidently reads :
" I will give thee all life which is within me, all health
which is within me ; thy joy is for ever."
Plate IV.—Western side oe the Nichk. The figure
of the queen is well preserved, and is remarkable
for its vivid colouring. She is represented as a
bearded man seated upon a throne, her right hand
is extended towards an altar of offerings, her left
holds a kind of knot, the symbolical meaning of
which is not yet well determined. Over her head
is the vulture of Upper Egypt. Her cartouche is
imperfectly erased ; she is called
1 I 2 (MMJAf
neter nefer nebt to-ui Bamalca tu aii/c/i
the good god the lady of the two lands Ramaka living,
au ab-s
her joy
o
Ra
Ea
md zetto
like for ever
On the left of the altar was a list of offering
identical with those of the west side.
PLATES V.-VII.
THE WESTERN NICHE OF THE ALTAR COURT.
Plate V.—End Wall. This scene is very different
from what it was when first sculptured. Originally
the queen stood between Horus and Amon Ea; but
the scene has suffered two erasures—first at the hands
of Thothmes III., who destroyed the cartouche of the
queen, and afterwards another much more complete at
the hands of Khuenaten, who obliterated both figure
and name of the god Amon. Afterwards, probably
HHMHHpp
^_-