DOI Heft:
Egypt
DOI Artikel:Daszewski, Wiktor Andrzej: Marina el-Alamein: excavations 1997
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.41242#0065
wooden (?) tenons. While it is impossible to be absolutely certain
about the purpose of this arrangement, it could be argued that the
tenons were part of a lamp-stand structure that was used during
banquets or supported trays. Nonetheless, the proof for such
a hypothesis is lacking.
A door in the rear (southern) wall of the banquet-room
(1.10 m across) gave access to a corridor (1. 1.60 m; w. 1.30 m)
which led to staircase (1. 9.00 m) that was roofed over with long
limestone blocks. Some of these beam-like blocks are still
preserved in place. Others, mostly broken, were found in the fill
inside and outside the corridor's wall. Yet another door was found,
opening off the east wall of the corridor just behind the south wall
of the banquet-room. This side door (w. 0.80 m) was blocked with
blocks, both rough and dressed, at a later point in the tomb's use.
The staircase, which is hewn in bedrock with the upper parts
made of masonry, leads down to a rectangular open-air court
(1. 5.45 m; w. 4.80 m; h. ca. 7 m) that was also cut in the rock in the
lower parts. A protective masonry shaft of an estimated height of
3 m encircled the courtyard, rising some 1.5 m above the ground
level of the time. The walls of this shaft, set upon bedrock, were
supposed to prevent sand from filling the court below. Sand which
had accumulated against the walls of this shaft over the ages
eventually led to parts of the structure collapsing into the courtyard.
A section of the wall which was found lying to the south of the
tomb was knocked down presumably during an earth tremor. It may
be taken for granted that a square altar is found in the middle of the
court, as was the case in the other tombs of this type, but the lower
part of the court was left unexcavated, covered with sand to protect
the structure.
A huge rock-cut funerary chamber is entered through a high
rectangular opening in the south wall of the courtyard (1.60 m).
The chamber is rectangular (1. 6.30 m; w. 5.70 m; h. 4.50 m).
A large transversal loculus was cut in the center of the south wall
63
about the purpose of this arrangement, it could be argued that the
tenons were part of a lamp-stand structure that was used during
banquets or supported trays. Nonetheless, the proof for such
a hypothesis is lacking.
A door in the rear (southern) wall of the banquet-room
(1.10 m across) gave access to a corridor (1. 1.60 m; w. 1.30 m)
which led to staircase (1. 9.00 m) that was roofed over with long
limestone blocks. Some of these beam-like blocks are still
preserved in place. Others, mostly broken, were found in the fill
inside and outside the corridor's wall. Yet another door was found,
opening off the east wall of the corridor just behind the south wall
of the banquet-room. This side door (w. 0.80 m) was blocked with
blocks, both rough and dressed, at a later point in the tomb's use.
The staircase, which is hewn in bedrock with the upper parts
made of masonry, leads down to a rectangular open-air court
(1. 5.45 m; w. 4.80 m; h. ca. 7 m) that was also cut in the rock in the
lower parts. A protective masonry shaft of an estimated height of
3 m encircled the courtyard, rising some 1.5 m above the ground
level of the time. The walls of this shaft, set upon bedrock, were
supposed to prevent sand from filling the court below. Sand which
had accumulated against the walls of this shaft over the ages
eventually led to parts of the structure collapsing into the courtyard.
A section of the wall which was found lying to the south of the
tomb was knocked down presumably during an earth tremor. It may
be taken for granted that a square altar is found in the middle of the
court, as was the case in the other tombs of this type, but the lower
part of the court was left unexcavated, covered with sand to protect
the structure.
A huge rock-cut funerary chamber is entered through a high
rectangular opening in the south wall of the courtyard (1.60 m).
The chamber is rectangular (1. 6.30 m; w. 5.70 m; h. 4.50 m).
A large transversal loculus was cut in the center of the south wall
63