DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.410#0021
CHAP. I.—SAN BEFORE THE EMPIRE.
11
ment. The cause of this is not hard to see;
they were a race who only held the Delta, and
occasionally more or less of middle Eg}Tpt. They
had no command of the red granite quarries of
Assuan, which were retained by the crippled
power of the native rulers ; and hence the black
granite was the only hard material accessible to
them. Whether it came from Sinai, or from
the Hammamat district is not certain. Signor
Lanzone assured me that he had seen the quarries
of black granite in the Wady Hammamat; but it
seems more probable that the Hyksos Would
obtain their stone from a district over which they
had more control in Sinai.
The most peculiar monument of this people is
the group of two men, with bushy plaited hair and
long beards; they stand with a tray of offerings in
front of them, on which lie fishes, with papyrus
plants hanging around. The details are beauti-
fully worked, the flowers and buds being most
delicately wrought. Pisebkhanu afterwards ap-
propriated this monument, which came from the
southern side of the axis of the temple, and is
now in Bulak. A similar group existed on the
northern side, and fragments of it remain
there. The other Hyksos remains of Tanis are
the black granite sphinxes. These have been
often described, and further details are hardly
needed. They have the flat, massive, muscular,
lowering face, with short whiskers and beard
around it, the lips being shaven; and the hair
is in a mat of thick short locks descending over
the whole chest, a style copied from the great
sphinxes of the twelfth dynasty. There are at
Bulak parts of two sphinxes, one nearly complete,
and of the other only the fore-part. These have
erased Hyksos inscriptions on the right shoulders,
inscriptions of Merenptah also on the shoulders;
an inscription of Bamessu on the front of the base,
and of Merenptah on the side of the base; and
an inscription of Pisebkhanu on the chests of both.
At San, in a group (PI. xiii. 5) on the north side of
the axis of the temple, there remains the fore-part
of a sphinx, with erased Hyksos inscription on the
shoulder (Plan, 72); inscription of Kamessu II.
on the front of the base (28 b), and on the left
side (28 e) ; names of Merenptah on the right
shoulder (28 d) and on the left (28 e) ; while on
the chest Pisebkhanu cut his name and titles in
very good style (28 c). The fore-part of a second
(Plan, 71) has inscriptions on the shoulders and
chest almost the same as on the last (29 a and
29 b), and on the left side of the base the inscrip-
tion 29 c. Part of a base of the fore-quarters
of a third (Plan, 74) has on the front the same
inscription as 28 b, but reversed, and on the left
side 30 b, while the chest is the same as 28 c.
The hind-quarters of a fourth sphinx, or' of the
third previous (Plan, 73), has the inscription 31 a.
On the south side of the axis is another group of
sphinxes; a front and back, apparently belonging
together (Plan, 60), have the inscription 26 a on
the side and back, and 26 b on the chest; show-
ing that it was first inscribed by Bamessu II.,
next by his son Merenptah (who with filial dis-
respect has partly erased his father's name, and
left the work unfinished), and finally by Piseb-
khanu. Of the other sphinx here there are several
pieces (Plan, 61), which seem to belong together;
the inscriptions are, on the hind-quarters, 27 c on
the side, and 27 b on the back; and on the fore-
quarters, 27 a on the base, 27 d on the right
shoulder, 27 e on the left, 27 f on the chest, and
27 g on the remainder of the right shoulder.
There are but few Hyksos monuments found
elsewhere than at San. At Ismailiyeh are some
sphinxes found at Tell Maskhuta, during the
canal workings; these are of Hyksos work, in
the same dark grey granite, and of the same style,
as at San. One of these is perfect; but it has
not only been appropriated by Kamessu II., but
the head has been re-cut, and a Ramesside head
of very good style, but too small for the body,
has been carved out of the old massive Hyksos
head : also the bushy wig and matted hair on the
chest, so typical of the hated race, has been care-
fully removed, leaving only a slightly rougher
surface. The sphinxes found with this have been
c 2
11
ment. The cause of this is not hard to see;
they were a race who only held the Delta, and
occasionally more or less of middle Eg}Tpt. They
had no command of the red granite quarries of
Assuan, which were retained by the crippled
power of the native rulers ; and hence the black
granite was the only hard material accessible to
them. Whether it came from Sinai, or from
the Hammamat district is not certain. Signor
Lanzone assured me that he had seen the quarries
of black granite in the Wady Hammamat; but it
seems more probable that the Hyksos Would
obtain their stone from a district over which they
had more control in Sinai.
The most peculiar monument of this people is
the group of two men, with bushy plaited hair and
long beards; they stand with a tray of offerings in
front of them, on which lie fishes, with papyrus
plants hanging around. The details are beauti-
fully worked, the flowers and buds being most
delicately wrought. Pisebkhanu afterwards ap-
propriated this monument, which came from the
southern side of the axis of the temple, and is
now in Bulak. A similar group existed on the
northern side, and fragments of it remain
there. The other Hyksos remains of Tanis are
the black granite sphinxes. These have been
often described, and further details are hardly
needed. They have the flat, massive, muscular,
lowering face, with short whiskers and beard
around it, the lips being shaven; and the hair
is in a mat of thick short locks descending over
the whole chest, a style copied from the great
sphinxes of the twelfth dynasty. There are at
Bulak parts of two sphinxes, one nearly complete,
and of the other only the fore-part. These have
erased Hyksos inscriptions on the right shoulders,
inscriptions of Merenptah also on the shoulders;
an inscription of Bamessu on the front of the base,
and of Merenptah on the side of the base; and
an inscription of Pisebkhanu on the chests of both.
At San, in a group (PI. xiii. 5) on the north side of
the axis of the temple, there remains the fore-part
of a sphinx, with erased Hyksos inscription on the
shoulder (Plan, 72); inscription of Kamessu II.
on the front of the base (28 b), and on the left
side (28 e) ; names of Merenptah on the right
shoulder (28 d) and on the left (28 e) ; while on
the chest Pisebkhanu cut his name and titles in
very good style (28 c). The fore-part of a second
(Plan, 71) has inscriptions on the shoulders and
chest almost the same as on the last (29 a and
29 b), and on the left side of the base the inscrip-
tion 29 c. Part of a base of the fore-quarters
of a third (Plan, 74) has on the front the same
inscription as 28 b, but reversed, and on the left
side 30 b, while the chest is the same as 28 c.
The hind-quarters of a fourth sphinx, or' of the
third previous (Plan, 73), has the inscription 31 a.
On the south side of the axis is another group of
sphinxes; a front and back, apparently belonging
together (Plan, 60), have the inscription 26 a on
the side and back, and 26 b on the chest; show-
ing that it was first inscribed by Bamessu II.,
next by his son Merenptah (who with filial dis-
respect has partly erased his father's name, and
left the work unfinished), and finally by Piseb-
khanu. Of the other sphinx here there are several
pieces (Plan, 61), which seem to belong together;
the inscriptions are, on the hind-quarters, 27 c on
the side, and 27 b on the back; and on the fore-
quarters, 27 a on the base, 27 d on the right
shoulder, 27 e on the left, 27 f on the chest, and
27 g on the remainder of the right shoulder.
There are but few Hyksos monuments found
elsewhere than at San. At Ismailiyeh are some
sphinxes found at Tell Maskhuta, during the
canal workings; these are of Hyksos work, in
the same dark grey granite, and of the same style,
as at San. One of these is perfect; but it has
not only been appropriated by Kamessu II., but
the head has been re-cut, and a Ramesside head
of very good style, but too small for the body,
has been carved out of the old massive Hyksos
head : also the bushy wig and matted hair on the
chest, so typical of the hated race, has been care-
fully removed, leaving only a slightly rougher
surface. The sphinxes found with this have been
c 2