DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.619#0098
LEVELS AND MEASUREMENTS.
89
entered in the accompanying table, the levels being
all stated in British inches above an arbitrary
datum. The great beds of potters' rubbish, con-
sisting of burnt earth, on the N.E. of the town,
seem to have been thrown there in consequence
of that not being a populated part, as in those
beds below the top of them was found a Theban
coin of 300 B.C. at 370, which corresponds to the
level of tetradrachms of 460 B.C. in another part
of the E. side.
104. It should be noted that the tops of the well
mentioned in the first column are not the original
tops, but the highest part still existing. In the
second column the chip layer on which the second
temple of Apollo stands should not be compared
with the town levels, as it is really the height of
the old mound on which the first temple stood.
The old ground in the Apollo temenos is a valuable
datum, as it was a clear space kept dry and free
from mud-rubbish, on which wind-blown dust ac-
cumulated ; hence (barring any excavation before
the inclosure) it represents the original ground-
level when the first dedication of a temenos or
temple to Apollo took place. At the ordinary rate
of accumulation we should date the lowest traces
of human occupation here, the burnt ash and
bone, to 800 B.C.; but it is perhaps older still, as,
probably, the accumulation is mainly Nile deposit
which would throw its age back even a couple of
thousand years. But it is not a sign of a town or
site of importance, but only of poor habitations
here, which may have existed from the old dynas-
ties. The levels of the first burnt stratum vary-
rather, showing that there was an artificial differ-
ence of about two feet before the burning of the
town took place; thus it is highest at the southern
end, nearest the Great Temenos, and lower to the
north. In the last column, the Great Temenos,
the height of the building was only that which I
found on going there; it had probably been 200
or 300 ins. higher, and now it has been cut away
lower. The destroyed building is that which the
Arabs have cut away between the building of
chambers and the gateway. The ground level of
Ptolemy II. is that of the entrance to the building
in the gateway, which probably shows about the
level of his time. The addition walls are those
built around the chambered building at later times.
The base of the Ptolemaic gateway shows how
deep they dug for foundations for that building;
apparently about 4| feet. The level of the base
of the temenos wall varies, showing that it has
been built on partly artificial ground; much
higher base levels may be read in some of the
excavations, but remembering the additional walls
at a higher level around the great chambers, we
may rather suppose these to be later patchings
and mendings, like the others. The Ptolemaic
sand-bed is the layer placed beneath the foundation
stones of that building in the gateway, and shows
the deepest point disturbed by the Ptolemaic
founders. The base of the chambers in the great
mound would probably indicate the ground-level of
that period of their foundation, or a little below it.
105. The sizes of the bricks have been men-
tioned already, as indicating the age of buildings
by their steady diminution since the XXVIth
dynasty. A list of many examples will be found
in the Archceological Journal, xl. 108. Those
measured this year are as follow:—
Sais, wall and citadel, 650 B.C. (?)
Kom Afrin wall, 600 b.c. (?)
Naukratis chambers in temenos
Saft et Henneh, wall, 350 B.C.
Naukratis, gateway of temenos, 280 B.C.
House about 350 b.c. (?)
Houses N.W. of temenos, 300 b.c. (?) .
ir jj » •
Apollo temenos, 440 b.c. (?) .
House, 200 B.C. (?)....
House, outside, N.W. of temenos, 100
B.C.(?)......
Bricks in N.E. of town, 100 B.C. (?) .
House, E. of town, 200 b.c. (?) .
Kom Afrin, sandy bricks, later than
great wall .....
Kom Afrin, still later, whitish bricks .
Naukratis house, 200 b.c. (?) . .
„ house, burnt, 150 a.d. (?)
„ red baked bricks, Roman
to
and
17-3
8-1
4-9
16-3
7-4
44
163
8-3
43
149
7-8
5-0
148
72
5-2
14-2
70
4-8
146
7-1
50
14-1
70
5 0
140
7-8
4-1
140
7-1
46
14-0
7-0
5 0
14-3
7-1
5-0
14-1
70
4 5
14
7
13
«*
136
6-9
51
11-8
5-7
40
8-6
4-0
23
7-2
6-9
8-2
8-2
1-9
89
entered in the accompanying table, the levels being
all stated in British inches above an arbitrary
datum. The great beds of potters' rubbish, con-
sisting of burnt earth, on the N.E. of the town,
seem to have been thrown there in consequence
of that not being a populated part, as in those
beds below the top of them was found a Theban
coin of 300 B.C. at 370, which corresponds to the
level of tetradrachms of 460 B.C. in another part
of the E. side.
104. It should be noted that the tops of the well
mentioned in the first column are not the original
tops, but the highest part still existing. In the
second column the chip layer on which the second
temple of Apollo stands should not be compared
with the town levels, as it is really the height of
the old mound on which the first temple stood.
The old ground in the Apollo temenos is a valuable
datum, as it was a clear space kept dry and free
from mud-rubbish, on which wind-blown dust ac-
cumulated ; hence (barring any excavation before
the inclosure) it represents the original ground-
level when the first dedication of a temenos or
temple to Apollo took place. At the ordinary rate
of accumulation we should date the lowest traces
of human occupation here, the burnt ash and
bone, to 800 B.C.; but it is perhaps older still, as,
probably, the accumulation is mainly Nile deposit
which would throw its age back even a couple of
thousand years. But it is not a sign of a town or
site of importance, but only of poor habitations
here, which may have existed from the old dynas-
ties. The levels of the first burnt stratum vary-
rather, showing that there was an artificial differ-
ence of about two feet before the burning of the
town took place; thus it is highest at the southern
end, nearest the Great Temenos, and lower to the
north. In the last column, the Great Temenos,
the height of the building was only that which I
found on going there; it had probably been 200
or 300 ins. higher, and now it has been cut away
lower. The destroyed building is that which the
Arabs have cut away between the building of
chambers and the gateway. The ground level of
Ptolemy II. is that of the entrance to the building
in the gateway, which probably shows about the
level of his time. The addition walls are those
built around the chambered building at later times.
The base of the Ptolemaic gateway shows how
deep they dug for foundations for that building;
apparently about 4| feet. The level of the base
of the temenos wall varies, showing that it has
been built on partly artificial ground; much
higher base levels may be read in some of the
excavations, but remembering the additional walls
at a higher level around the great chambers, we
may rather suppose these to be later patchings
and mendings, like the others. The Ptolemaic
sand-bed is the layer placed beneath the foundation
stones of that building in the gateway, and shows
the deepest point disturbed by the Ptolemaic
founders. The base of the chambers in the great
mound would probably indicate the ground-level of
that period of their foundation, or a little below it.
105. The sizes of the bricks have been men-
tioned already, as indicating the age of buildings
by their steady diminution since the XXVIth
dynasty. A list of many examples will be found
in the Archceological Journal, xl. 108. Those
measured this year are as follow:—
Sais, wall and citadel, 650 B.C. (?)
Kom Afrin wall, 600 b.c. (?)
Naukratis chambers in temenos
Saft et Henneh, wall, 350 B.C.
Naukratis, gateway of temenos, 280 B.C.
House about 350 b.c. (?)
Houses N.W. of temenos, 300 b.c. (?) .
ir jj » •
Apollo temenos, 440 b.c. (?) .
House, 200 B.C. (?)....
House, outside, N.W. of temenos, 100
B.C.(?)......
Bricks in N.E. of town, 100 B.C. (?) .
House, E. of town, 200 b.c. (?) .
Kom Afrin, sandy bricks, later than
great wall .....
Kom Afrin, still later, whitish bricks .
Naukratis house, 200 b.c. (?) . .
„ house, burnt, 150 a.d. (?)
„ red baked bricks, Roman
to
and
17-3
8-1
4-9
16-3
7-4
44
163
8-3
43
149
7-8
5-0
148
72
5-2
14-2
70
4-8
146
7-1
50
14-1
70
5 0
140
7-8
4-1
140
7-1
46
14-0
7-0
5 0
14-3
7-1
5-0
14-1
70
4 5
14
7
13
«*
136
6-9
51
11-8
5-7
40
8-6
4-0
23
7-2
6-9
8-2
8-2
1-9