DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.3236#0140
CHAP. XI.—THE SMALL ANTIQUITIES.
75
white pottery (glaze lost), in form spherical, flat-
tened below, in chamber 2; and an Anubis in
green glaze, deep in 2. A blue paste button,
with stitching holes in a rib behind it, from cham-
ber 3. All these being from the Kasr, are dated
to the twenty-sixth dynasty for certain, and pro-
bably about the middle of it. In the camp were
also found many objects of glazed ware ; the
lotus heads of green and blue glaze (pi. xl. 5, 6),
pierced, probably for handles of feather fly-flaps.
The plaque of Haa-ab-ra (Hophra) (xl. 7), which
seems as if made for a foundation plaque, but was
found in a chamber in the camp along with other
pottery. Many varieties of " pilgrim bottles " of
green or yellow paste, with necks of lotus and
palm patterns, some very graceful, and wreathed
around the body with very varied patterns ; many
bearing portions of inscriptions, and one a longer
wish than usual (pi. xl. 4): " May Neit give
life and health always to the souls of all children,"
or "to all beautiful souls." One bottle is very
peculiar: it is of a dark greenish-grey, with a
band of bright, thick, green glaze around the
wreath and around the edge; it is thin and
small, but such thick glaze is rarely, if ever, seen
before Koman times. A large number of blue-
glazed amulets, beads, &c, were found in the
camp, and a selection of these will be kept to-
gether in the British Museum to show the style
of known work of the twenty-sixth dynasty. A
ring bezel of grey-blue glaze, almost like that of
Tell-el-Amarna, bears the head of Hat-hor (pi.
xh. 41). A piece of a pot of refractory material,
in which blue frit has been prepared in the
furnace, for blue paint, was also found in the
camp ; it is just like what occurred in the scarab
factory at Naukratis, and points to a manufacture
of blue-glazed articles here.
Of other materials we may note the following.
An ivory die found in chamber 27 (pi. xl. 15),
and so carrying back such dice to the sixth
century. Three ivory hemispheres ■£$ to ■& inch
across, and top of an ivory papyrus flower, from the
camp. A large quantity of white coral in natural
L
branches found in the south part of the camp. A
jar of resin, the jar of type 55 (pi. xxxv.), the
resin clear brown, found in chamber 3. And
some incense, and native sulphur in chamber 17.
73. Coming now to metal work, the most
striking object found was the piece of gold work
(pi. xli. 10); the lower ends of this have been
violently wrenched off some object, and as they
have been made with a bend at right angles a
little below the lotus, it seems most probable
that this was the handle of a tray, with the
straps of gold passing beneath it. The body of
this was cast ; and the dividing ribs of the lotus
flowers, for holding the inlaying, were soldered on.
The whole was polished and burnished quite
smoothly, so as not to show any joint. No trace
of the inlaying remained when this was found,
but the two flowers were bent one half over the
other, by the violence of the grasp with which it
had been wrenched off the tray. Thus, found in
a camp, we can hardly look on it as other than
loot of some soldier. The question then arises,
when would an Egyptian soldier loot a piece of
Egyptian work ? And we see an event which
would exactly account for this, occurring at the
most likely time, during the civil war between
Apries and Amasis. It seems then more likely
than not that this handle is a part of the royal
plate of Haa-ab-ra (Apries, Hophra), and is thus
the only relic of such luxury of living which is
left to us. It was found along with about l-£- lbs. of
silver in lumps, buried in the camp on the S.E.
of the Kasr.
Another fine object is the gold statuette of Ka
(xli. 9), which is highly finished and burnished,
of the finest work of the Saitic period. It was
found in the silver amulet case, or shrine (fig. 8),
the sliding lid of which had been left slightly drawn
and forced inwards, showing the toes of the figure.
It is the more satisfactory to find it so, since not
only is this little suspensory box a unique object,
but it guarantees the genuineness of the image
found within it, since the lid is stuck tight, and
2
75
white pottery (glaze lost), in form spherical, flat-
tened below, in chamber 2; and an Anubis in
green glaze, deep in 2. A blue paste button,
with stitching holes in a rib behind it, from cham-
ber 3. All these being from the Kasr, are dated
to the twenty-sixth dynasty for certain, and pro-
bably about the middle of it. In the camp were
also found many objects of glazed ware ; the
lotus heads of green and blue glaze (pi. xl. 5, 6),
pierced, probably for handles of feather fly-flaps.
The plaque of Haa-ab-ra (Hophra) (xl. 7), which
seems as if made for a foundation plaque, but was
found in a chamber in the camp along with other
pottery. Many varieties of " pilgrim bottles " of
green or yellow paste, with necks of lotus and
palm patterns, some very graceful, and wreathed
around the body with very varied patterns ; many
bearing portions of inscriptions, and one a longer
wish than usual (pi. xl. 4): " May Neit give
life and health always to the souls of all children,"
or "to all beautiful souls." One bottle is very
peculiar: it is of a dark greenish-grey, with a
band of bright, thick, green glaze around the
wreath and around the edge; it is thin and
small, but such thick glaze is rarely, if ever, seen
before Koman times. A large number of blue-
glazed amulets, beads, &c, were found in the
camp, and a selection of these will be kept to-
gether in the British Museum to show the style
of known work of the twenty-sixth dynasty. A
ring bezel of grey-blue glaze, almost like that of
Tell-el-Amarna, bears the head of Hat-hor (pi.
xh. 41). A piece of a pot of refractory material,
in which blue frit has been prepared in the
furnace, for blue paint, was also found in the
camp ; it is just like what occurred in the scarab
factory at Naukratis, and points to a manufacture
of blue-glazed articles here.
Of other materials we may note the following.
An ivory die found in chamber 27 (pi. xl. 15),
and so carrying back such dice to the sixth
century. Three ivory hemispheres ■£$ to ■& inch
across, and top of an ivory papyrus flower, from the
camp. A large quantity of white coral in natural
L
branches found in the south part of the camp. A
jar of resin, the jar of type 55 (pi. xxxv.), the
resin clear brown, found in chamber 3. And
some incense, and native sulphur in chamber 17.
73. Coming now to metal work, the most
striking object found was the piece of gold work
(pi. xli. 10); the lower ends of this have been
violently wrenched off some object, and as they
have been made with a bend at right angles a
little below the lotus, it seems most probable
that this was the handle of a tray, with the
straps of gold passing beneath it. The body of
this was cast ; and the dividing ribs of the lotus
flowers, for holding the inlaying, were soldered on.
The whole was polished and burnished quite
smoothly, so as not to show any joint. No trace
of the inlaying remained when this was found,
but the two flowers were bent one half over the
other, by the violence of the grasp with which it
had been wrenched off the tray. Thus, found in
a camp, we can hardly look on it as other than
loot of some soldier. The question then arises,
when would an Egyptian soldier loot a piece of
Egyptian work ? And we see an event which
would exactly account for this, occurring at the
most likely time, during the civil war between
Apries and Amasis. It seems then more likely
than not that this handle is a part of the royal
plate of Haa-ab-ra (Apries, Hophra), and is thus
the only relic of such luxury of living which is
left to us. It was found along with about l-£- lbs. of
silver in lumps, buried in the camp on the S.E.
of the Kasr.
Another fine object is the gold statuette of Ka
(xli. 9), which is highly finished and burnished,
of the finest work of the Saitic period. It was
found in the silver amulet case, or shrine (fig. 8),
the sliding lid of which had been left slightly drawn
and forced inwards, showing the toes of the figure.
It is the more satisfactory to find it so, since not
only is this little suspensory box a unique object,
but it guarantees the genuineness of the image
found within it, since the lid is stuck tight, and
2