DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.1033#0015
THE PYRAMID OF IIAWARA.
15
S.W. chamber. The under side of the trap-door is
+ 87-5, the floor beyond it + 97'3, and the chamber
roof +171-4.
22. The S.W. chamber is the first turn in the direc-
tion of the passages. But a blind passage runs
straight forward from it for 1010 inches ; this has
been all filled up with solid stone, in large blocks the
whole height of the passage. A way has been most
laboriously forced by breaking away the blocking
stones, but all to no purpose. The blind passage is
52-4 wide and level throughout. The S.W. chamber
is 105-0 by 857, and 74-1 high. The S. passage
begins 38-8 wide, and after 207 it enlarges by a recess
to hold an opened door on the south side with
pivot holes at the S.W., and a recess on the north to
form a stop for the door when it was closed. Thus it
is clear that the true passages were ostentatiously
left only closed by a wooden door, while the false
passage was entirely filled up solid with stone to
occupy the time and attention of the spoilers. After
the door recess, 426 long, the passage runs on for
33'S, being 38-5 wide, and 76-1 high, the roof level at
4- 1734. The slope then begins by the roof block
being cut away for 38 length, the whole slope being
I044'0 long to where it slopes up again for 34-0 near
the S.E. chamber. The horizontal length is 1041X):
level at upper end of roof + 1734., at lower end
+ 94-3 ; width 38*2, and height near middle 72T.
23. The S.E. chamber has a short passage of 68-i
long and 31*0 wide leading into it. It is 88'5 wide,
with 18'2 of that filled by masonry on the east side;
141-5 long, with 34-5 filled with masonry on the north
side ; the height 897, with roof at + 141-0 and floor
+ 51-3. The trap-door, which has not been drawn
from its recess to cover the upper passage mouth, is
625 by 30, by 136, weighing 11 tons. The east side
of the small recess into which the end of it was
intended to fit, in the east wall of the passage, has
been much broken away by plunderers searching for
other passages. They thus broke through into the
bed of sand of the pyramid, and the rains having
found thus an entrance by soaking through the
pyramid, have brought in a great quantity of sand
and mud, enough to nearly fill the south passage,
quite fill the S.E. chamber, and half fill the east
passage and N.E. chamber. The whole of the
passages must have been filled with water some
dozens of times, as all the surface of the stone is dis-
solved away to an astonishing extent. The small
scraps of the old face which resisted the solution are
usually an inch beyond the roughened and pitted face
of the water-eaten stone. No trace of sculpture has
been seen on any of the portions of the original
surface. The east passage runs i6-i at + 203-2 level
of roof, then 79-0 at + 219-2, and then slopes for a
length of 4S0'2 (or 443-9 horizontal) down to + I43'2.
The floor at the upper end is + 1424 or 14 above
the roof of the S.E. chamber. The passage is 71-4
high and 376 — 384 wide. In all cases the measures
are taken to remains of the original face, carefully
avoiding the dissolved parts. A short passage of 64-0
and 62-5 high leads to the N.E. chamber. This is 166
long, with 22 filled by masonry at the west end,
90 wide with 19 of masonry on the north, and 86
high. The floor is at + 717, the roof 4- 1580 to
156-5, and the roof of the trap-door recess + 219-5.
The third trap-door is 44 by 61 by 138 inches, weigh-
ing 18 tons. It covers 10 inches beyond the west end
of the chamber. Thence a passage runs for 17-4 at
+ 219-5 level of roof, then for 319-0 at + 2297 level.
The width is 35-3, height 72-5 ; but at 28-5 before the
well chamber, the south wall comes 3-1 forward.
24. The well chamber is so called from the two
false wells, which were the only visible features in it
originally, made on purpose to deceive plunderers,
and to lead them to attack the solid masonry along
the side of the real sepulchre. To further mislead the
intruder all the north half of the chamber was filled
up with solid masonry, which has been mostly
dragged out now, and the remaining mass tunnelled
through. The chamber is 3092 long, 896 wide, 91-3
high; the floor being + 1557 and roof + 2470
level. The wells will be seen in plan and section on
PL IV. Across the floor of the well chamber a
trench existed, though filled with masonry and so
concealed; and this led to a short passage in the
south wall, which was thus entirely below the level
of the chamber floor. This passage mouth is at 120^
to 146^ from the east end of the well chamber; and
is 71-5 long and 36-1 wide. In the well chamber were
found the alabaster table of offerings for Ptah-neferu
the daughter of Amenemhat III, and the fragments
of eight or nine large bowls of alabaster, shaped
in the form of half a trussed duck, and mostly in-
scribed with the name of the same princess. But
no trace of Amenemhat was found up here. At
the end of the trench in the floor, but above the
floor level, was a rough recess in the solid masonry,
closed by a slab which was a part of the adjacent
stones; it must therefore have been closed in course
of building, and it was further covered by the
masonry which filled this side of the chamber. The
15
S.W. chamber. The under side of the trap-door is
+ 87-5, the floor beyond it + 97'3, and the chamber
roof +171-4.
22. The S.W. chamber is the first turn in the direc-
tion of the passages. But a blind passage runs
straight forward from it for 1010 inches ; this has
been all filled up with solid stone, in large blocks the
whole height of the passage. A way has been most
laboriously forced by breaking away the blocking
stones, but all to no purpose. The blind passage is
52-4 wide and level throughout. The S.W. chamber
is 105-0 by 857, and 74-1 high. The S. passage
begins 38-8 wide, and after 207 it enlarges by a recess
to hold an opened door on the south side with
pivot holes at the S.W., and a recess on the north to
form a stop for the door when it was closed. Thus it
is clear that the true passages were ostentatiously
left only closed by a wooden door, while the false
passage was entirely filled up solid with stone to
occupy the time and attention of the spoilers. After
the door recess, 426 long, the passage runs on for
33'S, being 38-5 wide, and 76-1 high, the roof level at
4- 1734. The slope then begins by the roof block
being cut away for 38 length, the whole slope being
I044'0 long to where it slopes up again for 34-0 near
the S.E. chamber. The horizontal length is 1041X):
level at upper end of roof + 1734., at lower end
+ 94-3 ; width 38*2, and height near middle 72T.
23. The S.E. chamber has a short passage of 68-i
long and 31*0 wide leading into it. It is 88'5 wide,
with 18'2 of that filled by masonry on the east side;
141-5 long, with 34-5 filled with masonry on the north
side ; the height 897, with roof at + 141-0 and floor
+ 51-3. The trap-door, which has not been drawn
from its recess to cover the upper passage mouth, is
625 by 30, by 136, weighing 11 tons. The east side
of the small recess into which the end of it was
intended to fit, in the east wall of the passage, has
been much broken away by plunderers searching for
other passages. They thus broke through into the
bed of sand of the pyramid, and the rains having
found thus an entrance by soaking through the
pyramid, have brought in a great quantity of sand
and mud, enough to nearly fill the south passage,
quite fill the S.E. chamber, and half fill the east
passage and N.E. chamber. The whole of the
passages must have been filled with water some
dozens of times, as all the surface of the stone is dis-
solved away to an astonishing extent. The small
scraps of the old face which resisted the solution are
usually an inch beyond the roughened and pitted face
of the water-eaten stone. No trace of sculpture has
been seen on any of the portions of the original
surface. The east passage runs i6-i at + 203-2 level
of roof, then 79-0 at + 219-2, and then slopes for a
length of 4S0'2 (or 443-9 horizontal) down to + I43'2.
The floor at the upper end is + 1424 or 14 above
the roof of the S.E. chamber. The passage is 71-4
high and 376 — 384 wide. In all cases the measures
are taken to remains of the original face, carefully
avoiding the dissolved parts. A short passage of 64-0
and 62-5 high leads to the N.E. chamber. This is 166
long, with 22 filled by masonry at the west end,
90 wide with 19 of masonry on the north, and 86
high. The floor is at + 717, the roof 4- 1580 to
156-5, and the roof of the trap-door recess + 219-5.
The third trap-door is 44 by 61 by 138 inches, weigh-
ing 18 tons. It covers 10 inches beyond the west end
of the chamber. Thence a passage runs for 17-4 at
+ 219-5 level of roof, then for 319-0 at + 2297 level.
The width is 35-3, height 72-5 ; but at 28-5 before the
well chamber, the south wall comes 3-1 forward.
24. The well chamber is so called from the two
false wells, which were the only visible features in it
originally, made on purpose to deceive plunderers,
and to lead them to attack the solid masonry along
the side of the real sepulchre. To further mislead the
intruder all the north half of the chamber was filled
up with solid masonry, which has been mostly
dragged out now, and the remaining mass tunnelled
through. The chamber is 3092 long, 896 wide, 91-3
high; the floor being + 1557 and roof + 2470
level. The wells will be seen in plan and section on
PL IV. Across the floor of the well chamber a
trench existed, though filled with masonry and so
concealed; and this led to a short passage in the
south wall, which was thus entirely below the level
of the chamber floor. This passage mouth is at 120^
to 146^ from the east end of the well chamber; and
is 71-5 long and 36-1 wide. In the well chamber were
found the alabaster table of offerings for Ptah-neferu
the daughter of Amenemhat III, and the fragments
of eight or nine large bowls of alabaster, shaped
in the form of half a trussed duck, and mostly in-
scribed with the name of the same princess. But
no trace of Amenemhat was found up here. At
the end of the trench in the floor, but above the
floor level, was a rough recess in the solid masonry,
closed by a slab which was a part of the adjacent
stones; it must therefore have been closed in course
of building, and it was further covered by the
masonry which filled this side of the chamber. The