DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.11365#0031
THE HOUSES.
21
L, is always on the north side of the house, and in
one case, No. 4, where the entrance required the
loggia to be on the west, there was a second loggia
provided on the north as well. The loggia is also
defended by smaller rooms at each end, so that three
sides of it could never be heated by'the sun ; and in
some cases the north side was also protected by the
projecting porter's-room, P (see Nos. 5, 6, 8). It is
evident that this was for a cool room facing north,
and probably open along the north front, with the
roof supported by pillars ; in fact a kind of verandah.
Owing to this being an outer wall of the house it is
always much denuded, and no trace of the upper parts
of it remain to shew the arrangement. At the end of
this are usually two small rooms, O, Q (Nos. 3, 4, 7, 8,
9), or sometimes but one (Nos, 2, 6, 10) ; as these
open on the most public part of the house they were
probably occasional rooms for visitors or strangers.
The most permanent part of the design was the
square hall, H, in the centre of the whole house. This
appears to have been the general sitting-room,
especially for winter use. It often has a low raised
bench or mastaba along one side, and in front of that
(see Nos. 4, 6, 21) was the fire, near the middle of
the hall, to warm those who sat on the mastaba.
There was no central opening in the roof, as the
column is generally in the middle of the room ; but
in one case (No. 6) there are two columns. Probably
it was lighted mainly from the wide doorway facing
the open side of the loggia. Some difference of level
in the roofing by the staircase may easily have given
any more light that was needed. A single square
foot of sky-view will easily light a large room in
Egypt.
39. A feature of the hall which is quite unaccount-
able at present is the red recess, which occurs in
several houses (Nos. 1, 2, 5, 9, 10). This is a flat
recessed strip of the wall, sometimes with an inner
recess within it, much like the old " false-door " of the
tombs. But in no case was any top found, though
in No. 9 it remained still about 5 or 6 feet high. It
appears then as if it ran nearly the whole height of
the room. It is always smoothly plastered with the
usual mud plaster, and painted bright haematite red.
There is never any trace of ornament, or inscription,
or figure ; not even a border-line. Nor is there any
hollow in the wall behind it, nor any space or differ-
ence in the floor in front of it. It is not constant in
position, occurring thrice on the west, twice on the
south, once east, but never north : and it has no
constant relation to the other chambers. The widths
of the recesses are (2) 25 in 41 ; (5) 25 in 41, and 27
in 41 ; (9) 33 in Si J (10) 23 inches.
40. The body of the house, after these public
rooms, divides into four groups, which are always
quite distinct from each other. These are B-G the
master's room and women's quarter ; I-K the men's
quarter ; M, N, store rooms, and S-V the staircase
and cupboards. In each house is one peculiar room,
C, with a somewhat narrower portion, which is always
at the south end of it; the narrow portion is dimin-
ished by a thickening of the walls, and the floor of
this part is also slightly raised. This would seem to
be the master's sleeping room, with the raised portion
for the bed place. In every case this room, C, opens
out of a branching room, B, which leads both to C,
and to a number of small offices, D, E, F, G. Of
these D is a side room opening off B and not leading
elsewhere. The use of all these rooms is apparently
for cooking, etc., judging from where we find them
most developed, as in Nos. 4 and 9 ; and they never
lead outside of the house. From these features they
are probably the women's household rooms, and D
the women's sleeping room. Being always to the
south side, the prevalent north wind would not blow
the heat and smell of cooking into the house.
41. The other main group is I, J, K. Of these I is
always a large square room, or secondary hall ; often
with a central pillar, and nearly as large as the main
central hall. This set of rooms, I, J, K, never has
any connection with the set B-G or women's rooms,
except in one case in No. 9 where I opens into the
passage or branching room B. But I, J, K, in three
cases have a back door out of the house, in No. 5
opening on to the loggia in place of an occasional
room, in No. 9 leading to an outer court with
granaries, and in No. 11 opening on the approach,
but blocked up later on. Hence from those features
it seems that this was the men's quarter ; I being the
common hall for the servants, and the other rooms
being sleeping rooms, perhaps for the married men,
and sometimes leading outside.
42. In the next section are the rooms M, N, perhaps
for stores and goods, equal to the modern Khazneh in
Egypt. They always open from the central hall H,
have no connection, and are opposite to the staircase.
The last section is the staircase, S, leading to the roof,
with sundry rooms and cupboards, T, U, V, fitted in
according to the space left to spare on this side of the
hall. The arrow in each plan points upward. In
No. 3 the stair was winding, and ran over two cup-
boards, T, U. In No. 5 the stair turned over a long
21
L, is always on the north side of the house, and in
one case, No. 4, where the entrance required the
loggia to be on the west, there was a second loggia
provided on the north as well. The loggia is also
defended by smaller rooms at each end, so that three
sides of it could never be heated by'the sun ; and in
some cases the north side was also protected by the
projecting porter's-room, P (see Nos. 5, 6, 8). It is
evident that this was for a cool room facing north,
and probably open along the north front, with the
roof supported by pillars ; in fact a kind of verandah.
Owing to this being an outer wall of the house it is
always much denuded, and no trace of the upper parts
of it remain to shew the arrangement. At the end of
this are usually two small rooms, O, Q (Nos. 3, 4, 7, 8,
9), or sometimes but one (Nos, 2, 6, 10) ; as these
open on the most public part of the house they were
probably occasional rooms for visitors or strangers.
The most permanent part of the design was the
square hall, H, in the centre of the whole house. This
appears to have been the general sitting-room,
especially for winter use. It often has a low raised
bench or mastaba along one side, and in front of that
(see Nos. 4, 6, 21) was the fire, near the middle of
the hall, to warm those who sat on the mastaba.
There was no central opening in the roof, as the
column is generally in the middle of the room ; but
in one case (No. 6) there are two columns. Probably
it was lighted mainly from the wide doorway facing
the open side of the loggia. Some difference of level
in the roofing by the staircase may easily have given
any more light that was needed. A single square
foot of sky-view will easily light a large room in
Egypt.
39. A feature of the hall which is quite unaccount-
able at present is the red recess, which occurs in
several houses (Nos. 1, 2, 5, 9, 10). This is a flat
recessed strip of the wall, sometimes with an inner
recess within it, much like the old " false-door " of the
tombs. But in no case was any top found, though
in No. 9 it remained still about 5 or 6 feet high. It
appears then as if it ran nearly the whole height of
the room. It is always smoothly plastered with the
usual mud plaster, and painted bright haematite red.
There is never any trace of ornament, or inscription,
or figure ; not even a border-line. Nor is there any
hollow in the wall behind it, nor any space or differ-
ence in the floor in front of it. It is not constant in
position, occurring thrice on the west, twice on the
south, once east, but never north : and it has no
constant relation to the other chambers. The widths
of the recesses are (2) 25 in 41 ; (5) 25 in 41, and 27
in 41 ; (9) 33 in Si J (10) 23 inches.
40. The body of the house, after these public
rooms, divides into four groups, which are always
quite distinct from each other. These are B-G the
master's room and women's quarter ; I-K the men's
quarter ; M, N, store rooms, and S-V the staircase
and cupboards. In each house is one peculiar room,
C, with a somewhat narrower portion, which is always
at the south end of it; the narrow portion is dimin-
ished by a thickening of the walls, and the floor of
this part is also slightly raised. This would seem to
be the master's sleeping room, with the raised portion
for the bed place. In every case this room, C, opens
out of a branching room, B, which leads both to C,
and to a number of small offices, D, E, F, G. Of
these D is a side room opening off B and not leading
elsewhere. The use of all these rooms is apparently
for cooking, etc., judging from where we find them
most developed, as in Nos. 4 and 9 ; and they never
lead outside of the house. From these features they
are probably the women's household rooms, and D
the women's sleeping room. Being always to the
south side, the prevalent north wind would not blow
the heat and smell of cooking into the house.
41. The other main group is I, J, K. Of these I is
always a large square room, or secondary hall ; often
with a central pillar, and nearly as large as the main
central hall. This set of rooms, I, J, K, never has
any connection with the set B-G or women's rooms,
except in one case in No. 9 where I opens into the
passage or branching room B. But I, J, K, in three
cases have a back door out of the house, in No. 5
opening on to the loggia in place of an occasional
room, in No. 9 leading to an outer court with
granaries, and in No. 11 opening on the approach,
but blocked up later on. Hence from those features
it seems that this was the men's quarter ; I being the
common hall for the servants, and the other rooms
being sleeping rooms, perhaps for the married men,
and sometimes leading outside.
42. In the next section are the rooms M, N, perhaps
for stores and goods, equal to the modern Khazneh in
Egypt. They always open from the central hall H,
have no connection, and are opposite to the staircase.
The last section is the staircase, S, leading to the roof,
with sundry rooms and cupboards, T, U, V, fitted in
according to the space left to spare on this side of the
hall. The arrow in each plan points upward. In
No. 3 the stair was winding, and ran over two cup-
boards, T, U. In No. 5 the stair turned over a long