Petrie, William M. Flinders: Deshasheh: 1897 (London, 1898)

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38

DESIlASHEH.

and this, divided into two feet, I proposed to
connect with the Asia Minor foot of 13-2 or
cubit of 26'4. It is significant that Kahun
contained foreigners, and here this cubit lay in
the tomb which had foreign pottery. All of
the wooden objects were removed, and the frag-
ments coated with melted wax to preserve them ;
thus they can be built up again in England, frail
as they are.

Another burial of the same age was half-way
down the deep tomb Avell No. 72. The well had
been half cleared, a recess cut on the west side
to widen it, and then two coffins buried—one
with head, the other with feet in the recess.
With these were many jars and pans of the
XVIIIth Dynasty ; in the southern coffin, by
the legs, lay a long red jar of Phoenician type,
but poorer, smaller and duller than usual, and
probably a Palestinian imitation (pi. xxxiii. 23),
and two black pottery vases (24), such as are
known from Gurob, with an alabaster kohl-pot.
The coffins Avere slight, plain, and rectangular,
without ornament. All the wood and bones
were too much rotted to be moveable.

A little deposit of the later age was in the
shallow pit leading to tomb 88. About the
level of the top of the doorway was a pan of the
XVIIIth Dynasty in the middle (pi. xxxiii. 8),
fragments of jars of that age, and a basket.
These secondary burials it is most needful to
consider when excavating, so as to prevent con-
fusion of periods among the objects. Many
other burials, Avithout distinctive dating of
pottery, &c, Avere thought doubtful at first,
and, in fact, no burial Avas accepted as primary
without some evidence. But as Avork Avent
on, and I became accustomed to the style of
Avrapping and the linen, Avhich Avas certainly of
the Vth Dynasty, and Avhen I noticed hoAv
usually some bones of a primary burial gener-
ally remained, it seemed clear that Ave must
accept all the great mass of the burials as cer-
tainly of one age—the Vth Dynasty. Great
confusion may arise, and has arisen elsewhere,

from not noting at the time the mixture of
contents in tombs; and unless this is always
considered, Ave can rely but little on any state-
ments of the discovery of objects.

(48.) Many tombs had been opened in
Roman times, and re-used to contain large
numbers of mummies sAvathcd in thick masses
of linen, and decorated by cross-binding Avith
narroAV strips to form a pattern of squares all
over. This is like the binding of the mummies
of the first three centuries a.d. at HaAvara; but
here there Avere no portraits, no gilt studs in
the spaces of the pattern—only in one case a
gilt plaster face, of a little girl, and occasionally
a feAV AA-reaths. The bodies Avere croAvded to-
gether, often tAvo or three deep, all over the
chamber. The tombs AArith such re-interments
were Nos. 2, 5, 8, 16, 19, 60, 62, 84, 85 and 97.
It is to be observed that a great part—perhaps
the majority—Avere children, shoAving that there
Avas a large mortality at about fiVe to fifteen
years of age. The population must haA^e had
a very high birth-rate, or have been rapidly
diminishing.

In tomb 8, although a stack of bodies, mostly
children, had been put in, the skull, jaAv and
collar bone of the original possessor wrere pre-
served, and placed on the top of all the
mummies.

In tomb 19 Avere no less than sixteen late
mummies ; over the entrance Avas scratched the
name Oros, and other letters. The original
bones Avere pushed over to one side of the
chamber.

In tomb 85 an early coffin remained, with
head-rest, palette, and stick ; the lid Avas in the
Avell: and into and over the coffin Avere thrust
Roman mummies till the chamber Avas full.

(49.) At Bahsamun, tAVo or three miles
north of the Deshasheh cemetery, some ex-
cavation Avas done in a Roman cemetery and
fort on the edge of the desert. Many skulls
were preserved from here, the measurements of
Avhich have been discussed in sect. 41. The