Petrie, William M. Flinders: Dendereh: 1898 ; extra plates (London, 1900)

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THE UNDATED TOMBS OF VTIth—XTth DYNASTTER.

prince, which Sennezsu never claims to be. The
plan of the mastaba is simple, Avith only four
portals and one chamber, see xxxi. top. The
large stone portal, larger than that of Merra, is
shown on pi. ix. It is much worse in arrange-
ment than Merra's, and of poorer work. Three
blocks fairly complete were found, and fragments
of several others; some from panels over
portals, others from over the entrance, ix., x., x.a.
Also some blocks with a long inscription of
some interest, x. And several pieces of a
cornice, like that of Merra, but rather coarser,
were found in the corridor. From these we
have the name of the wife Iu-uta (ix., x.); the
sons Merra, Sebeknekhta, Sennezsua (ix.) and
Khua (xiii.) ; and the daughters Hotepa and
andBeba (x.). We notice here the beginning of
the irregular, closely-packed inscriptions which
characterise the next stage D.; see particularly
the lower line of the long inscription on pi. x.

Unfortunately the stone was poor, for though
it kept its edges well, yet it so readily broke up
into fragments that it was impossible even to lift
it whole in many cases. Hence the shattered
state of many of these pieces.

16. Beb. This great mastaba next to
Merra is the latest of the princely tombs of
Dendereh. It had unhappily been used for
dwellings in Roman times at the southern end,
and no trace of the stonework was left in either
the corridor or the stele chamber. Were it not
for the inscribed sarcophagus the name of the
owner could not have been recovered. The
plan (pi. xxxi.) proves clearly its late date. The
level roofed tunnel shows that it is of the later
period, that of Adu III. and Merra; and the
suppression of the well after the tunnel places
it at the opposite extreme from Adu I. and II.,
in which that well is the only one. The series
of formation runs thus :—

Adu I.

Adu II.
Adu III.
Merra.
Beb.

Passage, slope roof tunnel, large well, slope passage, chamber,
steeper „ ,, „ doorway „

level roof ,, „ ,, level passage

Well, ,, „ ,, „ doorway

no well

J5

1J

■>■>

II

•>•)

This differs from the other mastabas in being
built almost entirely of black brick with hardly
any gravel fillings. The joints which run
through the building are marked by Avhite lines
in the plan and section. This mastaba had been
largely attacked by dealers, who had cut it about
and removed parts of the structure: they had
reached the tunnel, but found it so full of
rubbish that they did not try to open the
chamber. Of the east face we need say nothing,
as it is sufficiently clear from the plan. The
southern—left hand—end was so destroyed in
Roman times, and denuded since, that we did
not trace it out, and it should be shown with
broken outlines in the plan, and not as
a straight edge ; it really extended farther to
the south.

The entrance in the north end was blocked
with brick ; the thick outer wall had been built
first, with a steep batter on the inner face;
then brickwork had been built inside it,
apparently filling a small court like that of
Merra. Later, the filling of the passage having
been partly removed, the filling of the court
overhangs the passage. From this court a
doorway led into the only well, from which
another door opened into the tunnel. The floor
of this well and tunnel was not d eared, as all
the stuff from the inside had to be carried up
to the top of the well, so that every ton of
rubbish was a serious matter. After two or
three weeks of clearing we reached the chamber,
and there found the inscribed sarcophagus.
The most important part is shown in pi. xxxvii.,

c