DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4221#0015
ROYAL TOMBS OF THE 1st DYNASTY.
#l
and we have left yet unplaced Kino- Narmer,
who must be before Zet; Kino- Zeser (pi. iv.,
No. 3), and King I) (pi. xxxii.. No. 32); these
two last seem connected by the title being only
two neb signs, without the vulture and uraeus.
Zeser is before Den, as the piece was found
re-used in Den's tomb. King D I found on a
piece of vase in the Cairo Museum, where it
had lain unobserved. If Narmer came after
Mena there would be a difficulty", as there would
be four names between Aha and Den, and only
three between Mena and Hesepti; but there is
no proof but Avhat Narmer may be before Mena,
as Zeser and D may be. The position of a king
who seems to be named Ket ""^^ (ph xi->
No. 12 ; pi. xvii., No. 28) is also uncertain ; the
piece was found by the offering-place of Qa.
Thus though the Dynasty is nearly all re-
stored in order, entirely owing to the work of
this year, yet there are several puzzles still
remaining for future work to solve. And the
relation of the tombs of Perabsen and Kha-
sekhemui to the others is quite untouched.
6. We may now notice the appearance and
history of the royal cemetery in later times.
The tombs as they were left by the kings seem
to have been but slightly heaped up. The
roofs of the great tombs were about six or emht
feet below the surface, an amount of sand which
would be easily carried by the massive beams
that were used. The lesser tombs had about
five feet of sand over them. But there does
not seem to have been any piling up of a
mound ; not only is there no such excess of
material remaining, but the condition of the
steles, as we shall next describe, shows that the
level of the soil remained uniform for a lono-
time, whereas a mound would have been con-
tinually degrading and accumulating blown
sand.
On the flat, or almost flat, ground of the
cemetery the grayes were marked by stone
steles set upright in the open air. The great
stele of Merneit (frontispiece) shows clearly the
level to which it was buried ; below that point
the stone is quite fresh, above that the exfolia-
tions are due to moisture soaked up from the
earth, and the upper part is sand-worn. Other
small steles show very plainly the lower part
absolutely fresh and unaltered, and the upper
part deeply sand-worn; the division between
the two being within a, quarter of an inch.
Each royal grave seems to have had two
great steles. I found two of Merneit, one
almost perished ; there were two of Qa, one
found by the Mission Amelineau, one by myself;
and though only one has been found of Zet and
Mersekha, yet one such might well be lost, as
none have survived of Zer, Den, or Azab. The
steles seem to have been placed on the east
side of the tombs, and on the ground level.
Those of Merneit had fallen into the tomb on
the east side, the fragments of steles of Mersekha
lay on the cast side, the stele of Qa lay on the
ground level at the east side, and close by it
were many stone bowls, one inscribed for "the
priest of the temple of Qa."
Hence wo must figure to ourselves two great
steles standing up, side by side, on the east of
the tomb : and this is exactly in accord with
the next period that we know, in which, at
Medum, Seneferu had two great steles and an
altar between them on the east of his tomb ;
and Rahotep had two great steles, one on either
side of the offering-niche east of his tomb.
Probably the pair of obelisks of the tomb of
Antef V. at Thebes were a later form of this
system. Around the royal tomb stood the
little private steles of the domestics (pis. xxxi.—
xxxvi.) placed in rows, thus forming an en-
closure about the king.
7. The royal cemetery seems to have gradually
fallen into decay ; the steles were bloAvn over
or upset wantonly, and the whole site was
neglected and forgotten in the later ages. There
are no offering vases there of the pyramid age,
nor of the Middle Kingdom. But the revived
grandeurs of the XVIIIth Dynasty awakened
r.uoccui're
« Dynasty
fib
tracing
|%r bad a roU of-<
very erratic, ,
J correct list m
i] ^1 in the ea
between
and the Ti
to have beei
,ed the interes
known as 1
I^sbegantobem
; but very blr.
[ not contain
with potsherds
jj tombs (as Merneit
rfng placed on
i rise marked "H
m di
\)
itly supposed to be in
i nothing older there
nib of an official
,:i impetus to offering
i of one of the roy?
a cenotaph of Osir
is placed in it was
' » a later Dynastj
dynasty the site had 1
^ of Osiris worship, the
¥ over it being t
Sunder Amenl
JS were mainly
:ilH during whi
"l^ accumulated
#l
and we have left yet unplaced Kino- Narmer,
who must be before Zet; Kino- Zeser (pi. iv.,
No. 3), and King I) (pi. xxxii.. No. 32); these
two last seem connected by the title being only
two neb signs, without the vulture and uraeus.
Zeser is before Den, as the piece was found
re-used in Den's tomb. King D I found on a
piece of vase in the Cairo Museum, where it
had lain unobserved. If Narmer came after
Mena there would be a difficulty", as there would
be four names between Aha and Den, and only
three between Mena and Hesepti; but there is
no proof but Avhat Narmer may be before Mena,
as Zeser and D may be. The position of a king
who seems to be named Ket ""^^ (ph xi->
No. 12 ; pi. xvii., No. 28) is also uncertain ; the
piece was found by the offering-place of Qa.
Thus though the Dynasty is nearly all re-
stored in order, entirely owing to the work of
this year, yet there are several puzzles still
remaining for future work to solve. And the
relation of the tombs of Perabsen and Kha-
sekhemui to the others is quite untouched.
6. We may now notice the appearance and
history of the royal cemetery in later times.
The tombs as they were left by the kings seem
to have been but slightly heaped up. The
roofs of the great tombs were about six or emht
feet below the surface, an amount of sand which
would be easily carried by the massive beams
that were used. The lesser tombs had about
five feet of sand over them. But there does
not seem to have been any piling up of a
mound ; not only is there no such excess of
material remaining, but the condition of the
steles, as we shall next describe, shows that the
level of the soil remained uniform for a lono-
time, whereas a mound would have been con-
tinually degrading and accumulating blown
sand.
On the flat, or almost flat, ground of the
cemetery the grayes were marked by stone
steles set upright in the open air. The great
stele of Merneit (frontispiece) shows clearly the
level to which it was buried ; below that point
the stone is quite fresh, above that the exfolia-
tions are due to moisture soaked up from the
earth, and the upper part is sand-worn. Other
small steles show very plainly the lower part
absolutely fresh and unaltered, and the upper
part deeply sand-worn; the division between
the two being within a, quarter of an inch.
Each royal grave seems to have had two
great steles. I found two of Merneit, one
almost perished ; there were two of Qa, one
found by the Mission Amelineau, one by myself;
and though only one has been found of Zet and
Mersekha, yet one such might well be lost, as
none have survived of Zer, Den, or Azab. The
steles seem to have been placed on the east
side of the tombs, and on the ground level.
Those of Merneit had fallen into the tomb on
the east side, the fragments of steles of Mersekha
lay on the cast side, the stele of Qa lay on the
ground level at the east side, and close by it
were many stone bowls, one inscribed for "the
priest of the temple of Qa."
Hence wo must figure to ourselves two great
steles standing up, side by side, on the east of
the tomb : and this is exactly in accord with
the next period that we know, in which, at
Medum, Seneferu had two great steles and an
altar between them on the east of his tomb ;
and Rahotep had two great steles, one on either
side of the offering-niche east of his tomb.
Probably the pair of obelisks of the tomb of
Antef V. at Thebes were a later form of this
system. Around the royal tomb stood the
little private steles of the domestics (pis. xxxi.—
xxxvi.) placed in rows, thus forming an en-
closure about the king.
7. The royal cemetery seems to have gradually
fallen into decay ; the steles were bloAvn over
or upset wantonly, and the whole site was
neglected and forgotten in the later ages. There
are no offering vases there of the pyramid age,
nor of the Middle Kingdom. But the revived
grandeurs of the XVIIIth Dynasty awakened
r.uoccui're
« Dynasty
fib
tracing
|%r bad a roU of-<
very erratic, ,
J correct list m
i] ^1 in the ea
between
and the Ti
to have beei
,ed the interes
known as 1
I^sbegantobem
; but very blr.
[ not contain
with potsherds
jj tombs (as Merneit
rfng placed on
i rise marked "H
m di
\)
itly supposed to be in
i nothing older there
nib of an official
,:i impetus to offering
i of one of the roy?
a cenotaph of Osir
is placed in it was
' » a later Dynastj
dynasty the site had 1
^ of Osiris worship, the
¥ over it being t
Sunder Amenl
JS were mainly
:ilH during whi
"l^ accumulated