DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4221#0020
DESCRIPTION OP THE TOMBS.
11
them a girdle of long narrow chambers, 48 wide
and 160 to 215 inches long. These chambers
are about Q\ feet deep, but the central chamber
is nearly !) feet. Of these chambers for offerings
Nos. 1, 2, 5, 7 still contained pottery in place,
and Xo. 3 contained many jar stealings. The
great stele of Merneit (frontispiece) was found
lying near the east side of the central chamber ;
and near it was the back of a similar stele (sec
photograph, pi. lxiv., No. G), on which the
bottom of the neit and r signs remained, and
from which a piece of the top with the top of
the neit on it was found lying over chamber 5.
At a few yards distance from the chambers
full of offerings is a line of private graves
almost surrounding the royal tomb. This line
is interrupted at the S. end of the W. side,
similar to the interruption of the retaining wall
of the tomb of Zet at that quarter. It seems
therefore that the funeral approached it from
that direction. In the small graves there arc
no red inscriptions, as in those belonging to
Zet; but steles were found, the names of two
of which are entered on the plan, and the
figures are given in pis. xxxi,, xxxiv. 17-19.
A feature which could not well be shown in the
plan is the ledge which runs along the side of
these tombs. The black wall here figured is
the width of the level edge of the pit, but beyond
this a slight edging of brick rises a few inches
higher.
11. The Tomb op Merneit, interior, pis.
lxiv., lxv. The chamber shows signs of burning,
on both the walls and the floor. A small piece
of wood yet remaining on the floor indicates
that it also had a wooden floor, like the other
tombs. Against the walls stand pilasters of
brick (see plan lxi., photograph lxiv., Xo. 5) ;
and though these are not at present more than
a quarter of the whole height of the wall, they
originally reached to the top, as is shown by
the smoking of the wall on each side, even
visible in the photograph. These pilasters are
entirely additions to the first building ; they
stand against the plastering, and upon a loose
layer of sand and pebbles about 4 inches thick.
Thus it is clear that they belong to the subse-
quent stage of the fitting of a roof to the
chamber. Such a roof would not need to be as
strong as that of Zet, as there was much less
depth of sand over it; so that beams only at
the pilasters would serve to carry enough boards
to cover it. The pilasters, however, seem to have
been altogether an afterthought, as within two
of the corner ones there remain the ends of
upright posts, around which the brickwork was
built. The holes that are shown in the floor
are apparently not connected with the con-
struction, as they are not in the mid-line where
pillars are likely. The height of the chamber
is 105 inches, at both E. and S.A\r., up to the
top of a course of headers on edge around it.
At the edge of chamber 2 is the cast of plaited
palm-leaf matting on the mud mortar above this
level, and the bricks are set back irregularly ;
this shows the mode of finishing off the roof of
this tomb.
12. The Tomb of Dex-Setui, pi. lix. From
the position of this tomb it is seen to naturally
follow the building of the tombs of Zet and
Merneit. It is surrounded by rows of small
chambers, for offerings, and for burial of
domestics ; but as I have only partially ex-
amined these as yet, no plan in detail is here-
given. The king's torn!) appears to have con-
tained a great number of tablets of ivory and
ebony, fragments of eighteen having beer found
by us in the rubbish thrown out by the Mission
Amelineau, beside one perfect tablet stolen from
that work (now in the MacGregor collection),
and a piece picked up (now in Cairo Museum) ;
thus twenty tablets are known from this tomb.
The inscriptions on stone vases (pi. v.) are,
however, not more frequent than in previous
reigns. This tomb appears to be one of the
most costly and sumptuous, with its pavement
of red granite; the details of it I hope to
publish after its clearance next season.
11
them a girdle of long narrow chambers, 48 wide
and 160 to 215 inches long. These chambers
are about Q\ feet deep, but the central chamber
is nearly !) feet. Of these chambers for offerings
Nos. 1, 2, 5, 7 still contained pottery in place,
and Xo. 3 contained many jar stealings. The
great stele of Merneit (frontispiece) was found
lying near the east side of the central chamber ;
and near it was the back of a similar stele (sec
photograph, pi. lxiv., No. G), on which the
bottom of the neit and r signs remained, and
from which a piece of the top with the top of
the neit on it was found lying over chamber 5.
At a few yards distance from the chambers
full of offerings is a line of private graves
almost surrounding the royal tomb. This line
is interrupted at the S. end of the W. side,
similar to the interruption of the retaining wall
of the tomb of Zet at that quarter. It seems
therefore that the funeral approached it from
that direction. In the small graves there arc
no red inscriptions, as in those belonging to
Zet; but steles were found, the names of two
of which are entered on the plan, and the
figures are given in pis. xxxi,, xxxiv. 17-19.
A feature which could not well be shown in the
plan is the ledge which runs along the side of
these tombs. The black wall here figured is
the width of the level edge of the pit, but beyond
this a slight edging of brick rises a few inches
higher.
11. The Tomb op Merneit, interior, pis.
lxiv., lxv. The chamber shows signs of burning,
on both the walls and the floor. A small piece
of wood yet remaining on the floor indicates
that it also had a wooden floor, like the other
tombs. Against the walls stand pilasters of
brick (see plan lxi., photograph lxiv., Xo. 5) ;
and though these are not at present more than
a quarter of the whole height of the wall, they
originally reached to the top, as is shown by
the smoking of the wall on each side, even
visible in the photograph. These pilasters are
entirely additions to the first building ; they
stand against the plastering, and upon a loose
layer of sand and pebbles about 4 inches thick.
Thus it is clear that they belong to the subse-
quent stage of the fitting of a roof to the
chamber. Such a roof would not need to be as
strong as that of Zet, as there was much less
depth of sand over it; so that beams only at
the pilasters would serve to carry enough boards
to cover it. The pilasters, however, seem to have
been altogether an afterthought, as within two
of the corner ones there remain the ends of
upright posts, around which the brickwork was
built. The holes that are shown in the floor
are apparently not connected with the con-
struction, as they are not in the mid-line where
pillars are likely. The height of the chamber
is 105 inches, at both E. and S.A\r., up to the
top of a course of headers on edge around it.
At the edge of chamber 2 is the cast of plaited
palm-leaf matting on the mud mortar above this
level, and the bricks are set back irregularly ;
this shows the mode of finishing off the roof of
this tomb.
12. The Tomb of Dex-Setui, pi. lix. From
the position of this tomb it is seen to naturally
follow the building of the tombs of Zet and
Merneit. It is surrounded by rows of small
chambers, for offerings, and for burial of
domestics ; but as I have only partially ex-
amined these as yet, no plan in detail is here-
given. The king's torn!) appears to have con-
tained a great number of tablets of ivory and
ebony, fragments of eighteen having beer found
by us in the rubbish thrown out by the Mission
Amelineau, beside one perfect tablet stolen from
that work (now in the MacGregor collection),
and a piece picked up (now in Cairo Museum) ;
thus twenty tablets are known from this tomb.
The inscriptions on stone vases (pi. v.) are,
however, not more frequent than in previous
reigns. This tomb appears to be one of the
most costly and sumptuous, with its pavement
of red granite; the details of it I hope to
publish after its clearance next season.