DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4221#0029
20
ROYAL TOMBS OF THE 1st DYNASTY.
PI. vi. 1. This slate bowl was found scattered
on different sides of the tomb, as were also the
two pieces reunited in No. 3.
2 is a piece of a large alabaster cylinder jar,
with coarse cutting.
5 are two fragments of a crystal cup with the
name Merpaba, but one narroAV slip between
these pieces is lost.
8 is part of a very fine bowl in pink gneiss,
the only example of such ; it was found with
two other tine bowls in the grave W 33. The
inscription gives the name of the palace of Azab,
Qed-hotep. One piece of crystal cup of Azab,
not figured here, was kept at Cairo.
Many alabaster cylinder jars in the tomb of
Mersekha had roughened places on them, and
at first it seemed as if they were merely un-
finished ; but some traces of signs were found
nearly erased, and this led to searching them
all carefully. Every piece of alabaster and slate
that was found was therefore closely looked at,
usually in slanting sunlight, to find erased
inscriptions. Three are shown here : on 9 the
traces of the door frame and of the heart sign
are seen ; on 10 is part of a large hawk, and on
11 nearly the whole ka name is clearly seen.
PI. vii. 1 is the only instance here of the
three birds group so usual on vases of Aha.
The birds of Aha look most like ostriches (see
De Morgan, Nos. 558, 662), while these are
more like plovers ; neither would be taken for
the ba bird of later times, and probably these
are intended for rekhyt.
2, 3. Only two names of Mersekha Avere
found on vases, and most of the stonework in
his tomb seems to have belonged to Azab, as
every piece on pi. vi. (except No. 8) came from
the tomb of Mersekha. The last sign on No. 3
scarcely looks like kha, more resembling a
fish; but the well-cut cylinder impressions
(xxviii. 73, 76, 77) leave no doubt that
the sign is kha. It is to be noted that the
s sign always has the short side forward in
this name, on these two vases, and on all the
seals on pi. xxviii., beside Nos. 17, 20, 34, and
41. This was not universal then, as the s is the
usual way of later times on seals, 5, (>, 7, 24, 25,
30, 32, 33, 40, 40, (i |., and 65 ; so it seems that
there was no fixed rule as in later aires.
4. This fine piece of crystal cup is united
from two widely scattered fragments. The
loAver part is a hat sign, as the line on the left is
too near the middle to be the side of the square,
and it must be the corner enclosure of the hat.
So this reads Neb hat ankh. There is also a
scrap of a sign above the animal, which seems
to be probably a large hunting dog.
5 is a piece of a large alabaster cylinder jar,
with the festival sign oil it, raised on a platform
Avhich has steps at the end. This figure is best
seen on viii. 7, xi. 5, and xiv. 12. On the
basis are three signs (?) SN. On No. 7 is N,
and on No. 8 is SN' '' '. All of these refer to
the Sed festival.
6 is a palimpsest crystal boAvl; of the earlier
inscription traces remain in spite of the scraping
and re-polishing of it, and the sign su was
brought up clearly by careful Aviping over with
ink. The later inscription is Sed heb, the " Sed
festival."
9 is a piece of black pottery placed here on
account of its inscription. The signs ka, a
door (?), and mer, are clear. The unknown
sign is like one in an ink-written inscription on
slate from Abydos, noAv at Cairo (xxxii. 38).
10 is on a coarse piece of an alabaster cylinder
jar ; it is the name of Azab's city or palace,
Hor-dua-kh, as on the seal xxvi. 03.
11, 12 are tAvo inscriptions Avhich cannot be
explained yet. The double-headed axe, after
the " royal house " on 12, also appears in the
hands of the warriors on a slate palette.
PI. viii. 1 is on a piece of a large white bowl,
and is better cut than any of the others of this
reign. It is iioav in the Cairo Museum.
5 shows that it belonged to the priest of the
shrine of Qa, like the boAvl ix. 12.
6, 7, both refer to the Sed festival; the upper
' in it some*
■^ At botb^
J clears up *» **
right are parts c
Lflo.3, showing ift
0 first inscribed
and then late
inscribed on the
sole Horus "—
palace; andth
■M&-W8S tli
e bowl was lati
,,i the piece of i
r%W Th(
considered by 5
I These are so
lis inscribed with i
wing to being f
'-: tat on 1 is the
iU in the tomb of}
wand published <
' * has the name
•Ablets, pis. x.
^^ed ivory, a
n* both from i
^ h. 8 is n(
.^Wii
i!^mallcas
the '^ack for
Hit was 1
* (i,
*Heserpe
• Si-
hllu!709.
ROYAL TOMBS OF THE 1st DYNASTY.
PI. vi. 1. This slate bowl was found scattered
on different sides of the tomb, as were also the
two pieces reunited in No. 3.
2 is a piece of a large alabaster cylinder jar,
with coarse cutting.
5 are two fragments of a crystal cup with the
name Merpaba, but one narroAV slip between
these pieces is lost.
8 is part of a very fine bowl in pink gneiss,
the only example of such ; it was found with
two other tine bowls in the grave W 33. The
inscription gives the name of the palace of Azab,
Qed-hotep. One piece of crystal cup of Azab,
not figured here, was kept at Cairo.
Many alabaster cylinder jars in the tomb of
Mersekha had roughened places on them, and
at first it seemed as if they were merely un-
finished ; but some traces of signs were found
nearly erased, and this led to searching them
all carefully. Every piece of alabaster and slate
that was found was therefore closely looked at,
usually in slanting sunlight, to find erased
inscriptions. Three are shown here : on 9 the
traces of the door frame and of the heart sign
are seen ; on 10 is part of a large hawk, and on
11 nearly the whole ka name is clearly seen.
PI. vii. 1 is the only instance here of the
three birds group so usual on vases of Aha.
The birds of Aha look most like ostriches (see
De Morgan, Nos. 558, 662), while these are
more like plovers ; neither would be taken for
the ba bird of later times, and probably these
are intended for rekhyt.
2, 3. Only two names of Mersekha Avere
found on vases, and most of the stonework in
his tomb seems to have belonged to Azab, as
every piece on pi. vi. (except No. 8) came from
the tomb of Mersekha. The last sign on No. 3
scarcely looks like kha, more resembling a
fish; but the well-cut cylinder impressions
(xxviii. 73, 76, 77) leave no doubt that
the sign is kha. It is to be noted that the
s sign always has the short side forward in
this name, on these two vases, and on all the
seals on pi. xxviii., beside Nos. 17, 20, 34, and
41. This was not universal then, as the s is the
usual way of later times on seals, 5, (>, 7, 24, 25,
30, 32, 33, 40, 40, (i |., and 65 ; so it seems that
there was no fixed rule as in later aires.
4. This fine piece of crystal cup is united
from two widely scattered fragments. The
loAver part is a hat sign, as the line on the left is
too near the middle to be the side of the square,
and it must be the corner enclosure of the hat.
So this reads Neb hat ankh. There is also a
scrap of a sign above the animal, which seems
to be probably a large hunting dog.
5 is a piece of a large alabaster cylinder jar,
with the festival sign oil it, raised on a platform
Avhich has steps at the end. This figure is best
seen on viii. 7, xi. 5, and xiv. 12. On the
basis are three signs (?) SN. On No. 7 is N,
and on No. 8 is SN' '' '. All of these refer to
the Sed festival.
6 is a palimpsest crystal boAvl; of the earlier
inscription traces remain in spite of the scraping
and re-polishing of it, and the sign su was
brought up clearly by careful Aviping over with
ink. The later inscription is Sed heb, the " Sed
festival."
9 is a piece of black pottery placed here on
account of its inscription. The signs ka, a
door (?), and mer, are clear. The unknown
sign is like one in an ink-written inscription on
slate from Abydos, noAv at Cairo (xxxii. 38).
10 is on a coarse piece of an alabaster cylinder
jar ; it is the name of Azab's city or palace,
Hor-dua-kh, as on the seal xxvi. 03.
11, 12 are tAvo inscriptions Avhich cannot be
explained yet. The double-headed axe, after
the " royal house " on 12, also appears in the
hands of the warriors on a slate palette.
PI. viii. 1 is on a piece of a large white bowl,
and is better cut than any of the others of this
reign. It is iioav in the Cairo Museum.
5 shows that it belonged to the priest of the
shrine of Qa, like the boAvl ix. 12.
6, 7, both refer to the Sed festival; the upper
' in it some*
■^ At botb^
J clears up *» **
right are parts c
Lflo.3, showing ift
0 first inscribed
and then late
inscribed on the
sole Horus "—
palace; andth
■M&-W8S tli
e bowl was lati
,,i the piece of i
r%W Th(
considered by 5
I These are so
lis inscribed with i
wing to being f
'-: tat on 1 is the
iU in the tomb of}
wand published <
' * has the name
•Ablets, pis. x.
^^ed ivory, a
n* both from i
^ h. 8 is n(
.^Wii
i!^mallcas
the '^ack for
Hit was 1
* (i,
*Heserpe
• Si-
hllu!709.