DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4222#0011
THE
ROYAL TOMBS OF THE 1st DYNASTY.
INTRODUCTION.
1. The present volume describes the continu-
ation and conclusion of the work on the Royal
Tombs of Abydos, begun last year. It has not
been practicable to include every result in this
account, as some classes of objects require more
study, such as the carved slate fragments and
the worked flints. Nor is there any special
virtue in comprising the whole of my results in
two volumes, when so large an amount of the
material from the same site is still lying in
Paris awaiting publication. But at least there
is now issued every inscription, and almost every
class of objects, Avhich have been obtained in
this final work of rescue by my careful work-
men.
The production of ninety-eight plates is a
matter requiring time, both for digesting the
material into order from rough heaps of frag-
ments, and for the merely mechanical labour of
drawing. To carry out this, several workers
were needed. Mr. Mace superintended the ex-
cavations, and so left me free to work out the
piles of searings, stone fragments, and small
objects. I only occasionally saw the digging,
mainly for planning the tombs of Den and
Perabsen, the central chamber of Zer, and the
south half of Khasekhemui ; the rest were
planned by Mr. Mace. My wife drew all the
plans, besides doing much in sorting and
arranging
material. Miss Orme's help was
more valuable than ever, as she developed all
my photographs, and inked in fifty-seven plates
of my pencil drawings, beside drawing marks
on pottery and helping in sorting the stone vase
fragments. Without her doing such a great
mass of work, this volume could not have
appeared till many Aveeks later. Miss A. Urlin
sorted much of the vase fragments, and joined
many complex fractures, besides doing a great
part of the daily marking of objects.
The general course of work was, that I photo-
graphed in the morning, sorted and drew stone
vases in the afternoon, and sorted and drew
sealings in the evening ; though each kind of
work was also taken at other times.
The importance of the material for study
makes it needful to thoroughly publish every
fragment. But as much of it will only be
wanted by specialists, and would not add to the
general interest in the subject, we have had to
divide the plates as in the publication of
Dendereh. The large edition presented to all
subscribers contains sixty-three plates, of which
fifteen are photographs and forty-eight litho-
graphs. Besides this the supplementary plates
which are not of general interest number thirty-
five, of which ten are photographs and twenty-
five lithographs. These are all distinguished by
B
ROYAL TOMBS OF THE 1st DYNASTY.
INTRODUCTION.
1. The present volume describes the continu-
ation and conclusion of the work on the Royal
Tombs of Abydos, begun last year. It has not
been practicable to include every result in this
account, as some classes of objects require more
study, such as the carved slate fragments and
the worked flints. Nor is there any special
virtue in comprising the whole of my results in
two volumes, when so large an amount of the
material from the same site is still lying in
Paris awaiting publication. But at least there
is now issued every inscription, and almost every
class of objects, Avhich have been obtained in
this final work of rescue by my careful work-
men.
The production of ninety-eight plates is a
matter requiring time, both for digesting the
material into order from rough heaps of frag-
ments, and for the merely mechanical labour of
drawing. To carry out this, several workers
were needed. Mr. Mace superintended the ex-
cavations, and so left me free to work out the
piles of searings, stone fragments, and small
objects. I only occasionally saw the digging,
mainly for planning the tombs of Den and
Perabsen, the central chamber of Zer, and the
south half of Khasekhemui ; the rest were
planned by Mr. Mace. My wife drew all the
plans, besides doing much in sorting and
arranging
material. Miss Orme's help was
more valuable than ever, as she developed all
my photographs, and inked in fifty-seven plates
of my pencil drawings, beside drawing marks
on pottery and helping in sorting the stone vase
fragments. Without her doing such a great
mass of work, this volume could not have
appeared till many Aveeks later. Miss A. Urlin
sorted much of the vase fragments, and joined
many complex fractures, besides doing a great
part of the daily marking of objects.
The general course of work was, that I photo-
graphed in the morning, sorted and drew stone
vases in the afternoon, and sorted and drew
sealings in the evening ; though each kind of
work was also taken at other times.
The importance of the material for study
makes it needful to thoroughly publish every
fragment. But as much of it will only be
wanted by specialists, and would not add to the
general interest in the subject, we have had to
divide the plates as in the publication of
Dendereh. The large edition presented to all
subscribers contains sixty-three plates, of which
fifteen are photographs and forty-eight litho-
graphs. Besides this the supplementary plates
which are not of general interest number thirty-
five, of which ten are photographs and twenty-
five lithographs. These are all distinguished by
B