DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4103#0011
ABYDOS II.
INTRODUCTION.
1. The work described in this volume was be^un
at the end of November, 1902, and continued
till the early part of April, 1903. In the previous
season a part of the early town of Abydos had
been excavated, and it was shown that its period
began at the close of the prehistoric age and
extended over the first few dynasties ; the con-
nection between the prehistoric scale and the
historic reigns was thus settled, and the results
appeared in Abydos I. The position of this
town was close behind the site of the old temples
of Abydos, and within the great girdle-wall en-
closure of the Xllth Dynasty, which stands
about half a mile north of the well-known later
temples of Sety I and Ramessu II.
This early town being behind the temples, or
more into the sandy edge of the desert, was
higher up ; the ground gently sloping from the
cultivated land upwards as a sandy plain, until
it reaches the foot of the hills, a couple of miles
back. This slope of sand has been encroached
upon by Nile deposits as the level of the river
rose; and what was formerly dry ground when
built on in the early monarchy is now about
twenty feet below the high Nile level. This
rise of the water, due to silting up of the Nile
bed, is the obstacle to dealing with most of the
early sites; and in the previous season we
cleared as far as we could on the native-sand
basis of the town. Nearer to the cultivation
the sand sloped down below water level, so that
we could not reach it, and we were obliged thus
to leave the early temple site for some different
mode of work. Happily the very exceptionally
low Nile of last summer gave us the best oppor-
tunity that we could ever hope to gain. When
I went out in November, just after the inunda-
tion, the water in our pits was even lower than
when I had left it in April, instead of being-
several feet higher as is usually the case. I was
thus able to begin a season with better condi-
tions than are generally obtained at the dry end
of the season ; and the water continued to recede
as the year advanced. No better chance could
be ever hoped for, and whatever was possible to
be done without enormous pumping works was
completely in our power. We made use of the
chance by clearing as much of the site as we
could deal with, down to below this exceptional
water level, and no one will ever see more with-
out such pumping as is never likely to be
attempted. As most of the site we did clear
had in the earliest time only been used for
rubbish, and not for construction, there was the
less reason to regret not being able to work
deeper ; and the sand basis was reached so near
to the lowest and oldest temple that it is un-
likely that any earlier building existed here.
We have probably, therefore, exhausted the
site of the temple itself, though no doubt there
are acres of early buildings and enclosure by the
side of it.
B
INTRODUCTION.
1. The work described in this volume was be^un
at the end of November, 1902, and continued
till the early part of April, 1903. In the previous
season a part of the early town of Abydos had
been excavated, and it was shown that its period
began at the close of the prehistoric age and
extended over the first few dynasties ; the con-
nection between the prehistoric scale and the
historic reigns was thus settled, and the results
appeared in Abydos I. The position of this
town was close behind the site of the old temples
of Abydos, and within the great girdle-wall en-
closure of the Xllth Dynasty, which stands
about half a mile north of the well-known later
temples of Sety I and Ramessu II.
This early town being behind the temples, or
more into the sandy edge of the desert, was
higher up ; the ground gently sloping from the
cultivated land upwards as a sandy plain, until
it reaches the foot of the hills, a couple of miles
back. This slope of sand has been encroached
upon by Nile deposits as the level of the river
rose; and what was formerly dry ground when
built on in the early monarchy is now about
twenty feet below the high Nile level. This
rise of the water, due to silting up of the Nile
bed, is the obstacle to dealing with most of the
early sites; and in the previous season we
cleared as far as we could on the native-sand
basis of the town. Nearer to the cultivation
the sand sloped down below water level, so that
we could not reach it, and we were obliged thus
to leave the early temple site for some different
mode of work. Happily the very exceptionally
low Nile of last summer gave us the best oppor-
tunity that we could ever hope to gain. When
I went out in November, just after the inunda-
tion, the water in our pits was even lower than
when I had left it in April, instead of being-
several feet higher as is usually the case. I was
thus able to begin a season with better condi-
tions than are generally obtained at the dry end
of the season ; and the water continued to recede
as the year advanced. No better chance could
be ever hoped for, and whatever was possible to
be done without enormous pumping works was
completely in our power. We made use of the
chance by clearing as much of the site as we
could deal with, down to below this exceptional
water level, and no one will ever see more with-
out such pumping as is never likely to be
attempted. As most of the site we did clear
had in the earliest time only been used for
rubbish, and not for construction, there was the
less reason to regret not being able to work
deeper ; and the sand basis was reached so near
to the lowest and oldest temple that it is un-
likely that any earlier building existed here.
We have probably, therefore, exhausted the
site of the temple itself, though no doubt there
are acres of early buildings and enclosure by the
side of it.
B