DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4104#0017
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ABYDOS III.
came on a very long wall, buried a few inches
below the surface, and shortly after a wall was
found parallel to it and at some distance ; this
was left to be worked carefully by Mr. Ayrton,
who has described it under the name of the
Middle Fort in the preceding chapter.
17. Gradually the men worked westwards,
sinking small pits at every few feet. These
either reached down to untouched gebel, that is,
water-deposited sand, or else to indications of a
tomb, shown by a hole having been dug in the
gebel, or by actual brickwork. At times to
find the gebel it only needed a few scrapes
with the pick; at other times it was necessary
to dig down through two or three feet of
accumulated rubbish and wind-drifted sand.
The great bulk of the tombs which had
escaped recent search had been plundered
anciently; it was therefore impossible in most
cases to say what had been placed with the
bodies, or even what had been the original
position of the bodies in the tomb. We found
many cases where from six to twelve bodies had
been buried at different times in one tomb ;
and in such tombs most of the bones had been
pushed aside into a heap to make room for the
next body, and so anything that had been
overlooked by the plunderers was in no relation
to the body with which it had been buried.
18. One tomb, v 21, pi. xx, had a deep pit,
with one chamber near the surface and another
lower doAvn. Both had been plundered ancient-
ly. Fortunately for us there was also a third
chamber considerably below these. Much of
the gravel forming the roof of this chamber had
fallen in and broken up the burials, the whole
contents of the chamber was therefore worked
over with a sieve. Owing to this all the
relative positions were lost, and the objects
only were rescued. It was a rich burial of the
Xllth Dynasty, with two bodies side by side.
It took about half a day to sift and re-sift the
accumulated sand and gravel. Four of the
Quftis, with their faces beaming with excite-
holding
eternity;
standing
ment, shook the fine sand through the sieve,
and picked from it the beads and amulets
in gold, electrum, silver, lazuli, carnelian,
amethyst, and green felspar; and the so-
called blue marble kohl-pots and dishes. By
far the most beautiful object Avas a group of
small carnelian and green felspar beads. This
had been a necklace of three strings, held
together at intervals by silver claws (pi. xii).
These, as Avell as the other necklaces and
amulets, Avere of exquisite Avorkmanship and of
great beauty of form. Another group of very
fine and delicate gold amulets is sIioavu on
pi. xii. The first line has kneeling figures
palm branches, the emblems of
the second line has, first, the
jackal, Upuaut, next come tAvo
jackals lying on pedestals, Avith their tails
hanging doAvn, and then another Upuaut.
BcIoav this is a very small image of Min, with
his raised hand holding the flail.
It is interesting to notice in this small group
of amulets, the prominence given to the gods of
life and death, especially the latter. Min is the
god Avho gives life, the one Avho produces from
the field and herds, the earth-god of reproduc-
tion. Under one form or another he seems to
have been worshipped all round the Medi-
terranean. The association of the jackal Avith
death shoAvs a god of a different kind, Avho is
found in a much more limited area. Instead of
a great power of nature being deified, the
worship of the jackal comes entirely from
an association of ideas. The jackal living
in the desert for generations, knoAVS all its
slopes and valleys, and lucky is it for the
desert traveller who finds a lonely jackal track.
In this Avay the jackal becomes the symbol of
a guide through the unknoAvn. To transfer the
idea from the desert journey to the blessed
west, passing through the shadoAvy regions of
the after-life, and to deify the standing jackal,
Upuaut, is a natural connection of thought. In
this Avay Upuaut became the early god of
lore fr°nl W
r,,fthe depaitea
edestal,
Alon
the P
gh the ce
from the
-]m^" -ii the
„ associated with the
Calmed body and
ianship of these
Gold, electrum, and
Jatskill; the cutting -
ansiderable ability, but
of the metal work.
ifelspar with silver sei
to other tomb of par
li Hth Dynasty. It ^
Avitli scenes and
iSMviii. Over the mi
of white stucco had b(
in black an*
is on the wa'
(seepl.xxviii). Thede(
:j standing before Osiris
Won his throne. At h
:* on which are the s
:» of the dead. Be
'*. Isis, with her h
" C0I»es the red sun
lts along the celesti
tiesmaU entrance ar
hofPUxvi. Hei
^lemofthe
rifed% course
■ 7 « I* on the
^girdle ties,
tki At the
>S0fthega1
^ l^ced ft
\%
%\
ABYDOS III.
came on a very long wall, buried a few inches
below the surface, and shortly after a wall was
found parallel to it and at some distance ; this
was left to be worked carefully by Mr. Ayrton,
who has described it under the name of the
Middle Fort in the preceding chapter.
17. Gradually the men worked westwards,
sinking small pits at every few feet. These
either reached down to untouched gebel, that is,
water-deposited sand, or else to indications of a
tomb, shown by a hole having been dug in the
gebel, or by actual brickwork. At times to
find the gebel it only needed a few scrapes
with the pick; at other times it was necessary
to dig down through two or three feet of
accumulated rubbish and wind-drifted sand.
The great bulk of the tombs which had
escaped recent search had been plundered
anciently; it was therefore impossible in most
cases to say what had been placed with the
bodies, or even what had been the original
position of the bodies in the tomb. We found
many cases where from six to twelve bodies had
been buried at different times in one tomb ;
and in such tombs most of the bones had been
pushed aside into a heap to make room for the
next body, and so anything that had been
overlooked by the plunderers was in no relation
to the body with which it had been buried.
18. One tomb, v 21, pi. xx, had a deep pit,
with one chamber near the surface and another
lower doAvn. Both had been plundered ancient-
ly. Fortunately for us there was also a third
chamber considerably below these. Much of
the gravel forming the roof of this chamber had
fallen in and broken up the burials, the whole
contents of the chamber was therefore worked
over with a sieve. Owing to this all the
relative positions were lost, and the objects
only were rescued. It was a rich burial of the
Xllth Dynasty, with two bodies side by side.
It took about half a day to sift and re-sift the
accumulated sand and gravel. Four of the
Quftis, with their faces beaming with excite-
holding
eternity;
standing
ment, shook the fine sand through the sieve,
and picked from it the beads and amulets
in gold, electrum, silver, lazuli, carnelian,
amethyst, and green felspar; and the so-
called blue marble kohl-pots and dishes. By
far the most beautiful object Avas a group of
small carnelian and green felspar beads. This
had been a necklace of three strings, held
together at intervals by silver claws (pi. xii).
These, as Avell as the other necklaces and
amulets, Avere of exquisite Avorkmanship and of
great beauty of form. Another group of very
fine and delicate gold amulets is sIioavu on
pi. xii. The first line has kneeling figures
palm branches, the emblems of
the second line has, first, the
jackal, Upuaut, next come tAvo
jackals lying on pedestals, Avith their tails
hanging doAvn, and then another Upuaut.
BcIoav this is a very small image of Min, with
his raised hand holding the flail.
It is interesting to notice in this small group
of amulets, the prominence given to the gods of
life and death, especially the latter. Min is the
god Avho gives life, the one Avho produces from
the field and herds, the earth-god of reproduc-
tion. Under one form or another he seems to
have been worshipped all round the Medi-
terranean. The association of the jackal Avith
death shoAvs a god of a different kind, Avho is
found in a much more limited area. Instead of
a great power of nature being deified, the
worship of the jackal comes entirely from
an association of ideas. The jackal living
in the desert for generations, knoAVS all its
slopes and valleys, and lucky is it for the
desert traveller who finds a lonely jackal track.
In this Avay the jackal becomes the symbol of
a guide through the unknoAvn. To transfer the
idea from the desert journey to the blessed
west, passing through the shadoAvy regions of
the after-life, and to deify the standing jackal,
Upuaut, is a natural connection of thought. In
this Avay Upuaut became the early god of
lore fr°nl W
r,,fthe depaitea
edestal,
Alon
the P
gh the ce
from the
-]m^" -ii the
„ associated with the
Calmed body and
ianship of these
Gold, electrum, and
Jatskill; the cutting -
ansiderable ability, but
of the metal work.
ifelspar with silver sei
to other tomb of par
li Hth Dynasty. It ^
Avitli scenes and
iSMviii. Over the mi
of white stucco had b(
in black an*
is on the wa'
(seepl.xxviii). Thede(
:j standing before Osiris
Won his throne. At h
:* on which are the s
:» of the dead. Be
'*. Isis, with her h
" C0I»es the red sun
lts along the celesti
tiesmaU entrance ar
hofPUxvi. Hei
^lemofthe
rifed% course
■ 7 « I* on the
^girdle ties,
tki At the
>S0fthega1
^ l^ced ft
\%
%\