DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4104#0027
to:
18
ABYDOS 111.
decided that there must be, as had been expected,
a tomb cut through the rock, at no great dis-
tance away. Excavations under the cliff pro-
montory, as has been described, were already
proving hopeless; and a thorough clearance of
the hosh was commenced.
It was thus evident that both these two
supposed tombs which had proved so fruitless,
were in reality great rubbish heaps enclosed
and cased in with brickwork to represent mas-
tabas, the " wavy " fender wall being a further
protection against prying eyes. In this way
the ancient architects believed that they could
hide all trace of the chippings which would so
plainly tell of the existence of a great rock
tomb. The manner of defence usually employed
against the plunderer was that of setting him
upon a false scent, with a view to disheartening
him by much wasted labour. These two
dummy mastabas would be the largest visible
buildings in the cemetery, and the plunderers
would be sure to attack them first; and no
doubt the ransacking of the place kept many a
gang of robbers out of further mischief.
28. Amid the rubbish a number of grey
clay sealings were found heaped together a few
inches below the brick covering. They are
chiefly scarab impressions of an ornamental
character, and are all of the style prevalent in
the Xllth Dynasty. The clay was thumbed
into the necessary shape, and from the impres-
sions on the under side one is able to see that
it was used to secure bands of string or cord at
the point where it was knotted. In some cases
minute fragments of the string still remain, and
the original seems to have consisted of papyrus
twisted cord about {- in. thick, thin strands of
linen twine, twisted cord about ^ in. neatly
twisted, linen cord about yg- in., and plain un-
twisted cord about -^ m- There is also upon
many of the sealings the rounded impression of
papyrus, and on one some shreds of that material
are to be seen. From this it seems that the
sealings were used to fasten the rolls of papyrus
containing, perhaps, instructions from the royal
officials to the overseers in charge of the work
at the tomb shaft and elsewhere. It is evident
that the seals were broken and thrown aside in
the cemetery, and were finally carried across to
the rubbish mound along with other debris.
There are four sealings which give the names
of these royal officials. The first is inscribed
\[ Q (a!) W mer seten apt Ay, " Superin-
tendent of the King's estate, Ay" ; the second
gs /www r\ /wwv\ n
Xjj Q I jj i\ dri ne Khenu Senb, "Guardian
of the court, Senb " ; the third T U Nefer-Ea,
without a title ; and the fourth ~©*\ £Z* ,
^^ (J '^r. \\ mer net zat mer het urt vi Imeru,
www Jl -a
" Mayor of the City and Vizir, Superintendent
of the six great temples, Imeru,"l Now
the Vizir Imeru-Nefer-Ka is known from
a statue in the Louvre, and he lived during
the reign of Sebek-hetep III, of the Xlllth
Dynasty. Senb and Ay are, therefore, pro-
bably of this date ; and many of the scarabs
appear to belong to the Xlllth Dynasty. If,
then, there Avas not another vizier of this name,
it is evident from this that the roofing of the
"dummy mastaba" was undertaken in the
reign of Sebek-hetep III. The small tomb,
S 16, may also date from this reign, as we
have already seen that the pottery found in
it was later than the Xllth Dynasty. The
"wavy" walls throughout the cemetery may
also have been built by Sebek-hetep, and this
is further indicated by the fact that one of them
is built right across the entrance to the hosh,
[see paragraph 2] which is not likely to have
been done at the time of the funeral. We
cannot, however, attribute more of the work
in the cemetery to this date, as there is evidence
to show that it belongs to the Xllth Dynasty.
King Ra-Kha-Kau, for whom the small temple
1 This sealing has unfortunately been mislaid, and it
does not, therefore, appear in the plate.
was I0
name
. Ljkjm also. il
P l'P° v hi
|;;[ie hieroglyph bl
anofthus mutilatin;
throughout the r<
his successor Am
,. noticed upon the <
.;i|of the former at Dahs
r, 1894] It is no
ing should have two
i<r unreasonable in the
nt evidence compel
sly, that this rock to:
si place of Senusert I
i lower, will be und
ke clearance of the torn
ii tie available materi
S. The clearance of the
#rmrd piece of work
fewas regulated b
:i,tt%fromlto3ft.'
;,t0^ it was unnec.
'%" was ranged
forked forward^
* Shaving beer
"'ot which hs
*ndeposit, T
border b,,t;(.
!»,t T ' the nor
•*■ vments »f -
%N*o,,ei,
* ^ not
18
ABYDOS 111.
decided that there must be, as had been expected,
a tomb cut through the rock, at no great dis-
tance away. Excavations under the cliff pro-
montory, as has been described, were already
proving hopeless; and a thorough clearance of
the hosh was commenced.
It was thus evident that both these two
supposed tombs which had proved so fruitless,
were in reality great rubbish heaps enclosed
and cased in with brickwork to represent mas-
tabas, the " wavy " fender wall being a further
protection against prying eyes. In this way
the ancient architects believed that they could
hide all trace of the chippings which would so
plainly tell of the existence of a great rock
tomb. The manner of defence usually employed
against the plunderer was that of setting him
upon a false scent, with a view to disheartening
him by much wasted labour. These two
dummy mastabas would be the largest visible
buildings in the cemetery, and the plunderers
would be sure to attack them first; and no
doubt the ransacking of the place kept many a
gang of robbers out of further mischief.
28. Amid the rubbish a number of grey
clay sealings were found heaped together a few
inches below the brick covering. They are
chiefly scarab impressions of an ornamental
character, and are all of the style prevalent in
the Xllth Dynasty. The clay was thumbed
into the necessary shape, and from the impres-
sions on the under side one is able to see that
it was used to secure bands of string or cord at
the point where it was knotted. In some cases
minute fragments of the string still remain, and
the original seems to have consisted of papyrus
twisted cord about {- in. thick, thin strands of
linen twine, twisted cord about ^ in. neatly
twisted, linen cord about yg- in., and plain un-
twisted cord about -^ m- There is also upon
many of the sealings the rounded impression of
papyrus, and on one some shreds of that material
are to be seen. From this it seems that the
sealings were used to fasten the rolls of papyrus
containing, perhaps, instructions from the royal
officials to the overseers in charge of the work
at the tomb shaft and elsewhere. It is evident
that the seals were broken and thrown aside in
the cemetery, and were finally carried across to
the rubbish mound along with other debris.
There are four sealings which give the names
of these royal officials. The first is inscribed
\[ Q (a!) W mer seten apt Ay, " Superin-
tendent of the King's estate, Ay" ; the second
gs /www r\ /wwv\ n
Xjj Q I jj i\ dri ne Khenu Senb, "Guardian
of the court, Senb " ; the third T U Nefer-Ea,
without a title ; and the fourth ~©*\ £Z* ,
^^ (J '^r. \\ mer net zat mer het urt vi Imeru,
www Jl -a
" Mayor of the City and Vizir, Superintendent
of the six great temples, Imeru,"l Now
the Vizir Imeru-Nefer-Ka is known from
a statue in the Louvre, and he lived during
the reign of Sebek-hetep III, of the Xlllth
Dynasty. Senb and Ay are, therefore, pro-
bably of this date ; and many of the scarabs
appear to belong to the Xlllth Dynasty. If,
then, there Avas not another vizier of this name,
it is evident from this that the roofing of the
"dummy mastaba" was undertaken in the
reign of Sebek-hetep III. The small tomb,
S 16, may also date from this reign, as we
have already seen that the pottery found in
it was later than the Xllth Dynasty. The
"wavy" walls throughout the cemetery may
also have been built by Sebek-hetep, and this
is further indicated by the fact that one of them
is built right across the entrance to the hosh,
[see paragraph 2] which is not likely to have
been done at the time of the funeral. We
cannot, however, attribute more of the work
in the cemetery to this date, as there is evidence
to show that it belongs to the Xllth Dynasty.
King Ra-Kha-Kau, for whom the small temple
1 This sealing has unfortunately been mislaid, and it
does not, therefore, appear in the plate.
was I0
name
. Ljkjm also. il
P l'P° v hi
|;;[ie hieroglyph bl
anofthus mutilatin;
throughout the r<
his successor Am
,. noticed upon the <
.;i|of the former at Dahs
r, 1894] It is no
ing should have two
i<r unreasonable in the
nt evidence compel
sly, that this rock to:
si place of Senusert I
i lower, will be und
ke clearance of the torn
ii tie available materi
S. The clearance of the
#rmrd piece of work
fewas regulated b
:i,tt%fromlto3ft.'
;,t0^ it was unnec.
'%" was ranged
forked forward^
* Shaving beer
"'ot which hs
*ndeposit, T
border b,,t;(.
!»,t T ' the nor
•*■ vments »f -
%N*o,,ei,
* ^ not