DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4104#0035
26
ABYDOS III.
considerable time to make even the small
burrow, that enabled a man lying on his
side to push slowly forward.
38. Evidently the passage led to some room,
and as they had failed by tunnelling under the
stone plugs, they next tried making a great
tunnel parallel to the passage and a little to the
right of it. This was made very large, with
the evident intention of making certain of
hitting any branch that might run off from
the plugged passage.
As the tunnel proceeded the plunderers cut
holes through at intervals, to see if they were
keeping in line Avith the granite blocks. When
they found that they were getting the tunnel
somewhat of the same length as the plugged
passage, it was widened out and deepened
considerably, and in this way they dropped
right in through the ceiling of room L.
39. Here they found a small room lined with
blocks of quartzite sandstone. These blocks
are exactly the height of the room and very
thick. This must have made it very difficult
to set them in place, as the slightest tilting
would cause them to jam. Once in place,
however, it was much harder to get them out.
This room opened into the long passage
marked M. Here there is no lining, and
the rock is not finished off with anything
like the care taken in the other unlined parts
of the tomb, as no implement finer than the
stone pick was used.
The room of irregular shape, N, was lined.
It opens into the passage that leads to the final
room marked 0. This last room was very
carefully lined with great blocks of the same
quartzite sandstone.
40. Which room was pulled to pieces first
I could not determine. Perhaps gangs of men
worked in all three at once. The room 0
had all the great blocks that reached from the
floor to the ceiling prized out, and here and
there holes had been cut into the rock, to see if
any carefully concealed openings Avere behind.
The room N was treated in a similar manner.
Of the three rooms the little one marked
L certainly must have seemed the most un-
likely ; in fact, it is little more than a turn from
the plugged passage into the one that leads to
the final chamber, 0. When, however, the
lining of sandstone had been removed, the
reason why their first tunnel had failed
became apparent.
The opening from the room into the plugged
passage had been carefully Availed up Avith lime-
stone of nearly the same colour as the native rock,
and also the opening Avas a little above the bottom
of the passage, so that a tunnel going to the
bottom, even if spreading out there, would just
miss it by a few inches. The removal of the
remaining lining showed the canopic box let
into the Avail at the turning into the passage
M, and on the other side of the little room the
rock had been holloAved out just enou2.l1 to
alloAv the great granite sarcophagus to be
let into it. At last the long years of search
Avere rewarded ; they had found the body of
Senusert III.
The sarcophagus is made of red granite. The
form is good, as will be seen from the plan
drawing on pi. xl, and the workmanship extra-
ordinarily accurate ; the angles and sides being
very exact. The outside only is polished.
There Avas no inscription either on the sarco-
phagus or on any other stone in the tomb. The
enormous lid slid into position in an acute
angle groove—in order that it might not be
prized up. Consequently, the only way to get
at the body inside Avas to draw out the lid by
moving it in its groove. It is one thing to slide
a large piece of granite into a space that just
fits it, and it is quite another thing to get it
out. The method the plunderers used Avas
distinctly skilful. The first thing they did Avas
to cut away enough rock at either end to alloAv
a man to get in to the rock behind the
sarcophagus. Next the rock was cut away
behind and under the inner side of it, Avhile
fVaspo-W
, canopic
box ws
***, he «
>d round mth
^forsUdingitinto p^
fcfc but at the e
jjkis the same methoc
jib employed, and t
tester dishes were taken
!f§er, The majority
duck pattern
pieces of
m, h traces of the
mist have been taken a
m this long: searc.
i that accumulated
eoi course very great,
aped into the differ
i filled. Cwas!
'we tightly packed,
iWing.to each. ]
!lv Med, and E ar
"7 to crawl in on
' aPpears very prol
tended in trying t
. * ffas due to °p0
P^portanc,
F* that the ,
C ®ea%seenw
u . »er '» conso
y «• bodies
^adtin,
<TiUh th
less of tings;
ABYDOS III.
considerable time to make even the small
burrow, that enabled a man lying on his
side to push slowly forward.
38. Evidently the passage led to some room,
and as they had failed by tunnelling under the
stone plugs, they next tried making a great
tunnel parallel to the passage and a little to the
right of it. This was made very large, with
the evident intention of making certain of
hitting any branch that might run off from
the plugged passage.
As the tunnel proceeded the plunderers cut
holes through at intervals, to see if they were
keeping in line Avith the granite blocks. When
they found that they were getting the tunnel
somewhat of the same length as the plugged
passage, it was widened out and deepened
considerably, and in this way they dropped
right in through the ceiling of room L.
39. Here they found a small room lined with
blocks of quartzite sandstone. These blocks
are exactly the height of the room and very
thick. This must have made it very difficult
to set them in place, as the slightest tilting
would cause them to jam. Once in place,
however, it was much harder to get them out.
This room opened into the long passage
marked M. Here there is no lining, and
the rock is not finished off with anything
like the care taken in the other unlined parts
of the tomb, as no implement finer than the
stone pick was used.
The room of irregular shape, N, was lined.
It opens into the passage that leads to the final
room marked 0. This last room was very
carefully lined with great blocks of the same
quartzite sandstone.
40. Which room was pulled to pieces first
I could not determine. Perhaps gangs of men
worked in all three at once. The room 0
had all the great blocks that reached from the
floor to the ceiling prized out, and here and
there holes had been cut into the rock, to see if
any carefully concealed openings Avere behind.
The room N was treated in a similar manner.
Of the three rooms the little one marked
L certainly must have seemed the most un-
likely ; in fact, it is little more than a turn from
the plugged passage into the one that leads to
the final chamber, 0. When, however, the
lining of sandstone had been removed, the
reason why their first tunnel had failed
became apparent.
The opening from the room into the plugged
passage had been carefully Availed up Avith lime-
stone of nearly the same colour as the native rock,
and also the opening Avas a little above the bottom
of the passage, so that a tunnel going to the
bottom, even if spreading out there, would just
miss it by a few inches. The removal of the
remaining lining showed the canopic box let
into the Avail at the turning into the passage
M, and on the other side of the little room the
rock had been holloAved out just enou2.l1 to
alloAv the great granite sarcophagus to be
let into it. At last the long years of search
Avere rewarded ; they had found the body of
Senusert III.
The sarcophagus is made of red granite. The
form is good, as will be seen from the plan
drawing on pi. xl, and the workmanship extra-
ordinarily accurate ; the angles and sides being
very exact. The outside only is polished.
There Avas no inscription either on the sarco-
phagus or on any other stone in the tomb. The
enormous lid slid into position in an acute
angle groove—in order that it might not be
prized up. Consequently, the only way to get
at the body inside Avas to draw out the lid by
moving it in its groove. It is one thing to slide
a large piece of granite into a space that just
fits it, and it is quite another thing to get it
out. The method the plunderers used Avas
distinctly skilful. The first thing they did Avas
to cut away enough rock at either end to alloAv
a man to get in to the rock behind the
sarcophagus. Next the rock was cut away
behind and under the inner side of it, Avhile
fVaspo-W
, canopic
box ws
***, he «
>d round mth
^forsUdingitinto p^
fcfc but at the e
jjkis the same methoc
jib employed, and t
tester dishes were taken
!f§er, The majority
duck pattern
pieces of
m, h traces of the
mist have been taken a
m this long: searc.
i that accumulated
eoi course very great,
aped into the differ
i filled. Cwas!
'we tightly packed,
iWing.to each. ]
!lv Med, and E ar
"7 to crawl in on
' aPpears very prol
tended in trying t
. * ffas due to °p0
P^portanc,
F* that the ,
C ®ea%seenw
u . »er '» conso
y «• bodies
^adtin,
<TiUh th
less of tings;