DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4104#0040
THE TOMB OF AAHMES I.
31
failed. Aahrnes determined to profit by the
past and to hide himself and his tomb. Nearly
a mile back in the desert he had selected these
piles of gravel as the most suitable place.
Between two of them a very small pit had been
sunk, with no more care shown in its construc-
tion than is given to the ordinary grave of the
country. See plate xlixa and b, and photo-
graph on plate 1. From this small pit he had
tunnelled a small chamber, C. This was run
parallel to the river just as is done in the
ordinary graves. This chamber C is so low
that it is necessary to crawl on hands and
knees in order to get to the end. Now when
the puzzle was being worked backwards, it was
easy to notice that this chamber was a little
longer than the average. This was no doubt in
order to deceive by imperfect light any possible
plunderers who might think it worth while to
dig open such a tomb. Although I could not
find it, evidently there had been at the end
some kind of plug, to give the appearance of
solid rock all around the chamber.
52. Had the end plug been removed the
intruder would have found himself suddenly in
a well-cut corridor, D. From this two rooms, E
and F, open to right and left; and, after running
straight for a time, the corridor winds round
till it reaches the hall G. It Avould seem as if
the workmen missed their direction, and went
on for some time before they were put right.
The ceiling of this great hall is supported by
eighteen columns, the mystic nine on each side
of the axis. Directly opposite the entrance is
the opening to the passage, which descends
rapidly and then turns to the right into the
iinal chamber, I.
In preparing the tomb, a circular pit was
first dug in the sand, A; then the cutting was
made in the soft conglomerate, B. The work-
manship of this pit and of the chamber C is very
rough and careless. Once inside the corridor
D, the workmanship is much better, the walls
being carefully cut and finished to the corners.
The first room entered, E, was found to
measure as follows: the west wall, 7ft. 3in., the
east Avail, 6ft. 5in., the north one, 7ft. 2in., and
the south one, 8ft. 4in. This shows very
inaccurate work, and Avas the first sign I noticed
of the great haste they must have been in Avhen
digging the tomb. The diagonal measurements,
however, differ by only half an inch. The
entrance is 6 ft. high and has a six-inch
threshold left in the rock. As Avill be seen,
the other room, F, is no less inaccurate, and here
the room is not finished to the floor. In all
diusino; underground the start Avas made at the
! top, the ceiling cut, and then everything mea-
' sured in relation to that. Here only 3 ft. 10 in.
bad been cut aAvay.
Both rooms Avere searched over inch by inch.
In F nothing at all Avas found, but in E a half-
burnt twisted rope of grass Avas lying in a
corner. This must be a lamp-Avick, and is the
first definite sign of the method of lighting
these great underground cuttings.
The corridor runs straight for a Avhile and
then turns to the right. After the first fifteen
yards the Avork was not done carefully, and all
along sIioavs signs of being more and more
hurried. A bed of soft sand was cut into, and
then the corridor sinks, in order to follow the
direction of the more easily worked stratum.
53. On each side, just a few inches beloAv the
ceiling, the men had cut little niches in the Avails.
These are more frequent on the right side, as
Avould be expected. These little niches are (> to
S inches square, and from 4 to 8 inches deep. On
the ceiling just outside each was a patch of
black smoke staining. The lamps had evidently
stood in the niches Avith the wick pointing out-
Avards. Sometimes through this the sharp little
copper picks had passed where the corners were
being finished, and in the patch of smoke is a
line of clean rock shoAving the green particles
scraped off the pick. These little holes with
smoke marks run all along the corridor from
the place where the hurried Avork began,
31
failed. Aahrnes determined to profit by the
past and to hide himself and his tomb. Nearly
a mile back in the desert he had selected these
piles of gravel as the most suitable place.
Between two of them a very small pit had been
sunk, with no more care shown in its construc-
tion than is given to the ordinary grave of the
country. See plate xlixa and b, and photo-
graph on plate 1. From this small pit he had
tunnelled a small chamber, C. This was run
parallel to the river just as is done in the
ordinary graves. This chamber C is so low
that it is necessary to crawl on hands and
knees in order to get to the end. Now when
the puzzle was being worked backwards, it was
easy to notice that this chamber was a little
longer than the average. This was no doubt in
order to deceive by imperfect light any possible
plunderers who might think it worth while to
dig open such a tomb. Although I could not
find it, evidently there had been at the end
some kind of plug, to give the appearance of
solid rock all around the chamber.
52. Had the end plug been removed the
intruder would have found himself suddenly in
a well-cut corridor, D. From this two rooms, E
and F, open to right and left; and, after running
straight for a time, the corridor winds round
till it reaches the hall G. It Avould seem as if
the workmen missed their direction, and went
on for some time before they were put right.
The ceiling of this great hall is supported by
eighteen columns, the mystic nine on each side
of the axis. Directly opposite the entrance is
the opening to the passage, which descends
rapidly and then turns to the right into the
iinal chamber, I.
In preparing the tomb, a circular pit was
first dug in the sand, A; then the cutting was
made in the soft conglomerate, B. The work-
manship of this pit and of the chamber C is very
rough and careless. Once inside the corridor
D, the workmanship is much better, the walls
being carefully cut and finished to the corners.
The first room entered, E, was found to
measure as follows: the west wall, 7ft. 3in., the
east Avail, 6ft. 5in., the north one, 7ft. 2in., and
the south one, 8ft. 4in. This shows very
inaccurate work, and Avas the first sign I noticed
of the great haste they must have been in Avhen
digging the tomb. The diagonal measurements,
however, differ by only half an inch. The
entrance is 6 ft. high and has a six-inch
threshold left in the rock. As Avill be seen,
the other room, F, is no less inaccurate, and here
the room is not finished to the floor. In all
diusino; underground the start Avas made at the
! top, the ceiling cut, and then everything mea-
' sured in relation to that. Here only 3 ft. 10 in.
bad been cut aAvay.
Both rooms Avere searched over inch by inch.
In F nothing at all Avas found, but in E a half-
burnt twisted rope of grass Avas lying in a
corner. This must be a lamp-Avick, and is the
first definite sign of the method of lighting
these great underground cuttings.
The corridor runs straight for a Avhile and
then turns to the right. After the first fifteen
yards the Avork was not done carefully, and all
along sIioavs signs of being more and more
hurried. A bed of soft sand was cut into, and
then the corridor sinks, in order to follow the
direction of the more easily worked stratum.
53. On each side, just a few inches beloAv the
ceiling, the men had cut little niches in the Avails.
These are more frequent on the right side, as
Avould be expected. These little niches are (> to
S inches square, and from 4 to 8 inches deep. On
the ceiling just outside each was a patch of
black smoke staining. The lamps had evidently
stood in the niches Avith the wick pointing out-
Avards. Sometimes through this the sharp little
copper picks had passed where the corners were
being finished, and in the patch of smoke is a
line of clean rock shoAving the green particles
scraped off the pick. These little holes with
smoke marks run all along the corridor from
the place where the hurried Avork began,