DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18130#0040
26
KlIXASYA.
CHAPTER VII.
THE ROMAN HOUSES.
37. The wliole of the visible parts of the great
mounds of Ehnasya, the ancient Heracleopolis
Magna, consists of houses and rubbish heaps of
the Roman, Coptic, and Arabic periods (see pi.
liv). On the west of the site is the great mound
of Kom ed Dinar, which is of the Ilnd to IVth
century a.p., and has been formed by throwing
out rubbish from the houses south and east of
it. In the midst of the mounds are houses of
the Vth to Vllth century, and on the eastern
edge of the ruins habitation has continued
down to the present village of Ehnasya. This
gradually moving of a town is like that of
Medinet el Fayum, where the Xllth Dynasty
temple is about tAvo miles from the modern
town, and the mounds between represent the
intermediate history.
It was manifestly hopeless to do anything
toward clearing such an enormous mass of town
ruins, of a period already so well known. But
from past experience at Tanis, I hoped that the
burnt houses would repay excavation, as many
objects left behind at a fire were not worth
removal anciently. None of the houses proved
to contain as much as at Tanis, and no burnt
papyri were found ; but some gave groups of
pottery and figures which were tolerably dated
by the coins found with them. Such groups
are here published for comparison of datings,
the terra cotta figures and lamps in photograph,
the pottery in outline.
Some account of the general contents of the
houses may here be given, in order of time.
Each house was designated by a letter when
found and everything from it was so marked ;
these letters of reference are quoted here. All
notice of the pottery lamps is left to the
description of the types of lamps treated to-
gether.
38. Third Cent. a.d. House K was ap-
parently that of an ironmonger. I took many
coins from the earth which had fallen as brick-
work from the upper storey at the fire. Most of
these were large Alexandrian brass of Trajan to
Antoninus, much worn ; one large brass of Philip
was in sharp condition, and none of the smaller
coins could be later than this reign, or possibly
Gallienus, by their size, but nearly all were too
much corroded to be cleaned. The house then
may be dated to within ten years of 250 a.d.
A great variety of terra cotta figures was found
here : Harpocrates, standing draped, and seated
nude ; Aphrodite holding her hair ; Ceres (?)
seated on a throne ; the common figures of girls,
seated on the ground, and holding up their
hands ; an acrobat striding, with a palm branch;
a Roman comic actor; an ostrich, a fire altar,
a basket chair, and many other subjects, which
may be seen in the supplementary plates.
The pottery from here is buff-faced, with
black pattern (No. Ill, pi. xxviii); many frag-
ments of large vases with coarse painting in
black and red, of fish, spirals, &c. ; and the
forms Nos. 24, 38, 40, 47, 57, 64, 71, 72, 1)2,
93, 94, 96, and 123. No. 47 is interesting as
being inscribed " 1 Khoi(nix)" ; it contains
about 46 cubic in. up to the neck, or 59 up
to the brim. Being merely of rough pottery
inscribed before baking, and without any ad-
justment, it cannot have been accurate, and we
KlIXASYA.
CHAPTER VII.
THE ROMAN HOUSES.
37. The wliole of the visible parts of the great
mounds of Ehnasya, the ancient Heracleopolis
Magna, consists of houses and rubbish heaps of
the Roman, Coptic, and Arabic periods (see pi.
liv). On the west of the site is the great mound
of Kom ed Dinar, which is of the Ilnd to IVth
century a.p., and has been formed by throwing
out rubbish from the houses south and east of
it. In the midst of the mounds are houses of
the Vth to Vllth century, and on the eastern
edge of the ruins habitation has continued
down to the present village of Ehnasya. This
gradually moving of a town is like that of
Medinet el Fayum, where the Xllth Dynasty
temple is about tAvo miles from the modern
town, and the mounds between represent the
intermediate history.
It was manifestly hopeless to do anything
toward clearing such an enormous mass of town
ruins, of a period already so well known. But
from past experience at Tanis, I hoped that the
burnt houses would repay excavation, as many
objects left behind at a fire were not worth
removal anciently. None of the houses proved
to contain as much as at Tanis, and no burnt
papyri were found ; but some gave groups of
pottery and figures which were tolerably dated
by the coins found with them. Such groups
are here published for comparison of datings,
the terra cotta figures and lamps in photograph,
the pottery in outline.
Some account of the general contents of the
houses may here be given, in order of time.
Each house was designated by a letter when
found and everything from it was so marked ;
these letters of reference are quoted here. All
notice of the pottery lamps is left to the
description of the types of lamps treated to-
gether.
38. Third Cent. a.d. House K was ap-
parently that of an ironmonger. I took many
coins from the earth which had fallen as brick-
work from the upper storey at the fire. Most of
these were large Alexandrian brass of Trajan to
Antoninus, much worn ; one large brass of Philip
was in sharp condition, and none of the smaller
coins could be later than this reign, or possibly
Gallienus, by their size, but nearly all were too
much corroded to be cleaned. The house then
may be dated to within ten years of 250 a.d.
A great variety of terra cotta figures was found
here : Harpocrates, standing draped, and seated
nude ; Aphrodite holding her hair ; Ceres (?)
seated on a throne ; the common figures of girls,
seated on the ground, and holding up their
hands ; an acrobat striding, with a palm branch;
a Roman comic actor; an ostrich, a fire altar,
a basket chair, and many other subjects, which
may be seen in the supplementary plates.
The pottery from here is buff-faced, with
black pattern (No. Ill, pi. xxviii); many frag-
ments of large vases with coarse painting in
black and red, of fish, spirals, &c. ; and the
forms Nos. 24, 38, 40, 47, 57, 64, 71, 72, 1)2,
93, 94, 96, and 123. No. 47 is interesting as
being inscribed " 1 Khoi(nix)" ; it contains
about 46 cubic in. up to the neck, or 59 up
to the brim. Being merely of rough pottery
inscribed before baking, and without any ad-
justment, it cannot have been accurate, and we