DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.3349#0019
XIXth dynasty monuments and plan of merenptah temple
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CHAPTER V
THE TEMPLE OF MERENPTAH.
32. In the first chapter we have already con-
sidered the identification of the temple of Merenptah
with the temple of Proteus in the foreign quarter.
We now notice the actual remains.
The position of the temple in relation to the
surrounding buildings is shewn in PI. XXVII. Of
the actual temple two points are fixed; the first is
the great outer gateway of Merenptah, the lintel of
which was found two years before, standing in place ;
the second is the inner doorway to the temple, of
which we found two foundation stones and one jamb.
The outer gate of the forecourt was roofed by a
lintel of about 16 feet long. The sculptured scenes
upon it, of Merenptah before Ptah, occupied 185
inches in length and 42 inches in height. This lintel
has been completely copied, and will appear in a
future volume. Its thickness is formed of two or
three slabs of stone one behind the other, like the
architraves of the Parthenon. They are cracked
through, and the whole was anciently in danger of
falling. The Egyptians therefore closed this gate,
and shored it up by walls of brick, buttressing it in
front (see plan). Behind it, and all over the court,
chambers were built which completely filled up the
area. A few of the more distinct of these were
measured, and are entered on the plan in the " Outer
Court of Merenptah"; but it must be remembered
that they have no connection with the temple, and
are entirely later.
33. All over the middle of the outer court there
was a thick layer of earth with remains from work-
shops, below the houses, belonging to a time when
rubbish was thrown into the court, but before it was
appropriated to civil use. These remains are glazed
beads and waste beads, and great numbers of little
pellets of burnt clay about a quarter of an inch across.
These pellets may have been used to separate objects
in the kiln. On the western side of the court were
many unfinished scarabs in steatite, roughly blocked
out (XXVIII, 14), and unfinished calcite beads
(XXVIII, 13).
The ground of the court was open, and originally
contained no buildings. Some little washing troughs
were found sunk in the ground, perhaps shewing that
ablutions were performed in the court. The re-used
lotus capitals (PI. Ill) and column of Khaemuas
(PL XXV) were found in the ground at the south-
west of the court. The western side of the court
seems to have been a line of brick wall, which we
traced along most of the length of it.
At the back of the court was a doorway, doubtless
that of the temple, and the wall east of that seems
to belong to the temple by its direction. Two great
blocks of red granite with the name of Merenptah
formed the foundations ; and the western door jamb
stood in place about seven feet high. This, being
of limestone, we sawed into three pieces, and it is
now in the British Museum. On PI. XXIX is the
photograph of this jamb.
34. The relation of this temple to the rest of
the town we may note, before passing to the small
objects. Over the temple building, north of the
outer court, two large blocks of brickwork have been
superposed. These will have to be entirely removed
in 1909, in order to reach the temple, whose position
is now exactly known. The general direction of
the streets and houses is parallel to the temple. But
all of these houses are later than the temple,
probably built during a few centuries before the
Ptolemies. They doubtless stand on the lower parts
of earlier houses. The street lines, where they
could be traced, are here marked by rows of dots,
approximately the distance apart of ordinary foot-
steps, so as to give a sense of scale in looking at
the plan. The longest wall, running out to the
east edge of the plate, has been buttressed and
thickened along the north side, and a sloping way
to the top on that side seems to be of original
design. It was therefore intended for defence against
the south, and thus was the enclosing wall of the
Tyrian camp named by Herodotos. But it was not
an early feature, as it lies over the house ruins of
the same ground level as the rest of the plan.
Probably it is early Ptolemaic, a defensive work for
the Greek garrison stationed in the foreign quarter.
It is exactly in line with the south wall of the
temenos of Ptah ; and it probably ran on continuous
from that (see PI. I, where it is marked " Late
Wall"). But it cannot now be traced up to the
temenos, as all the intervening ground is cut away
lower than the base of this wall.
35. The small objects from the courtyard of
Merenptah are shewn in PI. XXVIII, figs. 1 to 22 ;
the Cypriote pottery is in PI. XXIX, the rough
painted figures of pottery are at the top left hand
in PI. XLIV, and a piece of painted dish at the
bottom of PI. XX. This dish is of rough pottery
with a pale drab facing; the pattern is of black,
with broad red filling, which is shaded here in
It
fthe
■He
on a
i now at
marked
1, which
' The
CHAPTER V
THE TEMPLE OF MERENPTAH.
32. In the first chapter we have already con-
sidered the identification of the temple of Merenptah
with the temple of Proteus in the foreign quarter.
We now notice the actual remains.
The position of the temple in relation to the
surrounding buildings is shewn in PI. XXVII. Of
the actual temple two points are fixed; the first is
the great outer gateway of Merenptah, the lintel of
which was found two years before, standing in place ;
the second is the inner doorway to the temple, of
which we found two foundation stones and one jamb.
The outer gate of the forecourt was roofed by a
lintel of about 16 feet long. The sculptured scenes
upon it, of Merenptah before Ptah, occupied 185
inches in length and 42 inches in height. This lintel
has been completely copied, and will appear in a
future volume. Its thickness is formed of two or
three slabs of stone one behind the other, like the
architraves of the Parthenon. They are cracked
through, and the whole was anciently in danger of
falling. The Egyptians therefore closed this gate,
and shored it up by walls of brick, buttressing it in
front (see plan). Behind it, and all over the court,
chambers were built which completely filled up the
area. A few of the more distinct of these were
measured, and are entered on the plan in the " Outer
Court of Merenptah"; but it must be remembered
that they have no connection with the temple, and
are entirely later.
33. All over the middle of the outer court there
was a thick layer of earth with remains from work-
shops, below the houses, belonging to a time when
rubbish was thrown into the court, but before it was
appropriated to civil use. These remains are glazed
beads and waste beads, and great numbers of little
pellets of burnt clay about a quarter of an inch across.
These pellets may have been used to separate objects
in the kiln. On the western side of the court were
many unfinished scarabs in steatite, roughly blocked
out (XXVIII, 14), and unfinished calcite beads
(XXVIII, 13).
The ground of the court was open, and originally
contained no buildings. Some little washing troughs
were found sunk in the ground, perhaps shewing that
ablutions were performed in the court. The re-used
lotus capitals (PI. Ill) and column of Khaemuas
(PL XXV) were found in the ground at the south-
west of the court. The western side of the court
seems to have been a line of brick wall, which we
traced along most of the length of it.
At the back of the court was a doorway, doubtless
that of the temple, and the wall east of that seems
to belong to the temple by its direction. Two great
blocks of red granite with the name of Merenptah
formed the foundations ; and the western door jamb
stood in place about seven feet high. This, being
of limestone, we sawed into three pieces, and it is
now in the British Museum. On PI. XXIX is the
photograph of this jamb.
34. The relation of this temple to the rest of
the town we may note, before passing to the small
objects. Over the temple building, north of the
outer court, two large blocks of brickwork have been
superposed. These will have to be entirely removed
in 1909, in order to reach the temple, whose position
is now exactly known. The general direction of
the streets and houses is parallel to the temple. But
all of these houses are later than the temple,
probably built during a few centuries before the
Ptolemies. They doubtless stand on the lower parts
of earlier houses. The street lines, where they
could be traced, are here marked by rows of dots,
approximately the distance apart of ordinary foot-
steps, so as to give a sense of scale in looking at
the plan. The longest wall, running out to the
east edge of the plate, has been buttressed and
thickened along the north side, and a sloping way
to the top on that side seems to be of original
design. It was therefore intended for defence against
the south, and thus was the enclosing wall of the
Tyrian camp named by Herodotos. But it was not
an early feature, as it lies over the house ruins of
the same ground level as the rest of the plan.
Probably it is early Ptolemaic, a defensive work for
the Greek garrison stationed in the foreign quarter.
It is exactly in line with the south wall of the
temenos of Ptah ; and it probably ran on continuous
from that (see PI. I, where it is marked " Late
Wall"). But it cannot now be traced up to the
temenos, as all the intervening ground is cut away
lower than the base of this wall.
35. The small objects from the courtyard of
Merenptah are shewn in PI. XXVIII, figs. 1 to 22 ;
the Cypriote pottery is in PI. XXIX, the rough
painted figures of pottery are at the top left hand
in PI. XLIV, and a piece of painted dish at the
bottom of PI. XX. This dish is of rough pottery
with a pale drab facing; the pattern is of black,
with broad red filling, which is shaded here in