DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.3350#0014
THE PALACE OF MEMPHIS
the west, the great court behind them, and the best
rooms of the women's quarters on the east.
Of the portico in the mandara there remain the tops
of two capitals. They were of nearly the same size
as the other columns of the Great Court, so that they
were probably all alike. They are shewn in general
position in PI. XII, middle, and in near view in
PL XI ; the title of 50-foot columns is given because
of the breadth across the, palm tops ; this is 110-4 as
against 97-6 inches in the Great Court, which would
imply a height of 49 or 50 feet; but the size of the
abacus would imply that they were the same size as
the other columns. The inscriptions are very care-
lessly cut, being merely scratched on one side of the
abacus : but they were brilliantly painted.
The full height of the Great Court walls must
have been about ij feet for base, 43! feet column
and abacus, ij feet of beams, and 1 foot of rafters and
roof, or about 47J feet over all. The mandara portico
may however have been higher.
8. The south-west corner is not clear in its
meaning. The three narrow passages, instead of
chambers, and the extreme thickness of the walls (19
and 22 feet), suggest that a tower stood here domina-
ting the fosse. Such would be the most suitable
position for a tower, and it is likely that some higher
look-out would be provided at the palace-fort. As
the mound now stands, it gives a good view of the
desert valleys on both sides of the Nile, and a high
tower rising above that would be of the greatest value
for observing up and down the Nile plain, as well as
over the deserts.
The chamber marked XII, south-west of the Great
Court, has most of the stone doorway still in place,
shewn in PI. XII.
9. In connection with the general plan we must
notice the various blocks of stone-work which lie
about the ruins. The columns we have already
described.
Six limestone lintels are lying perfect on the ground.
The profiles of them are given in PL XIIlA, the refer-
ence letters are on the plan PL I. That marked A
is at the gateway of the building south of the fosse,
the block below the roll is lost. B lies at the entrance
from the old broadway to the Great Court. C and
E are the inner and outer sides of a doorway to the
south-east halls. D is from the adjacent doorway in
the new broadway. F belongs to the door of the
middle north hall. The length of C is 150-9 at
top and 126-6 below, the ends turning outward in a
cavetto. The heights from below the roll to the top
vary from 52-0 to 33-9. The tallest lintel of which
the lower block remains, D, is 72-5 high, over all.
In the old broadway lies a block of stone steps,
G in PL XI11 A. These shew that there was a
regular access to a higher level; and they may well
have come from the tower, which appears to have
been immediately to the west of this. The width of
step is 38-0, the tread 13J to 14 inches, the rise 3\ to
5 inches.
At the east end of the north berm is the lintel
(H in XIIIa) or head-block of a small doorway,
only 2T2 wide inside, less the door thickness, leaving
18 inches or less when open. It must have been
a small postern door. It has running round it an
unusual moulding of a beading with sloping sides.
In the fosse opposite the new broadway lies the
sill of a small doorway (J in XIIIa). It was an outer
door much exposed to the weather. The jamb seems
to have been advanced over the line drawn for it,
as the weathering does not reach that. The actual
opening of the jambs was only 15-3 wide; so that it
must have been needful to sidle through the door-
way J. The narrowness of these doors opening from
the palace on to the berm shews how much was
sacrificed for strength and defence.
Inside the mouth of the new broadway is a block,
K, from a gateway side. It has a strong batter, with
a roll moulding well back from the gateway. From
the lock or bolt hole it was probably the outer face.
It is possible that H, J, and K all belong to the one
entrance to the broadway, K being the side of the
main gate, J the outer sill of the postern, and H
the inner top of the postern or side entrance. The
breadth of the inner side of J, 203, might expand
to 2I'2 of H in the length of the gateway.
The section of the stone lining of the N.E. hall is
given as L in XIIlA.
10. The brickwork of the palace should be noticed.
The sizes of bricks were measured in twenty-nine
walls, several measurements in each wall being taken
on the best defined parts. The average size in each
wall is here quoted. The various sizes may be mostly
put in groups, with not more variation in a group
than might well occur in one lot of bricks.
Late, square room in old broadway.
Late, E. wall of N.E. hall.
Filling up of old broadway.
Early, E. wall of mandara.
South berm in fosse.
11-4
X 5'6 X
4" 1
11-9
57
47
I2'I
5'9
4'5
131
72
S'i
I3'3
6-7
5*2
the west, the great court behind them, and the best
rooms of the women's quarters on the east.
Of the portico in the mandara there remain the tops
of two capitals. They were of nearly the same size
as the other columns of the Great Court, so that they
were probably all alike. They are shewn in general
position in PI. XII, middle, and in near view in
PL XI ; the title of 50-foot columns is given because
of the breadth across the, palm tops ; this is 110-4 as
against 97-6 inches in the Great Court, which would
imply a height of 49 or 50 feet; but the size of the
abacus would imply that they were the same size as
the other columns. The inscriptions are very care-
lessly cut, being merely scratched on one side of the
abacus : but they were brilliantly painted.
The full height of the Great Court walls must
have been about ij feet for base, 43! feet column
and abacus, ij feet of beams, and 1 foot of rafters and
roof, or about 47J feet over all. The mandara portico
may however have been higher.
8. The south-west corner is not clear in its
meaning. The three narrow passages, instead of
chambers, and the extreme thickness of the walls (19
and 22 feet), suggest that a tower stood here domina-
ting the fosse. Such would be the most suitable
position for a tower, and it is likely that some higher
look-out would be provided at the palace-fort. As
the mound now stands, it gives a good view of the
desert valleys on both sides of the Nile, and a high
tower rising above that would be of the greatest value
for observing up and down the Nile plain, as well as
over the deserts.
The chamber marked XII, south-west of the Great
Court, has most of the stone doorway still in place,
shewn in PI. XII.
9. In connection with the general plan we must
notice the various blocks of stone-work which lie
about the ruins. The columns we have already
described.
Six limestone lintels are lying perfect on the ground.
The profiles of them are given in PL XIIlA, the refer-
ence letters are on the plan PL I. That marked A
is at the gateway of the building south of the fosse,
the block below the roll is lost. B lies at the entrance
from the old broadway to the Great Court. C and
E are the inner and outer sides of a doorway to the
south-east halls. D is from the adjacent doorway in
the new broadway. F belongs to the door of the
middle north hall. The length of C is 150-9 at
top and 126-6 below, the ends turning outward in a
cavetto. The heights from below the roll to the top
vary from 52-0 to 33-9. The tallest lintel of which
the lower block remains, D, is 72-5 high, over all.
In the old broadway lies a block of stone steps,
G in PL XI11 A. These shew that there was a
regular access to a higher level; and they may well
have come from the tower, which appears to have
been immediately to the west of this. The width of
step is 38-0, the tread 13J to 14 inches, the rise 3\ to
5 inches.
At the east end of the north berm is the lintel
(H in XIIIa) or head-block of a small doorway,
only 2T2 wide inside, less the door thickness, leaving
18 inches or less when open. It must have been
a small postern door. It has running round it an
unusual moulding of a beading with sloping sides.
In the fosse opposite the new broadway lies the
sill of a small doorway (J in XIIIa). It was an outer
door much exposed to the weather. The jamb seems
to have been advanced over the line drawn for it,
as the weathering does not reach that. The actual
opening of the jambs was only 15-3 wide; so that it
must have been needful to sidle through the door-
way J. The narrowness of these doors opening from
the palace on to the berm shews how much was
sacrificed for strength and defence.
Inside the mouth of the new broadway is a block,
K, from a gateway side. It has a strong batter, with
a roll moulding well back from the gateway. From
the lock or bolt hole it was probably the outer face.
It is possible that H, J, and K all belong to the one
entrance to the broadway, K being the side of the
main gate, J the outer sill of the postern, and H
the inner top of the postern or side entrance. The
breadth of the inner side of J, 203, might expand
to 2I'2 of H in the length of the gateway.
The section of the stone lining of the N.E. hall is
given as L in XIIlA.
10. The brickwork of the palace should be noticed.
The sizes of bricks were measured in twenty-nine
walls, several measurements in each wall being taken
on the best defined parts. The average size in each
wall is here quoted. The various sizes may be mostly
put in groups, with not more variation in a group
than might well occur in one lot of bricks.
Late, square room in old broadway.
Late, E. wall of N.E. hall.
Filling up of old broadway.
Early, E. wall of mandara.
South berm in fosse.
11-4
X 5'6 X
4" 1
11-9
57
47
I2'I
5'9
4'5
131
72
S'i
I3'3
6-7
5*2