DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.3350#0023
THE SCALE ARMOUR
13
really familiar with the character. It looks as if he
had tried to imitate the writing of a document dated
in the reign of Artaxerxes II. It may have been a
Jewish document, but not necessarily. The scratched
line is too roughly done to give any indication of
date." (Oxford.)
38. The scale armour is of the size here shewn,
PI. XVI; we have already noted its Persian origin at
the beginning of this chapter. The scales 5-15, 29-32
are of iron, 16-28 are of bronze. From the thinness
of the iron scales it is probable that the}' were of steel,
as soft iron would be too flexible ; steel was already
used centuries before this by the Assyrians, so it
may well have been common to the Persians. The
short small scales, 18, 19, were probably for the
gauntlets, where the lightness of the hand prevents any
very heavy cut being given. The longer scales were
for the flexible parts, some which are very thick being
probably for the shoulders and hips, where the whole
weight of the body is behind them. The long plates
with a mid-rib were for the limbs where no flexure
was required. The block of plates, 5, shew how they
were placed together; each plate overlapped the
previous up to the mid-rib, which prevented any
weapon from catching in below a plate. How the
mid-ribs were made is not clear ; there is no trace
of any groove on the back. The only method that
seems possible is that they were stamped with a swage
while hot, being struck from a rod about as thick as
the rib, and about a quarter of the width of the
present plate. Most of the plates have a slight dome
curve in them both ways, which must have been given
by the swages ; this rendered them far stiffer against
blows, and made the edges keep close when the
muscles shifted beneath them. The lines of stitch
holes are seen clearly in 24, 29, 30 along the edge,
beside the end holes which occur in all the plates and
scales. The scales 16, 17 with two rows of stitching
were for parts where they were laid three or four deep,
and only the curved tip shewed outside. (Univ. Coll.
and twelve museums.) With the armour were two
types of arrow-heads of bronze, five with three blades
and sharp edges, and six of solid triangular form. The
blade type was for flesh wounds on bare parts ; the
solid head for piercing armour. It should be noted
that both types are wanted at the same period, and
were used together, as otherwise they might be sup-
posed to be of different ages. For a summary of the
dispersion of the three-bladed form see Pumpelly,
Prehistoric Civilisations of Anau, i, 183-6.
39. PL XVII. In the south-west corner of the
palace, under the tower, there was found an inscribed
slab used in reconstruction along with brickwork. It
seems to have been brought from a tomb, and to
have probably been a door-jamb. The moulding has
been broken away from the reverse side to fit it for
building. The obverse is in relief, and coloured. It
is clearly incomplete along the top lines as the
other cartouche is wanting after " son of the sun, lord
of the diadems." It is not obvious at first whether
the royal name kheper-ka-ra is that of Senusert I in
remembrance, or whether it is of Nekht-neb-f in the
XXXth dynasty. The inscription of the reverse
is copied on PL XXV. The massive block was
unfortunately broken by extreme violence in shipping.
It is now at Cambridge. The inscription will be
dealt with by Dr. Walker in the last chapter.
CHAPTER V
SCULPTURES FROM TEMPLES AND CITY.
40. PL XVIII. In the foundations of Ramessu II
in the temple of Ptah, among other re-used blocks
of earlier dates, there is one which is probably from
the Old Kingdom temple. It represents a god stand-
ing holding the uas sceptre, and in front of him the
shrine of the lion god. Although weathered, the lion
is clearly seen, regardant, upon a stand looking to the
right; the stem of the stand must have occupied the
space below, down to nuter ast, the divine dwelling
being shewn below in the primitive form, made of inter-
woven palm sticks. The main place of lion worship
was Leontopolis in the Delta near the northern
Athribis ; but there was probably also a " town of the
lion " in the XlXth nome of the Delta, on the north-
east border ; and it is quite possible that lion worship
existed in the early times at Tell el Yehudiyeh and at
Bubastis where the lion-headed goddess was domin-
ant. We cannot prove to which of these centres the
shrine here should be referred. (Brussels.)
41. In the temple enclosure of Merenptah, in the
foreign quarter, a part of the actual temple has been
cleared this year. The plan will appear in future,
after the whole site is examined, but here we publish
a capital which is obviously an older sculpture, re-used
there in the XlXth dynasty. Just as we recovered
an early lotus capital from that site last year (Mem-
phis i, III), so we have now recovered two other
capitals, probably of the Vth dynasty, brought away
—-like so much other material—from the cemetery of
Abusir or Saqqara. These are of a type which is
13
really familiar with the character. It looks as if he
had tried to imitate the writing of a document dated
in the reign of Artaxerxes II. It may have been a
Jewish document, but not necessarily. The scratched
line is too roughly done to give any indication of
date." (Oxford.)
38. The scale armour is of the size here shewn,
PI. XVI; we have already noted its Persian origin at
the beginning of this chapter. The scales 5-15, 29-32
are of iron, 16-28 are of bronze. From the thinness
of the iron scales it is probable that the}' were of steel,
as soft iron would be too flexible ; steel was already
used centuries before this by the Assyrians, so it
may well have been common to the Persians. The
short small scales, 18, 19, were probably for the
gauntlets, where the lightness of the hand prevents any
very heavy cut being given. The longer scales were
for the flexible parts, some which are very thick being
probably for the shoulders and hips, where the whole
weight of the body is behind them. The long plates
with a mid-rib were for the limbs where no flexure
was required. The block of plates, 5, shew how they
were placed together; each plate overlapped the
previous up to the mid-rib, which prevented any
weapon from catching in below a plate. How the
mid-ribs were made is not clear ; there is no trace
of any groove on the back. The only method that
seems possible is that they were stamped with a swage
while hot, being struck from a rod about as thick as
the rib, and about a quarter of the width of the
present plate. Most of the plates have a slight dome
curve in them both ways, which must have been given
by the swages ; this rendered them far stiffer against
blows, and made the edges keep close when the
muscles shifted beneath them. The lines of stitch
holes are seen clearly in 24, 29, 30 along the edge,
beside the end holes which occur in all the plates and
scales. The scales 16, 17 with two rows of stitching
were for parts where they were laid three or four deep,
and only the curved tip shewed outside. (Univ. Coll.
and twelve museums.) With the armour were two
types of arrow-heads of bronze, five with three blades
and sharp edges, and six of solid triangular form. The
blade type was for flesh wounds on bare parts ; the
solid head for piercing armour. It should be noted
that both types are wanted at the same period, and
were used together, as otherwise they might be sup-
posed to be of different ages. For a summary of the
dispersion of the three-bladed form see Pumpelly,
Prehistoric Civilisations of Anau, i, 183-6.
39. PL XVII. In the south-west corner of the
palace, under the tower, there was found an inscribed
slab used in reconstruction along with brickwork. It
seems to have been brought from a tomb, and to
have probably been a door-jamb. The moulding has
been broken away from the reverse side to fit it for
building. The obverse is in relief, and coloured. It
is clearly incomplete along the top lines as the
other cartouche is wanting after " son of the sun, lord
of the diadems." It is not obvious at first whether
the royal name kheper-ka-ra is that of Senusert I in
remembrance, or whether it is of Nekht-neb-f in the
XXXth dynasty. The inscription of the reverse
is copied on PL XXV. The massive block was
unfortunately broken by extreme violence in shipping.
It is now at Cambridge. The inscription will be
dealt with by Dr. Walker in the last chapter.
CHAPTER V
SCULPTURES FROM TEMPLES AND CITY.
40. PL XVIII. In the foundations of Ramessu II
in the temple of Ptah, among other re-used blocks
of earlier dates, there is one which is probably from
the Old Kingdom temple. It represents a god stand-
ing holding the uas sceptre, and in front of him the
shrine of the lion god. Although weathered, the lion
is clearly seen, regardant, upon a stand looking to the
right; the stem of the stand must have occupied the
space below, down to nuter ast, the divine dwelling
being shewn below in the primitive form, made of inter-
woven palm sticks. The main place of lion worship
was Leontopolis in the Delta near the northern
Athribis ; but there was probably also a " town of the
lion " in the XlXth nome of the Delta, on the north-
east border ; and it is quite possible that lion worship
existed in the early times at Tell el Yehudiyeh and at
Bubastis where the lion-headed goddess was domin-
ant. We cannot prove to which of these centres the
shrine here should be referred. (Brussels.)
41. In the temple enclosure of Merenptah, in the
foreign quarter, a part of the actual temple has been
cleared this year. The plan will appear in future,
after the whole site is examined, but here we publish
a capital which is obviously an older sculpture, re-used
there in the XlXth dynasty. Just as we recovered
an early lotus capital from that site last year (Mem-
phis i, III), so we have now recovered two other
capitals, probably of the Vth dynasty, brought away
—-like so much other material—from the cemetery of
Abusir or Saqqara. These are of a type which is