DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.3388#0028
i8
THE MASTABA OF NEFERMAAT
sloped in order to detach it the more easily in making
the brick.
The size of these bricks was evidently intended to
be f x | X i cubit.
CHAPTER VI
THE MASTABA OF NEFERMAAT.
By GERALD WAINWRIGHT.
33. In the latter part of the season we renewed
the search in the already well-tunnelled mastaba of
Nefermaat, and after seven weeks' work we came upon
the masonry. Our search was carried out by sinking
a large pit, and by branching tunnels along the sur-
face of the rock ; these ran below the 16 feet of mud,
topped with sand, of which the mastaba is composed.
We at last found the rock pit ; it was choked with
great masses of roughly squared stones, each about
5x3x2 feet, and all filled up solid with mud. On
reaching the bottom of the pit, we traced along the
south side, expecting to find a passage leading to a
chamber, as in the case of the western tombs and
the mastabas of Rahotep and Ranefer. The pit was
34 feet north of the false door (see pi. iii), and a
passage such as in these other tombs would bring the
chamber into the usual place, just behind the false
door.
But when we had tunnelled along the floor of the
pit through the mud for 33 feet, we found its south-
western angle, but no passage. It then became
evident that we had to do with a great pit sunk in
the rock (see pi. iv) with a chamber built in it, like
mastaba No. 17. Upon learning this we tunnelled
across the pit northward from the middle of the south
side, and very shortly found smoothly laid stones
above our heads.
These proved to be the floor of the tomb chamber,
which was at last discovered. We were the first to
enter it since it was closed on the day of the burial.
Therefore presumably we ought to have found the
burial of one of the greatest dignitaries of the iiird
dynasty, intact; but before closing the chamber the
workmen had broken up the coffin, and rifled the
contents. However, on gathering up the remains,
they proved to be of importance.
34. The floor of the chamber was covered with
the mud which had run in from the original filling up
of the well. It must have been mixed very liquid,
from the even consistency, and also from the ease
with which it had poured through the joints of the
stone-blocked doorway into the chamber, and entered
every nook and corner. Where it lay nearest to
the door it was 20 inches deep.
Partly in the mud and partly sticking out of it,
the skeleton was lying, on its back, with feet to the
south, on a piece of board against the west wall of
the tomb, dragged towards the south corner.
This board was no doubt part of the coffin, and
from most of the bones lying upon it they had been
preserved in place. The right tibia and foot were
broken to pieces, as also the right radius. Two of
the finger bones were found some distance off, by the
head. The head had been dragged off, cracked to
pieces, and stood up against the west wall about 2 feet
away from the shoulders. The wrappings had entirely
disappeared from the parts which lay above the mud,
owing to the decay in air and moisture, though
they remained on the under side from the surface of
the mud downwards. This is the extent of the
damage the body had suffered.
The wooden coffin had been smashed to pieces,
and fragments were found in every direction.
The burial was a difficult one to examine because
of the disappearance of the greater part of the
bandages, and because of the mud in which every-
thing was caked, and which had even penetrated in
between the bones and their wrappings.
The bandages stuck much more tightly to the
mud with which they were encased than to the bones,
hence it was impossible to remove bone and bandages
together. But as in the candlelight the magnifying
glass did not shew any sign of flesh or skin, we re-
moved samples of the wrappings, taking care to see
that nothing but clean bone was left, and submitted
them to Dr. Rtiffer for examination, and he reports
that he could find no trace of flesh or skin on any of
the pieces.
The condition of the skeleton confirms this, for
the mud had oozed into every cranny between the
separate bones, shewing that when this occurred—at
the closing of the tomb—there was no skin or flesh to
stop it.
Though the right humerus was still in its place in
the socket of the shoulder-blade, yet the mud had
worked its way into the socket.
The left humerus was covered with mud, which
shewed on the outside traces of bandages, between
which and the bone no trace of animal tissue was ob-
servable. The mud on the other (outer) side of this
shoulder-blade bore distinct marks of the warp and
woof of the bandages.
THE MASTABA OF NEFERMAAT
sloped in order to detach it the more easily in making
the brick.
The size of these bricks was evidently intended to
be f x | X i cubit.
CHAPTER VI
THE MASTABA OF NEFERMAAT.
By GERALD WAINWRIGHT.
33. In the latter part of the season we renewed
the search in the already well-tunnelled mastaba of
Nefermaat, and after seven weeks' work we came upon
the masonry. Our search was carried out by sinking
a large pit, and by branching tunnels along the sur-
face of the rock ; these ran below the 16 feet of mud,
topped with sand, of which the mastaba is composed.
We at last found the rock pit ; it was choked with
great masses of roughly squared stones, each about
5x3x2 feet, and all filled up solid with mud. On
reaching the bottom of the pit, we traced along the
south side, expecting to find a passage leading to a
chamber, as in the case of the western tombs and
the mastabas of Rahotep and Ranefer. The pit was
34 feet north of the false door (see pi. iii), and a
passage such as in these other tombs would bring the
chamber into the usual place, just behind the false
door.
But when we had tunnelled along the floor of the
pit through the mud for 33 feet, we found its south-
western angle, but no passage. It then became
evident that we had to do with a great pit sunk in
the rock (see pi. iv) with a chamber built in it, like
mastaba No. 17. Upon learning this we tunnelled
across the pit northward from the middle of the south
side, and very shortly found smoothly laid stones
above our heads.
These proved to be the floor of the tomb chamber,
which was at last discovered. We were the first to
enter it since it was closed on the day of the burial.
Therefore presumably we ought to have found the
burial of one of the greatest dignitaries of the iiird
dynasty, intact; but before closing the chamber the
workmen had broken up the coffin, and rifled the
contents. However, on gathering up the remains,
they proved to be of importance.
34. The floor of the chamber was covered with
the mud which had run in from the original filling up
of the well. It must have been mixed very liquid,
from the even consistency, and also from the ease
with which it had poured through the joints of the
stone-blocked doorway into the chamber, and entered
every nook and corner. Where it lay nearest to
the door it was 20 inches deep.
Partly in the mud and partly sticking out of it,
the skeleton was lying, on its back, with feet to the
south, on a piece of board against the west wall of
the tomb, dragged towards the south corner.
This board was no doubt part of the coffin, and
from most of the bones lying upon it they had been
preserved in place. The right tibia and foot were
broken to pieces, as also the right radius. Two of
the finger bones were found some distance off, by the
head. The head had been dragged off, cracked to
pieces, and stood up against the west wall about 2 feet
away from the shoulders. The wrappings had entirely
disappeared from the parts which lay above the mud,
owing to the decay in air and moisture, though
they remained on the under side from the surface of
the mud downwards. This is the extent of the
damage the body had suffered.
The wooden coffin had been smashed to pieces,
and fragments were found in every direction.
The burial was a difficult one to examine because
of the disappearance of the greater part of the
bandages, and because of the mud in which every-
thing was caked, and which had even penetrated in
between the bones and their wrappings.
The bandages stuck much more tightly to the
mud with which they were encased than to the bones,
hence it was impossible to remove bone and bandages
together. But as in the candlelight the magnifying
glass did not shew any sign of flesh or skin, we re-
moved samples of the wrappings, taking care to see
that nothing but clean bone was left, and submitted
them to Dr. Rtiffer for examination, and he reports
that he could find no trace of flesh or skin on any of
the pieces.
The condition of the skeleton confirms this, for
the mud had oozed into every cranny between the
separate bones, shewing that when this occurred—at
the closing of the tomb—there was no skin or flesh to
stop it.
Though the right humerus was still in its place in
the socket of the shoulder-blade, yet the mud had
worked its way into the socket.
The left humerus was covered with mud, which
shewed on the outside traces of bandages, between
which and the bone no trace of animal tissue was ob-
servable. The mud on the other (outer) side of this
shoulder-blade bore distinct marks of the warp and
woof of the bandages.