DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.3388#0045
THE SOUTHERN TOMBS
35
tracted. Right arm bent and hand before face.
Left arm straight and lying beneath body. No
clothing or wrappings were seen. Teeth badly
decayed, (b) Rectangular shaft, 25 inches N.E.-
S.W., 29 inches N.W.-S.E., 46 inches deep. No
recess. Woman. Head N.E., body on left side
facing S.E. Legs contracted. Right arm slightly
bent, hand close to pelvis. Left arm contracted and
hand before face. Burial on western side of pit.
No sign of garments, (c) Shallow pit, 30 inches
long N.E.-S.W., 17 inches wide N.W.-S.E., 27 inches
deep. Woman. Head N.E., resting on a brick.
Body on left side facing S.E. Right leg slightly
bent. Left leg contracted. Right arm bent and
hand on pelvis. Left arm contracted and hand
before face. Small rough offering dish just below
left knee. Long linen garment.
60. Class D. Open Court provided with Niches or
False Doors. Only one grave was found belonging to
this class, No. 132.
It consisted of an open court cut in the side of a
mound, 97J inches long by 62 inches wide, and
entered from the south by a short passage 44J inches
long. The sides of this were plastered with mud.
At the north-east of the court was a roughly cut
niche, 47 inches wide by 21 inches deep. On the
western side a series of niches were provided by
building one thickness of brick against the marl face
and leaving gaps at intervals. An uninscribed slab of
limestone was also inserted in the rock at the south-
west, to serve as a false door. The height of the sides,
which were irregular, varied from 62 inches at the
north to 36 inches at the south. This court had
been utilised in the xxiind dynasty for a burial.
Forty-three inches west of the north-west corner
was a shaft measuring 35 inches square and 102 inches
deep. A recess was cut in the west of this, 35 inches
N.-S. by 17 inches E.-W., and 18 inches high.
It held the body of a young child. Head to N.
and facing E. The legs were semi-contracted, but
the arms and upper part of body had been disturbed.
CHAPTER X
THE SOUTHERN MOUNDS AND TOMBS.
By ERNEST MAC KAY.
61. ABOUT three hundred yards to the south of
the pyramid there occur three large mounds of lime-
stone chips, roughly in a line from E. to W. along the
edge of the plateau, where it falls away to the south.
The surface of the easternmost mound was covered
with broken early offering jars of rough make.
Three trenches were cut into this at the east to
see if a tomb might lie beneath the mound, but only
stone chips were found, some of which bore marks
of red paint. Amongst them were small pieces of
very coarse linen stained with red paint, which had
evidently been used for marking stone.
The western side of this mound was then tried,
and a long retaining wall was exposed and cleared
(pi. xxxi, b), 1248 inches long by 16 inches thick.
This was built of large stone chips secured with
cement; it had a smooth surface on its western side,
the eastern being left rough. The height of this
wall in places was 48 inches.
To the east of this, at a distance of 217^ inches
in, was another wall (a), running parallel with the
first, and also built of the same materials. The
length was 318 inches, by 18 inches thick, and the
average height 20 inches. Contrary to wall B, the
eastern side of this wall was smooth, whilst the stones
on the western side were left projecting.
A low brick wall was also found on the west of
B, 300 inches long by 26J inches wide. This is
marked C in the plan. Apparently it once formed
part of a building, but though a turn was found at
the south of this, it did not continue. The height of
the wall at the corner was 60 inches.
The whole mound was then trenched and pitted
for traces of further walling or a tomb shaft, but
nothing else was discovered.
Apparently the object of these two stone walls
was to hold back the pyramid rubbish which was
deposited here ; but the heap of chips eventually
became so high that they overflowed the walls, and
then covered them completely. The desert surface
beneath the southern portion of the heap is consider-
ably lower than that of the north, the mound being
situated at the top of a small valley.
No traces of walling were found in the two similar
mounds west of this one ; and as these were placed at
the heads of small valleys, it is probable that they
were also merely tip heaps which were originally
intended to fill the valleys, and had been accumulated
above the plateau level.
62. An examination was also made of the edge of
the desert, from the pyramid southwards to the railway
which crosses the desert to the Fayum. Many tomb
shafts were traced on the way, but most of these had
been cleared by plunderers. From the broken
35
tracted. Right arm bent and hand before face.
Left arm straight and lying beneath body. No
clothing or wrappings were seen. Teeth badly
decayed, (b) Rectangular shaft, 25 inches N.E.-
S.W., 29 inches N.W.-S.E., 46 inches deep. No
recess. Woman. Head N.E., body on left side
facing S.E. Legs contracted. Right arm slightly
bent, hand close to pelvis. Left arm contracted and
hand before face. Burial on western side of pit.
No sign of garments, (c) Shallow pit, 30 inches
long N.E.-S.W., 17 inches wide N.W.-S.E., 27 inches
deep. Woman. Head N.E., resting on a brick.
Body on left side facing S.E. Right leg slightly
bent. Left leg contracted. Right arm bent and
hand on pelvis. Left arm contracted and hand
before face. Small rough offering dish just below
left knee. Long linen garment.
60. Class D. Open Court provided with Niches or
False Doors. Only one grave was found belonging to
this class, No. 132.
It consisted of an open court cut in the side of a
mound, 97J inches long by 62 inches wide, and
entered from the south by a short passage 44J inches
long. The sides of this were plastered with mud.
At the north-east of the court was a roughly cut
niche, 47 inches wide by 21 inches deep. On the
western side a series of niches were provided by
building one thickness of brick against the marl face
and leaving gaps at intervals. An uninscribed slab of
limestone was also inserted in the rock at the south-
west, to serve as a false door. The height of the sides,
which were irregular, varied from 62 inches at the
north to 36 inches at the south. This court had
been utilised in the xxiind dynasty for a burial.
Forty-three inches west of the north-west corner
was a shaft measuring 35 inches square and 102 inches
deep. A recess was cut in the west of this, 35 inches
N.-S. by 17 inches E.-W., and 18 inches high.
It held the body of a young child. Head to N.
and facing E. The legs were semi-contracted, but
the arms and upper part of body had been disturbed.
CHAPTER X
THE SOUTHERN MOUNDS AND TOMBS.
By ERNEST MAC KAY.
61. ABOUT three hundred yards to the south of
the pyramid there occur three large mounds of lime-
stone chips, roughly in a line from E. to W. along the
edge of the plateau, where it falls away to the south.
The surface of the easternmost mound was covered
with broken early offering jars of rough make.
Three trenches were cut into this at the east to
see if a tomb might lie beneath the mound, but only
stone chips were found, some of which bore marks
of red paint. Amongst them were small pieces of
very coarse linen stained with red paint, which had
evidently been used for marking stone.
The western side of this mound was then tried,
and a long retaining wall was exposed and cleared
(pi. xxxi, b), 1248 inches long by 16 inches thick.
This was built of large stone chips secured with
cement; it had a smooth surface on its western side,
the eastern being left rough. The height of this
wall in places was 48 inches.
To the east of this, at a distance of 217^ inches
in, was another wall (a), running parallel with the
first, and also built of the same materials. The
length was 318 inches, by 18 inches thick, and the
average height 20 inches. Contrary to wall B, the
eastern side of this wall was smooth, whilst the stones
on the western side were left projecting.
A low brick wall was also found on the west of
B, 300 inches long by 26J inches wide. This is
marked C in the plan. Apparently it once formed
part of a building, but though a turn was found at
the south of this, it did not continue. The height of
the wall at the corner was 60 inches.
The whole mound was then trenched and pitted
for traces of further walling or a tomb shaft, but
nothing else was discovered.
Apparently the object of these two stone walls
was to hold back the pyramid rubbish which was
deposited here ; but the heap of chips eventually
became so high that they overflowed the walls, and
then covered them completely. The desert surface
beneath the southern portion of the heap is consider-
ably lower than that of the north, the mound being
situated at the top of a small valley.
No traces of walling were found in the two similar
mounds west of this one ; and as these were placed at
the heads of small valleys, it is probable that they
were also merely tip heaps which were originally
intended to fill the valleys, and had been accumulated
above the plateau level.
62. An examination was also made of the edge of
the desert, from the pyramid southwards to the railway
which crosses the desert to the Fayum. Many tomb
shafts were traced on the way, but most of these had
been cleared by plunderers. From the broken