DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.3388#0046
36
THE SOUTHERN MOUNDS AND TOMBS
pottery left on the surface of the ground, these were
dated to the ivth dynasty.
About one mile north of the railway traces of
brick walls were found, which after clearing proved
to be mastabas of the old kingdom, almost entirely
denuded away. The southern end of one of these
we cleared, there being about 9 inches of walling re-
maining (pi. xxxi). Three separate apartments, or
chapels, were traced here, in the first of which (a)
we found large masses of the painted stucco which
had formerly covered its walls. Various pieces
proved that this room had contained inscriptions
and figures.
In apartment B were a number of fragments of
red polished pottery dishes (iv to vi dynasty shapes),
which had been evidently wrapped in cloth and stored
here. These were all brought to the house to be
drawn, but attempts to piece them together were
unsuccessful (xxv, 28-30, 38-42).
In room C we found the following articles, which
were probably left behind by the plunderers who
entered the shaft:—
Three bronze model oars (xxi, 11-13). Peg for
tying a model boat (xxi, 7). Portion of the handle
of a model palanquin (xxi, 14). Model of calf in
wood (xxi, 10). Small piece of stick to represent
fire or a flame (xxi, 8). Fragment of a bronze dish
or spoon (xxi, 9).
Nothing was found in shaft D, but the pieces of an
uninscribed limestone sarcophagus were lying in a
rock-cut chamber to the west. This could not be
measured or removed for examination, owing to the
treacherous nature of the roof, fragments of which
were frequently falling. The shaft measured
107 inches N.-S., 100 inches E.-W., and was about
40 feet deep. The chamber was 175 inches long
N.-S., 138 inches deep E.-W., and 60 inches high.
An attempt was also made to clear shaft E, but this
had to be given up, owing to the bad condition of its
sides. It measured 99 inches N._S. and 104 inches
E.-W. A poor xviii dynasty burial was found at the
top of this, some blue glazed beads and a small
figure of a woman in mud being all that was placed
with the body.
Several of the numerous small pits that lie in the
vicinity of this mastaba were opened, but they yielded
nothing with the exception of one or two pottery
vessels. The position of the bodies found was
uniform : head to north, body in contracted position
on left side facing east. These were placed in roughly
cut chambers on the west sides of the shafts,
CHAPTER XI
THE POTTERY.
By FLINDERS PETRIE.
63. The pottery found this year is of much the
same types as that already published in Medum,
pis. xxx, xxxi. But it is all certainly dated, by
the positions, to the late third and early fourth
dynasties.
The group pi. xxv, 1-19 was all found together
below the lowest water level that we could reach,
in a corner of the brick wall at the foot of the
pyramid causeway. It was doubtless a foundation
deposit of the building of Sneferu there, and is thus
well dated. With it was a piece of a corn-grinder,
as in the later deposits where corn-grinders occur
from the xiith dynasty onward.
The pottery from the tombs is grouped with that
of each tomb together. But, so far as possible, the
order begins with the flat open forms, and proceeds
to the closed-in necked forms. Those marked S are
from the southern tombs, and with S' are from a
single tomb. T denotes the large south tomb of
which a plan is given on pi. xxxi. The numbers
40-42, 44-48 were all from burials found cut into the
chip filling of the approach: they shew that the
ground there was used, like that on each side of
it, for ordinary burials in the iiird-ivth dynasties.
The thick, rough basins of form 65 are common
at this period. They were made with the rough
point in a hole in the ground, and turned round
by hand wiping the body into shape. They are
always very thick, of coarse mud, badly baked ; some
large examples were in the chip filling of the
approach, which dates them to the middle of the
pyramid building. The group 68-71 is from the
north tomb inside the peribolos, and is thus well
dated, like the group 76-82 from the inside of the
great mastaba 17.
64. The later reuse of the cemetery left many
small remains. The mounted scarab, 83, in a silver
ring is of the Hyksos age, but was reused later, as
it was found with the scarab 84 inscribed " Amen-
Ra of Letopolis." The rest of the upper part of
the page, 85 to 108, is from a secondary burial in
tomb 31. The group is well dated by a scarab in
a ring of Amenhotep II, 91, and a scarab of
Tahutmes III, 89. From the style of the objects
they probably do not come later than Amenhotep II.
87 is doubtless an old scarab of the xiith dynasty,
THE SOUTHERN MOUNDS AND TOMBS
pottery left on the surface of the ground, these were
dated to the ivth dynasty.
About one mile north of the railway traces of
brick walls were found, which after clearing proved
to be mastabas of the old kingdom, almost entirely
denuded away. The southern end of one of these
we cleared, there being about 9 inches of walling re-
maining (pi. xxxi). Three separate apartments, or
chapels, were traced here, in the first of which (a)
we found large masses of the painted stucco which
had formerly covered its walls. Various pieces
proved that this room had contained inscriptions
and figures.
In apartment B were a number of fragments of
red polished pottery dishes (iv to vi dynasty shapes),
which had been evidently wrapped in cloth and stored
here. These were all brought to the house to be
drawn, but attempts to piece them together were
unsuccessful (xxv, 28-30, 38-42).
In room C we found the following articles, which
were probably left behind by the plunderers who
entered the shaft:—
Three bronze model oars (xxi, 11-13). Peg for
tying a model boat (xxi, 7). Portion of the handle
of a model palanquin (xxi, 14). Model of calf in
wood (xxi, 10). Small piece of stick to represent
fire or a flame (xxi, 8). Fragment of a bronze dish
or spoon (xxi, 9).
Nothing was found in shaft D, but the pieces of an
uninscribed limestone sarcophagus were lying in a
rock-cut chamber to the west. This could not be
measured or removed for examination, owing to the
treacherous nature of the roof, fragments of which
were frequently falling. The shaft measured
107 inches N.-S., 100 inches E.-W., and was about
40 feet deep. The chamber was 175 inches long
N.-S., 138 inches deep E.-W., and 60 inches high.
An attempt was also made to clear shaft E, but this
had to be given up, owing to the bad condition of its
sides. It measured 99 inches N._S. and 104 inches
E.-W. A poor xviii dynasty burial was found at the
top of this, some blue glazed beads and a small
figure of a woman in mud being all that was placed
with the body.
Several of the numerous small pits that lie in the
vicinity of this mastaba were opened, but they yielded
nothing with the exception of one or two pottery
vessels. The position of the bodies found was
uniform : head to north, body in contracted position
on left side facing east. These were placed in roughly
cut chambers on the west sides of the shafts,
CHAPTER XI
THE POTTERY.
By FLINDERS PETRIE.
63. The pottery found this year is of much the
same types as that already published in Medum,
pis. xxx, xxxi. But it is all certainly dated, by
the positions, to the late third and early fourth
dynasties.
The group pi. xxv, 1-19 was all found together
below the lowest water level that we could reach,
in a corner of the brick wall at the foot of the
pyramid causeway. It was doubtless a foundation
deposit of the building of Sneferu there, and is thus
well dated. With it was a piece of a corn-grinder,
as in the later deposits where corn-grinders occur
from the xiith dynasty onward.
The pottery from the tombs is grouped with that
of each tomb together. But, so far as possible, the
order begins with the flat open forms, and proceeds
to the closed-in necked forms. Those marked S are
from the southern tombs, and with S' are from a
single tomb. T denotes the large south tomb of
which a plan is given on pi. xxxi. The numbers
40-42, 44-48 were all from burials found cut into the
chip filling of the approach: they shew that the
ground there was used, like that on each side of
it, for ordinary burials in the iiird-ivth dynasties.
The thick, rough basins of form 65 are common
at this period. They were made with the rough
point in a hole in the ground, and turned round
by hand wiping the body into shape. They are
always very thick, of coarse mud, badly baked ; some
large examples were in the chip filling of the
approach, which dates them to the middle of the
pyramid building. The group 68-71 is from the
north tomb inside the peribolos, and is thus well
dated, like the group 76-82 from the inside of the
great mastaba 17.
64. The later reuse of the cemetery left many
small remains. The mounted scarab, 83, in a silver
ring is of the Hyksos age, but was reused later, as
it was found with the scarab 84 inscribed " Amen-
Ra of Letopolis." The rest of the upper part of
the page, 85 to 108, is from a secondary burial in
tomb 31. The group is well dated by a scarab in
a ring of Amenhotep II, 91, and a scarab of
Tahutmes III, 89. From the style of the objects
they probably do not come later than Amenhotep II.
87 is doubtless an old scarab of the xiith dynasty,