DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.3390#0015
CHANGES TRACEABLE IN THE EARLIEST DYNASTIES
which gives a general indication of the resources of
the people. The median size is at
S.D.
77
78
79
80
81
82
Turah.
33 x 44
38 x 60
35 x 58
40? x 88?
Tarkhan.
35 x 69
41 x 70
40 x 70
40 x 63
36 x 61
28 x S3
The last entry in each column is of only four or five
examples, too few to give a true average. At Tar-
khan there is a slight rise to 78, and then a steady
decline; at Turah the maximum is at 79. This is
reasonable as it implies that at Tarkhan a decline
set in under Mena, owing to the foundation of
Memphis, which drew away the richer people ; while
Turah opposite Memphis was richest during the first
century of the new capital.
10. The proportion of male to female burials
noted shows curious variations. It can only be
stated for Tarkhan, as there are no general records
of sex at Turah—
Male.
3
10
7
10
25 9
The fluctuation shows no consistency, and we could
hardly draw any conclusion from it. Possibly as 80
was the richest and most luxurious age (Zet and
Den), so female burials then received more attention.
It must be remembered that we are only dealing
with the burials which had enough offerings in them
to yield a date; the actual number of bodies interred
may have been equally male and female, but we can
only note here what we can date by the presence of
a variety of offerings.
11. Burials were frequently without coffins, and,
in other instances, the coffins had often been de-
stroyed or decayed, so there are not nearly so many
coffins to note as the number of burials dealt with
above. The types of coffin recorded are as follows—
Pottery.
S.D.
77
78
79
80
81
Female.
3
2
7
16
S.D.
Wood coffin.
Tray.
Basket
77
II
I
78
17
2
79
8
5
3
80
12
9
5
81
19
7
6
82
1
,,
I
The proportions between these show that the tray
with shallow sides was coming more into use, and
also the basket, during the first dynasty. As to the
earliest use of the basket, the reed-case must be
dated to 77 or 78 by the pottery found with it; but
the baskets of 79 are not in closely dated graves, and
it would be quite as likely that they might be of
S.D. 80, so the basket coffin cannot be safely fixed
before that.
The comparative poverty of Turah is seen not
only in the smaller size of the graves in each period,
but in the scarcity of wood coffins.
S.D.
Mud.
Wood.
Pot.
78
13
I
I
79
I
80
4
I
Before the founding of Memphis they are nearly all
of mere mud ; but by the middle of the first dynasty
some wood was occasionally used.
Not only was the tray growing in favour, but the
coffin was being diminished in height, assimilating it
to the tray. The average height of the coffin was—
s.D. Inches.
77
24
78
20
79
16
80
13
81
14
The whole coffin
also diminished in
size, the median
sizes being—
S.D.
Inches.
77
51 x 23
78
52 x 25
79
45 x 20
80
52 x 23
81
- 39 x 20
The diminution was checked in 80 because the trays
came more into use, which needed less wood, and
would not hold the body in so well as a coffin; but
even the use of the tray did not check the diminution
in the last period.
12. Looking at the funeral furniture, we see that
the burial of beds was increasing up to the age of
luxury in S.D. 80. The numbers are—
S.D.
77
1
78
1
79
6
80
10
81
9
82
1
bed
which gives a general indication of the resources of
the people. The median size is at
S.D.
77
78
79
80
81
82
Turah.
33 x 44
38 x 60
35 x 58
40? x 88?
Tarkhan.
35 x 69
41 x 70
40 x 70
40 x 63
36 x 61
28 x S3
The last entry in each column is of only four or five
examples, too few to give a true average. At Tar-
khan there is a slight rise to 78, and then a steady
decline; at Turah the maximum is at 79. This is
reasonable as it implies that at Tarkhan a decline
set in under Mena, owing to the foundation of
Memphis, which drew away the richer people ; while
Turah opposite Memphis was richest during the first
century of the new capital.
10. The proportion of male to female burials
noted shows curious variations. It can only be
stated for Tarkhan, as there are no general records
of sex at Turah—
Male.
3
10
7
10
25 9
The fluctuation shows no consistency, and we could
hardly draw any conclusion from it. Possibly as 80
was the richest and most luxurious age (Zet and
Den), so female burials then received more attention.
It must be remembered that we are only dealing
with the burials which had enough offerings in them
to yield a date; the actual number of bodies interred
may have been equally male and female, but we can
only note here what we can date by the presence of
a variety of offerings.
11. Burials were frequently without coffins, and,
in other instances, the coffins had often been de-
stroyed or decayed, so there are not nearly so many
coffins to note as the number of burials dealt with
above. The types of coffin recorded are as follows—
Pottery.
S.D.
77
78
79
80
81
Female.
3
2
7
16
S.D.
Wood coffin.
Tray.
Basket
77
II
I
78
17
2
79
8
5
3
80
12
9
5
81
19
7
6
82
1
,,
I
The proportions between these show that the tray
with shallow sides was coming more into use, and
also the basket, during the first dynasty. As to the
earliest use of the basket, the reed-case must be
dated to 77 or 78 by the pottery found with it; but
the baskets of 79 are not in closely dated graves, and
it would be quite as likely that they might be of
S.D. 80, so the basket coffin cannot be safely fixed
before that.
The comparative poverty of Turah is seen not
only in the smaller size of the graves in each period,
but in the scarcity of wood coffins.
S.D.
Mud.
Wood.
Pot.
78
13
I
I
79
I
80
4
I
Before the founding of Memphis they are nearly all
of mere mud ; but by the middle of the first dynasty
some wood was occasionally used.
Not only was the tray growing in favour, but the
coffin was being diminished in height, assimilating it
to the tray. The average height of the coffin was—
s.D. Inches.
77
24
78
20
79
16
80
13
81
14
The whole coffin
also diminished in
size, the median
sizes being—
S.D.
Inches.
77
51 x 23
78
52 x 25
79
45 x 20
80
52 x 23
81
- 39 x 20
The diminution was checked in 80 because the trays
came more into use, which needed less wood, and
would not hold the body in so well as a coffin; but
even the use of the tray did not check the diminution
in the last period.
12. Looking at the funeral furniture, we see that
the burial of beds was increasing up to the age of
luxury in S.D. 80. The numbers are—
S.D.
77
1
78
1
79
6
80
10
81
9
82
1
bed