DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.3390#0022
MASTABA OF SENAR
13
remains of a wooden tray ; the roof was constructed
of poles covered with matting, and a mud coating
was placed over all.
Grave 1018, like many others, was cut wider in
the loose gravel at the surface, and then narrowed in
the soft limestone. On the ledge at the side was
straw plaiting covered with mud, probably part of a
mat spread over the whole roofing ; 1020 had a reed
mat on the ledge.
Grave 1034. An interesting example of a multiple
burial, see xxii. In the S.W. corner were two con-
tracted skeletons similarly placed, head S, face E,
one before the other. Before them, in the S.E. corner,
was an oval pottery coffin with a child placed head
N. face E. In the N.W. corner were 17 jars in rows,
and 3 bowls. On the west of the jars and feet of the
adults, were alabaster vases. The pottery jars had
the three-stroke mark, like xxxi, 176-8, and a mark
like xxxi, no.
21. Undated Graves. Grave 17. Adze and
flaying-knife (iv, 2 ; v, 15) lay close to south end of
grave. Three gaming-rods of ivory (like xiv, 29) and
a flint plate (vii, 12) were loose in the filling. No
body or pottery left.
Grave 22. Two flaying-knives (iv, 1, 7) and tip
of a bow (vii, 1) lay close to the N. end of the grave.
The various deposits of copper at the ends of the
grave had doubtless been overlooked by the plun-
derers anciently, and needed a very thorough search
to find them. Beads (xiv, 55) loose. No body or
pottery.
Grave 96 is an example of close packing. A
square basket coffin 28 x 14 fitted into the grave.
In it, in a space 26 x 12, was a woman's skeleton
with plaits of braided hair, skull 5 inches high, spine
26, leg-bones 15 and 15, total 61 inches high.
Grave 1004. A basket burial, see pi. xxvi. It
was placed in a recess, bricked across the mouth.
The bricks varied from 9 to 10 inches x 4J to S| x 3.
The recess was 56 long inwards, 40 wide, door 25
wide; pit leading to it 5° wide tapering to 16, and
30 long. There were no pottery or stone vases by
which to date it; by the head-rest it probably belongs
to the iiird dynasty. The head-rest was found in
fragments in the pit, outside of the chamber. The
basket and body were carried intact to the Cairo
Museum.
Grave 1007. The skeleton had been entirely
taken to pieces ; see xxii. Not even the finger and
toe bones were left together. There were no vases
by which to date it.
CHAPTER IV
THE GREAT MASTABA 1060 OF SENAR
By GERALD WAINWRIGHT, B.A.
22. IN the last three weeks of the work at Kafr
Tarkhan, I found the large mastaba, no. 1060. Its
position is curiously isolated, being far to the south
of the main cemetery of contemporary date, and quite
separate from the nearest graves of this date, which
were on a different mound, lying much nearer the
cultivation. It is built of crude brick, and much of
it is in splendid preservation, showing remarkably
fine and accurate work, though done in so rough a
material. Unfortunately the north and south ends
are hopelessly weathered away, and do not provide
any clue as to the exact length, for in each case the
brickwork and also the plaster pavement, which seems
to have surrounded the whole, has been reduced to a
layer of black dust tapering in thickness to an inch
or less. It was therefore impossible to discover how
many recesses there originally were on the faces, and
so to complete the plan. It is evident, however, that
there was not a recess opposite to the chamber, which
would have served for the performance of rites ; pro-
bably the number was even, as occurs in the ist and
iiird dynasty mastabas at Gizeh {Gizeh and Rifek,
pis. vi, vii). Some pre-eminence was evidently
assigned to a recess which is apparently just to the
south of the centre of the mastaba, for while both on
the east and west sides, in the recesses which were
sufficiently well-preserved, the central panel shows
traces of red paint, yet this one alone presents no
traces whatever; possibly a wooden panel stood here.
Moreover this recess was floored with wood, which
flooring was raised a few inches above the footing, as
will be seen in the photograph pi. xv, 1, where it is
marked by the arrow, and in the plan pi. xviii. A
photograph of this floor is shown, pi. xv, 2. The
wood consisted of five planks, the outer of which was
7 x 11 x 72 inches in length, and ran in under the
walls of the building. The mastaba was covered all
over with a coating of white-painted mud plaster, and
was set upon a footing of crude brick 15 inches wide
and 7 high. Outside of this was a broad pavement
of mud plaster at least 100 inches wide, though no
definite edge could be delimited owing to extreme
weathering. Upon this stood the fender wall. There
was no perceptible batter on the faces of the mastaba,
which still remain to a height of 27 inches, leaving
little more than a passage between the fender wall
and the building. The east face of this wall had a
13
remains of a wooden tray ; the roof was constructed
of poles covered with matting, and a mud coating
was placed over all.
Grave 1018, like many others, was cut wider in
the loose gravel at the surface, and then narrowed in
the soft limestone. On the ledge at the side was
straw plaiting covered with mud, probably part of a
mat spread over the whole roofing ; 1020 had a reed
mat on the ledge.
Grave 1034. An interesting example of a multiple
burial, see xxii. In the S.W. corner were two con-
tracted skeletons similarly placed, head S, face E,
one before the other. Before them, in the S.E. corner,
was an oval pottery coffin with a child placed head
N. face E. In the N.W. corner were 17 jars in rows,
and 3 bowls. On the west of the jars and feet of the
adults, were alabaster vases. The pottery jars had
the three-stroke mark, like xxxi, 176-8, and a mark
like xxxi, no.
21. Undated Graves. Grave 17. Adze and
flaying-knife (iv, 2 ; v, 15) lay close to south end of
grave. Three gaming-rods of ivory (like xiv, 29) and
a flint plate (vii, 12) were loose in the filling. No
body or pottery left.
Grave 22. Two flaying-knives (iv, 1, 7) and tip
of a bow (vii, 1) lay close to the N. end of the grave.
The various deposits of copper at the ends of the
grave had doubtless been overlooked by the plun-
derers anciently, and needed a very thorough search
to find them. Beads (xiv, 55) loose. No body or
pottery.
Grave 96 is an example of close packing. A
square basket coffin 28 x 14 fitted into the grave.
In it, in a space 26 x 12, was a woman's skeleton
with plaits of braided hair, skull 5 inches high, spine
26, leg-bones 15 and 15, total 61 inches high.
Grave 1004. A basket burial, see pi. xxvi. It
was placed in a recess, bricked across the mouth.
The bricks varied from 9 to 10 inches x 4J to S| x 3.
The recess was 56 long inwards, 40 wide, door 25
wide; pit leading to it 5° wide tapering to 16, and
30 long. There were no pottery or stone vases by
which to date it; by the head-rest it probably belongs
to the iiird dynasty. The head-rest was found in
fragments in the pit, outside of the chamber. The
basket and body were carried intact to the Cairo
Museum.
Grave 1007. The skeleton had been entirely
taken to pieces ; see xxii. Not even the finger and
toe bones were left together. There were no vases
by which to date it.
CHAPTER IV
THE GREAT MASTABA 1060 OF SENAR
By GERALD WAINWRIGHT, B.A.
22. IN the last three weeks of the work at Kafr
Tarkhan, I found the large mastaba, no. 1060. Its
position is curiously isolated, being far to the south
of the main cemetery of contemporary date, and quite
separate from the nearest graves of this date, which
were on a different mound, lying much nearer the
cultivation. It is built of crude brick, and much of
it is in splendid preservation, showing remarkably
fine and accurate work, though done in so rough a
material. Unfortunately the north and south ends
are hopelessly weathered away, and do not provide
any clue as to the exact length, for in each case the
brickwork and also the plaster pavement, which seems
to have surrounded the whole, has been reduced to a
layer of black dust tapering in thickness to an inch
or less. It was therefore impossible to discover how
many recesses there originally were on the faces, and
so to complete the plan. It is evident, however, that
there was not a recess opposite to the chamber, which
would have served for the performance of rites ; pro-
bably the number was even, as occurs in the ist and
iiird dynasty mastabas at Gizeh {Gizeh and Rifek,
pis. vi, vii). Some pre-eminence was evidently
assigned to a recess which is apparently just to the
south of the centre of the mastaba, for while both on
the east and west sides, in the recesses which were
sufficiently well-preserved, the central panel shows
traces of red paint, yet this one alone presents no
traces whatever; possibly a wooden panel stood here.
Moreover this recess was floored with wood, which
flooring was raised a few inches above the footing, as
will be seen in the photograph pi. xv, 1, where it is
marked by the arrow, and in the plan pi. xviii. A
photograph of this floor is shown, pi. xv, 2. The
wood consisted of five planks, the outer of which was
7 x 11 x 72 inches in length, and ran in under the
walls of the building. The mastaba was covered all
over with a coating of white-painted mud plaster, and
was set upon a footing of crude brick 15 inches wide
and 7 high. Outside of this was a broad pavement
of mud plaster at least 100 inches wide, though no
definite edge could be delimited owing to extreme
weathering. Upon this stood the fender wall. There
was no perceptible batter on the faces of the mastaba,
which still remain to a height of 27 inches, leaving
little more than a passage between the fender wall
and the building. The east face of this wall had a