DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.519#0032
24
WOODEN COFFINS
projection in the centre of the outside, with one or
more holes drilled in it, holding broken dowels, to
which once a handle was fastened. In four other
cases it is evident that the boxes employed as coffins
were originally painted a bright red inside and out
(graves 215, 238, 532), and white (in grave 651).
This would hardly have been done if the boxes were
made solely for burial purposes.
These short coffins, though generally of early
date, were also sparsely employed in the late vth or
early vith dynasty, as was proved in the cemetery at
Tarkhan by a button-seal being found in grave 28
(pi. xiv). This grave contained a box measuring
37 inches long x 19 inches wide x 15 inches deep.
With the exception of seven instances, the coffins,
both long and short, found in the Tarkhan cemetery
consisted merely of a framework of wood provided
with a bottom and a lid- The seven exceptions
were taken from graves 51, 175, 245,-532,650 and 651,
and, being of special interest, will be described in full
a little further on in this chapter.
42. We will now proceed to describe the con-
struction of the coffins, beginning first with the
methods of corner-jointings. Seven distinct corner-
joints were found in the large number of coffin-burials
recorded, and these have all been classified into types
for future reference, as follows :
1. Square End. 5. Double Shoulder-mitre.
2. Halving. 6. Mitre-housing.
3. Mitre. 7. Dovetail Mitre-housing.
4. Shoulder-mitre. (See pi. xxv.)
On plates xxii, xxiii, will be seen a chart showing
the various types of cornering employed, the sizes
of the coffins, the sizes of the tomb shafts and
their chambers, together with the type of head-
rest found in each coffin. In nearly every case the
coffins or boxes contained adult burials, which are
denoted by the letters AM or AF according to sex.
The coffins that held infant or child-burials are
shown by the letter C. In every case, the longest
side of the shaft or chamber is given first, then comes
the width, followed by the depth or height of the
shafts or chamber, as the case may be. The coffins
were measured to the tenth of an inch, as it was
thought best that this should be done, though it
should be remembered that much shrinkage must
have taken place in the wood since the coffins were
placed underground.
43. Type i. Square End (pi. xxv, no. 1). This
was the rarest type of corner met with in the Tarkhan
cemetery, for only one example was found, which
occurred in grave 217. It appears here in a coffin
made of exceptionally heavy wood, the sides and
ends of which are 2 inches thick. The small size of
the shaft, 37 inches N. to S. x 33 inches E. to W., and
the style of the chamber, a mere recess, would mark
the burial as being of an earlier date than the vith
dynasty. The coffin, however, is certainly of a later
date than the iiird dynasty, for it has two eyes
painted in black ink on its eastern side, close to the
north end, and is of a longer type than the coffins of
the earlier dynasties. As far as it is possible to
ascertain, this method of joining corners was practically
never used before Roman times in Egypt.
Type 2. Halving (pis. xxiv, xxv, no. 2). This
system of corner-joint came down from predynastic
times, when it was universally employed. In every
case in the Tarkhan cemetery it is found associated
with an early type of burial. Eleven clear cases
occur in graves 51, 215, 233 (one corner),| 238, 255,
468, 532, 539, 553, 650 and 651. One grave (no. 245)
contained a badly decayed coffin in which it seemed
possible to detect this method of jointing. All of
the coffins and boxes with this type of cornering
contained contracted burials, the position in most
cases being very marked. None of the coffins, with
the exception of one example, are over 41 inches in
length and 25 inches in width, the average measure-
ments being 337 inches long x 186 inches wide
x i6'8 inches deep. The exception (grave 233)
measures 70*5 inches x 16 inches x 15*5 inches. Five
of the coffins contained head-rests, two of these
(graves 238 and 468) being of a very early type
(pi. xix, no. 15). The coffins with this type of
corner-joint, as will be seen from the chart on plates
xxii, xxiii, were contained in various types of graves.
44. Type 3. Mitre (pi. xxv, fig. 3, and pi.
xxiv, fig. 23). Thirteen examples of this kind of
jointing were found in graves 28, 34, 45, 209, 214,216,
233 (two corners), 241, 516, 530, 531, 535 and 559.
The mitring was, as a rule, very roughly done, the
instrument employed being an adze or chisel. The
method of cutting the angle of 45' necessary for
the mitre was clearly shown in grave 241. After the
boards which were to form the sides and ends of the
coffin in this grave were dowelled together so as to
make planks of the breadth necessary for the height
of the coffin, a central line was drawn vertically across
the breadth of the planks, both back and front (*.#.
inside and outside the coffin), in black charcoal. On
either side of this central line, another vertical line
WOODEN COFFINS
projection in the centre of the outside, with one or
more holes drilled in it, holding broken dowels, to
which once a handle was fastened. In four other
cases it is evident that the boxes employed as coffins
were originally painted a bright red inside and out
(graves 215, 238, 532), and white (in grave 651).
This would hardly have been done if the boxes were
made solely for burial purposes.
These short coffins, though generally of early
date, were also sparsely employed in the late vth or
early vith dynasty, as was proved in the cemetery at
Tarkhan by a button-seal being found in grave 28
(pi. xiv). This grave contained a box measuring
37 inches long x 19 inches wide x 15 inches deep.
With the exception of seven instances, the coffins,
both long and short, found in the Tarkhan cemetery
consisted merely of a framework of wood provided
with a bottom and a lid- The seven exceptions
were taken from graves 51, 175, 245,-532,650 and 651,
and, being of special interest, will be described in full
a little further on in this chapter.
42. We will now proceed to describe the con-
struction of the coffins, beginning first with the
methods of corner-jointings. Seven distinct corner-
joints were found in the large number of coffin-burials
recorded, and these have all been classified into types
for future reference, as follows :
1. Square End. 5. Double Shoulder-mitre.
2. Halving. 6. Mitre-housing.
3. Mitre. 7. Dovetail Mitre-housing.
4. Shoulder-mitre. (See pi. xxv.)
On plates xxii, xxiii, will be seen a chart showing
the various types of cornering employed, the sizes
of the coffins, the sizes of the tomb shafts and
their chambers, together with the type of head-
rest found in each coffin. In nearly every case the
coffins or boxes contained adult burials, which are
denoted by the letters AM or AF according to sex.
The coffins that held infant or child-burials are
shown by the letter C. In every case, the longest
side of the shaft or chamber is given first, then comes
the width, followed by the depth or height of the
shafts or chamber, as the case may be. The coffins
were measured to the tenth of an inch, as it was
thought best that this should be done, though it
should be remembered that much shrinkage must
have taken place in the wood since the coffins were
placed underground.
43. Type i. Square End (pi. xxv, no. 1). This
was the rarest type of corner met with in the Tarkhan
cemetery, for only one example was found, which
occurred in grave 217. It appears here in a coffin
made of exceptionally heavy wood, the sides and
ends of which are 2 inches thick. The small size of
the shaft, 37 inches N. to S. x 33 inches E. to W., and
the style of the chamber, a mere recess, would mark
the burial as being of an earlier date than the vith
dynasty. The coffin, however, is certainly of a later
date than the iiird dynasty, for it has two eyes
painted in black ink on its eastern side, close to the
north end, and is of a longer type than the coffins of
the earlier dynasties. As far as it is possible to
ascertain, this method of joining corners was practically
never used before Roman times in Egypt.
Type 2. Halving (pis. xxiv, xxv, no. 2). This
system of corner-joint came down from predynastic
times, when it was universally employed. In every
case in the Tarkhan cemetery it is found associated
with an early type of burial. Eleven clear cases
occur in graves 51, 215, 233 (one corner),| 238, 255,
468, 532, 539, 553, 650 and 651. One grave (no. 245)
contained a badly decayed coffin in which it seemed
possible to detect this method of jointing. All of
the coffins and boxes with this type of cornering
contained contracted burials, the position in most
cases being very marked. None of the coffins, with
the exception of one example, are over 41 inches in
length and 25 inches in width, the average measure-
ments being 337 inches long x 186 inches wide
x i6'8 inches deep. The exception (grave 233)
measures 70*5 inches x 16 inches x 15*5 inches. Five
of the coffins contained head-rests, two of these
(graves 238 and 468) being of a very early type
(pi. xix, no. 15). The coffins with this type of
corner-joint, as will be seen from the chart on plates
xxii, xxiii, were contained in various types of graves.
44. Type 3. Mitre (pi. xxv, fig. 3, and pi.
xxiv, fig. 23). Thirteen examples of this kind of
jointing were found in graves 28, 34, 45, 209, 214,216,
233 (two corners), 241, 516, 530, 531, 535 and 559.
The mitring was, as a rule, very roughly done, the
instrument employed being an adze or chisel. The
method of cutting the angle of 45' necessary for
the mitre was clearly shown in grave 241. After the
boards which were to form the sides and ends of the
coffin in this grave were dowelled together so as to
make planks of the breadth necessary for the height
of the coffin, a central line was drawn vertically across
the breadth of the planks, both back and front (*.#.
inside and outside the coffin), in black charcoal. On
either side of this central line, another vertical line