DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.519#0049
FORT OF SIIURAFA
4'
ant
glyphs being Sat Tut-Amen : ' The daughter of Tut-
Amen.' From the dress of the figures it appears to
have been of the xviiith dynasty. The dating is
confirmed by the fact that one of the titles of
Thutmes III in the temple of Karnak is Ra-Men-
Kheper-Tut-Amen, and it was a common custom to
name a child after one of the king's titles. These
stones, together with a large quantity of granite
blocks re-uscd for millstones, etc., were the only
objects of an earlier date than the Roman occupation.
They were probably brought from the tombs and
temples of Aphroditopolis and Memphis.
74. The town, pi. xlviii, is about 2,020 yards in
circumference, roughly oval in plan, and enclosed
in a wall which is still fairly continuous. This circuit
wall was not a strong fortification, as it never exceeds
4 feet in thickness. In emergency, however, the
inhabitants could have taken refuge in a small, but
exceedingly strong, fort which was discovered by
Prof. Fetrie in the south-west of the town.
Most of the Roman and later stonework in the
town has disappeared, and there is ample evidence
that it was burnt for lime. The fort, being the
principal structure, has naturally suffered most, with
the result that the chambers within it have been
almost entirely destroyed. The fellahin have largely
destroyed the buildings by digging sebakli, and con-
tinued to do so, to our great inconvenience. This
sebakh industry has been going on for a great number
of years, and has done much to ruin the archaeological
evidences. After a few weeks' excavating, however,
we were enabled to trace the walls of the fort, to-
gether with some of the houses which abut on to
them (see pi. xlvii).
75. The fort is roughly rectangular, about 350
feet by 180 feet on the S. side, and 160 feet on the
N. side. The walls are double, and are reinforced
at intervals by cross-walls, and strengthened at the
corners by bastions. The space between the walls
seems to have been intended for store-rooms. The
bastions are not built to any uniform plan, and they
differ considerably one from another. On the E. wall
of the fort two extra bastions were placed ; the pro-
bable reason was that as the houses of the town were
close to the fort on that side, an enemy would choose
their cover to attack the fort; thus it was necessary
to be able to sweep the E. wail from end to end by
archery. The walls were built on a foundation of
rough stones; under the N.W. bastion, which has
been almost destroyed, the foundations were exposed,
and they consisted of large blocks of unworked lime-
6
stone, with the exception of the corner one, which
was an old millstone.
The curious feature of the fort is that there does
not originally appear to have been any door, although
several openings had been made in later times. This
is proved by the fact that on digging beneath the
opening, the walls invariably continue without a
break at a much higher level than the floors of the
houses. All the Roman forts we know had gateways
and were generally rounded at the corners, and,
further, the shape of the bastions is not of a Roman
type, but was introduced in Byzantine times. The fort
was probably built by the Roman mercenaries who
we know were stationed here.
A foundation sacrifice was found 4 feet beneath
the E. wall in a chamber 84 x 28 inches. This lay
80 feet from the S.E. bastion. The remains were in
a very bad condition, and appear to have been the
bones ot a camel. The chamber runs in under the
wall for 45 inches. The bones of a sheep, which may
or may not have been a sacrifice, were found near the
S. wall, 71 feet from the S.E. bastion, in a hole 2 feet
away from the wall and as much below the level of
the bottom of the wall. The hole was 34 inches
across. No pottery of any kind was found with these
bones.
On the west side of the fort, and running out of it
at right angles to the wall at the level of its founda-
tions, is a plaster channel-drain about 18 inches wide.
It could not be traced inside the fort, as the course
of it has been destroyed. Outside it runs into a
circular pit 4 feet across and 25 feet deep, lined with
burnt brick. A well seems unlikely outside a fort,
so it may possibly have been a cesspool.
76. The main cemetery of the town is on the
north side. The graves are not nearer than about
75 yards from the circuit-wall. The cemetery ex-
tends the whole breadth of the town and is about
100 yards wide. Graves were also found in consider-
able numbers on the south side of the ruins, but the
majority of these have been swamped by a modern
canal. A few were found to the west, but none at
all to the east, although we searched the desert for
at least two miles distant. The graves were about
5 feet deep; the body was laid in a recess at the
bottom of the shaft, and a board placed in front of
it, so as to prevent the sand from covering the body
when the grave was filled in. Some of the graves
had a rough brick' lining, and traces of coffins were
found in many cases. The wood was in a very bad
state, quite different from the excellent state of the
4'
ant
glyphs being Sat Tut-Amen : ' The daughter of Tut-
Amen.' From the dress of the figures it appears to
have been of the xviiith dynasty. The dating is
confirmed by the fact that one of the titles of
Thutmes III in the temple of Karnak is Ra-Men-
Kheper-Tut-Amen, and it was a common custom to
name a child after one of the king's titles. These
stones, together with a large quantity of granite
blocks re-uscd for millstones, etc., were the only
objects of an earlier date than the Roman occupation.
They were probably brought from the tombs and
temples of Aphroditopolis and Memphis.
74. The town, pi. xlviii, is about 2,020 yards in
circumference, roughly oval in plan, and enclosed
in a wall which is still fairly continuous. This circuit
wall was not a strong fortification, as it never exceeds
4 feet in thickness. In emergency, however, the
inhabitants could have taken refuge in a small, but
exceedingly strong, fort which was discovered by
Prof. Fetrie in the south-west of the town.
Most of the Roman and later stonework in the
town has disappeared, and there is ample evidence
that it was burnt for lime. The fort, being the
principal structure, has naturally suffered most, with
the result that the chambers within it have been
almost entirely destroyed. The fellahin have largely
destroyed the buildings by digging sebakli, and con-
tinued to do so, to our great inconvenience. This
sebakh industry has been going on for a great number
of years, and has done much to ruin the archaeological
evidences. After a few weeks' excavating, however,
we were enabled to trace the walls of the fort, to-
gether with some of the houses which abut on to
them (see pi. xlvii).
75. The fort is roughly rectangular, about 350
feet by 180 feet on the S. side, and 160 feet on the
N. side. The walls are double, and are reinforced
at intervals by cross-walls, and strengthened at the
corners by bastions. The space between the walls
seems to have been intended for store-rooms. The
bastions are not built to any uniform plan, and they
differ considerably one from another. On the E. wall
of the fort two extra bastions were placed ; the pro-
bable reason was that as the houses of the town were
close to the fort on that side, an enemy would choose
their cover to attack the fort; thus it was necessary
to be able to sweep the E. wail from end to end by
archery. The walls were built on a foundation of
rough stones; under the N.W. bastion, which has
been almost destroyed, the foundations were exposed,
and they consisted of large blocks of unworked lime-
6
stone, with the exception of the corner one, which
was an old millstone.
The curious feature of the fort is that there does
not originally appear to have been any door, although
several openings had been made in later times. This
is proved by the fact that on digging beneath the
opening, the walls invariably continue without a
break at a much higher level than the floors of the
houses. All the Roman forts we know had gateways
and were generally rounded at the corners, and,
further, the shape of the bastions is not of a Roman
type, but was introduced in Byzantine times. The fort
was probably built by the Roman mercenaries who
we know were stationed here.
A foundation sacrifice was found 4 feet beneath
the E. wall in a chamber 84 x 28 inches. This lay
80 feet from the S.E. bastion. The remains were in
a very bad condition, and appear to have been the
bones ot a camel. The chamber runs in under the
wall for 45 inches. The bones of a sheep, which may
or may not have been a sacrifice, were found near the
S. wall, 71 feet from the S.E. bastion, in a hole 2 feet
away from the wall and as much below the level of
the bottom of the wall. The hole was 34 inches
across. No pottery of any kind was found with these
bones.
On the west side of the fort, and running out of it
at right angles to the wall at the level of its founda-
tions, is a plaster channel-drain about 18 inches wide.
It could not be traced inside the fort, as the course
of it has been destroyed. Outside it runs into a
circular pit 4 feet across and 25 feet deep, lined with
burnt brick. A well seems unlikely outside a fort,
so it may possibly have been a cesspool.
76. The main cemetery of the town is on the
north side. The graves are not nearer than about
75 yards from the circuit-wall. The cemetery ex-
tends the whole breadth of the town and is about
100 yards wide. Graves were also found in consider-
able numbers on the south side of the ruins, but the
majority of these have been swamped by a modern
canal. A few were found to the west, but none at
all to the east, although we searched the desert for
at least two miles distant. The graves were about
5 feet deep; the body was laid in a recess at the
bottom of the shaft, and a board placed in front of
it, so as to prevent the sand from covering the body
when the grave was filled in. Some of the graves
had a rough brick' lining, and traces of coffins were
found in many cases. The wood was in a very bad
state, quite different from the excellent state of the