DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.3391#0014
THE CEMETERIES
Although the inscribed coffins, such as we found,
are more of xith-dynasty types than xiith dynasty,
yet the pottery is quite typical of the xiith dynasty ;
this is seen in many characteristic forms in which
there is a considerable difference between the potteries
of the two periods. As to the names, with the ex-
ception of Antef, they are all of the xiith dynasty,
and as Antef is also known as late as the xiiith
dynasty, it does not fix the age before that. It
appears that Riqqeh, being a provincial town, was
behind the fashions of the time in matters of funeral
adornment, for plain coffins and stone chambers were
in vogue at that period, as we see in the big tomb
no. 306 (pi. iii, no. 1).
A feature in cemetery A is the shape of the
coffins. With very few exceptions, the planks are
cut so that they are much thicker at the top than
the bottom, giving the coffin an appearance of being
built of massive timber, although the weight of wood
used was about the same as would have been the case
with an ordinary coffin.
Although many of the graves in cemetery B
belonged to the same period as cemetery A—between
Senusert I and Senusert III—yet all the large graves
are in A, and there are no small graves (except
no. 123) in cemetery A, all the graves having large
shafts, obviously of important people. It may have
been that the ground was reserved for some special
clan, and that the poorer classes buried their dead in
cemetery B, where the ground was softer, but where
the soil was far nearer the inundation of the Nile
and therefore damper.
Every grave in this cemetery was cleared by us
with the exception of a few robbed shafts at the
S. end of the hill; the bad state of the rock in these
rendered them too dangerous to work. One or two
very deep shafts had been flooded by a modern
canal.
13. Tomb of Hotep ; no. 9. For the dimensions
of the shaft and chambers, see tomb register, pi. xl.
There were three coffins in this tomb, one in the
north and two in the south chambers. The north
chamber had been entered anciently, and part of the
ceiling had fallen and broken the coffin.
The coffin was plain, and the external dimensions
were 74x15x24 inches, the wood being i^ inches
thick. The jointing was by means of the " concealed
mitre," and all the coffins which I examined in this
cemetery were jointed in this manner.
The body was that of an adult male, and the
plunderer had broken open the head of the coffin lid,
and shoved the body down to the foot of the coffin
to see if any gold had fallen behind the neck, the
knees of the body being pressed against the lid.
The pottery from this grave consisted of the
following types: 2g; ^d; $k2,y;jj\; 62/, h ; 90 m.
There were no amulets of any kind whatever.
On removing the bricks from the entrance to the
S. room, the roof immediately fell in, but did not
damage the coffins very much. A hand copy was
made of the inscribed coffin on the east, with the
exception of the west plank, which scaled off im-
mediately it was moved. This coffin measured
79f x 20 x 24 inches, and 1J inches thick.
PL xxvi shews a facsimile of the N., E. and
S. sides, and a copy of the inscriptions of the
W. side.
The body was that of an adult woman, named
the nebt per Hotep ; it appeared not to have been
mummified, being only wrapped in cloth. It rapidly
fell to pieces on exposure to the air. There were a
few cone-shaped blue pottery beads round the neck,
and some very small blue pottery beads on the head.
Two pots of the types 40 b and 90 m were found
on the east and west of this coffin respectively.
The second coffin, which lay on the west, measured
75x21x17! inches, and 2 inches thick; it was
uninscribed, and contained the body of a young
woman.
The bones of this body were in a very bad con-
dition.
The bones of Hotep had the following measure-
ments :
Glabello-occipital length . 187 mm.
Minimum breadth
• 99 ,.
Symphysis Menti
• 31 >,
Bigonial breadth
■ 87 „
Height of ramus
• 42 „
Right femur .
. 410 (flat)
Left „
• 4H
Right tibia
. 326 (without spine and
malleolus)
Left „
• 322
„ humerus
. 286
Right radius .
. 217 (without spine)
Left
. 216
Right clavicle .
• 143
Left
• 143
Sacrum .
. Of six bones
The skull was what is known as coffin-shaped,
light, smooth texture, all the sutures being closed.
Although the inscribed coffins, such as we found,
are more of xith-dynasty types than xiith dynasty,
yet the pottery is quite typical of the xiith dynasty ;
this is seen in many characteristic forms in which
there is a considerable difference between the potteries
of the two periods. As to the names, with the ex-
ception of Antef, they are all of the xiith dynasty,
and as Antef is also known as late as the xiiith
dynasty, it does not fix the age before that. It
appears that Riqqeh, being a provincial town, was
behind the fashions of the time in matters of funeral
adornment, for plain coffins and stone chambers were
in vogue at that period, as we see in the big tomb
no. 306 (pi. iii, no. 1).
A feature in cemetery A is the shape of the
coffins. With very few exceptions, the planks are
cut so that they are much thicker at the top than
the bottom, giving the coffin an appearance of being
built of massive timber, although the weight of wood
used was about the same as would have been the case
with an ordinary coffin.
Although many of the graves in cemetery B
belonged to the same period as cemetery A—between
Senusert I and Senusert III—yet all the large graves
are in A, and there are no small graves (except
no. 123) in cemetery A, all the graves having large
shafts, obviously of important people. It may have
been that the ground was reserved for some special
clan, and that the poorer classes buried their dead in
cemetery B, where the ground was softer, but where
the soil was far nearer the inundation of the Nile
and therefore damper.
Every grave in this cemetery was cleared by us
with the exception of a few robbed shafts at the
S. end of the hill; the bad state of the rock in these
rendered them too dangerous to work. One or two
very deep shafts had been flooded by a modern
canal.
13. Tomb of Hotep ; no. 9. For the dimensions
of the shaft and chambers, see tomb register, pi. xl.
There were three coffins in this tomb, one in the
north and two in the south chambers. The north
chamber had been entered anciently, and part of the
ceiling had fallen and broken the coffin.
The coffin was plain, and the external dimensions
were 74x15x24 inches, the wood being i^ inches
thick. The jointing was by means of the " concealed
mitre," and all the coffins which I examined in this
cemetery were jointed in this manner.
The body was that of an adult male, and the
plunderer had broken open the head of the coffin lid,
and shoved the body down to the foot of the coffin
to see if any gold had fallen behind the neck, the
knees of the body being pressed against the lid.
The pottery from this grave consisted of the
following types: 2g; ^d; $k2,y;jj\; 62/, h ; 90 m.
There were no amulets of any kind whatever.
On removing the bricks from the entrance to the
S. room, the roof immediately fell in, but did not
damage the coffins very much. A hand copy was
made of the inscribed coffin on the east, with the
exception of the west plank, which scaled off im-
mediately it was moved. This coffin measured
79f x 20 x 24 inches, and 1J inches thick.
PL xxvi shews a facsimile of the N., E. and
S. sides, and a copy of the inscriptions of the
W. side.
The body was that of an adult woman, named
the nebt per Hotep ; it appeared not to have been
mummified, being only wrapped in cloth. It rapidly
fell to pieces on exposure to the air. There were a
few cone-shaped blue pottery beads round the neck,
and some very small blue pottery beads on the head.
Two pots of the types 40 b and 90 m were found
on the east and west of this coffin respectively.
The second coffin, which lay on the west, measured
75x21x17! inches, and 2 inches thick; it was
uninscribed, and contained the body of a young
woman.
The bones of this body were in a very bad con-
dition.
The bones of Hotep had the following measure-
ments :
Glabello-occipital length . 187 mm.
Minimum breadth
• 99 ,.
Symphysis Menti
• 31 >,
Bigonial breadth
■ 87 „
Height of ramus
• 42 „
Right femur .
. 410 (flat)
Left „
• 4H
Right tibia
. 326 (without spine and
malleolus)
Left „
• 322
„ humerus
. 286
Right radius .
. 217 (without spine)
Left
. 216
Right clavicle .
• 143
Left
• 143
Sacrum .
. Of six bones
The skull was what is known as coffin-shaped,
light, smooth texture, all the sutures being closed.