DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4635#0017
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MIDDLE KINGDOM CEMETERY.
13
came to the conclusion that our first dating had been
not early enough, that the latest type of tomb at
Naqada was contemporary with the mastabas of the
Old Empire, and that the earliest type (characterised
by dissevered skeletons, very fine flint knives, great
quantities of ashes, and a small number of red and
black pots of good quality) must be attributed to a
much earlier period.
Since then much more information has come to
light, M. de Morgan's second volume of " Re-
cherches sur les Origines de l'Egypte" contains a
summary of the discoveries made by M. Amelineau
at Abydos, together with an account of the great
royal tomb found by M. de Morgan himself at
Naqada. M. Amelineau's finds are recognised as
being chiefly of the first three dynasties, and on an
ivory plaque from the royal tomb of Naqada, Dr.
Borchardt has pointed out the name of Menes
himself.
The objects from this tomb are now exposed in the
museum at Ghizeh, and it is interesting to observe
that the pottery, the slate palettes, and the flint
knives are distinctly of the later type of Ballas.
It has, then, become now fairly clear that the earliest
known inhabitants of Egypt were a tall, fair race akin
to the modern Kabyles. They buried their dead in a
contracted position with the head to the south, and in
the earliest times either mutilated the dead before
burial, or kept the bodies for a long time before the
final burial. The relative dates of the different
varieties of their tombs can be made out, and the
graves with mutilated bodies found at Naqada are
much earlier than those at Abydos containing the
names of I-II dynasty kings. At some period which
we cannot yet date, even on the rough scale of Libyan
pottery, another race or races entered the country,
bringing with them writing, the practice of mummi-
fication, the art of building in brick with recessed
panels, and perhaps, as M. de Morgan suggests,
metals. Thus was formed the Egyptian people of
historic times.
18. A point that has not been explained is the
different position of the bodies in the open graves
and in the stairway tombs. In the former, the head
lies south ; in the stairways and in the graves of
Medum, it is to the north.
The burials, too, under the large pots which we
call majurs, are not understood, nor is their exact
period known. As they were found in the later
cemeteries of Ballas, El Kab, and Kom el Ahmar,
but not at Naqada, it seems likely that they belong
to the later division of the Libyan period, viz.,
after the Egyptian invasion, perhaps even after
the time of Menes. But to which race, if to either,
is not clear.
CHAPTER III.
MIDDLE KINGDOM CEMETERY.
19. Inside the town walls, never outside, were found
a few examples of a distinct type of tomb, with
underground brick arches, pottery akin to that of the
usual Xllth dynasty, but not identical with it, and
stone vases of distinctive shapes. The types of
pottery are shown in PL. X, 1-28, the alabaster vases
in X, 1-6.
In Pl. XXIV some walis in broken line are seen
which cut through the walls of three mastabas, which
last are shown in dead black. The tombs in question
lay parallel with these walls, some within the square
chambers, some also outside; and the walls are,
roughly, parallel with the great walls of the town.
The method of construction seems to have been as
follows : An oblong excavation, about 6 m. long by
2 wide and 3 m. deep, was made in the gravel.
About half the length of this was needed for the
tomb ; the other half formed a rough sloping stair-
case for the workmen. The sides of the grave were
built of brick walls, and these were covered by an
arch of brick about 1*50 m. high. In this the body
was laid at full length, on the left side, the head to
the north ; in front of the body was a great mass of
pottery. The interest of this set of tombs lies in the
bearing they may have on the question of the date of
the wall, for if it be granted that these are probably
of the early Xllth dynasty (as the pottery suggests),
then we have early Xllth dynasty tombs inside, and
tombs of the reign of Amenemhat III outside the
walls. (There were, however, two tombs inside the
walls in which the remains of the pottery were much
like those in the tombs outside.) Now there is a stela
from El Kab, to which Dr. Spiegelberg calls my atten-
tion (published in Stobart, Egypt. Antiq., Pl. I), which
states that Amenemhat III restored the walls at El
Kab which Usertesen II had built. What walls
these were the stela does not state, but the evidence
from the pottery would support the idea that they
were the great town walls. And if this be so, the
common pottery of the Middle Kingdom can now
be split into two sections, between which the reign oi
Usertesen II will form the dividing line..
MIDDLE KINGDOM CEMETERY.
13
came to the conclusion that our first dating had been
not early enough, that the latest type of tomb at
Naqada was contemporary with the mastabas of the
Old Empire, and that the earliest type (characterised
by dissevered skeletons, very fine flint knives, great
quantities of ashes, and a small number of red and
black pots of good quality) must be attributed to a
much earlier period.
Since then much more information has come to
light, M. de Morgan's second volume of " Re-
cherches sur les Origines de l'Egypte" contains a
summary of the discoveries made by M. Amelineau
at Abydos, together with an account of the great
royal tomb found by M. de Morgan himself at
Naqada. M. Amelineau's finds are recognised as
being chiefly of the first three dynasties, and on an
ivory plaque from the royal tomb of Naqada, Dr.
Borchardt has pointed out the name of Menes
himself.
The objects from this tomb are now exposed in the
museum at Ghizeh, and it is interesting to observe
that the pottery, the slate palettes, and the flint
knives are distinctly of the later type of Ballas.
It has, then, become now fairly clear that the earliest
known inhabitants of Egypt were a tall, fair race akin
to the modern Kabyles. They buried their dead in a
contracted position with the head to the south, and in
the earliest times either mutilated the dead before
burial, or kept the bodies for a long time before the
final burial. The relative dates of the different
varieties of their tombs can be made out, and the
graves with mutilated bodies found at Naqada are
much earlier than those at Abydos containing the
names of I-II dynasty kings. At some period which
we cannot yet date, even on the rough scale of Libyan
pottery, another race or races entered the country,
bringing with them writing, the practice of mummi-
fication, the art of building in brick with recessed
panels, and perhaps, as M. de Morgan suggests,
metals. Thus was formed the Egyptian people of
historic times.
18. A point that has not been explained is the
different position of the bodies in the open graves
and in the stairway tombs. In the former, the head
lies south ; in the stairways and in the graves of
Medum, it is to the north.
The burials, too, under the large pots which we
call majurs, are not understood, nor is their exact
period known. As they were found in the later
cemeteries of Ballas, El Kab, and Kom el Ahmar,
but not at Naqada, it seems likely that they belong
to the later division of the Libyan period, viz.,
after the Egyptian invasion, perhaps even after
the time of Menes. But to which race, if to either,
is not clear.
CHAPTER III.
MIDDLE KINGDOM CEMETERY.
19. Inside the town walls, never outside, were found
a few examples of a distinct type of tomb, with
underground brick arches, pottery akin to that of the
usual Xllth dynasty, but not identical with it, and
stone vases of distinctive shapes. The types of
pottery are shown in PL. X, 1-28, the alabaster vases
in X, 1-6.
In Pl. XXIV some walis in broken line are seen
which cut through the walls of three mastabas, which
last are shown in dead black. The tombs in question
lay parallel with these walls, some within the square
chambers, some also outside; and the walls are,
roughly, parallel with the great walls of the town.
The method of construction seems to have been as
follows : An oblong excavation, about 6 m. long by
2 wide and 3 m. deep, was made in the gravel.
About half the length of this was needed for the
tomb ; the other half formed a rough sloping stair-
case for the workmen. The sides of the grave were
built of brick walls, and these were covered by an
arch of brick about 1*50 m. high. In this the body
was laid at full length, on the left side, the head to
the north ; in front of the body was a great mass of
pottery. The interest of this set of tombs lies in the
bearing they may have on the question of the date of
the wall, for if it be granted that these are probably
of the early Xllth dynasty (as the pottery suggests),
then we have early Xllth dynasty tombs inside, and
tombs of the reign of Amenemhat III outside the
walls. (There were, however, two tombs inside the
walls in which the remains of the pottery were much
like those in the tombs outside.) Now there is a stela
from El Kab, to which Dr. Spiegelberg calls my atten-
tion (published in Stobart, Egypt. Antiq., Pl. I), which
states that Amenemhat III restored the walls at El
Kab which Usertesen II had built. What walls
these were the stela does not state, but the evidence
from the pottery would support the idea that they
were the great town walls. And if this be so, the
common pottery of the Middle Kingdom can now
be split into two sections, between which the reign oi
Usertesen II will form the dividing line..