DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4658#0015
10
THE RAMESSEUM.
both were glazed, only one would be inscribed. One
suspects, therefore, that, a man and his wife were in
these cases buried together.
18. In chamber 33 (PL. I) was another untouched
burial, the chamber being still bricked up. Here
again white ants had so eaten away the wood that it
. fell to pieces on exposure to the air. There were two
burials, the bodies lying E. and W., with head to the W.
The southernmost had a mummy-like figure in clay,
12 inches long, over the chest; seated figures of
deities were roughly painted in blue on the outside of
the outer coffin. On the top was one line of inscrip-
tion, but none appeared on the two inner coffins. The
name of the other body was Hes-Bast; this was seen
painted on the inner coffin on a background of yellow.
In both these cases the wife lies at her husband's left
side.
19. The next case is the tomb of Nekht-ef-Mut
(XVI, XVII). We had found a small well, which, at
6 feet below the surface, opened into two chambers-
In the southern one lay two wooden coffins, four
hawks in wood, and one dummy canopic vase. This
part had clearly been robbed ; but as the coffins lay
on a bed of gravel, not on the hard desert, we cleared
further down. The chamber became a well, in which,
9 feet below, two more burials appeared. These lay
side by side, nearly filling the base of the well, and the
spaces between the coffins and the sides of the well
were filled with a red cement. The coffins lay with the
head to the north, and were so large and heavy that
it was impossible to remove them in one piece. They
must have been put together in the tomb, for the
opening of the well was too small to admit them.
Indeed, when the cement was picked away, we found
a handful of the wooden pegs (PL. XVII, 8), with
which the joints were fastened, thrown behind the
coffin-head. The four funereal genii of wood covered
with pitch (XVII, 6-9) stood to the W. of the E.
coffin ; to the N. was a small wooden stela, like those
of PL. XXI, but uninscribed. The burial to the W.
was enclosed in a rough outer coffin of if-inch planks,
covered with pitch. Inside this, and fixed in its place
by cement poured into the vacant spaces, lay another
coffin. On the centre of this had been an inscription
incised and painted blue on a plain wood ground-
Inside lay the mummy with no enclosing cartonnage,
but wrapped in cloth, stained black by the excess of
bitumen with which the mummification was performed.
On the base of the inner coffin the figure of Nut was
drawn in yellow lines on a black ground. The other
burial was that of Nekht-ef-Mut. On the outer coffin
of this personage, above the chest, stood a jackal in
wood. Inside this was a second coffin, upon which
lay a hawk in painted wood. This second coffin had
an inscription painted down the centre. Inside this
was yet an innermost coffin, covered with wreaths
made of the leaves of mimusops. Two ropes lay
along the sides, and the wreaths were joined to them
like the rungs of a ladder.
The head of the coffin was painted, and the hands
made in wood and attached. They are crossed, the
left holding a seneb sign (= health), the right an uza
(= prosperity), This coffin was of wood, 2 inches thick.
Inside it was the mummy, enclosed in cartonnage.
The body was covered with very fine linen, like
muslin ; on its feet lay a little mummy figure, 8 inches
long, made of bread and wrapped in cloth.
The decoration of the cartonnage was extremely
bright; when first uncovered it really seemed as good
as new, but a few days sufficed to remove the extreme
freshness of the colour. The decoration is given in
black outline in Pl. XVI, the undersides being shown
in two detached strips. The face is gilt, the eyes are
of inlaid shell, the beard of wood inlaid with blue
glaze between lines of gilt. The wig is painted dark
green with yellow stripes, the ground colour of the
whole being white. The ends of the wig, the sun in
the barks, the sun below Maat, and above the hawk
on the breast, are all gilt. In yellow are the back-
grounds of the columns of inscription ; the wings of
the hawk are dark green and the small inscriptions at
the back are in black on white. This cartonnage is
now in the Fitzwilliam Museum at Cambridge.
To remove the mummy, the back of the cartonnage
had to be sawn off, for the material is very stiff and
readily flakes. The method of construction must
have been that the body after mummification was
enclosed in a case of linen cartonnage, made on a
model mummy, and this was laced together down the
back. A piece of wood was laced on for the foot-
piece, and then a layer of fine white plaster of about
one-sixth of an inch was laid over the whole ; this was
moulded in relief for the figures, and on it all the
decoration was painted. Between the cartonnage and
the mummy the leather braces (Pl. XVII) lay upon
the chest, with the stamped leather menat and its
counterpoise, the menat bearing the name of Osorkon I.
The mummy was very neatly bandaged ; long strips
about 6 inches wide were laid along the sides, and
wider strips were wound round outside these. Under
the outermost wrapping, and below the chin, was a
score of beads made of a soft resin. Under the next
THE RAMESSEUM.
both were glazed, only one would be inscribed. One
suspects, therefore, that, a man and his wife were in
these cases buried together.
18. In chamber 33 (PL. I) was another untouched
burial, the chamber being still bricked up. Here
again white ants had so eaten away the wood that it
. fell to pieces on exposure to the air. There were two
burials, the bodies lying E. and W., with head to the W.
The southernmost had a mummy-like figure in clay,
12 inches long, over the chest; seated figures of
deities were roughly painted in blue on the outside of
the outer coffin. On the top was one line of inscrip-
tion, but none appeared on the two inner coffins. The
name of the other body was Hes-Bast; this was seen
painted on the inner coffin on a background of yellow.
In both these cases the wife lies at her husband's left
side.
19. The next case is the tomb of Nekht-ef-Mut
(XVI, XVII). We had found a small well, which, at
6 feet below the surface, opened into two chambers-
In the southern one lay two wooden coffins, four
hawks in wood, and one dummy canopic vase. This
part had clearly been robbed ; but as the coffins lay
on a bed of gravel, not on the hard desert, we cleared
further down. The chamber became a well, in which,
9 feet below, two more burials appeared. These lay
side by side, nearly filling the base of the well, and the
spaces between the coffins and the sides of the well
were filled with a red cement. The coffins lay with the
head to the north, and were so large and heavy that
it was impossible to remove them in one piece. They
must have been put together in the tomb, for the
opening of the well was too small to admit them.
Indeed, when the cement was picked away, we found
a handful of the wooden pegs (PL. XVII, 8), with
which the joints were fastened, thrown behind the
coffin-head. The four funereal genii of wood covered
with pitch (XVII, 6-9) stood to the W. of the E.
coffin ; to the N. was a small wooden stela, like those
of PL. XXI, but uninscribed. The burial to the W.
was enclosed in a rough outer coffin of if-inch planks,
covered with pitch. Inside this, and fixed in its place
by cement poured into the vacant spaces, lay another
coffin. On the centre of this had been an inscription
incised and painted blue on a plain wood ground-
Inside lay the mummy with no enclosing cartonnage,
but wrapped in cloth, stained black by the excess of
bitumen with which the mummification was performed.
On the base of the inner coffin the figure of Nut was
drawn in yellow lines on a black ground. The other
burial was that of Nekht-ef-Mut. On the outer coffin
of this personage, above the chest, stood a jackal in
wood. Inside this was a second coffin, upon which
lay a hawk in painted wood. This second coffin had
an inscription painted down the centre. Inside this
was yet an innermost coffin, covered with wreaths
made of the leaves of mimusops. Two ropes lay
along the sides, and the wreaths were joined to them
like the rungs of a ladder.
The head of the coffin was painted, and the hands
made in wood and attached. They are crossed, the
left holding a seneb sign (= health), the right an uza
(= prosperity), This coffin was of wood, 2 inches thick.
Inside it was the mummy, enclosed in cartonnage.
The body was covered with very fine linen, like
muslin ; on its feet lay a little mummy figure, 8 inches
long, made of bread and wrapped in cloth.
The decoration of the cartonnage was extremely
bright; when first uncovered it really seemed as good
as new, but a few days sufficed to remove the extreme
freshness of the colour. The decoration is given in
black outline in Pl. XVI, the undersides being shown
in two detached strips. The face is gilt, the eyes are
of inlaid shell, the beard of wood inlaid with blue
glaze between lines of gilt. The wig is painted dark
green with yellow stripes, the ground colour of the
whole being white. The ends of the wig, the sun in
the barks, the sun below Maat, and above the hawk
on the breast, are all gilt. In yellow are the back-
grounds of the columns of inscription ; the wings of
the hawk are dark green and the small inscriptions at
the back are in black on white. This cartonnage is
now in the Fitzwilliam Museum at Cambridge.
To remove the mummy, the back of the cartonnage
had to be sawn off, for the material is very stiff and
readily flakes. The method of construction must
have been that the body after mummification was
enclosed in a case of linen cartonnage, made on a
model mummy, and this was laced together down the
back. A piece of wood was laced on for the foot-
piece, and then a layer of fine white plaster of about
one-sixth of an inch was laid over the whole ; this was
moulded in relief for the figures, and on it all the
decoration was painted. Between the cartonnage and
the mummy the leather braces (Pl. XVII) lay upon
the chest, with the stamped leather menat and its
counterpoise, the menat bearing the name of Osorkon I.
The mummy was very neatly bandaged ; long strips
about 6 inches wide were laid along the sides, and
wider strips were wound round outside these. Under
the outermost wrapping, and below the chin, was a
score of beads made of a soft resin. Under the next