DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4664#0025
20
THE CEMETERY.
■
11
been of wood, and placed in the slits on either side
of the entrance. All traces of them have now
vanished.
In the entrance can still be seen remains of
panelling in the brickwork.
Whilst the surface of the outer wall was plain,
that of the inner wall, facing into the narrow space
of 2-23 m., was built in panels. The walls are
entirely of crude brick, and were plastered and
whitened.
50. The bricks are of moderate size. They vary
between 25 x 12 X 9-0 cm. (9-8 X 4-7 X 3-5 ins.),
and 30 X 14X 7'0 cm. (11 • 8 x 5*5 X 2-8 ins.).
They are laid with little attention to bond. The
face is nearly always neatly arranged with alternate
courses of headers and stretchers ; but within the
bricks are all laid headers, i.e., their length is across
the thickness of the wall. Sometimes the bricks are
not laid fiat, and we find a course of bricks on edge,
but laid without method.
The courses of bricks are horizontal, and not laid
(as in the great walls at El Kab) in curves convex
and concave to the horizon. There is no timber bond
built into the walls, nor are there courses of halfa
grass or reeds laid in the mortar.
The south west wall remains unbroken, and stands
to a height of some 8'0 m. or 9#0 m. above the
plain. The walls near the gateway are also of about
the same height, and it is probable they have not lost
more than 1 'O m. The building corresponds in most
respects with the rectangular brick fort at Abydos,
known as the Shunet ez Zebib, which is, however,
considerably larger.
CHAPTER VII.
THE CEMETERY.
51. TlIE large prehistoric cemetery which extends
from the fort to the drainage line, shown on the
S.E. end of the map, has been so plundered and
destroyed that hardly a tomb has escaped. In the
first season's excavations Mr. Ouibell, after examining
some of these plundered tombs, confined himself
chiefly to that part of the cemetery near to, and
west of, the fort, as this part had escaped the almost
total destruction that had overtaken the more easterly
portion.
52. During the second season's work one of the
workmen, who was a resident in the neighbourhood,
reported that there were walls with signs of paint on
them at the extreme South East of the cemetery.
These walls, on being cleared of sand, showed a
bricklined prehistoric tomb decorated with coloured
drawings, very similar in design to those seen on the
decorated pottery of the period. The tomb had been
plundered, the walls in places showing marks of the
hoe, and all objects of value were removed.
As far as I could ascertain, several large flint
knives had been found ; but the natives, as is usual
in such cases, were either unwilling or unable to state
when or by whom. Judging by the amount of sand
which had drifted in I should think that it must have
been rifled two or three years previous to its examina-
tion by me in 1899. See PL. LXVII.
The tomb consists of a chamber about 4* 5 X 2-o
X 1 "5 metres (15 X 6^ X 5 feet) with the upper parts
of the walls flush with the desert surface ; as may be
seen from the transverse section, it was built in an
excavation in the desert whose sides slope *\. After
building these walls sand was filled in behind ; and
this loose sand is shown in the section by the dots
being spaced wider than that of the untouched desert.
The walls consist of small crude bricks which vary
considerably in size, their average dimensions are
23 X 11" 5 X 9 cm. (9 X \\ X 3i ins-)- All the lower
courses were built of rows of headers on their flats ;
the second course from the top is however built of
stretchers on their flats. The walls had a batter
off
The mud of which the bricks are made contains
numerous fragments of prehistoric ash-jars. The mud
used as mortar is as a rule more yellow and sandy
than that from which the bricks themselves are made ;
it has also set rather harder.
The tomb is divided into two equal parts by a low
cross-wall abutting on the middle point of the N.E.
wall.
The height of the walls does not seem to have
been much more than the highest standing wall, as
the upper parts when undamaged turned inwards
slightly, as if close to the roof. The roofing must
have been of wood as no signs of a vaulted or cor-
belled roof of any kind were seen ; and several of the
graves in the immediate neighbourhood have remains
of the round wooden logs or roofing beams showing
in the sides of the excavation.
The floor was paved with crude bricks of the same
dimensions as those of the walls.
The whole of the brickwork, including the floor,
>alaye;
w\ eft simply
:> .thesurface
:jSi„ red ochre.
^blue-black da
;:::?byred ochre In
* No signs 0
»tf Eh*
'line
. i las been decoi
iadado of blue-
;:;cE(4ins.)i
,*li it has be
isbounch
:: cm. wide, pair.
lithe wall above
Mwitll yellow
::" representing th
315 scenes, comb;
inide skill, the
execution.
■to attempted.
;^ represents the
;KbuttheSl
**« was room
*« the boats,:
incidents
*S of wild
boats 1
'^epeacef
J** that n,
'" 0ars such a
1 «ample 0
"ear El Ka
, Entering
fcatther
%roUnd
THE CEMETERY.
■
11
been of wood, and placed in the slits on either side
of the entrance. All traces of them have now
vanished.
In the entrance can still be seen remains of
panelling in the brickwork.
Whilst the surface of the outer wall was plain,
that of the inner wall, facing into the narrow space
of 2-23 m., was built in panels. The walls are
entirely of crude brick, and were plastered and
whitened.
50. The bricks are of moderate size. They vary
between 25 x 12 X 9-0 cm. (9-8 X 4-7 X 3-5 ins.),
and 30 X 14X 7'0 cm. (11 • 8 x 5*5 X 2-8 ins.).
They are laid with little attention to bond. The
face is nearly always neatly arranged with alternate
courses of headers and stretchers ; but within the
bricks are all laid headers, i.e., their length is across
the thickness of the wall. Sometimes the bricks are
not laid fiat, and we find a course of bricks on edge,
but laid without method.
The courses of bricks are horizontal, and not laid
(as in the great walls at El Kab) in curves convex
and concave to the horizon. There is no timber bond
built into the walls, nor are there courses of halfa
grass or reeds laid in the mortar.
The south west wall remains unbroken, and stands
to a height of some 8'0 m. or 9#0 m. above the
plain. The walls near the gateway are also of about
the same height, and it is probable they have not lost
more than 1 'O m. The building corresponds in most
respects with the rectangular brick fort at Abydos,
known as the Shunet ez Zebib, which is, however,
considerably larger.
CHAPTER VII.
THE CEMETERY.
51. TlIE large prehistoric cemetery which extends
from the fort to the drainage line, shown on the
S.E. end of the map, has been so plundered and
destroyed that hardly a tomb has escaped. In the
first season's excavations Mr. Ouibell, after examining
some of these plundered tombs, confined himself
chiefly to that part of the cemetery near to, and
west of, the fort, as this part had escaped the almost
total destruction that had overtaken the more easterly
portion.
52. During the second season's work one of the
workmen, who was a resident in the neighbourhood,
reported that there were walls with signs of paint on
them at the extreme South East of the cemetery.
These walls, on being cleared of sand, showed a
bricklined prehistoric tomb decorated with coloured
drawings, very similar in design to those seen on the
decorated pottery of the period. The tomb had been
plundered, the walls in places showing marks of the
hoe, and all objects of value were removed.
As far as I could ascertain, several large flint
knives had been found ; but the natives, as is usual
in such cases, were either unwilling or unable to state
when or by whom. Judging by the amount of sand
which had drifted in I should think that it must have
been rifled two or three years previous to its examina-
tion by me in 1899. See PL. LXVII.
The tomb consists of a chamber about 4* 5 X 2-o
X 1 "5 metres (15 X 6^ X 5 feet) with the upper parts
of the walls flush with the desert surface ; as may be
seen from the transverse section, it was built in an
excavation in the desert whose sides slope *\. After
building these walls sand was filled in behind ; and
this loose sand is shown in the section by the dots
being spaced wider than that of the untouched desert.
The walls consist of small crude bricks which vary
considerably in size, their average dimensions are
23 X 11" 5 X 9 cm. (9 X \\ X 3i ins-)- All the lower
courses were built of rows of headers on their flats ;
the second course from the top is however built of
stretchers on their flats. The walls had a batter
off
The mud of which the bricks are made contains
numerous fragments of prehistoric ash-jars. The mud
used as mortar is as a rule more yellow and sandy
than that from which the bricks themselves are made ;
it has also set rather harder.
The tomb is divided into two equal parts by a low
cross-wall abutting on the middle point of the N.E.
wall.
The height of the walls does not seem to have
been much more than the highest standing wall, as
the upper parts when undamaged turned inwards
slightly, as if close to the roof. The roofing must
have been of wood as no signs of a vaulted or cor-
belled roof of any kind were seen ; and several of the
graves in the immediate neighbourhood have remains
of the round wooden logs or roofing beams showing
in the sides of the excavation.
The floor was paved with crude bricks of the same
dimensions as those of the walls.
The whole of the brickwork, including the floor,
>alaye;
w\ eft simply
:> .thesurface
:jSi„ red ochre.
^blue-black da
;:::?byred ochre In
* No signs 0
»tf Eh*
'line
. i las been decoi
iadado of blue-
;:;cE(4ins.)i
,*li it has be
isbounch
:: cm. wide, pair.
lithe wall above
Mwitll yellow
::" representing th
315 scenes, comb;
inide skill, the
execution.
■to attempted.
;^ represents the
;KbuttheSl
**« was room
*« the boats,:
incidents
*S of wild
boats 1
'^epeacef
J** that n,
'" 0ars such a
1 «ample 0
"ear El Ka
, Entering
fcatther
%roUnd