DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4664#0032
KOM EL AHMAR.
27
and a coarse grass on which the goats continually
feed. In the S.W. of the square, another wall, very
clearly visible, cuts off one corner from the rest of the
town. Within this enclosure the soil was generally
smoother and at a lower level than elsewhere, except
where at one point a rise of 2 m. showed where a
brick building had stood. Two or three battered
blocks of granite were also visible, and the base of a
sandstone column. In the middle of it stood two
Arab huts, which were afterwards bought and de-
molished ; the granite blocks of Kha-sekhemui were
found under them, one serving as a corner-stone of
the hut. A watercourse ran across the site fed by a
shadnf, which worked in an ancient well. This en-
closure was clearly the temple.
It was in this small area that the remainder of the
season's work was concentrated, and in it were found
the three groups of objects, those of the gold-headed
hawk, the copper statue, and the great deposit of
slates, ivories, &c, on which the importance of the
results depends.
67. The gold hawk was found in the first week of
the work; it chanced that we began to dig over the
group of five chambers (v. PL. LXXII.) at the N. of
the site; and, while clearing out the first of the
chambers, found in the centre of it a small brick-
lined pit, the top of which, at a lower level than the
base of the surrounding walls, was covered by a
roughly-hewn basalt slab (v. PL. XLIL). When this
was raised the pit was seen to be filled with moist
earth. As this was cleared there came into view a
hawk of thin copper plate, with head and plumes
of gold. Underneath the bill of the bird stood a
statuette of a king : both faced south. Below the flat
base of the hawk was a hollow cylindrical rod of thin
metal, and the whole was supported on a stand of red
pottery : the rod ran down the centre of this, and was
embedded in a vase of rough pottery at the lower end
{v. Pl. XLVIL). At the bottom of the little pit lay
four small vases of earthenware, and the objects
sketched in PL. XLIIL, an alabaster vase, two small
maces, a fire-drill cap (?) in limestone, and an uas sign
of green glaze. Some beads of green glaze, stone
and gold foil, also lay on the floor of the pit, and
others were scattered through the filling ; they had
probably served as a necklace for the hawk.
The whole pit was filled with the moist and heavy
earth. As it was cleared from the top, the gold
plumes were first found, standing in place with one
long gold nail projecting forwards from a hole in the
middle line. Below this was the circlet standing
1 cm. above the head. These were all in perfect
preservation, unaltered except by the red patina of
old gold. But the thin plates of copper had become
extremely brittle, decayed by the dampness of the
soil. No particle of the wood core on which they
must have been nailed had been spared : so directly
the upper part of the body had been uncovered and
the form disclosed, long cracks appeared and the thin
shell soon broke into scores of pieces.
The head and plumes have been mounted and can
now be seen at Cairo ; the restoration of the body
has proved a more difficult matter, and is not yet
finished.
The pit was in the centre of the brick chamber,
but below it, the covering slab being on the same
level as the foot of the walls. The sand surrounding
it was very clean, and in it were found many frag-
ments of pottery of the earlier archaic period, and
part of one of the forked flint lances (type of XXIV.
17). Among the potsherds were pieces of the "red
and black " ware, the coarse and the " polished red,"
but no fragment of the later types, such as were found
in the royal tomb of Naqada or at Abydos.
It seems from the circumstances of the find, that
the hawk was buried under the floor at the time these
five chambers were built. Probably it was buried
definitely, not merely put away in a safe place to be
taken out again for certain festivals ; for, if this had
been the case, we should hardly suppose that the
small ceremonial objects (maces and uas sign) would
be buried with it.
68. In the next chamber to the E. of the gold
hawk there was nothing of importance, and the sand
below it showed no sign of disturbance ; but below
the next to this the sand was not clean, and on
digging further we found, at the depth of 1 m.
below the base of the wall, a singular spectacle
{v. Pl. XLVIL). The two legs of a life-size copper
statue lay side by side. Below and beyond the
thighs, the face appeared, and the left fore-arm stood
up on one side. Over the feet of the figure lay, head
downwards, a lion of red pottery, about 40 cm. high,
and by its side, nearly touching the lion's muzzle, was
a green stone statue of a seated figure, the head of
which was missing.
Here again the soil was moist, and though the lion
and the stone statue were untouched, the metal was
corroded and very brittle, and the green rust had
fastened the surfaces together. For the lion, see
PLS. XLIV and XLV; for the stone statue,
PL. XLI.
E 2
27
and a coarse grass on which the goats continually
feed. In the S.W. of the square, another wall, very
clearly visible, cuts off one corner from the rest of the
town. Within this enclosure the soil was generally
smoother and at a lower level than elsewhere, except
where at one point a rise of 2 m. showed where a
brick building had stood. Two or three battered
blocks of granite were also visible, and the base of a
sandstone column. In the middle of it stood two
Arab huts, which were afterwards bought and de-
molished ; the granite blocks of Kha-sekhemui were
found under them, one serving as a corner-stone of
the hut. A watercourse ran across the site fed by a
shadnf, which worked in an ancient well. This en-
closure was clearly the temple.
It was in this small area that the remainder of the
season's work was concentrated, and in it were found
the three groups of objects, those of the gold-headed
hawk, the copper statue, and the great deposit of
slates, ivories, &c, on which the importance of the
results depends.
67. The gold hawk was found in the first week of
the work; it chanced that we began to dig over the
group of five chambers (v. PL. LXXII.) at the N. of
the site; and, while clearing out the first of the
chambers, found in the centre of it a small brick-
lined pit, the top of which, at a lower level than the
base of the surrounding walls, was covered by a
roughly-hewn basalt slab (v. PL. XLIL). When this
was raised the pit was seen to be filled with moist
earth. As this was cleared there came into view a
hawk of thin copper plate, with head and plumes
of gold. Underneath the bill of the bird stood a
statuette of a king : both faced south. Below the flat
base of the hawk was a hollow cylindrical rod of thin
metal, and the whole was supported on a stand of red
pottery : the rod ran down the centre of this, and was
embedded in a vase of rough pottery at the lower end
{v. Pl. XLVIL). At the bottom of the little pit lay
four small vases of earthenware, and the objects
sketched in PL. XLIIL, an alabaster vase, two small
maces, a fire-drill cap (?) in limestone, and an uas sign
of green glaze. Some beads of green glaze, stone
and gold foil, also lay on the floor of the pit, and
others were scattered through the filling ; they had
probably served as a necklace for the hawk.
The whole pit was filled with the moist and heavy
earth. As it was cleared from the top, the gold
plumes were first found, standing in place with one
long gold nail projecting forwards from a hole in the
middle line. Below this was the circlet standing
1 cm. above the head. These were all in perfect
preservation, unaltered except by the red patina of
old gold. But the thin plates of copper had become
extremely brittle, decayed by the dampness of the
soil. No particle of the wood core on which they
must have been nailed had been spared : so directly
the upper part of the body had been uncovered and
the form disclosed, long cracks appeared and the thin
shell soon broke into scores of pieces.
The head and plumes have been mounted and can
now be seen at Cairo ; the restoration of the body
has proved a more difficult matter, and is not yet
finished.
The pit was in the centre of the brick chamber,
but below it, the covering slab being on the same
level as the foot of the walls. The sand surrounding
it was very clean, and in it were found many frag-
ments of pottery of the earlier archaic period, and
part of one of the forked flint lances (type of XXIV.
17). Among the potsherds were pieces of the "red
and black " ware, the coarse and the " polished red,"
but no fragment of the later types, such as were found
in the royal tomb of Naqada or at Abydos.
It seems from the circumstances of the find, that
the hawk was buried under the floor at the time these
five chambers were built. Probably it was buried
definitely, not merely put away in a safe place to be
taken out again for certain festivals ; for, if this had
been the case, we should hardly suppose that the
small ceremonial objects (maces and uas sign) would
be buried with it.
68. In the next chamber to the E. of the gold
hawk there was nothing of importance, and the sand
below it showed no sign of disturbance ; but below
the next to this the sand was not clean, and on
digging further we found, at the depth of 1 m.
below the base of the wall, a singular spectacle
{v. Pl. XLVIL). The two legs of a life-size copper
statue lay side by side. Below and beyond the
thighs, the face appeared, and the left fore-arm stood
up on one side. Over the feet of the figure lay, head
downwards, a lion of red pottery, about 40 cm. high,
and by its side, nearly touching the lion's muzzle, was
a green stone statue of a seated figure, the head of
which was missing.
Here again the soil was moist, and though the lion
and the stone statue were untouched, the metal was
corroded and very brittle, and the green rust had
fastened the surfaces together. For the lion, see
PLS. XLIV and XLV; for the stone statue,
PL. XLI.
E 2