DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4664#0058
DESCRIPTION OF THE PLATES.
53
objects ; and the uninscribed spherical vase of syenite
(Pl. XXXVII.) was at the S.E. corner of the revet-
ment, a little N. of the main deposit.
A little to the N. of this were two rude stone
pillars, about i m. high, pointed at the top, like rough
obelisks.
Just to the S. of this vase lay the great stele of
Pepy. This is a tall granite pillar, 3^25 m. (10 ft.
8 ins.) in height, rectangular in section, rounded at the
top. The lower, "65 m., is left in the rough and must
have served to fix the pillar in the ground. The
upper, 1 "25 m., is inscribed on one side with the
figure and name of a Pepy, but the cutting is very
shallow and the inscription much defaced. This
object has not yet been removed. It was found lying
much on the same level as the great deposit, and to
the S. of it.
Leaving now this part of the plan, we see on the
W. a group of columns, or, rather, of the brickwork
pits in which the bases of the columns once stood ;
stone blocks remained in two of them only.
Near them was found a granite altar of Amen-
hotep IV., but this had probably been moved in
modern times ; the fellahin knew of its existence.
At a point to the N.W. of these columns was a
scattered foundation deposit ; it consisted of four
rude vases (PL. XLIX. 18), green glaze beads, both
cylindrical and disc-shaped, and a rectangular plaque
of green glaze, with the name of Thothmes III.
written in black ink. This is important as giving a
date to the brick walls near it, and therefore possibly
to the period at which the archaic objects were buried.
In the middle of the plan towards the S. two large
masses of brickwork are marked. They must have
been the cores of a pylon ; two of the facing blocks
were found adhering. This pylon would be fairly in
line with the granite sill of the door on the E. side ;
but the northern part of the temple seems to have
faced S.
Small circular buildings, often with very thin walls,
occurred at various points ; they are marked on the
map, but are probably only granaries, and not con-
nected with the temple. Some, however, were at a
low level ; none are modern.
The untouched soil beneath the temple is a bed of
very clean sand, generally reached at about 2 m. from
the surface ; but in some parts, holes of over 4 m. in
depth had to be dug.
In the upper part of this bed of sand, fine flint
flakes, charcoal, and fragments of the Naqada types
of pottery were scattered.
Lower down the signs of human action were rarer,
but I never got really below them even at 3 m. depth
in the sand.
Above the sand, came a layer of black clay, con-
taining again archaic pottery. Over this, in the S.W.
quarter of the temple, was an artificial layer of sand,
55 cm. thick. On this came the brick walls, and the
surface layer contained great quantities of sandstone
fragments from the temple, with limestone chip only
in the part near the Kha-sekhemui blocks.
Here may be added the names of later kings of
whom monuments were found.
Of Pepy II. there was part of the base of a small
statue in yellow limestone. A reworked lintel, found
high above the main deposit of archaic objects, and
another sandstone block bearing a cartouche, came
from Usertesen I.
Of Thothmes III., besides the foundation deposit
and the blocks of the pylon, we found the trunk of a
statue in basalt. Next comes the granite altar of
Amenhotep IV, a fragment from the base of a statue
of Sety I., the cartouche of Rameses II., and a block
with the three names of Rameses X., which completes
the list.
There was curiously little that could be dated to
a late period, but in the N.W. of the temple was a
Roman pavement, and several pieces of Roman
pottery were found along the W. side. Nothing
then was done for the temple after the late New
Kingdom. Mr. Green further describes the site.
The district of El Kab and Kom el Ahmar is
near to the junction between the limestone and the
underlying Nubian sandstone.
The actual junction being about 5 kilometres N.
of El Kab on the E. bank, but owing to the bend of
the Nile and the slightly westerly trend of the lime-
stone cliff near Esna, a large expanse of Nubian
sandstone is exposed on the W. bank. There is a
dip from N.E. to S.W. of this rock ; so that, while on
the E. bank it forms hills from 80 to 90 metres, and,
in places, 156 m. high, on the W. bank it does not
exceed 30 m. above the cultivation.
The top of these hills, as may be seen on the map,
is a plateau nearly flat, but intersected by water-
courses at its eastern border. The surface, which
slopes slightly to the northward, is covered with fine
shingle and flint pebbles, weathered to a deep brown-
black. That part of the plateau which is nearest to
the site has been denuded into a series of detached
knolls, some of which have a cap of a hard fossiliferous
limestone weathered to a light bluish-grey colour.
53
objects ; and the uninscribed spherical vase of syenite
(Pl. XXXVII.) was at the S.E. corner of the revet-
ment, a little N. of the main deposit.
A little to the N. of this were two rude stone
pillars, about i m. high, pointed at the top, like rough
obelisks.
Just to the S. of this vase lay the great stele of
Pepy. This is a tall granite pillar, 3^25 m. (10 ft.
8 ins.) in height, rectangular in section, rounded at the
top. The lower, "65 m., is left in the rough and must
have served to fix the pillar in the ground. The
upper, 1 "25 m., is inscribed on one side with the
figure and name of a Pepy, but the cutting is very
shallow and the inscription much defaced. This
object has not yet been removed. It was found lying
much on the same level as the great deposit, and to
the S. of it.
Leaving now this part of the plan, we see on the
W. a group of columns, or, rather, of the brickwork
pits in which the bases of the columns once stood ;
stone blocks remained in two of them only.
Near them was found a granite altar of Amen-
hotep IV., but this had probably been moved in
modern times ; the fellahin knew of its existence.
At a point to the N.W. of these columns was a
scattered foundation deposit ; it consisted of four
rude vases (PL. XLIX. 18), green glaze beads, both
cylindrical and disc-shaped, and a rectangular plaque
of green glaze, with the name of Thothmes III.
written in black ink. This is important as giving a
date to the brick walls near it, and therefore possibly
to the period at which the archaic objects were buried.
In the middle of the plan towards the S. two large
masses of brickwork are marked. They must have
been the cores of a pylon ; two of the facing blocks
were found adhering. This pylon would be fairly in
line with the granite sill of the door on the E. side ;
but the northern part of the temple seems to have
faced S.
Small circular buildings, often with very thin walls,
occurred at various points ; they are marked on the
map, but are probably only granaries, and not con-
nected with the temple. Some, however, were at a
low level ; none are modern.
The untouched soil beneath the temple is a bed of
very clean sand, generally reached at about 2 m. from
the surface ; but in some parts, holes of over 4 m. in
depth had to be dug.
In the upper part of this bed of sand, fine flint
flakes, charcoal, and fragments of the Naqada types
of pottery were scattered.
Lower down the signs of human action were rarer,
but I never got really below them even at 3 m. depth
in the sand.
Above the sand, came a layer of black clay, con-
taining again archaic pottery. Over this, in the S.W.
quarter of the temple, was an artificial layer of sand,
55 cm. thick. On this came the brick walls, and the
surface layer contained great quantities of sandstone
fragments from the temple, with limestone chip only
in the part near the Kha-sekhemui blocks.
Here may be added the names of later kings of
whom monuments were found.
Of Pepy II. there was part of the base of a small
statue in yellow limestone. A reworked lintel, found
high above the main deposit of archaic objects, and
another sandstone block bearing a cartouche, came
from Usertesen I.
Of Thothmes III., besides the foundation deposit
and the blocks of the pylon, we found the trunk of a
statue in basalt. Next comes the granite altar of
Amenhotep IV, a fragment from the base of a statue
of Sety I., the cartouche of Rameses II., and a block
with the three names of Rameses X., which completes
the list.
There was curiously little that could be dated to
a late period, but in the N.W. of the temple was a
Roman pavement, and several pieces of Roman
pottery were found along the W. side. Nothing
then was done for the temple after the late New
Kingdom. Mr. Green further describes the site.
The district of El Kab and Kom el Ahmar is
near to the junction between the limestone and the
underlying Nubian sandstone.
The actual junction being about 5 kilometres N.
of El Kab on the E. bank, but owing to the bend of
the Nile and the slightly westerly trend of the lime-
stone cliff near Esna, a large expanse of Nubian
sandstone is exposed on the W. bank. There is a
dip from N.E. to S.W. of this rock ; so that, while on
the E. bank it forms hills from 80 to 90 metres, and,
in places, 156 m. high, on the W. bank it does not
exceed 30 m. above the cultivation.
The top of these hills, as may be seen on the map,
is a plateau nearly flat, but intersected by water-
courses at its eastern border. The surface, which
slopes slightly to the northward, is covered with fine
shingle and flint pebbles, weathered to a deep brown-
black. That part of the plateau which is nearest to
the site has been denuded into a series of detached
knolls, some of which have a cap of a hard fossiliferous
limestone weathered to a light bluish-grey colour.