DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49516#0543
THE TUMULUS K XVIII
439
(1) Room k xviii a and its contents
The eastern of the two parallel rooms, lettered A, was a trifle larger than the other and
had been thoroughly cleared out, while the other room still contained sacrificial bodies.
For this reason and because A occupied the same relative position as the chief chamber in
K XVI (on the east), I select A as the room which once contained the chief burial.
The floor of the room was covered irregularly with about 50 cm. of brown, earthy dust
and sand, darkened by moisture; over that rested layered drift sand. This condition is
typical of completely plundered graves at Kerma. The floor debris was that turned over by
the thieves or thrown into the grave after the plundering. This lower debris contained a
number of objects (Reg. Nos. 14-1-1138 to 1170); the layered debris, very few. Some of
these were clearly from the sacrificial chamber B or from the subsidiary graves, but others
presented objects of the character assigned hitherto to the chief burial itself. The same
mixture of objects occurred in the disturbed debris over the rest of the tumulus, and here
again the choice of the objects originally in K XVIII A must depend on the character of
the objects themselves.
First of all it is to be noted that no large quartzite cone was found, as at K XVI and the
preceding tumuli. On the other hand, four small cones and four round-topped discs of that
material were found in the debris. The cones were 10-15 cm. in diameter and 12-20 cm.
high; the discs were 20-25 cm. in diameter and 8-10 cm. high. Stones of these forms were
found among the graves in the Nubian Cemetery, and I remain in doubt as to whether the
stones at K XVIII were originally placed over the mound or not. I believe, however, that
in all probability there was a great cone at K XVI which had been broken up like that at
K X, to make such stones for the Nubian graves.
Of greater importance is the fact that no trace of any statuette was found in K XVIII.
(a) Stone vessels:
From K XVIII A:
i. Large cylindrical jar of alabaster, fragment from rim and upper part of side; height of
fragment, 12.8 cm.; diam. of rim, about 15 cm.; inscribed on one side with two names
of a king, of which only one remains: “King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Kheper-ka-ra” ;
14-1-1152.
N. B. This is the name of Sesostris I.
ii. Alabaster, Type I, pear-shaped jars; larger type size; 14-1-1153 (five frags.), 1156 (one).
iii. Alabaster cylindrical jar, Type III—1; h., 8.8 cm.; 14-1-1154.
iv. Alabaster, large shoulder jar, Type VI-1; h., 18.8 cm.; diam. of mouth, 14 cm.; 14-1-1155.
v. Eighteen unidentifiable fragments of alabaster vessels; 14-1-1157.
vi. Kohl-pot, fine hard drab stone, Type V-2; h., 3.5+ cm.; 14-1-1158.
vii. Rim and shoulder of squat jar of porphyry, Type XIII, 34; diam. of rim, ca. 10 cm.; 14-1-
1159.
From K XVIII B:
viii. Alabaster, pear-shaped jar, Type I; see iii, above; 14-1-932.
ix. Alabaster, spherical jar with short neck, Type II—1; diam. of mouth, ca. 20 cm.; weathered;
14-1-931.
x. Six fragments of alabaster vessels; varying in thickness — 4.5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 14 mm.; 14-1-
933.
xi. Fragment of black and white porphyry, probably from vii, above; 14-1-930.
439
(1) Room k xviii a and its contents
The eastern of the two parallel rooms, lettered A, was a trifle larger than the other and
had been thoroughly cleared out, while the other room still contained sacrificial bodies.
For this reason and because A occupied the same relative position as the chief chamber in
K XVI (on the east), I select A as the room which once contained the chief burial.
The floor of the room was covered irregularly with about 50 cm. of brown, earthy dust
and sand, darkened by moisture; over that rested layered drift sand. This condition is
typical of completely plundered graves at Kerma. The floor debris was that turned over by
the thieves or thrown into the grave after the plundering. This lower debris contained a
number of objects (Reg. Nos. 14-1-1138 to 1170); the layered debris, very few. Some of
these were clearly from the sacrificial chamber B or from the subsidiary graves, but others
presented objects of the character assigned hitherto to the chief burial itself. The same
mixture of objects occurred in the disturbed debris over the rest of the tumulus, and here
again the choice of the objects originally in K XVIII A must depend on the character of
the objects themselves.
First of all it is to be noted that no large quartzite cone was found, as at K XVI and the
preceding tumuli. On the other hand, four small cones and four round-topped discs of that
material were found in the debris. The cones were 10-15 cm. in diameter and 12-20 cm.
high; the discs were 20-25 cm. in diameter and 8-10 cm. high. Stones of these forms were
found among the graves in the Nubian Cemetery, and I remain in doubt as to whether the
stones at K XVIII were originally placed over the mound or not. I believe, however, that
in all probability there was a great cone at K XVI which had been broken up like that at
K X, to make such stones for the Nubian graves.
Of greater importance is the fact that no trace of any statuette was found in K XVIII.
(a) Stone vessels:
From K XVIII A:
i. Large cylindrical jar of alabaster, fragment from rim and upper part of side; height of
fragment, 12.8 cm.; diam. of rim, about 15 cm.; inscribed on one side with two names
of a king, of which only one remains: “King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Kheper-ka-ra” ;
14-1-1152.
N. B. This is the name of Sesostris I.
ii. Alabaster, Type I, pear-shaped jars; larger type size; 14-1-1153 (five frags.), 1156 (one).
iii. Alabaster cylindrical jar, Type III—1; h., 8.8 cm.; 14-1-1154.
iv. Alabaster, large shoulder jar, Type VI-1; h., 18.8 cm.; diam. of mouth, 14 cm.; 14-1-1155.
v. Eighteen unidentifiable fragments of alabaster vessels; 14-1-1157.
vi. Kohl-pot, fine hard drab stone, Type V-2; h., 3.5+ cm.; 14-1-1158.
vii. Rim and shoulder of squat jar of porphyry, Type XIII, 34; diam. of rim, ca. 10 cm.; 14-1-
1159.
From K XVIII B:
viii. Alabaster, pear-shaped jar, Type I; see iii, above; 14-1-932.
ix. Alabaster, spherical jar with short neck, Type II—1; diam. of mouth, ca. 20 cm.; weathered;
14-1-931.
x. Six fragments of alabaster vessels; varying in thickness — 4.5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 14 mm.; 14-1-
933.
xi. Fragment of black and white porphyry, probably from vii, above; 14-1-930.