The XIth dynasty temple at Deir el-Bahari .. - NYU | Digital Library ...

u THE XTtii dynasty TEMPLE AT DEIR EL-BAHAi;i.
bour, which re.ars itself up against the clitts in
its ascent to the cave-shrines of the gods, high
above the modest emplacement of the temple of
Mentuhetep. And this is so in fact as well as in
appearance, for the architects of Hatshepsu, in
ordei" to find room to carry out their plan, were
obliged to raise part of the later temple over the
northern portion of the temenos of Mentuhetep :
the teraenos-wall disappears beneath the heavy
mass of the XYIIIth Dynasty Hathor-terrace
which was reared above it. The actual building
of the Xlth Dynasty temple Avas encroached
upon only at its north-west corner, where a small
foi'ehall was built above the Xlth Dynasty level
as an approach to the second, smaller, shrine of
Hath or, which, with its splendid image of
the goddess, Avas discovered during the season
of 1905-(i. This explains why Hatshepsu's
architects, instead of building in the exact
centre of the theatre of Deir el-Bahari, placed
the new temple up against the northern slope
of the cliffs, leaving the great space to the
south which had seemed unoccupied until the
work of l!)03-4. We now see that they were
compelled to do this by the presence, which Ave ;
moderns had hardly suspected, of the older |
temple at Deir el-Bahari. This temple, the
newly-discovered one, certainly existed side by
side Avith the temple of Hatshepsu throughout
the XVIIIth Dynasty, and did not fall into ruin
until the Kamesside period or later. Votive
stelae and figures of personages of the XVIIIth
and XlXth Dynasties Avere dedicated in it; one
of the pillars by the eastern entrance, another in
the Avestern colonnade, and the Avail of the cella at
the Avestern end bear records of restoration by
Kameses II.; Siptah is represented with the
Chancellor Bai on one of the Avails, and the relief-
slabs of the main hall as well as the pillars of the
North Colonnade are covered Avith Ramesside
graffiti, both Avritten and incised (PL viii. (5).
Many fine tombs of the Xlth Dynasty Avere
covered up by the building of Hatshepsu's
temple. Some of them have been discovered
j
beneath it, notably a finely painted sepulchre,
the passage of Avhich runs diagonally from
north to south beneath the central court.
In the long passage-Avay between the south
retaining-wall of the central court (Avith the
beautiful relief panels surmounted by hawks),
and the north temenos- Avail of the Xlth
Dynasty temple, is a tomb which descends
beneath the XVIIIth Dynasty Avail. Further,
in the court immediately south of the Hathor-
terrace, Xlth Dynasty tombs Avere found in the
course of the excavations of 1896, notably the
fine burial of Buau-Mentuhetep (see p. -J^i).
These last Avere never covered up by the XVIIIth
Dynasty builders, and it seemed probable that
in the lai'ge unexplored space between the
Hathor-terrace and the southern horn of the
semicircle of clifis Avhich encloses the site, many
further tombs of the Xlth Dynasty might be
discovered, if excavations Avere made there.
Also, since blocks inscribed Avith the name of king
Mentuhetep Neb-hepet-Ka had been found in
former years near the great temple both by
\Iariette and by J\BI. ^Maspero and Brugsch-
Bey, it seemed probable that the temple to
Avhich they belonged, Avliich ought to be at
Deir el-Bahari, or in its immediate neighbour-
hood, might also lie within this untouched area
of the clirt-circus.
It Avas Avith the object of clearing the Xlth
Dynasty necropolis and ascertaining Avhether
any traces of a building of King Mentuhetep
remained in the unexplored tract that the
present excavations Avere undertaken. Both
objects have been attained, but the tombs have
proved less important, the temple more
important, than Avas expected. Omitting the
cenotaph or /.(i-sanctuary, fourteen previously
unknoAvn tombs have been found and opened,
but of the fourteen none, though several have
vielded fine objects, has been found untouched
b\^ ancient spoilers. The temple of King Men-
tuhetep, hoAvever, has turned out to be a most
remarkable building, of a size and importance