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

More documents

Recommendations

Info

is TflE XIth dynasty TEMPLE AT DEIR EL-BAHARI. Dynasty, others probably Ptolemaic or Roman, j In the North Court was found in this dust layer a second rubbish-heap, a Coptic one this time. It was the dust-heap, already mentioned, of the monastery of St. Phoebaramon, which in the Vllth century a.d. existed amid the ruins of the Great Temple (see p. 16, above). The tower of this monastery, which was formerly a con- spicuous object at Deir el-Bahari, was removed during the previous excavations. This dust-heap yielded, besides a large number of Coptic ostraka, which will be described in a succeeding volume, various odds and ends, including a fragment of an alabaster Canopic jar of the Saite period, on which some monk had, a thousand years after it was made, drawn the figure of an angel. In one place at the back of the temple water evidently had lain for a considerable period, as the dust- layer was there coagulated to an unusual density and hardness, and the action of the water upon it was clearly visible. Above this was the desert surface, yellow where it had long lain undis- turbed, upon which were the dump-heaps of modern explorers. PI. viii., fig. 5, shows the nature of the rubbish overlying the temple. The columns on the left are those of the south side of the court at the west end of the temple. In the centre beyond the columns we see the mass of confused stone debris, consisting simply of actual blocks and chips of the smashed stonework of the temple, which covers the whole site. To the left of this is the rock face turning inward and foi'mino; the beginning of the court at the foot of the cliffs behind. Between the rock face and the stone debris is a " pocket " of the compact wind-blown dust, lying where it drifted up against the rock. Above this and the debris to the right is a stratum of the water-coagulated wind-blown dust. Above this is the layer of modern rubbish shown in the photograph being cleared off the top of the ancient water-hardened dust. As the object of the work was to clear the whole site thoroughly, it was necessary to work down to the level of the rock, which at Deir el- Bahari is the natural surface, until tombs or pavements were reached : if the latter, to follow their level till the precise nature of the building reached had been ascertained. When the temple was found it was seen that its pavement was laid directly upon the rock, except in one or two places, such as the south-eastern corner of the platform (see p. 27). The rock-surface had, in- deed, been artificially planed and squared in order to lay the pavement upon it. When therefore the pavement was found to be non- existent, it was necessary only to follow the rock-level in order to take it up again further on. This considerably simplified operations, as there was no need to remove pavements in order to investigate what there might be of earlier date beneath ; the XIth Dynasty temple is the oldest at Deir el-Bahari.^ And in one place only was there found any trace of a later building built over the XIth Dynasty level : this was at the north-west corner, where the XVIIIth Dynasty forehall of the smaller Hathor-shrine came to light, at a level about 3 ft. higher than that of the XIth Dynasty. The progress of the excavations may be traced by a comparison of PI. vi., fig. 1, with fig. 2. These two photographs show the two temples side by side from the same point, high up on the giutfir's path to the Biban-el-Muluk, in December, 1904, and December, 1905, respec- tively. In the foreground of both we see the Great Temple, with its colonnades, the trilithon gate leading to the Upper Court, and the entrance to the cave-shrine at the foot of the cliff. Be- yond this, where in December, 1903, was but a tumbled waste of rubbish, we see in fig. 1 (Dec. ' No re-used blocks of former kings were found. That bearing the name of Dudumes (p. 3) must be, hke those of Sekha-n-Ea Mentuhetep (ibid.), of XIth Dynasty date, if they are not Xlllth. A fragment of a cartouche of a king ( "| O^^j Usertsen III., not of an earlier monarch. ^^^° found, is evidently of
1904) the Xlth Dynasty temple emerging from chaos, and taking form and shape as we see it in fig. 2 (Dec. l!)0o), witli its symmetrical platform, ramp, and square pyramid-base. Fig. 3 shows it seen in bird's-eye view from tlie top of the cliffs, 400 feet above it. This gives a good idea of tlie plan (I'l. ii.). 3. TnK HxcAVATioN : TiiK XV'^lIlth Dynasty Ramp and the North Cdukt. Work was commenced on the 5th of NToveraber, 1903, by starting to clear the first low rubbish- heaps at a distance of only a few paces west of the house which had been built for the ex- pedition of ten years before, and south of the lowest colonnade of the Great Temple. The first discovery, soon made, was that of the wall of an ineliiifd plane or rain[), .".0 ft. long, running parallel with the outer wall of the second court of the Great Temple, at a distance of abuut 50 ft. from it. The stonework is the same as that of the Great Temple, and is evidently contem- porary with it. This ramp-wall ended abruptly in a confused mass of blocks, l)ut not before it had become evident that the inclined plane of the ramp was no longer followed, and that the buildin"- had originally been intended to be continued in a horizontal line (1*1. vi., fig. 5). The mass of heavy white blocks soon ends, and all that appears is the core of fragments of Uijl (the o-reenish brown argillaceous shale that underlies the limestone here), wliich runs on almost up to the colonnade of the Xlth Dynasty temple. On the south side (excavated April, I'.J.i?) only the core is visible, the facing-wall having disappeared. It is difficult to make any definite statement as to the purpose of this erection. At first it was thought to be a great altar platform. The stones belonging to it, as well as others found in the rubbish above the western portion of the temple, bore mostly the signs J [| | , HIE TEMPLE AM) ITS KXCAVATIOX. 19 " Beautiful of Years," roughly traced on them in red paint. These signs, which are either a quarry mark or designate the building or particular part of a building for which the stones were intended,* foim part of the titles of Thothmes I. Beyond this building we struck directly west into the mounds of ilchri.s, clearing awav the loose rul)bish down to the rock-surface. About li»() ft. further west, a small simple squared grave (Tomb No. 1) was found, a suhrik as the Kurnawis call it, which had been entirely dis- turbed, but contained scanty remains of Xlth Dynasty tomb furniture, belonging either to it or to some other tomb close by (see p. 43). Then, immediately to the south, appeared the remains of a wall (I'l. vii., fig. 7), opposite to the small wall which may be seen in the plan of the Great Temple published in the Archdcu- higicdl I'n'pod for 1894-5, projecting southwards from the southern enclosure wall. We saw that tlie new wall we iiad unearthed was its continuation southwards. The central portion had been entirely destroyed. The western face of this wall was cleared until the workmen were brought up short by another wall running west at right angles to the first, and roughly parallel with the great wall of llatshepsu's Hathor-terrace, which lies about 60 ft. to the north. This wall (I'l. vii., fig. 7) differed entirely from the first and from any other building hitherto discovered at Deir el-Baliari. Its l)locks (cf. I'l. viii., iig. 1, and I'l. iv.) are much larger than those of the fiist wall or any of the wall-blocks of the Great Temple, some measuring (> ft. by 3 ft. 6 in. They are also iiuuh mure (liiely jointed, and are laid in reo'ular courses ol deep and shallow blocks alternately, with a very thin and light bonding of mortar or clay. The sandstone base of the wall (of blocks 5 ft. across and 1 ft. liigh) is much more massive and generallv liner than the 1 C/. the incised "Double uxcs and other signs on the stones of the various chambers of the Palace of Knossos (Hall, "The Two Labyrinths," Jouni Hell. Stud., XXV., p. 326). The blocks of the Xlih Dynasty south cross-wall bear the signs J. ., "House of the Ka" (see p. 37).
Page 1 and 2: ' NYU IFA LIBRARY 3 1162 04538740 5
Page 5 and 6: THE XIth dynasty TEMPLE M AT DEIR E
Page 7 and 8: EGYPT EXPLORATION FUND prcaiDcnt F.
Page 9 and 10: PEEFACE. The excaviition ol the Xlt
Page 11: CONTENTS Chapter T ^fKNTunETKi' TT.
Page 14 and 15: THE Xrni DYNASTY TEMPLE AT DETR EL-
Page 16 and 17: ilK XlTii DYNTASTY TKMl'T.K AT HETR
Page 18 and 19: THK Xlni UVXASTV TEMI'LE AT DEIR EL
Page 20 and 21: THE XlTii DYNASTY TEMPLE AT i)ElR E
Page 22 and 23: 10 THE XlTH DYNASTY TEMPLE AT DEIR
Page 24 and 25: 12 THE XlTii DYNASTY TEMPLE AT DEIR
Page 26 and 27: u THE XTtii dynasty TEMPLE AT DEIR
Page 28 and 29: 1(1 THV. \lTii DYNASTY 'I'KiMlM-K A
Page 32 and 33: 20 THE XlTii DYNASTY TEMPLE AT DEIR
Page 34 and 35: 22 THE XIth DYNASTY TEMPLK AT DKIR
Page 36 and 37: 2'i THE XlTii DYNASTY TEMPLE AT DEI
Page 38 and 39: 26 THE XItu dynasty TEMPLE AT JJEIR
Page 40 and 41: 28 THE XIth dynasty TE^rPLE AT DEIR
Page 42 and 43: 30 THE XIth dynasty TEMPLE AT DEIR
Page 44 and 45: 32 THE XiTff DYNASTY TEMPLE AT DEIR
Page 46 and 47: u THE XlTU DVXASl'V TEMPLE AT J)E11
Page 48 and 49: 36 THE XlTii DYNASTY TEMl'I.K .Vl D
Page 50 and 51: 38 TFIB XlTii DYNASTY TEMPLE AT DKI
Page 52 and 53: 40 THE XItii dynasty TEMPLE AT DEIR
Page 54 and 55: 42 THE Xhii DYNASTY TEMPLE AT DEIR
Page 56 and 57: 44 THE XIth dynasty TEMPLK AT DKIK
Page 58 and 59: 46 THE Xlni DYNASTY TEMPLE AT J)EIR
Page 60 and 61: 48 THE Xlni JJYNASTV TEMPLE AT DEIR
Page 62 and 63: 50 THE XTth dynasty TEMPLE AT DEIE,
Page 64 and 65: 52 THE XIth dynasty TEMPLE AT DEIR
Page 66 and 67: 54 THE Xlru IJYNASTY TEiMPLE Al' DE
Page 68 and 69: 56 THE XIth dynasty TEMPLE AT DElli
Page 70 and 71: 68 THE XlTH DYNASTY TEMPLE AT DBIR
Page 72 and 73: 60 THE XlTU DYNASTY TEMPLE AT DEIR
Page 74 and 75: 6-2 THE XIth dynasty TEMPLE AT DEIR
Page 76 and 77: 64 THE XItii dynasty TEMPLE AT DEIR
Page 78 and 79: 66 TPIE XIth dynasty TEMPLE AT DEIR
Page 80 and 81:
Pl. i. The TTathor Cow : 68 CHAPTER
Page 82 and 83:
70 DESCRIPTION OF THK PLATES. it'pi
Page 85 and 86:
Aali, qucen-iiiothur, 7. Aaiuu, war
Page 87:
Rubbish overlying temple, character
Page 90 and 91:
ERRATA IN THE PLATES. Plate VI. Nos
Page 94 and 95:
Th e XV- Dynasty Tem ple , PER EL B
Page 97:
General View of the Xltii Dynasty T
Page 101:
I i " PK l^'« X
Page 105:
The west facing of the Pyramid-Base
Page 109:
Door of Chamber tomb N^' 4. // //,
Page 113:
. // Granite Threshold of east Door
Page 117:
M -y .J..^.Jc^^J^1_. MENTUHETEP II
Page 121:
WAR-SCENES Plate XV.
Page 125:
'^ ^l*crA> -^ RELIEFS FROM THE SHRI
Page 132 and 133:
] aWmy^^dJimt^wMi-^mmmi ?i 1^^ ^/y
Page 135:
c^>o =£±] i «0j ^0 i| «R ^^ 1^
Page 139:
F kf:.\\sit. 1 ^^^^amt^tJXt*.mi Pla
Page 143:
)[•' KE.MSIT. i\ t ^ / Plate XXII
Page 147:
i-jji -^rf » / < 1^ AMENOPHIS 1 AN
Page 151:
Plate XXVII. u 2 Oi r I Qi O < r
Page 155:
Plate XXIX.
Page 159:
THE HATHOR-COW. Plate XXXI.
Page 164:
PUBLICATIONS OF THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL
show all

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

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?