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

26 THE XItu dynasty TEMPLE AT JJEIR EL-BAHARI.
uncovered the top (west) end of it, where it
joined the platform, .and discovered tlie granite
threshold shortly to be described, at the end of
the first season's work. The men therefore
worked downwards thi'ough the rubbish, keeping
to tiie probable slope of the ramp as indicated
bv the inclinntion of the slopes of Hatshepsu's
ramps ;
and we soon had proof that the angle
of inclination we were following was the correct
one, by the discovery of one of the original
planks of sont-wood witli Avhich the ramp had
been paved, /// .s//», and exactly in the position
and slope required. Following the same inclina-
tion, a few feet further on and down we came to a
second plank, and finally reached the level of the
colonnades, which is that of the rock. At the end
of the second season's work the ramp was built up
again as nearly as possible in its original form.
Near the ramp was found, lying on the colon-
nade level, an Osiride statue of grey sandstone,
originally about 6 ft. high, without a head.
Parts of similar figures, wearing not the long
cerements of Osiris, but the shorter hch-sed
costume worn by the king at the time of cele-
brating the " Festival of the End" (sed), had
been found by the Avorkmen of the Service des
Anfiqivites not very far oft', but just outside the
limits of our concession, during the summer of
1904. Later on in the second season we found
close to the ramp a much larger and finer
Osiride figure wearing both crowns, of greyish-
white sandstone, with the face, breast, hands, and
lower crown painted red, the beard blue, and the
rest of the figure white (PI. xxv., fig. aa). It
stands 9 ft. 2 in. in height. On the back is an
inscription of king Amenhetep I. (see p. GO). It
is evident that this statue was overthrown at an
early period, as on one side of its plinth are cut
several outlines of pilgrims' feet (like those of
the builder i'tahemheb on the pavement close by)
showing where they had stood when they visited
the temple. These were afterwards whitewashed
over, so that it is probable that the figure was
re-erected, either by Rameses II. or Siptah, and
fell again. The head was broken away from the
body by this fall, and was found lying close by.
We do not know how these figures were
placed : they may have formed an avenue lead-
ing up to the ramp. (See the stela with repre-
sentation of these statues, PI. XXV., fig. b; p. (iO).^
The work of 1907 has disclosed two later
walls, one of large blocks (of which only the
lowest course remains), the other of small
rough stones, running at right angles to the
temple-ramp, on the north side of it, and joining
till' unfinished XVIIIth Dynasty ramp men-
tioned on p. 19.
5. TjlE Pl,ATF