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

36 THE XlTii DYNASTY TEMl'I.K .Vl DEIU EL-BAUARI.
coping of this wai^ caiTied, following the same
diagonal line, as a boundaiy across the platform
to the north of the outermost tomb-shrine, for
a distance of about forty feet. Then it turns
southwards half-left, parallel with the shrines,
for thirty feet, and then west at right angles, in
line with the north side of the touib-dromos
bej^ond. This boundary, wdiich is 1 ft. 6 in.
high, marked the limit of the tem^jle in
this direction. It is seen in the foreQ;round of
Plate v., bending I'ound at the l^ase of the
floor lilocks of the XVIIIth Dynasty chapel,
described below. At the foot of the brick wall
which masks the mountain on the other side,
aiid has already been described, are the remains
of a similar boundary. So that it is probable
that this boundary on the north side had
originally a brick wall behind it, like that on
the south side, and that behind this was the rock-
face. But in the reigns of Thothmes I. and III.,
when great building activity existed here, an
alteration and addition were made in this part
of the temple. The ancient brick wall was
demolished and the rock-face cut back several
yards. In the new face of the rock Avas made
a small speos-shrine of Hathor, jjartly cut in the
rock, partly artificially built up wdth heavy
stones. On the triangular space reclaimed was
built a small forehall of approach to the speos.
The easternmost portion of this was actually
placed on the floor of the Xlth Dynasty temple,
the large sandstone foundation blocks j^fw'tially
hiding the ancient boundary. The level of the
new building Avas about o ft. 6 in. above that
of the Xlth Dynasty floor. It was probably
approached by a short stepway from the outer
upper colonnade of the Xlth Dynasty temple,
which was presumably kept more or less clear,
although, as ^ve have seen, in other parts of the
temple, rubbish was allowed to lie as it fell,
and at the western end of the temple, as well as
in the lower courts, XVIIIth Dynasty votive
offerings, beads, etc., are found in the dust-
layer lying immediately above the pavement.
But on the platform this rubbish was never
more than two feet deep :
that
under the later
XVIIIth and the XlXth Dynasty no part of the
temple was covered by rubbish much deeper
than this is shown by the inscriptions of
Rameses 11. and Siptah. who " restored " the
temple, though they did not trouble to clean
its floor !
The first traces of the forehall of the Hatlior-
shi-ine were discovered in December, 1904, at the
end of the first half of the second season's work.
The sandstone entrance door (seen in I'l. v.) was
discovered on December 10th, and identified
then as belonging to the XVIIIth Dynasty.^ It
bore the end of a royal inscription in relief,
painted blue, of which only the signs -r A re-
mained (Tokyo University Museum). Owing
to the fjreat height of the rubbish-mounds
above it, from wdiich drliris was continually
fallina', it was difficult to clear the buildiuo-
from the immediate front, so it was determined
to leave it until work further to the south
on lower mounds should be completed ; this
would enable the high mounds to be cleared
with greater ease, by a flank attack, so to speak.
But during the latter part of the second season
and the first part of the tliiixl attention was con-
centrated on the clearance of the Southern Court,
so that it was not till January, 190G, that the
XVIIIth Dynasty building was investigated, and
the entrance-jamb, which had soon after its first
discovery been covered by falling rubbish, was
finally uncovered. Little of the actual building
but the heavy blocks of its flooi' was found.
There seem to have been fine reliefs in it : jiart
of one, of yellow Silsila sandstone, with good
painting, represents the prince Sihathor with a
goddess. In the building (see Ch. VI.) was
found a fine black granite squatting statue
of the scribe Nezem, of the XXth Dynasty,
which will be described in Part IE. It has
Arcliueuloijical llcporl, I'JOl-u, p. 7 ; I'JOG-G, p. 4.