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

38 TFIB XlTii DYNASTY TEMPLE AT DKIR EL-BAHARI.
presented to the Museum by the Egyi^t Ex-
ploration Fund.
The first work undertaken in the third season
(November, 1905) was the completion of the
excavation of the Southern Court. The cross-
wall was folloAved south until it was found to
join a similar wall running eastwards, just as
the fragment of the northern wall discovered in
the work of ten years ago joins a similar Avail
running eastwards, which was then naturally
considered to be the southernmost boundary-
wall of Hatshejisu's temple. The discovery of
the parallel southern wall shows, however, that
both these walls, and the cross-walls, were in
reality of Xlth Dynasty work ; the long walls
running east and west being, as has been said
above (p. 20), the' temenos-Avalls of Mentuhe-
tep's temple. The southern wall was followed for
a considerable distance eastward. It had been
covered in ancient times by tnfi rubbish, which
looks as if it had been carried from an excava-
tion in the tafl rock and tipped in the regular
Egyptian way along the line of the temenos-wall.
The only excavation in the tafl answering the
requirements of the case is that of the great ha-
tomb or subterranean sanctuary in the Western
Court, and it may well be that the rubbish from
this was tipped along the temenos-wall not so
very long after the latter was built. The
Egyptians very often did things iu this careless
fashion. Behind tlie temenos-wall (to the
south of it) is a heavy brick wall. This was
continued eastward into the plain by a low
boundary-wall of brick, the course of which had
been traced during the previous season. This
turns to the north at right angles, thus enclosing
the whole temple in a large rectangular temenos.
The northern side of this was apparently de-
stroyed by Hatshepsu's work. The excavation
of the southern line of it may be seen in the
bird's-eye view (PI. vi., fig. 3). Connected with
it were some foundation-blocks of the blue-grey
sandstone used in the temple, which were dis-
covered in a line with tlie new house built in
1905 for the expedition, about a hundred yards
east of the camp. These foundations were only
about 12 feet long, and then ceased abruptly,
no further traces of building here being found.
Kt the angle of the southern cross-Avall and
the stone temenos-wall were uncovered some
chambers of brick, compactly built, and covered
with stucco (PI. viii., figs. 3, 4). The walls of
these chambers are more or less intact up to the
height of G or 7 feet, and are 2 to 3 feet thick.
Remains of three chambers exist. The date of this
building seems to be between the Xllth Dynasty
and the beginning of the XVIIIth Dynasty. It
is evident that both of the Xlth Dynasty Avails
Avere broken doAvn before its erection, as it is
placed upon the ruins of their junction (see photo-
graph in the Archaeological Report for 1905-6,
PI. i., fig. 5). But fragments of joottery found
in the bricks certainh' date to about the Xllth-
XVIIIth Dynasty period. The bricks are
large and Avell-formed,^ resembling those of the
XVIIIth Dynasty girdle-Avall of tlie temple of
Deir el-Medina. The j)laster with Avhich they
Avere covered is firm, Avell-made, and hard. Close
by, between the houses and Tomb No. 13, is a
small Avail, only one brickthick and Avavy on plan,
in order to give so thin a Avail the requisite sta-
bility (see p. 51). This peculiar mode of Avall-
building is elseAvhere found associated Avith
buildings of the Xllth Dynasty.^ One thing
is certain : these buildings are not later than the
Ramesside j)eriod. That they could be Coptic is
utterly impossible, as all the objects found near
them are either Xlth Dynasty or Ramesside, and
their bricks are not of Coptic form. In Coptic
days, also, these buildings Avere buried deep in the
debris of the temple. Their purpose is doubtful.
They cannot Avell be buildings connected with the
solitary tomb (No. 13) that Avas found in this
court, as they must have been erected after the
' Measuring 13x5^x45 in., while the Xlth Dynasty
bricks average 12 x 7 x 3 in.
" Abijdoa, iii., }3l. xlii.