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Mahasna and Bet Khallaf
CHAPTER III.
THE TOMB OF NETER-KHET, K I. (plates 6-16)
24.
The superstructure of the tomb of Neter-Khet, described in the opening
chapter, rises some 33 feet (8 metres) above the present level of the
desert upon which it is built. It stands prominent upon a rise of sand
a mile or more behind the village of Bet Khallaf, conspicuous from the
surrounding country, and visible even from the farther bank of the
Nile. Its south end and western side were found clear of sand, but to
the north-east it was partly hidden by some accumulated rubbish. It is
about 280 feet (some 85 metres) long, and 153 feet (or 45 metres) in
width. Its axis is 12 degrees W. of magnetic north, which, from data
supplied by the Department of Surveying was at the time 4 degrees 5' W.
of true north, giving as the real angle 16 degrees 5' W. Its sides and
ends had an average batter of 5 feet at the top, but the slope is not
uniform. The base line, from corner to corner, was straight; but at the
top the side curved slightly inwards to the extent of 20 inches at the
middle. The side was built up symmetrically to this curve. The systems
of bonding employed were not uniform: externally the west side is
almost entirely faced with "headers," with occasionally a course on
edge to adjust the levels; on the south end nine courses of headers
appear below three of stretchers, with four of headers above.
Internally, except in special cases, the system (p.9) was more
generally two or three of stretchers to one of headers.
25. The
structure was approximately solid. It was built in sections, in both
directions, which fitted up to and sometimes into one another in a
manner the plan of which could not have been recovered without
seriously destroying the tomb. In the centre, where a clearance was
necessary, some notion of the system was disclosed and will be
described. Except at this point the bricks employed were in nearly all
cases sun-dried, of dimensions averaging 11 inches by 5 by 3J (or 28 cm
by 12-5 by 9).
On the eastern side, towards the north end, a
sloped way gave access to the summit of the building. It was possibly
ancient, but more probably dated only from Roman times, since its
lowest point was level with a mound of that date. It is marked L in the
plan on Pl.7. From the point E, near to which it leads up, a stairway
begins to descend, in a northerly direction. After (approximately) 8
steps, it turns a right angle to the left at the point F, and so
descends at a distance of 30 feet (or 9 metres) to the level of the
desert, at the point G. This main portion of the open stairway consists
of a flight of 30 steps, each 50 inches (125 cm) wide for two-thirds of
the descent; the remainder wider, being 56 inches (or 140 cm). Its
walls are uniformly battered, so that the total increase of width at a
height of 24 feet (7.2 metres) due to the inclination of both walls is
3 feet 10 inches (or no cm). At points marked a,b,c, in its sides are
recesses descending almost to the steps. They appear to be originals in
part, but their purpose is not clear; no deposit was found within them.
The foot G of this portion of the stairway is not exactly on the middle
line of the structure, being 19 metres from the western side and 26
from the eastern. The descent, which turns south at this point,
parallel to the sides of the building, is thus by some three or four
metres out of the true axial line.
Plate 7: Plan and section of the tomb of Neter-Khet at Bet Khallaf.
26. The stairway from this
stage, descending under the desert, is covered by a barrel roof of
brick, built upon a slope. The opening, visible as an archway, is not
well preserved, having been partly destroyed by plunderers in their
efforts to force the passage from the recess c at its side: but the
photograph of Pl.6 shows fairly well its method of construction and the
outline of the middle vault in the shadow below. The arch, like others
of the same period that have been found, was built of the ordinary form
of bricks, placed edge-wise, side to side, and packed above with
pebbles and mud-mortar to provide the necessary wedge form. Some of the
bricks of which it was formed bore distinct trace of special hardening,
as by fire. An arch in better preservation and of more perfect
technique was subsequently found in the adjoining tomb of Hen-Nekht,
and others are plentiful in the necropolis of Reqaqnah.
Reverting
to the plan and section BA on Pl.7, the passage is seen to continue
under the ground at an angle of about 30 degrees (such that in
proceeding 2 units the actual descent is 1 unit), to a point
approximately under the centre of the mastaba, where it gives access to
a series of galleries and chambers at a depth of 91 feet (about 27
metres) below the summit, and of 54 feet (or 16 metres) below the
surface of the desert.
27. The descending passage was found to
have been closed at six separate points by large slabs of limestone
placed across it. One had been designed to protect the opening below
the archway at G, but owing to having only one guide (d), it had not
been truly adjusted and had fallen backwards aslant against the
northern wall of the passage. Its dimensions in feet are 11 by 5 by 1
foot 6 inches (or in metres 3.3 by 1.5 by 0.45). The other five stones
had been lowered into position, portcullis-wise, by means of shafts
provided for the purpose. The stones were in general wider than the
shafts, in the sides of which grooves had been cut for the slabs to
slide in.
When finally in position, being thus wider and
higher than the passage and being sunk also partly into the floor, they
effectively barred the way. Any attempt to dig round them or over them
could only be attended with danger of subsidence. In some cases, as
will be seen, their very width provided a means of evading their
design. The stones are of increasing size as they are nearer to the
chamber entrance. The second stone encountered (the first within the
passage) was as large in area as the first, with the greater thickness
of 2 feet 6 inches (or 65 cm). The third was wedged in a position so
insecure that its size could only be estimated from that of the shaft:
the fourth was found broken, possibly by plunderers. Owing to its
proximity to the final shaft, the fifth was not excavated; while that
which guarded the mouth of the chambers was 17 feet by 11 with a
thickness varying from 1 1/2 to 2 feet (or 5 metres by 3 by 45 to 60
cm). From the bottom of this ponderous mass a small piece had been
chipped away, presumably by the Roman plunderers, and by further
scraping the sand from below its centre, leaving the ends supported, a
sufficiently large opening was thus formed to enable the excavation to
proceed within.
28. The narrow and sloping doorway (p.10)
changed almost at once to a spacious passage, cut in a hard stratum of
the desert subsoil. On either hand were two small chambers, both filled
with sand and dust. Proceeding, on the right hand a narrow doorway led
to a side gallery (g) with further chambers, which proved to have been
stored with grain in sacks. Opposite was another doorway, leading to a
series of rooms and ante-rooms {lis) in which were piled in confusion
innumerable fragments of alabaster vessels and stone bowls. The main
passage hereabouts was strewn with similar pieces, mingled with large
wine jars and pots, all thrown back from the room beyond. Passing by a
small chamber on the left, there opened out a spacious stone-walled
room (/) 16 feet (or 5 metres) square, and 10 feet (or 3 metres) in
height, with a roof naturally domed in the desert-gravel. Its walls
were built of large blocks of stone carefully dressed and adjusted but
without decoration. The contents were hopelessly disordered and in
confusion. Passing on again, two large chambers similar to one another
(m and n) appeared on the left hand, seemingly quite empty; and a
further turn on the right led on to the last chamber (p) some 80 feet
(or 25 metres) from the entrance. The sides and roofs of all these
rooms seemed to have been prepared by some process of burning. The
position of the chambers is indicated on the general plan, and they are
distinguished from wells which open to the surface by a line-hatching
diagonally across them.
29. The shaft by which access had been
gained to these chambers was dug without support through the desert
strata. To relieve its sides so far as possible from pressure, it was
found necessary to clear out a considerable mass of brick-work from the
centre of the superstructure about its mouth. In so doing the system of
sections in which the structure was built was partly disclosed. It
appeared that the outer sections had been first completed, and that the
building had gradually drawn up to and around the mouths of the shafts.
A long portion of masonry over the line of the passage seemed to have
been inserted last of all, being fitted nicely between two sections on
either hand with finished faces and battered sides.
30. Upon the
surface of the tomb were two recent deposits: the one was Arabic, of
some centuries ago, consisting of a series of decorated wooden boxes, a
metal bowl and a fragment of chain-mail. It was placed, without a
burial, over the spot marked G. The other deposit was of Roman times, a
few large pots decorated with colours in patterns of the period; they
were found in the mouth of the northerly well K, and were probably in
relation to a small recess of the same period cut in the eastern face
of the tomb, and some fragments of a broken stele.
Once below
the surface, owing to the character of the tomb, the deposits were free
from all chance of mixture. The original filling of the stairway had to
be hewn out with pick and crowbar. The clearing of the steps was done
carefully by hand, but all the more fragile vessels had perished
anciently with the throwing in of the tenacious mud filling. The
vessels had fallen in many cases from step to step as the mud poured
down, and those which had thus reached the bottom had been further
pounded by the lowering of the portcullis.
Plate 11: Types of Alabaster vessels in 3rd Dynasty Tomb of Neter-Khet at Bet Khallaf.
The solid cylindrical
model-vases of alabaster, however, were preserved for the most part
entire, to the number of several hundred. They were similar in all
respects to the types selected and illustrated on Pl.22. The alabaster
tables, too, the typical forms of which were outlined on Pl.29, were in
some cases little broken, and could be readily put together. The
fragments of bowls were all sorted piece by piece by the nature of
their stone, whether alabaster, breccia, diorite, porphyry, or
steatite; they were then re-sorted in lots according to their forms,
the nature of their rims, their circumference and height. The comparing
of results led in a few cases to the restoration of the bowls as shown
in the photographs on Pl.2.; in others to the recovery of their forms,
which are outlined on Pls.12-14.
Plates 12-14: Types
of stone and alabaster vessels in 3rd Dynasty Tomb of Neter-Khet at Bet
Khallaf. Plate 12 (No.1-17): stone vessels. Plate 13 (Nos.1-14);
alabaster vessels. Plate 14 (Nos. 15-25): alabaster vessels.
31. A copper axe and two
castings, with a few implements, were found towards the bottom of
steps. Higher up a find of some interest was that of the two flint
knives shown in the left hand photograph at the bottom of Pl.15 The one
has lost its handle, the other has been worn down on its edge by
scraping; but the character of the flaking, and the forms, are readily
discernible. Other objects found in plenty in the stairway were wine
jars of the forms shown on Pl.31, Nos. 21-26. They were sealed with
various devices, but the impressions 5A and 5B on Pl.9 were perhaps the
most frequent. The seals 1 and 2 on Pl.8 seem also to have been rolled
over the caps of vessels of this form.
Plate 15: Copper and flint implements from Tomb of Neter-Khet at Bet
Khallaf.32. The same types of
deposits prevailed in the different sections of the passage; and the
same process of work was carried out in regard to them as to the
objects from the different chambers when finally they were reached. In
the chamber immediately to the left of the entrance (e) were found some
small (p.11) beads of glaze. In the large room (/) also, were a couple
of unworn examples of the crescent flints of which numerous specimens
from the neighbourhood are pictured on Pl.15. These two from within the
tomb appear separately in the left hand photograph at the bottom of the
same plate.
Plate 16: Copper tools and implements from Tomb of Neter-Khet at Bet
Khallaf.
33. Of the sealings represented on Pls.8-10.
(which though done with care are not exact facsimiles), those numbered
1-6 and No. 11 were all impressed upon the conical caps of mud which
covered vessels of such forms as 21, 29 (Pl.31). The smaller
impressions on hard black clay, similar to some on Pl.10 were in the
main the sealings of vessels of alabaster.
Plates 8-10: Sealings from Tomb of of
Neter-Khet at Bet Khallaf. Plate 8: Nos. 1-4; Plate 9: Nos. 5-10; Plate 10: Nos. 10-15. No. 8 is a sealing
of Per-ab-sen.
The one sealing of
Per-ab-sen, No. 8 on Pl.10., which occurred in one instance only, was
found in the small remote ante-chambers on the eastern side. The
sealings of Hapi-n-maat were eight in all, and occurred both in the
stairway and in the passage e f. Of the nine different sealings bearing
the royal name Neter- Khet, there were numerous instances of each kind
in the different parts of the tomb. The first one, for example, giving
suten bity title, occurred on twenty to thirty pieces, while fragments
bearing the Ka-name numbered more than a hundred.
34. The
quantity of alabaster recovered from the chambers was so great that it
has been found impossible up to the time of publication to work through
and sort it. Doubtless at some future time it will be found desirable
to publish a few addenda to the types pictured on Pl.12-14. In making
this selection, however, an attempt was made to leave no conspicuous
type unrepresented, and to reproduce examples of those which in form or
in quality differed from one another, whether among those vessels which
were found entire or those which were found in fragments and are here
in part restored.
[Continue to Chapter 4]
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