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Excavations at Hierakonpolis, at Esna, and in Nubia John Garstang | | | | |
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Excavations at Hierakonpolis, at Esna, and in Nubia (part 2)
EXPLORATIONS IN NUBIA.
Thus, in February
and March of 1906, we began a series of short experimental
explorations in the neighbourhood of Dakke. In the high deserts to the
west of that place, distant about one kilometre, we came upon (p.139)
several interments in stone-lined chambers, which were also covered
with slabs of stone (pl.8, fig.1). Contrary to our experience in
Egypt proper, these burials remained for the most part intact, and they
provided us at the outset with the first indication of the importance
of the exploration of the upper regions of the Nile for further clues
as to the real primitive archeology of Egypt. Although resembling in
construction the stone cists familiar to pre-historic Europe, and
though the burials within them resembled in all respects those in
predynastic Egypt, yet a collar of beads and Scarabs on the neck of one
of these interments gave clear proof that it belonged to the time of
the New Empire.
Plate 8: 1. Stone-lined burial chamber near Dakke, Nubia.
2. Burial of New Empire near Dakke.
Upon the sandy tract at the foot of the ridge
wherein these burials were found, there were picked up many fragments
of bowls and blacktopped red pottery and of pottery with incisions
decorating its surface, and of a ruder class of pottery in which these
incisions were exaggerated and became deep scars across the surface.
Nearly
opposite Dakke, upon the east bank of the Nile, is the fortress of
Qubban, shown in plate 9. In this vicinity we did not find further
traces of the class of antiquity of which we were in special search,
though several fine tombs hewn in the rock may be seen a short distance
to the east of this fortress. These seem to belong to the XII and XVIII
dynasties and are principally those of Egyptian officials who
administered at that centre. Some 9 kilos to the northward, returning
to the west bank, is the fortress of Kostamneh (pl.10), so named because
the village of Kostamneh is nearest, though it lies upon the opposite
bank of the river. We were attracted to this place chiefly by the
abundant traces of black -topped pottery and black incised pottery
found within the fortress itself, and by the indications also of a
burying place lying just hidden behind a small knoll to the north-west.
In this site hardly anything had been disturbed. The wind had partly
denuded it and disclosed some of the pottery vases and the stone
coverings of the graves clear above the surface, but some five or
six graves only had been disturbed in recent years.
Plate 9 (top): The Fortress of Qubban, Nubia.
Plate 10 (bottom): The Fortress Opposite Kostamneh, Nubia.
EXCAVATIONS AT KOSTAMNEH.
The
graves themselves were suggestive in shape and appearance of those of
predynastic Egypt, andmany of the pottery vessels might be assigned
upon (p.140) the basis of the sequence dates of Petrie to the latter
end of the scale, which seems to have been contemporary with the I
dynasty. But some of the types of vases found in these graves were
apparently new, while others have never been assigned lo any definite
place in the relative scale. It would be premature to venture upon any
definite conclusion without further study, but it seems possible at any
rate, as a first impression of a general result of the excavations,
that what is now called archaic style was native or indigenous to these
uppermost parts of Egypt, so far as one may use the word “indigenous"
without reference to real origins. There is a general indication that
the black-topped red pottery, the black incised ware, and the
primitive articles associated therewith, were in common use throughout
the whole region lying between Hierakonpolis and the middle of Nubia
long after the disappearance of the Archaic style in the lower portions
of the Nile Valley. Exploration has still to decide how far up into
Nubia or beyond it may be found. It is even possible that a careful re-
examination of the material from Negadah and other sites of Upper Egypt
may show how even there the Archaic style survived long after the dawn
of history. Objects hitherto undated may find their place in an
extended series of sequence dates lasting well into the dynasties. It
is almost clear that, for uppermost Egypt, at any rate, the archaic
style of objects remained in general use until the overwhelming
incoming of new motives, during the Middle Empire and the Hyksos
period, penetrated that far up the Nile and eventually supplanted them.
Plate 11: Grave items from Kostemneh: 1. Bracelet, brad-awl, knife (wood handle), chisel, and axe.
2. Bracelets of various forms in ivory.
Three
small vessels of breccia, alabaster and diorite, represent the chief
varieties of stone in use for ornamental vases. A vase of pottery
somewhat resembled a boat in shape. Another bowl of red pottery was
painted (p.142) externally in imitationm of basket work. Another method of decoration was by incision, the lines being whitened.
An ivory model of the river-boat is an
object of unique character, and, in plate 12, is shown a comb of ivory
decorated on both sides with carving in low relief. The design in fig.1
is apparently that of a bearded man of the archaic character of Egypt,
approaching a shrine resembling that depicted in the coronation of the
King of the north upon the famous mace head from Hierakonpolis. Within
the shrine is seated a figure, upon a low seat which is decorated with
tiny squares. Behind the man first mentioned is an object which may
possibly be a goat's head shown in the primitive way.
Plate
12: Ivory comb from Kostamneh, Nubia. 1. Relief: man
approaching shrine. 2. carving with archaic emblems.
The
other side shown in figure 2 is not so easy to make out. To our right
there is discernible the emblem of the bull's head and horns, a design
familiar in the archaic times of Egypt, but upon the left the true
character of the drawing is not readily distinguishable. It probably
represents a bird in the act of walking, though there are several
points which make this interpretation diHicult. The head is for the
most part hopelessly obscure. The carving upon the better preserved
portion is easy to see, but to the right there is a crack through the
original surface and the features cannot be properly traced.
Without
entering into a detailed description of these tombs, of which
unfortunately space does not permit on this occasion, it would not be
possible to deal with the result of this exploration scientifically,
but the foregoing description will give some idea of the importance of
Nubia for archaeological research, and should encourage the Government
of Egypt to a strict and careful preservation of its monuments and
ancient places , as the sole remaining portion of its territory where
it is now possible to find undisturbed evidences of the origins of its
former civilisations.
THE NECROPOLIS OF ESNA.
This
excavation in Nubia, though providing so much material for study, was
however of a tentative character, and was incidental to the main work
which our expedition had in hand at Esna. On that site, the excavations
which had been begun in 1906 were resumed in 1906 and carried forward
to a complete examination of the chief necropolis in the locality. The
spot in which the tombs chiefly abound lies near to Hagar Esna, some 4
kilometres to the north-west of Esna itself. There were
no tombs found of date earlier than the XII dynasty in the immediate
vicinity; and bearing in mind what has already been suggested in
connection with archaic survivals on the Upper Nile, it may be
mentioned as significant that along this western strip of the Egyptian
Desert, southward from Esna as far as Hissayeh (which lies 15
kilometres to the south again of Edfu), there were found no tombs of
the types which research has shown to be characteristic of the Old
Empire in middle Egypt. The suggestion is either that the tract was not
inhabited between the early Dynasties and the XII, or that the numerous
graves of archaic appearance are really characteristic of the whole
period from predynastic times until the dawn of the Middle Empire.
From
the XII dynasty, however, the tombs in the necropolis of Esna seem to
be continuous throughout the dark period intermediate between that date
and the full light of the New Empire. There is also continuity from
that date onwards, though perhaps there is not the same frequency of
later tombs, until the XX dynasty, when again the necropolis seems to
have become one of importance. From that date onwards, there occur
sporadically graves and interments of dates difficult to identify,
until Roman times. Of this later phase, the graves of mummy birds and
fish and crocodiles, though not excavated by us, are a special feature
of the site, and would probably yield ostraka and other interesting
remains.
Tombs of the XII to XVII dynasty were abundant. They were pit
tombs of the usual character, having a burial chamber at the bottom of
the well, leading to the apparent north or south. They contained vases
of stone and pottery, funeral stelae, beads, trinkets, shells, scarabs,
and other small objects.
One group of stone vases found in
situ in the chamber of a tomb contained some special objects. One of
these was a shallow dish, found inverted in the sand; it is decorated
upon its under side with a device of two geese with outstretched
wings, while their bills and heads, projecting slightly
above the sides, form decorative handles. The next to it in the
original deposit was a small toilet vessel of ordinary shape; on it
there is carved in relief the device of two uraei, the projecting heads
of which formed small handles on either side. A third vase was a small
kohl vessel carved with the (p.143) device of a monkey supporting one
side, forming a handle. These three objects are all fashioned from a
translucent blue marble, which was the favourite material of the
Egyptian artists of the XII dynasty.
The same tomb contained also two
small statuettes, somewhat crude in appearance, carved in granite. A
full length figure in Osiris-like attitude, bears the name Dedu born
of Teta. The other figure is also of a type characteristic in the late
Middle Empire. The man kneels or sits (in the attitude of a tailor):
the face has a curious expression which seems to have been deliberately
carved, the ears are large, and the whole appearance, like that of the
former object, is that of provincial art.
A considerable number
of funereal stelae of this time was found in the course of excavation.
Though small and provincial in appearance, the names upon them and the
style of the writing indicate their date. Amongst others we may note
particularly the following names:
32 E05. Prayer to Anubis and
Osiris for the Ka of the "Ankh-en — nut". Mentu-Hetepa, son of
Dehu-send born of the Lady Aa-ab, Below are figures of Mentu-hetep and
his brother Tu-tu.
68
E05. Fragment of a stela mentioning the doctor Sen-Senb and his
daughter Neb-Sunu. Also the scribe of the soldiers User-a and another
scribe whose name ends, . . em-hetep.
81 E05. Prayer to Osiris for the Ka of the "Ankh-en-nut" Heq Menna.
86
E06. Prayer to Ptah-Seker-Osiris for the Ka of the doctor Ab-Aa. Behind
him stands his daughter Nubu, before him is his sister. The monument
was made by his brother who was also a doctor.
97 E05. Prayer to
Ptah-Seker for the Ka of Nefau. Below is the figure, probably of his
wife, Sena-scnb (?) and three of her brothers whose names are given as
Tahuti, Gau, and Menu . . . The Tablet was erected by his sister
Sen-senb. In a lower register is her mother Renpet-keka and behind her
Themenht-shert, while in front of her are her two brothers Tengu and
Ptah-in, and her sister Renpet.
120 E05. Prayer for the Ka of
the scribe of the nome Khnem-Hetep, also for his wife whose name was
illegible, and for a second lady whose name is Ankh-ren.
172 EO5
(p.144). Prayer to Ptah-Seker for the doctor Senb-ef. To the left is
the figure of Senb-ef and to the right his wife described as the
“King's Favourite” Aat-ab. Below is her son the doctor Rhnem-se and his
son the doctor Nefer.
216 EO6. Prayer to
Plah-Seker-Osiris for the doctor Atef-res son of the doctor Maa-ku born
of Uy: he himself was a “Runner of the Ruler's Table”. His brother was
the doctor Ari, his wife the “Royal Ornament” Nefer-helepa. Another
brother was named Hon-em-hat.
221 E06. Stela dedicated to
Plah-Seker-Osiris for Senb-ef whose title was “Ur-res-met” . The
brother's name was Ren-senb and he occupied a similar position.
224
E06. Prayer for the “King's Son” named Hora. It was dedicated to
Ptah-Osiris by his brother, “the King's Son” Sebek-em-heb born of the
Royal Ornament Nefret- si-em -ab. The name of the father seems to be
Aa-pu, who was a “Runner of the Princes Table.”
236 E06. This
stone gives the name of one Auf-ny-er-en-sen, his wife Senb-se-ne-ap
and of five brothers bearing his name and others named Senb-ef,
Antef-teta, Mentu-aa, and Nubua-se who was an artist.
247 E06.
Stela dedicated to Ptah-Seker-Osiris for the soul of Menth-hetep born
of Aa-ret. The inscription mentions also the Lady Bat, the doctor
Khnem-khuef, born of the Lady Nefer-hetep, and his son Mentu-hetep.
256 E06. Stela of the Doctor Mentu-hetepa born of Ri-a-ri.
257 E06. Stela of the “lady of the house” Sebek-dedet.
267
E06. Invocation to Qeb for Hor-hetep, born of Serukh-ab, son of the
"Ankh-en-nut" Mentu-se. Dedicated by his brother the “Ur-resmet”
Senb-su-ma.
287 E06. Fragment which mentions a lady whose name was Pep and another lady whose name was Ahau-ab.
For
the readings of many of these titles we are indebted to the courtesy of
our colleague, Mr. Newberry.
It will have been seen that the importance
of this group of inscriptions lies chiefly in their date. The series of
names and titles which they contain (p.145) accord with the character
of the monuments themselves in assigning them to the period between the
end of the XII and the beginning of the XVIII dynasties. The vast series
of pottery which was discovered in association with them accords
entirely with this conclusion. The Ceramic types of the XII and XVIII
dynasties are so perfectly established, that a short review of the
specimens discovered in these excavations establishes a whole and
continuous series lying largely between those limits. The Scarabs again
that were found in association with them are further indication. Over
200 of these objects were discovered, and amongst them many which from
the devices or names upon them must also be assigned to the Hyksos
period or thereabouts.
The site of Esna has thus yielded
to Archeology a necropolis which, though plundered and disturbed before
our excavations began, is nevertheless of importance, in that its tombs
form a continuous and unbroken series, ranging in date between the XII
and XVIII dynasties, and hence including the Hyksos period itself.
The
style of the deposits is provincial, but characteristically Egyptian.
This is not meant to imply that there were no traces of foreign motive
observable in the tomb deposits, but these are recognisable in other
sites dating from this period, and are attributable chiefly to Asiatic
influences, which, from the XII dynasty onwards, began to penetrate
more and more deeply into Egypt.
Passing on to the time of the
XX dynasty a remarkable series of monuments merits a careful
description. A conspicuous feature rising above the desert sand in the
midst of this Necropolis was a group of mounds covered with stone,
broken brick, and debris of various kinds, but looking at a distance
like ordinary sand-dunes. On opening one of these it proved to be a
burial place and shrine of unusual character: it was a structure of
brick 14.8 metres square and rising to a height from the floor to the
upper roof of 7.4 metres (plate 13). The sand had apparently accumulated upon it
by a general increase of the surface level, until it was covered even
above the height of the windows, which originally admitted light to the
interior of the basement. Probably the floor itself had been sunk
originally to a depth of about 2 metres, which was now increased in the
manner described to nearly 4 metres.
Plate 13: Structure of the tomb-shrine of Hathor at Esna.
The structure (p.146) enclosed a series of chambers in two stories communicating by a
stair-way; the entrance from without was by means of a raised passage
leading to the upper floor. The arrangement of the stair-way which
descended to the lower level is suggestively similar to that which led
into the heart of the tomb of King Zeser of the III dynasty at
Bet-Khallaf. It descended against the inside of the main eastern wall
towards the north and turning thence at the angle of the wall to the
left, continued downwards to about the middle line of the building,
where it again turned to the left under a vaulted roof leading directly
to the interior.
Fig.2:
1. Ground plan of tomb-structure E-250, in the shrine of Hathor at Esna. 2a: Ground plan of
tomb- structure E-251, in another tomb-structure at Esna. 2b: First floor plan of E-251.
The plan which accompanies this description is
numbered E. 250 (fig.2, part 1); it shows how the passage leads into a main chamber in
the middle of the eastern side out of which a further series of
chambers may be reached. One small chamber was gained from the stair
-way itself at the beginning of the bottom flight, but the others,
three in number, are approached by means of the large chamber
mentioned, which also leads to two smaller chambers hidden beneath the
stair- way. The upper chambers were not well preserved but they
probably agreed, room for room, with those below them. The
features of architecture were all similar throughout the building; the
predominant note was the use of vaulted roof to each chamber. The
vaults and arches used throughout were pointed, as shown clearly in the
photographs reproduced in plates 14 and 15.
Plate 14: Chambers within the tomb-shrine of Hathor at Esna (lower floor).
The chamber which was gained
directly from the central chamber mentioned, by turning towards the
west, which therefore lay about the middle of the western side,
had obviously been specially constructed and devoted to a special
purpose. It was lined all round with masoned stone, and large slabs had
formed the roof, though now fallen; while in the floor were two
recesses provided for stone sarcophagi, unhappily in fragments. There
had been built into the wall the head of the divine Hathor, carved in
limestone (pl.15, fig.2), and before this, upon the floor, there were
obvious traces (p.147) of the sacrifice of numerous oxen, goats
and rams. The cartouche on the monument bears the name of Ramesses VI,
with an invocation for “an offering to Halhor, Lady of Ta-Zeser, and
Mer-se-gert, Mistress of the West".
The masonry in this chamber was
obviously a second thought of the architect who had designed the
building, but it was not clear whether any interval of time had
intervened between the erection of the brick-work and the addition of
the stone. The brick structure, however, enclosed the stone chamber
entirely and was even provided with a vault which, in accordance with
the scheme of the structure, formed the main roof of a small
chamber lying between that and the slabs of stone which formed the
special roof of the stone -lined room. There was no suggestion in other
parts of the building that there was any difference in the dates of
these different parts, but it seemed rather that the stone-work of the
sanctuary had been merely an embellishment carried out during the
construction of the whole building.
Plate 15: 1. Doorways with pointed arches in the tomb-shrine of Hathor at Esna (east side). 2. Gilded head of Hathor (limestone) from Esna.
In the chamber which lies
towards the south-east there were found the incinerated remains of
burials of different dates represented by layers of ashes and fragments
superposed. There were numerous signs both in this chamber, and
throughout the whole building, that more than once a great
conflagration had destroyed the contents. There was no evidence to show
for what reason or by what chance the fire had been kindled; whether
to clear away the remains of one generation for the burials of the
next, or (p.148) whether in pursuance of some religious custom. The
small objects found amongst the charred human remains and the fragments
of wooden cofhns, were chiefly amulets and beads, not sufficiently
distinctive in themselves to make it possible to separate the different
strata, but all of them of a character more or less homogeneous and
agreeing with the date inscribed upon the head of the deity.
There
were several other similar structures in the vicinity; a plan of one of
these is reproduced also, because it illustrates some slight variation
of architectural detail (fig.2, part 2). The description given of the first opened
shrine is an indication in general of the character and date of this
series of remarkable monuments.
The best days of this site
seem to have ended with the XX dynasty. But the shrine described and
the cult which grew up around it must have continued for some time in
the locality, for there is a considerable series of tomb structures
based more or less upon the same plan in the desert around. The painted
sarcophagus of one Ansu, a Ghantress of Amen, born of a lady also a
Ghantress, Tai-ari, seems to be of the XXII dynasty or thereabouts.
Another tomb which was well built with a vaulted roof upon the same
model, may belong also to the XIX or XX dynasty. It contained two
sarcophagi of limestone, and little niches in the wall retained in two
instances the small figures of the genii. One of these stone coffins is
now in the Museum at Gairo, the other, which was found in fragments,
has been carefully restored by the authorities of the Public Museums of
Liverpool , where it may be seen in the Hall devoted to Egyptian
Antiquities. At one end is mentioned the name of Aanuka, a lady
attached to the Service of Amen.
There is little to add to the
list of the chief discoveries with the single exception of a large
group of stone monuments fashioned like votive altars and containing a
series of Demotic, Greek, and Coptic names. These of course belong to
the latter phase when the fame of Esna had arisen with the
reconstruction of its temple in Ptolemaic times.
Institute of Archaeology, University of Liverpool, October 1906.
J. Garstang.
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