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EXCAVATIONS  AT  SAQQARA 

(1912-19H) 


SERVICE  DES  ANTIQUITES  DE  L'EGYPTE 


EXCAVATIONS  AT  SAQQARA 


gfvrHitti 


»U>4a 

(1912-1914) 


ARCHAIC  MASTABAS 


BY 


**   ,./ 


J.   E.   QUIBELL 


1 i. 


LE  CAIRE 

IMPRIMERIE  DE  LINSTITUT  FRANCAIS 

D'ARCHEOLOGIE   ORIENTALE 


1923 


SEEN  BY 
PRESERVATION 

SERVICES 


DATE. 


3LI.il  S$ 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  group  of  early  tombs  to  which  the  greater  part  of  this  volume  is  devoted 
were  found  principally  in  two  seasons,  1911-12  and  1912-18,  though  the  excava- 
tion of  them  began  in  1910-11. 

They  lie  on  the  ridge  of  desert  overhanging  the  village  of  Abusir,  and  have  long 
been  recognised  as  being  the  oldest  part  of  the  continuous  cemetery  which  stretches 
from  Abusir  to  Dahshur.  Two  tombs  of  a  much  later  age  (XXXth  Dynasty),  and  from 
a  different  quarter,  which  claimed  our  attention  during  the  same  period ,  are  noted 
shortly  at  the  end  of  this  report. 

The  main  area  excavated  proved  to  be  covered  with  brick  mastabas  of  the  first 
three  dynasties,  utterly  robbed  in  remote  antiquity,  searched  through  again  with  less 
thoroughness  in  Roman  times,  but  singularly  little  disturbed  by  secondary  burials. 
The  reason  for  this  is  not  obvious,  for  the  ground  was  very  accessible  from  Mem- 
phis ,  and  half  a  mile  only  to  the  south ,  near  the  Teta  pyramid ,  there  is  a  patch  of 
desert  which  has  been  covered  with  tombs  at  five  several  epochs.  It  may  be  that  the 
early  mastabas,  being  on  the  highest  land  near,  never  get  covered  with  sand  and 
took  long  ages  to  wear  away  to  their  present  invisibility,  so  were  generally  reco- 
gnised and  respected,  while,  in  the  part  further  south,  the  Old  Empire  tombs,  being 
at  a  low  level,  were  quickly  sanded  up  and  forgotten,  then  covered  by  the  tombs  of 
the  first  intermediate  period  and  so  on  at  intervals  till  the  Roman  interments  closed 
the  series. 

The  I-IIIrd  Dynasty  cemetery  is  by  no  means  exhausted,  and  would  indeed  require 
several  seasons  more  of  work,  but  here,  as  in  the  Coptic  area  at  Ras  el  Gisr,  we  may 
well  leave  something  for  a  future  generation  —  with  the  more  tranquillity  of  mind,  as- 
this  part  of  the  cemetery  is  in  no  great  danger  of  being  robbed.  The  villagers  know 
too  well  that  it  does  not  pay. 

In  ancient  times  the  tombs  had  been  so  thoroughly  worked  through  in  the  search 
for  gold  that  very  few  small  objects  were  found,  but,  the  site  having  been  so  little 


\|  INTRODUCTION. 

Bted  at  any  subsequent  period,  many  of  the  upper  structures  of  the  tombs  as  well 
as  the  remarkable  underground  chambers  remained  in  fair  preservation  and  enable 
us  to  reconstruct,  with  some  confidence,  the  processes  of  building  and  the  general 
appearance  of  an  archaic  cemetery  when  in  use. 

Let  us  suppose  ourselves,  then,  at  some  time  about  the  end  of  the  III"1  Dynasty, 
standing  on  the  broad  ridge  running  north  and  south  and  immediately  overlooking 
the  valley.  Below  us  on  the  west  is  a  wide  depression,  bare  and  windswept,  where 
later  the  stone  mastabas  of  the  Vlh  Dynasty  are  to  rise  and  then  to  disappear  under 
the  drifting  sand.  The  pyramids  of  Abusir,  even  those  of  Giza,  are  as  yet  unbuilt; 
onlv  one  great  monument  rises  from  above  the  desert,  but  its  aspect  is  most  im- 
posing. 

The  Step  Pyramid  to  the  south  of  us,  newly  finished,  towers  above  its  mighty 
panelled  wall  of  white  limestone  —  as  great  a  work  as  the  pyramid  itself  —  looking 
from  here  more  magnificent  than  the  white  walls  of  Memphis  which  glitter  in  the 
east  across  the  marshes. 

The  brick  mastabas  near  by  vary  much  in  size  :  the  smaller  ones  are  low  enough 
for  a  man  to  step  over  them,  while  the  larger  are  5  or  6  metres  in  height.  They 
are  oblong,  table-like  structures,  white-painted  with  sloping  sides,  accessible  only 
along  narrow,  zigzag  passages.  One  or  two  old  Ist  Dynasty  tombs  are  still  to  be  seen , 
recognisable  by  the  elaborate  channelled  pattern  on  all  four  sides,  but  most  of  them 
are  solid  masses  of  brickwork  with  two  niches  on  the  east  side.  In  some,  however, 
of  the  larger  tombs  a  wooden  door  is  to  be  seen  near  the  south  end,  closed  by  a 
cord  of  palm  fibre  lied  to  a  massive  wooden  hasp  imbedded  in  the  wall.  Opening 
this,  we  penetrate  into  a  high  narrow  chamber,  roofed  with  wood,  its  walls  deco- 
rated with  painted  scenes;  in  the  west  wall  of  the  chamber  is  a  niche  built  of  brick 
and  before  it  a  group  of  tall  vases  ready  for  offerings  of  wine  and  beer. 

Only  the  largest  tombs  and  not  all  of  them  have  these  painted  chambers  and 
wooden  doors.  Some  of  the  smaller  ones  are  surrounded  by  a  boundary  wall,  but 
more  often  the  little  mastaba  stands  alone  and  had  evidently  been  very  simply  and 
rapidly  built. 

We  can  picture  the  funeral  procession  coming  across  the  fields  and  up  the  hill, 
the  body  carried  in  a  small  box  looking  more  like  a  modern  linen  chest  than  a 


INTRODUCTION.  VII 

coffin.  For  the  last  part  of  the  journey  over  the  sand,  this  is  dragged  on  a  sledge; 
dancing  girls  move  before  it  and  mourning  women  howl  and  slap  their  faces,  till  it 
arrives  at  the  place  where  the  little  shaft  is  cut  in  the  rock.  Beside  the  shaft  a  few 
hundred  bricks  and  rows  of  coarsely  made  jars  stand  in  readiness  and ,  as  soon  as 
the  body  is  lowered,  the  underground  chamber  is  bricked  up,  the  shaft  filled  and 
a  mastaba  built  over  it  with  great  rapidity,  perhaps  finished  on  the  funeral  day.  For 
a  rich  burial  there  is  much  more  ceremony  and  expense.  In  this  case,  not  only  has 
the  series  of  subterranean  chambers  been  prepared  long  beforehand,  but  also  the 
solid  brick  mastaba  and  the  painted  chapel  are  ready  in  advance;  only  the  entrance 
to  the  stairway  is  left  open  down  which  the  dead  body  and  his  grave  furniture  can 
be  lowered.  On  the  funeral  day  there  is  spread  on  an  open  space  a  large  tent,  gaily 
decorated  inside  and  floored  with  matting;  on  this  are  laid  trays  of  dark  wood  con- 
taining all  kinds  of  funerary  offerings,  food,  perfumes,  tools,  furniture,  weapons 
and  clothes.  At  the  far  end  of  the  tenths  a  seated  statue  of  the  deceased,  before 
which  all  these  offerings  are  made.  Near  the  door  the  guests  sit  and  eat  their  meal 
according  to  ritual,  while  the  priests  chant  the  service.  Afterwards  the  trays  and  their 
contents  are  buried  in  the  tomb,  the  statue  is  bricked  up  in  a  special  chamber, 
with  a  small  opening  left  in  the  wall,  through  which  the  smoke  of  incense  may  pene- 
trate and  the  statue  can  be  faintly  seen. 

This  all  takes  place  in  a  part  of  the  cemetery  that  is  in  actual  use.  Here  all  the 
mastabas  are  in  tolerable  repair;  most  are  white  in  colour  and  undamaged,  but  a 
little  distance  away  there  are  endless  signs  of  neglect  and  violation. 

In  some  tombs  the  stone  slab  from  above  the  southern  niche  has  been  torn  away, 
evidently  not  long  ago,  and  the  sand  is  drifting  in  so  rapidly  that  some  of  the  smaller 
mastabas  are  becoming  engulfed.  Nearly  all  seem  to  have  been  robbed.  Narrow  shafts 
have  been  sunk  through  the  top  and  though  the  sand  is  quickly  filling  many  of  these 
again,  here  in  one  large  tomb  that  has  been  recently  violated  we  can  see  the  shaft 
still  open.  The  tomb  is  twenty  feet  in  height,  but  on  the  west  side  the  sand  has 
heaped  itself  up  unhindered  and  we  can  walk  up  the  slope  to  the  platform  on  the 
top  and  examine  it. 

It  is  roughly  paved  with  stone  which  has  been  torn  up  at  a  point  on  the  middle 
line*  and  an  irregular  shaft  with  dangerously  vertical  sides  has  been  sunk  through 


Mil  INTRODUCTION. 

the  gravel  filling.  At  the  bottom  we  can  see  the  portcullis  still  standing  in  position, 
but  it  m  xtMiture  to  descend,  we  shall  find  on  one  side  of  it  a  hole  large  enough  for 
a  lad  to  squeeze  through.  The  robbers  have  mined  round  the  portcullis  and  pene- 
trated to  the  subterranean  corridors:  they  have  broken  through  the  walls  of  the 
magazines,  through  the  wall  of  the  burial  chamber  itself  and  have  carried  away 
every  thing  easily  portable,  vases  of  the  more  precious  stones,  metal  implements, 
even  woodwork,  if  time  has  permitted. 

But  sometimes  they  were  much  hurried  and  let  drop  some  of  the  gold  beads,  lo 
the  profit  of  other  robbers  who  were  to  come  in  the  Roman  period,  and  who,  fearful 
of  missing  a  single  one  of  such  precious  finds,  were  systematically  to  pass  the  whole 
of  the  surrounding  earth  through  a  sieve. 

It  will  not  escape  our  notice  that  the  robbers'  shaft  has  been  always  sunk  just  at 
the  point  where  it  would  drop  down  on  the  portcullis  and  we  shall  fairly  draw  the 
conclusion  that  the  thieves  who  show  so  precise  an  acquaintance  with  the  plan  of  a 
large  and  complicated  tomb  were  not  unconnected  with  its  construction. 

In  all  the  work  of  excavation,  in  tomb-planning  and  in  the  preparation  of  the  report 
I  have  been  greatly  aided  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  G.  K.  Hayter,  who  spent  two  seasons 
with  us,  working  as  volunteers.  Mr.  Hayter's  experience  on  Roman  sites  in  Britain 
was  of  special  utility  in  a  late  part  of  the  cemetery,  still  unpublished,  and  his  exact 
and  full  note-taking  was  always  an  example.  How  much  our  Department  profited  by 
the  unselfish  labours  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hayter  no  one  is  in  so  good  a  position  to  know 
in  detail  as  myself,  and  it  is  fitting  that  I  should  express,  for  the  Department  and 
for  myself,  our  appreciation  of  their  services  and  our  sense  of  their  devotion  to  archaeo- 
logical interests.  Not  less  am  1  indebted  to  the  help  of  my  wife  both  in  the  field  and  in 
the  workroom;  without  her  aid  this  belated  report  would  hardly  have  seen  the  light. 
A  word  of  gratitude  to  the  reis  Khalil  Ahmed  should  not  be  omitted;  our  acquaintance 
is  more  than  2  5  years  old  and  his  zeal  and  honesty  have  never  failed. 

J.  E.  Q. 


EXCAVATIONS  AT  SAQQARA. 

1912-19H. 


ARCHAIC   MASTABAS. 

No  mastabas  in  this  group  were  of  solid  brickwork^  all  were  mere  shells  with  a  filling  of 
pebbles  and  coarse  gravel  gathered  from  the  desert  surface,  of  gravel  mixed  with  quantities 
of  potsherds,  or  again  of  mud  fdled  in  very  wet.  This  mud  must  at  first  have  been  introduced 
in  one  unbroken  mass,  retained  by  the  boundary  wall  alone;  but  later  on  this  simple  method 
was  modified  by  the  insertion  of  crosswalls  dividing  up  the  great  mass  of  mud  and  much  reducing 
the  dangerous  thrust  on  the  outer  walls. 

The  recasing  observed  in  several  mastabas  may  conceivably  have  had  a  similar  object  but  was 
more  probably  a  magical  provision. 

When  the  filling  of  mud  or  gravel  was  cleared  out  there  was  found  below  it,  in  several  of  the 
large  mastabas,  a  series  of  store-chambers  (nos.  a3o5,  9807,  2329  and  2/198  are  notable 
examples).  They  consist  of  a  single  row  of  brick  tanks  or  bins,  about  2  metres  long  and  one 
wide  with  walls  o  m.  70  or  so  in  height;  sometimes  there  were  again  subdivided  by  cross  walls. 
They  were  covered  with  stone  slabs  (as  in  no.  2322)  or  with  wooden  beams  (no.  2307).  Their 
interior  construction  was  often  rather  elaborate.  In  no.  2 3 07,  for  example,  there  were  two 
layers  of  filling  with  a  brick  floor  between  them  and  mud  foundation  and  roof. 

The  contents,  as  we  found  them,  consisted  chiefly  of  pottery,  one  containing  as  many  as  76 
jars.  These  stood  upright,  embedded  in  a  layer  of  mud.  They  were  stoppered  with  small  saucer 
like  dishes,  with  potsherds  or  with  chips  of  limestone  plastered  over  with  clay  on  which  traces 
of  sealings  could  occasionally  be  distinguished.  The  contents  were  generally  mud  or  mud  mixed 
with  fat  :  ash,  liver  shells,  some  fruits  or  berries  too  decayed  to  be  identified,  were  also  noted. 
One  set  of  jars  (no.  2/198)  were  stained  inside  with  a  yellow  sulphur-like  matter,  probably  a 
paint. 

Other  contents  of  these  hidden  chambers  were  black  ash,  layers  of  grain,  either  in  the  husk 
or  pulverised  and  with  no  visible  husk,  various  samples  of  powdery  organic  matter  brown  or 
ashen  grey  in  colour,  and  in  one  case  (no.  2/198)  an  oblong  litter  consisting  of  matting  stretched 
on  four  poles.  Above  this  lay  a  quantity  of  grain  in  the  husk.  Is  this  the  Osiris  bed  of  later  days? 

Bronze  implements  were  found  in  one  case  and  it  is  plain  that  the  original  contents  were  of 
intrinsic  value  ;  otherwise  the  very  well  informed  early  robbers  would  not  have  dug  them  out  : 
the  process  was  dangerous. 

Excavations  at  Saqqara ,  1913-1914.  • 


♦  EXCAVATIONS  AT  SAQQARA,   1912-1914. 

The  model  granarv  of  plate  \\1  with  its  strange  little  tunnel  communicating  with  the  tomb 
below,  belongs  presumabh  to  the  same  series  as  these  chambers  and  is  perhaps  rather  earlier  in 

date. 

These  hidden  stores  in  the  Idling  and  above  ground  level  appear  to  be  new;  the  series  of 
chambers  in  the  rock  below  have  their  parallels  elsewhere,  notably  at  B£t  KhallaT.  Nine  of  the 
most  important  of  them  are  shown  on  plate  XXX  in  plan  :  how  similar  they  are  one  to  the  other 
a  glance  will  show.  The  body,  when  found  at  all,  was  always  in  the  extreme  S.-W.  chamber; 
the  latrine,  a  new  and  startling  feature,  always  at  the  S.-E.  In  these  details  and  probably  in  the 
;ji-neral  arrangement  of  the  rooms  these  tombs  must  be  copies  of  the  houses  in  which  their 
ow  ners  lived.  The  selection  of  the  S.-W.  corner  for  the  master's  bedroom  is  not  so  unreasonable 
as  at  first  appears.  It  would  certainly  get  very  hot  through  the  afternoon,  but  the  good  wind  is 
well  west  of  north  and  two  nights  out  of  three  he  would  get  a  good  current  of  air;  moreover  he 
would  not  be  waked  by  the  first  dawn. 

We  came  early  in  the  digging  to  the  impression  that  the  cemetery  was  of  the  IInd-IIIrd  Dynasties 
and  rather  IInd  than  IIIrd,  that  there  were  a  fewr  tombs  of  the  Ist  Dynasty,  easy  to  distinguish,  and , 
on  the  other  hand,  nothing  distinguishable  as  late  as  the  IV11'.  This  still  seems  a  reasonable  view, 
but  we  are  far  from  being  able  to  offer  a  rigorous  proof;  we  should  especially  like  to  see  the 
IVth  Dynasty  tombs  of  Saqqara  before  affirming  too  positively  that  none  of  these  mastabas  fall 
into  that  period.  Pottery  was  of  less  help  than  usual;  there  was  less  of  it  than  on  most  sites  but 
of  stone  vases,  in  fragments  of  course,  an  embarrassing  quantity.  The  hundreds  of  hours  of 
work  spent  by  ourselves,  our  workmen,  even  our  guests,  on  the  sorting  out  and  making  up  into 
complete  vases  of  these  tons  of  sherds  might  have  been  better  employed.  Yet  one  gained  thereby 
this  very  definite  impression.  The  average  large  tomb  contained  a  battery  of  alabaster  and  schist 
howls  and  dishes  bought  by  people  who  had  a  keen  appreciation  not  only  of  form  but  of  the 
beauty  of  the  stones  :  they  liked  to  have  samples  of  the  alabaster  banded  in  pink  and  white,  of 
the  honey-coloured  stone  with  coarse  crystals  like  barley-sugar  and  several  other  varieties  and 
among  the  slates  had  a  preference  for  those  of  a  fine  green  colour.  In  the  tomb  of  Hesy  (IIIrd  Dyn- 
asty) the  forms  of  stone  vases  are  rather  heavy  and  the  stones  are  less  well  chosen,  yet  Hesy's 
was  a  very  important  tomb.  One  suspects  it  was  among  the  latest  of  our  group. 

The  undeniable  dating  of  no.  2171  to  Netermu  gave  one  fixed  point;  the  large  tomb  of  Ruabu 
(no.  23oa)  with  the  same  king's  name  gave  another;  no.  2807,  by  its  position  apparently  later 
than  its  neighbours,  and  Hesy,  both  dated  to  Neterkhet  (IIIrd  Dynasty)  are  probably  at  the  other 
end  of  the  time  range  of  this  small  fraction  of  the  cemeteries  of  Saqqara. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  PLATES. 


Plate  I.  —  Southern  group.  All  mud  mastabas,  varying  much  in  size. 

Taking  the  larger  tombs  on  the  map  from  south  to  north  and  in  rows  from  east  to  west, 

we  have  : 

\ 

large  I5t  Dynasty  tomb,  of  the  type  of  the  trMena*  tomb  of  Nagada;  built  with  niches 
cind  stone  chambers  in  the  centre.  Details  are  shown  in  plates  V-X. 

(2 1711  A  large  IInd  Dynasty  tomb,  dated  to  Netermu;  underneath  it  was  a  Ist  Dynasty  tomb 

dateWZer  (pis.  XI-XV). 

In  the  second  row  : 

(2105.1  Large  open  pit,  roofed,  with  granary  (pi.  XVI). 

3e  other  large  tombs,  nos.  3io3,  2101,  23oq.  The  quadrilaterals  inside  represent  the 
stairs,  which  are  by  no  means  in  the  same  position  in  each  tomb;  probably  variety  was  sought 
as  a  means  of  discouraging  plunderers. 

further  west,  the  southern  niche  is  sunk  deep  into  the  mass  of  brickwork  and  a 
doonvaTcloses  it  in  :  this  is  the  beginning  of  the  decorated  tomb  chapel. 

Third  row  : 

In  (2 331/ was  found  an  inscribed  slab  from  the  upper  part  of  the  southern  niche,  showing 
cleceased~before  table  of  offerings  (pi.  XXVIII,  2). 


2315)  and^23^/Both  had  underground  chambers.  In  one  was  a  seal  of 


1 


1  1  1 


Taking  now  the  group  of  four  to  the  north,  we  come  to  no.  2322,  which  yielded  a  good 
series  of  alabaster  vases  from  the  chambers  cut  in  the  rock  and  a  group  of  magazines  in  the 
filling  above  ground  (pis.  XX-XX1). 


1  n/2313/  just  to  the  north,  was  a  stair  protected  by  rather  stout  walls;  the  space  between 
these  anttthe  boundary  walls  had  been  filled  with  liquid  mud  (pi.  XIX). 

(2307)  A  very  large  tomb  with  mud  filling.  The  store-chambers  had  been  robbed  anciently 

(pWni). 

(2302J  Maslaba  of  Ruabu,  a  huge  tomb  with  mud  filling,  the  stair  roofed  with  stone  slabs  and 
with-anr  elaborate  series  of  chambers  in  the  rock  (pi.  X\II). 


4  EXCAVATIONS  AT  SAQQARA,  1912-1914. 

Plate  11.  The  northern  groups  of  tomhs,  separated  from  that  of  ]>latc  1  by  about  soo 

metres  of  ground  not  vet  duff,  but  evidently  forming  part  of  the  same  cemetery. 

Again  beginning  in  the  south-east  corner  our  survey  of  the  most  conspicuous  of  these  tombs, 
hc  lind  : 

(2464)  A  deep  shaft  with  good  stone  vases  and  a  strange  row  of  niches  in  the  passage  west  of 
thVtoTnb. 

'Hha'X   Deep  shaft.  Underground  chambers. 

')'fm   In  this  was  found  a  cataract  of  alabaster  vases  thrown  down  the  stair  (pi.  XXI11). 

2_403.  Hesy.  This  lias  been  published  in  a  separate  memoir  (Excavations  at  Saqqara,  iqi  i- 
UL 


The  long  building,  no.  2&08,  east  of  Hesy.  appears  not  to  be  a  tomb,  but  what  purpose  it 
mav  have  served  we  cannot  say. 

p>398)  On  the  right  of  the  plate .  above  no:  2 h 5 2/:  it  contained  both  an  elaborate  series  of 
chambers  in  the  filling  and  a  very  carefolW  blockeo^stairway  (pis.  XXIV-XXV). 

The  large  tomb  in  the  middle,  no/2607),  is  remarkable  for  the  cellular  structure  of  the  fill- 
ing. v_y 

i±2fc  peculiar  in  plan,  but  has  not  been  completely  cleared. 

'Hx  06  Iliad  large  underground  chambers  (pi.  XXX). 

this  tomb  the  fine,  late  bronze  of  a  composite  deity  shown  in  plate  XXX VIII,  was 
found  at  a  high  level,  loose  in  the  sand. 

Plate  HI.  —  A  general  view  of  the  southern  group,  showing  the  greater  part  of  the  tombs 
planned  in  plate  I,  except  the  two  large  ones  on  the  south  and  one,  no.  2^o5,  on  the  east.  The 
camera  stood  just  to  the  north  of  one  of  the  large  Ist  Dynasty  tombs. 

In  the  foreground  above  the  title  is  a  small  mastaba,  the  walls  of  which  stand  at  about  half 
their  original  height;  the  larger  tombs  are,  in  proportion,  more  denuded.  In  the  background  the 
very  large  tomb  of  Ruabu  can  be  distinguished.  There  are  two  piles  of  pots  on  the  top  of  it,  one 
near  its  north  end ,  the  other  in  the  middle. 

Plate  1\ .  —  1.  Small  mastaba  (no.  22o3,  pi.  1)  2  m.  ko  cent,  long,  one  of  the  smallest  of 
which  any  superstructure  survived.  It  had  a  vertical  shaft  of  2  metres  depth,  with  a  small  chamber, 
ra.  1  m.  20  cent,  only  in  height  and  length,  evidently  used  for  a  contracted  burial. 

2.  A  mastaba,  no.  23o6,  with  its  outside  cleared,  but  before  any  attempt  had  been  made  to 
dig  out  the  filling  or  to  find  the  shaft.  Here  the  southern  niche  has  been  withdrawn  into  the 
mass  of  the  mastaba  and  protected  by  a  door.  In  this  way,  as  was  pointed  out  long  ago  by  Marielte , 
arose  the  chamber  which  afterwards  developed  so  considerably  in  size  and  became  richly  decorated. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  PLATES.  5 

In  this  early  example  it  is  very  small.  The  view  is  taken  looking  S.-W.,  showing  the  Pyramid 
of  Neferirkara  at  Ahusir  and  the  mound  of  the  mastaha  of  Hesy. 

3.  A  group  of  small  mastabas.  The  wooden  trays  are,  of  course,  modern;  they  were  given  to 
the  workmen  to  hold  the  small  objects  coming  from  each  tomb. 

h.  A  view,  looking  to  the  south,  of  the  stair  of  no.  2.337.  ^  lne  boMxmi  of  this  stair  was  a 
long  series  of  chambers  cut  in  the  rock;  these  are  planned  in  plate  XXX.  The  filling  of  this  tomb 
is  composed  to  a  large  extent,  of  coarse,  broken  vases,  presumably  those  used  by  the  workmen 
during  the  construction;  exactly  how  they  were  used  it  is  not  easy  to  say,  for  they  would  not 
hold  water  and  would  be  very  clumsy  to  carry  mud. 

The  pyramids  in  the  distance  are  those  of  Teta  II  and  El-Mukherbish. 

Plate  V.  —  Plan  of  the  large  Ist  Dynasty  tomb  (no.  2180). 

Plate  VI.  —  View  of  the  same  tomb  (no.  21 85)  from  the  south-east,  showing  in  the  distance 
the  three  pyramids  of  Abusir,  and,  more  faintly,  the  two  larger  ones  of  Gizeh. 

Though  much  of  the  walling  stood  only  a  few  centimetres  high  and  some  part  had  disappeared, 
enough  was  found  to  make  us  quite  sure  of  the  plan.  The  height  of  the  building  was  probably 
once  considerable,  perhaps  as  much  as  G  metres,  but  the  boundary  wall  was  very  thin  and 
probably  did  not  exceed  a  metre  in  height. 

Internally  the  tomb  had  three  rows  of  chambers,  the  central  row  at  a  lower  level  than  the 
others.  The  side  chambers  were  at  ground  level  and  had  apparently  been  filled  in  with  gravel, 
whereas  the  sunk  ones  were  lined  with  stone,  except  those  at  the  north  and  south  ends,  which 
were  also  gravel-filled.  This  central  row  was  roofed  with  stone,  above  which  had  been  laid  the 
wooden  flooring  of  an  upper  set  of  chambers.  But  this  floor  must  have  been  destroyed  by  fire  at 
some  period,  for  many  signs  of  burning  were  noticed  both  on  the  stone  lining  and  the  roof  of 
the  underground  rooms.  The  upper  row  of  chambers  appears  to  have  had  plastered  walls  and 
presumably  contained  funerary  furniture;  nothing,  however,  of  this  remained,  and  the  tomb  must 
have  been  thoroughly  robbed  at  an  early  date,  the  robbers  breaking  their  way  through  from  one 
underground  chamber  to  another. 

Plate  VII.  —  Details  of  the  same  Ist  Dynasty  tomb  (no.  2  1  85). 

1.  Recessed  niche  at  the  N.-E.  of  the  building,  with  two  holes,  possibly  intended  to  hold 
lampstands,  basins  for  offerings  or  the  like. 

2.  This  is  taken  down  the  axis  of  the  tomb  and  shows  two  of  the  chambers  below  ground 
level,  with  remains  of  their  stone  roofs.  On  the  top  of  the  walls,  clay  seals  and  fragments  of  stone 
vases  have  been  laid. 

3.  Shows  part  of  the  north  wall  of  the  tomb;  in  front  of  it  is  the  corner  of  a  IInd  Dynasty 
mastaha,  while  on  the  left,  just  above  the  white  stone  are  the  remains  of  an  arched  roof  of  a 


6  EXCAVATIONS  AT  SAQQARA,   1912-1914. 

late  intrusive  burial.  Three  periods  are  here  clearly  distinguishable  side  by  side  in  a  space  of  a 
couple  of  yards. 

i.  The  lower  level  chamber  F  of  plate  V,  with  the  large  vases  in  place  and  part  of  the 
roofing  slabs. 

Plite  Mil.  —  Small  objects  from  the  same  Ist  Dynasty  tomb  (no.  21 85). 

I .  Set  of  six  copper  tools  found  in  chamber  G  in  the  last  hour  of  digging.  The  largest  is  0  m. 
a  a  cent.  long. 

8.  Flint  and  copper  knives  found  in  chamber  D.  The  metal  was  much  corroded.  The  large 
knife  is  o  in.  1 5  cent.  long. 

3.  Flint  fragments  from  chamber  A,  some  showing  action  of  fire. 

h.  Vases  of  basalt,  quartz  and  alabaster,  mostly  from  chamber  G.  These  are  very  finely  cut, 
characteristic  Irt  Dynasty  work.  A  foot  rule  is  in  the  foreground. 

5.  Clay  sealings  from  chamber  H  with  the  name  of  Zer. 

Plate  IX.  —  Drawings  of  the  fragmentary  clay  seals  found  in  tomb  no.  91 85. 

Nothing  remained  on  some  of  these  of  the  original  surface,  but  when  they  were  exposed  to  the 
weather  and  the  clay  began  to  disintegrate  the  outer  layer  fell  away  and  disclosed  the  print  of  a 
seal.  One  immediately  thought  of  Babylonian  contract  tablets  with  their  concealed  duplicates  of 
the  outer  text :  these  winelabels  may  have  had  a  magic  value  and  the  Egyptians  may  have  thought 
it  advisable  to  write  them  twice  so  that  the  inner  copy  would  remain  valid  when  the  outer  one 
had  decayed  away.  Similar  duplicate  seals  have  been  founded  at  Abydos. 

Plate  X.  —  Drawings  of  stone  vases  from  tomb  no.  2 1 85. 

All  were  much  broken  and  the  forms  have  been  drawn  from  fragments.  The  materials  were 
quartz,  porphyry,  magnesite  and  in  the  four  lower  rows  basalt. 

Plate  XI.  —  Tomb  no.  2171  H  with  small  objects  found  in  it. 

I.   View  of  the  tomb,  found  under  the  filling  of  the  large  II'"1  Dynasty  mastaba  no.  2171. 
Outside  the  grave  is  seen  a  portion  of  the  mat  on  which  the  body  had  been  laid. 
The  tomb  mouth  is  1  m.  4o  cent,  by  1  metre  in  size. 

"2.  Photograph  of  ivory  plaque. 

.'{.  Photograph  of  drawing  of  the  same  plaque.  Both  are  slightly  over  actual  size. 

%.  Ivory  bulls'  legs,  the  complete  one  o  m.  o5  cent.  high. 

.).  Drawing  of  ink  inscription  on  a  wooden  plaque  :  the  colour  is  very  faint  and  the  hieroglyph 
of  Zer  incomplete. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  PLATES.  7 

0.  Small  objects  of  wood  and  ivory,  with  a  gold  pin  (o  m.  i3  cent,  long)  in  the  centre.  Box 
lid  of  wood  with  knob  (o  m.  o3  cent.),  ivory  box  lid  with  handle,  ivory  arrowheads,  fragments  of 
ivory  inlay,  feet  of  a  casket. 

7.  Three  flint  scrapers  (o  m.  o5  cent.)  ivory  fragments  and  a  small  cylindrical  vase  of  slate 
(o  m.  ok  cent.  1/2  high),  the  only  complete  vase  found.  Glaze  and  carnelian  beads,  spheres  and 
stout  discs  in  form. 

Plates  Xll  and  Xlll.  —  Stone  vases  from  the  same  Ist  Dynasty  tomb  (no.  2  1  7 1  H).  Scale  1  :  3. 

Plate  XIV.  —  Stone  vases  from  another  Ist  Dynasty  tomb  no.  2188  (pi.  I,  E.  of  no.  21 85). 
Scale  1:6. 

Plate  XV.  —  Views  of  the  large  II"'1  Dynasty  tomb,  under  which  the  small  Ist  Dynasty  tomb 
of  plates  XI ,  XII ,  was  found. 

1 .  View  of  stairway  showing  the  lower  part  still  blocked  by  huge  stones  laid  on  edge.  Above 
are  seen  a  number  of  tall,  pointed  jars  lying  on  the  steps;  some  were  still  covered  by  their  clay 
stoppers  and  one  of  these  was  inscribed. 

2.  Row  of  pots,  about  3  m.  80  cent,  in  total  length,  laid  in  the  sand  below  the  gravel  of  the 
filling,  with  what  object  is  obscure. 

3.  Seal  from  one  of  the  wine  jars  found  in  the  stairway  with  the  name  of  the  IInd  Dynasty 
king,  Netermu,  very  legible. 

h.  Interior  of  the  mastaba,  seen  from  the  top  of  the  stair,  looking  south.  Just  inside  the 
stairway  are  the  jars  placed  on  the  steps;  beyond,  on  the  right,  the  little  dark  patch  on  the  ground 
is  the  Ist  Dynasty  tomb  (no.  2  171  H) :  in  the  middle  is  an  intrusive  burial,  a  late  limestone  coffin. 
All  around,  the  outer  walls  of  the  mastaba  and  the  numerous  pots  found  in  the  filling  are  seen. 
On  the  horizon  is  the  pyramid  of  Tela.  For  plan  of  the  subterranean  chambers,  see  plate  XXX. 

Plate  XVI.  —  Views  of  tomb  no/  21  o5.  i 

1.  A  shallow  trench  inside  the  m&staba,  under  the  gravel  filling,  lined  with  bricks,  mud- 
plastered  and  containing  a  double  row  of  unbaked  mud  jars,  3o  in  number.  The  pots  were  about 
o  m.  3o  cent.  high.  This  trench  must  once  have  been  roofed  with  wood,  or  these  fragile  pots 
would  otherwise  have  been  crushed.  The  little  channel  leading  from  it  to  the  tomb  chamber 
is  seen  beyond.  This  was  plainly  a  granary  and  the  little  gangway  from  the  tomb  chamber 
was  supposed  to  be  wide  enough  to  allow  the  soul  to  pass. 

2.  Interior  of  tomb  chamber  looking  towards  the  portcullis,  which  is  still  in  place.  On  the 
floor  before  it  is  a  mass  of  pots. 

3.  Within  the  filling  of  the  mastaba,  looking  from  above  the  portcullis  into  the  granary  trench. 
In  the  shadow,  low  on  the  right  is  one  of  the  ledges  on  which  the  beams  of  the  roof  rested. 

4.  Small  objects  of  flint,  ivory  and  copper. 


8  EXCAVATIONS  AT  SAQQARA,   1912-1914. 

Plate  XVII.  —  Mastaba  of  Ruabu,  noi  a3oj. 

1 .  Shows  the  mud  filling  as  seen  in  one  of  the  holes  cut  by  the  early  robbers  to  obtain  access 
to  the  chambers  below.  Low  down  are  limestone  blocks  from  the  roof  of  the  subterranean  passage. 

2.  General  view,  looking  south.  Ruabu  is  on  the  right  :  only  the  east  wall  with  some  intrusive 
burials  cut  in  it.  the  southern  niche  beyond  them  and  the  dwarf  boundary  wall  come  into  the 
picture.  The  centre  is  occupied  by  a  row  of  unimportant  tombs  (see  no.  5?3o3  on  plate  I)  and 
on  the  left  is  part  of  the  west  wall  of  no.  2807,  with  more  intrusive  burials  made  in  it. 

On  the  skv  line  is  the  pyramid  of  Teta  and  to  the  left  the  house  of  the  Antiquities  Department. 

3.  Clay  seal  of  Netermu,  found  in  the  underground  chamber  F  (pi.  XXX). 

h.  Inscribed  slate  bowl  of  Ruabu  and  part  of  a  second  bowl.  The  same  titles  occur  on  the 
inscribed  libation  tank  (pi.  XXVIII,  fig.  h).  The  peculiar  ship-hieroglyph  occurs  again  on  a 
sherd  with  the  name  of  Netermu  in  Petrie.  Royal  Tombs  of  earliest  Dynasties,  1901.  Pt.  11. 
pi.  VIII,  .3. 

Plate  XVIII.  —  Large  mastaba  no(  a3o7/(pl.  1). 

1.  Top  of  the  shaft  at  the  north  end  oF the  tomb. 

2.  North  niche,  showing  offering  jars  in  place. 

3.  Interior  of  mastaba  looking  south,  after  most  of  the  filling  of  black  mud  had  been  removed. 
Eight  store  chambers  are  seen,  of  which  four  were  brick-lined  and  contained  pottery.  AH  had 
been  robbed  in  ancient  times.  The  robbers  sank  a  shaft  through  the  tough  black  mud  into  one 
of  these  chambers,  and  then  made  a  way  from  one  to  the  other  by  breaking  through  or  creeping 
over  the  partition  wall.  In  the  distance,  from  right  to  left  are  the  pyramid  of  Unas,  the  Step 
pyramid  and  El-Mukherbish. 

Plate  XIX.  —  Tomb  no.  *j3i3 


1.  The  inside  of  the  mastaba-^looking  south,  after  the  mud  filling  had  been  removed. 

The  stair  takes  two  sharp  turns  inside  the  inner  walls  and  was  protected  from  the  inflow  of 
the  mud  by  stout  walls  along  its  edge. 

2.  hi' in.  Looking  north.  The  stairway  with  its  protecting  walls  is  better  seen  in  this  view. 
The  floor  is  covered  by  a  singular  mass  of  pottery,  perhaps  intended  as  a  food  supply,  possibly 

only  waste  material  utilised  as  filling.  Low  on  the  right,  is  an  intrusive  burial;  see  also  fig.  h.  On 
the  sky  line  are  the  three  pyramids  of  Abusir  and  those  of  Khafra  and  Khufu  at  Giza. 

3.  Fine  set  of  stone  vases  from  the  underground  chambers. 

h.  The  late  intrusive  burial  seen  in  figure  1  after  the  brick  roof  bad  been  removed.  The 
coffin  is  of  plain  wood. 


^  DESCRIPTION  OF  PLATES. 
Plate  XX.  —  Tom!)  no/ 


1.  Interior  of  the  mastabaTTooking  south,  after  the  removal  of  the  filling;  showing  the  top 
of  the  stair  on  the  west  side  (right),  and  a  row  of  store  chambers  on  the  east.  These  chambers 
were  roofed  with  mud  and  stone;  on  the  northernmost  a  a  portion  of  the  roof  remains. 

2.  Chambers  a,  b  and  c,  looking  north-west.  In  a  were  found  two  rows,  19  in  all,  of  egg- 
shaped  jars. 

Cbamber  b  was  empty  except  in  the  south-west  corner,  where  about  27  long  jars  were  stacked 
together,  most  of  them  badly  broken. 

Chamber  c  was  filled  with  egg-shaped  jars,  except  in  a  space  in  the  south-west  corner,  where 
lay  one  big  jar  and  below  it  the  remains  of  matting.  This  covered  a  layer  of  grain,  0  m.  08  cent, 
deep,  which  rested  on  the  untouched  gravel,  and  traces  of  this  same  triple  flooring  were  after- 
wards found  over  all  this  chamber. 

3.  Chamber  e.  Eight  tall  jars  in  the  north-east  corner,  with  mud  caps,  some  of  them  incised. 
To  the  south  of  them  and  on  a  level  with  their  base  are  a  quantity  of  sherds.  The  floor  consisted 
of  sand  in  which  the  pots  were  imbedded. 

h.  A  selection  of  stone  vases  from  the  subterranean  chambers. 

Plate  XXI.  —  Complete  set  of  forms  of  stone  vases  from  no.  2822. 

Plate  XXII.  —  1 .  Tomb  no.  3607. )A  very  large  mastaba  with  numerous  cross  walls  in  the 
filling.  This  cellular  construction  marics  an  improvement  on  the  common  type  in  which  the  filling 
consists  of  a  solid  mass  of  mud.  Perhaps  accidents  had  taken  place  through  the  liquid  mud 
bursting  through  Ae-enclosing  boundary  walls.  The  view  is  taken  from  the  south  end. 

2.  Tomb  no.(2^52.|Group  of  men  clearing  out  the  filling,  in  which  a  great  mass  of  pottery 
was  found.  The  mQuna  to  the  west,  on  which  a  few  men  are  working,  is  the  tomb  of  Hesy.  East 
of  it  is  the  long  chamber  which  seems  to  be  not  a  tomb,  but  a  store-chamber  or  the  like.  In  the 
distance  on  the  right  are  the  pyramids  of  Abusir  and  on  the  skyline  that  of  Menkaura  at  Giza. 


Plate  XXIII.  —  1.  Bricklined  stairway  of  tomb  no/2629,  descending  from  left  to  right  with 
a  right  angled  turn  :  the  groove  of  the  portcullis  is  justNvjsibie  on  the  right.  On  the  slope  of  the 
stair  is  seen  a  mass  of  stone  plates  and  vases,  mostly  of  calcite.  In  the  underground  chambers 
also  there  was  a  quantity  of  bowls  and  vases  made  of  a  great  variety  of  stones,  and  of  much  finer 
work  than  those  on  the  stair. 

2.  Selection  of  vases  from  the  stair  of  mastaba  no.  2629,  mostly  of  stone,  but  some  of  pot- 
tery. A  few  flints. 

3.  Cylindrical  alabaster  vases  with  inscriptions  in  black  paint. 

4.  Copies  of  the  inscriptions  on  the  cylindrical  alabaster  vases. 

Excavations  at  Saqqara,  1912-1914.  s 


10  EXCAVATHHSS^AT  SAQQARA,   1912-1914. 

Plate  \\1\.  —  1.  Mastaba  110/9/198.  Magazines  or  store-chambers  under  the  filling,  seen 
from  the  north-west.  There  are  severkoTtbese,  numbered  a-g. 

To  tlie  left  are  seen  large  blocks  of  limestone  laid  flat  over  the  stairway.  Behind  these  blocks 
ami  between  them  and  the  further  of  the  two  workmen,  a  short  wall  can  be  seen  standing  at 
right  angles  to  the  main  wall  of  the  tomb.  This  is  a  blocking  wall  in  the  middle  of  the  stair. 

2.  Stairway  showing  blocking  of  large  stones  placed  on  edge. 

The  pair  of  horizontal  stones  are  the  same  as  in  the  last  photograph. 

3.  Stone  chambers  e,d,  c,  seen  from  the  west. 

Chamber  c.  The  narrow  part  at  the  west  end  is  empty;  about  half  the  remainder  of  the 
chamber  is  fdled  with  pottery.  A  few  jars  are  seen  standing  in  situ. 

Chamber  d.  Bier.  See  larger  photograph  and  description  in  plate  XXV,  fig.  2. 
Chamber  e.  Layer  of  organic  matter. 

h.  View  in  subterranean  chamber,  showing  stone  vases  as  found  at  south  end  of  the  Central 
hail.  The  doorway  leads  into  a  second  chamber  to  the  south. 

Plate  XXV.  —  1.  Mastaba  no.  2698.  Pottery. 

2.  Bier  in  chamber  d;  seen  from  west  side.  On  the  floor  of  this  chamber  four  poles  are 
arranged  in  a  rectangle,  the  long  ones  1  m.  85  cent.,  the  shorter,  1  metre  long;  diameter  o  in. 
o5  cent.  These  poles  doubtless  formed  a  litter  or  bier.  They  rest  on  the  rock.  The  ends  have  9, 
the  sides  1 9  slits  cut  in  them.  There  are  some  traces  of  matting  on  the  inside.  Both  inside  and 
outside  the  litter  there  was  much  grain  in  the  husk,  but  over  a  space  of  0  m.  75  cent,  at  the  west 
end  of  the  chamber  the  floor  was  bare  with  no  trace  of  organic  matter.  Between  the  litter  and 
this  vacant  space  are  fragments  of  8  or  9  pots,  one  complete. 

3.  Selected  pots  from  the  store-chambers  of  the  same  tomb. 


Platb  XXVI.  —  Limestone  lintel  of  the  royal  daughter  Sahnesr  from  tomb  no. 

Size  of  the  inscribed  part  o  m.  by  cent,  by  o  m.  /j2  cent.  Total  length  1  m.  1  2 

It  was  found  in  the  rubbish  filling  the  shaft,  but  had,  of  course,  been  placed  originally  above 

the  southern  niche.  It  is  probably  of  the  II"J  Dynasty;  the  forms  of  the  hieroglyphs  are  thoroughly 

archaic,  and  the  names  of  the  offerings  abbreviated. 

Plate  XXVII.  —  Facsimile  of  the  same  lintel  in  line. 

Plate  XXVIII.  —  1.  Inscribed  lintel,  not  found  in  situ.  Doubtless  ll"'1  Dynasty.  The  inscription 
consists  of  names  of  cloths  and  of  food. 

2.  This  lintel  of  yellow  limestone  was  found  in  place  in  the  southern  niche  of  tomb  no.  2  33 1 . 
It  was  in  very  bad  condition,  but  is  published  for  the  sake  of  completeness,  the  number  of  ins- 
criptions found  being  so  very  small. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  PLATES.  11 

3.  Libation  tank  from  before  niclie  of  tomb  no.  2.3^7,  found  loose  near  no.  2366.  It  bears 
tbe  cartoucbe  (left  column  inside  ledge)  of  Userkaf,  the  first  king  of  the  V"'  Dynasty,  and  startled 
our  till  tben  tranquil  conviction  that  all  tbis  cemetery  was  of  the  IInd  and  IIIrd  Dynasties.  Was  it 
possible  that  some  of  it  might  be  considerably  later?  Yet  no  other  dateable  object  except  from 
obviously  intrusive  burials  turned  up  among  all  these  hundreds  of  tombs. 

k.  Libation  tank  o  m.  35  cent,  by  o  m.  2  5  cent.,  found  in  tomb  no.  2601,  not  in  position. 
The  same  titles  as  in  the  top  line  occur  on  the  fragment  of  a  bowl  from  the  tomb  of  Ruabu  (pi. 
XVII  h ,  left  hand  fragment). 

Plate  XXIX.  —  1.  Wooden  coflin  for  contracted  burial  found  in  no.  2  17.3  A,  a  small  stair- 
way tomb.  The  chamber  on  the  east  side  was  closed  by  a  brick  wall,  on  removal  of  which  the 
coffin  appeared,  almost  filling  the  little  chamber.  When  the  lid  was  lifted  a  quantity  of  linen  was 
found,  much  eaten  by  white  ants.  Under  it  were  two  skeletons,  an  adult  lying  head  north,  face 
east,  sharply  contracted;  and  along  the  south  end,  a  baby,  on  its  face,  head  to  the  east. 

2.  The  side  of  another  IInd  Dynasty  coffin  (no.  2172  E),  containing  three  sharply  contracted 
burials.  It  was  noted  that  the  bodies  seemed  to  have  been  buried  all  at  the  same  time.  There  was 
not  room  to  lift  the  lid  and  introduce  a  second  body  unless  the  coffin  were  dragged  out  into  the 
shaft,  though  this  was  no  doubt  possible. 

3.  One  of  the  burials  in  this  same  coffin;  the  boards  have  fallen  apart.  The  skull  is  in  good 
preservation  and  below  the  head  was  a  mass  of  fine  linen  serving  as  a  pillow.  The  limbs  were 
bandaged  separately  and  over  the  hips  and  round  the  body  were  large  rolls  of  linen,  much 
damaged  by  beetles  (no.  2 1 72  E). 

4.  Body  found  without  a  coffin  in  tomb  no.  2 1  oh  g,  in  a  small  rounded  chamber  1  m.  ho  cent, 
by  1  m.  80  cent.  It  lay  head  north,  face  east,  strongly  contracted,  knees  near  chin,  right  hand 
over  cheek.  Much  carbonised  wrapping  lay  over  the  body  with  a  twisted  strip  of  linen  that  had 
been  used  to  tie  it  up  into  this  very  compact  bundle. 

Plate  XXX.  —  Plans  of  subterranean  chambers  cut  in  the  rock,  below  some  of  the  larger 
mastabas. 

There  is  a  general  similarity  between  them.  The  largest,  no.  23o2,  being  the  most  elaborate, 
will  be  most  frequently  referred  to,  though  the  others  assist  in  corroborating  its  arrangements. 

It  is  impossible  to  avoid  the  presumption  that  these  underground  plans,  intended  as  habita- 
tions for  the  dead,  were  suggested  by  the  houses  of  the  living. 

No  house  of  the  IInd  or  IIIrd  Dynasties  exists,  but  a  tentative  comparison  with  the  houses  at 
Tell  el-Amarna  (see  Petiue,  Tell  el-Amarna,  pis.  XXXVIII-XXXIX),  though  they  are  many  cen- 
turies later,  certainly  seems  to  confirm  this  view  and  to  point  to  a  perpetuation  of  the  same  type 
of  house. 

To  begin  with,  the  rectangular  turning  in  the  stairway,  so  frequently  noticeable  at  Saqqara, 
may  have  its  parallel  in  Tell  el-Amarna  houses  in  the  ramp  entrance,  at  the  top  of  which  there 


13  EXCAVATIONS  AT  SAQQARA,   1912-1914. 

is  alwavs  a  rectangular  turn  through  a  lohby  or  entrance  hall,  before  the  loggia  or  first  living 
room  is  reached. 

In  nos.  a3oa,  9171,  a337  and  2629,  there  are  chambers  to  the  north  of  the  portcullis. 
These  are  intended  to  represent  rooms  outside  the  house  proper.  In  the  three  latter  they  may 
be  the  store-rooms.  In  no.  2  3o2  the  four  northern  chambers  opening  out  of  a  long  cross  hall 
look  like  stalls  for  cattle  or  horses,  and  bear  a  strong  resemblance  to  a  similar  set  of  chambers 
attached  to  a  house  excavated  in  December  191 3  by  the  Deutsche  Orient  Gesellschaft  at  Tell 
el-Amama.  This  house,  called  Das  Weihnachtshaus  by  the  excavators,  I  Q  46  on  their  plan, 
\\;i-  identified  as  that  belonging  to  the  Keeper  of  Akhenaten's  cattle. 

There  is  a  passage  which  encircles  the  north  portcullis  of  no.  2802  on  its  west  side,  with  two 
rectangular  turns.  This  alternative  route  to  the  stalls  from  the  private  house  may  be  intended  for 
the  back  entrance  to  the  stall  yard,  such  as  also  exists  in  IQ  46.  The  two  chambers  en  route 
would  then  be  a  store-room  for  fodder  and  the  stallkeeper's  room. 

The  rooms  opening  out  of  the  main  passage  immediately  south  of  the  second  portcullis  in 
no.  23o2,  which  were  found  full  of  jars,  may  be  guests  or  servants'  rooms  or  even  store-rooms 
(cf.  Petrie.  loc.  cit.,  Rooms  0,  A). 

In  all  the  plans  there  is  a  suggestion  of  a  central  hall  in  the  widening  of  the  main  N.-S. 
passage,  there  being  always  a  narrowing  for  a  doorway  at  the  north  end  preceding  this. 

The  square  plan  of  this  hall  would  naturally  be  modified  into  an  oblong  to  avoid  too  wide  a 
span. 

The  rooms  opening  out  of  this  central  hall  might  be  the  unmarried  men's  quarters.  At  the 
south  end  of  this  widening  of  the  passage  (the  presumed  central  hall)  there  is  always  a  second 
doorway  (see  pi.  XXXI,  fig.  1),  opening  into  another  group  of  rooms.  These,  the  farthest  removed 
from  the  entrance  and  portcullis,  and  with  no  continuation  of  the  passage  beyond,  must  re- 
present the  women's  quarters  and  the  master's  bedroom  (B  where  his  body  was  deposited). 
Cf.  Petrie,  loc.  cit.  Rooms  B-G  Master's  room  C. 

The  squarish  chamber  in  the  centre  of  this  group  may  be  the  so-called  Quadratzimmer  at  Tell 
el-Amama  (cf.  Petrie,  loc.  cit.,  Room  I). 

In  nos.  2337  and  2307  the  harim  may  be  the  isolated  room,  north  of  the  east  passage  con- 
necting H-L  rooms  with  the  central  passage. 

The  farther  group  of  chambers  labelled  H-L  in  nos.  23o2,  2337,  2^29  and  2606  have 
double  access,  viz.  both  from  the  harim  and  from  the  east  side  of  the  central  hall.  These  represent 
the  bathroom  and  lavatory  (see  pi.  XXXI,  figs.  2,  3),  which  would  thus  be  available  for  the 
occupants  of  both  sets  of  rooms. 

The  rectangular  passage  round  the  burial  chamber  (master's  bedroom)  in  the  one  tomb 
no.  2/107  F'  is  not  easily  connected  with  any  part  of  a  house  unless  it  represents  a  covered 
balcony. 

The  bathroom  (H)  shows  by  its  projecting  pilasters  (see  nos.  23o2,  2337,  2307),  which  in 
the  case  of  no.  2  3o2  are  cut  away  at  the  top,  that  it  reflected  a  design  in  which  the  chamber 
itself  was  curtained  off  from  the  passage  outside.  In  the  last  named  tomb,  the  circular  sink- 
ings in  the  ground  marks  the  place  of  the  water  jars. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  PLATES.  13 

Plate  XXXI.  —  1.  Underground  passages  in  tomb  no/  a.'froa^fjRuabu). 
Central  passage  looking  south.  The  workman  is  seateH^intJie  S.-E.  angle  ol*  the  wall  just 
outside  the  narrow  passage  leading  into  the  hall  in  the  east  side  of  the  burial  chamber. 

2.  Latrine  in  tomb  no.t 


3.  Latrine  in  tomb  no.  (a^oaXThe  odd  earthliness  of  the  conception  of  immortality  revealed 
by  these  adjuncts  to  the  tombSs-' calculated  to  surprise  :  one  suspects  that  the  custom  was  already 
a  dying  one,  retained  long  after  it  had  ceased  to  commend  itself  to  the  best  opinion. 

Plate  XXXII.  —  1 .  Brick  arch  and  shaft  tomb  no(ai  a  6'  ftooking  south-east  :  it  was  empty. 
This  was  one  of  the  smallest  found. 

r  \ 

2.  View,  looking  west,  of  the  long  building,  no. (afro 8, 1  east  ot  the  tomb  of  Hesy.  whose  long 
corridor,  covered  in  at  the  time  by  tenting,  is  seen  lXJbj^background. 

This  magazine,  if  such  it  was,  is  97  m.  70  cent,  long  by  9  m.  60  cent,  in  width,  in  inside 
measurements. 

The  thin  southern  wall  is  1  m.  90  cent,  in  thickness,  and  the  northern  one  9  m.  85  cent. 
The  floor  is  about  0  m.  80  cent,  above  the  ground.  No  door  was  seen. 

Plate  XXXIII.  —  1.  Small  objects  from  tomb  no.  9101  :  five  wooden  draughtmen,  two  ivory 
dagger  handles,  part  of  a  small  slate  palette  as  in  the  sign  Aft  and  a  little  wooden  bolt. 

2.  Fragments  of  bone  inlay  and  diorite  vase  from  another  tomb. 

3.  Model  copper  axe  and  chisels  found  at  the  entrance  of  the  passage  below  the  stair  in  no. 
9^06. 

h .   Copper  ewers  and  basins  from  various  tombs. 

5.  Fragment  of  an  inscribed  slate  bowl  from  tomb  no.  9/1 46,  mentioning  «the  first  occasion 
of  the  Sed-heb  festivals. 

6.  Small  slate  palette  for  scribe  from  tomb  no.  9602.  Length  o  m.  ok  cent. 

7.  Selection  of  small  copper  objects,  including  a  mirror  and  a  Iamp(?). 

Plate  XXXIV.  —  We  descend  suddenly  to  a  much  later  age,  to  the  XXXth  Dynasty. 

A  shaft  near  the  Teta  Pyramid  on  its  west  side  opened  into  a  chamber  containing  no  less  than 
nine  sarcophagi;  plain  rectangular  coffins,  a  large  sarcophagus  of  limestone  and  these  two  of 
granite,  with  their  elaborate  lace-like  decoration  of  religious  texts.  The  tomb  was  at  the  time 
supposed  to  be  a  new  discovery,  but  it  was  found  afterwards  that  Mariette  had  already  opened 
it  and  that  Brugsch  had  made  extracts  from  the  texts.  The  two  coffins  shown  are  now  in  the  Cairo 
Museum  (Journal  d 'entree  du  Muse'e,  nos.  ^725  and  67399). 

Plate  XXXV.  —  Lid  of  the  dwarfs  coffin  after  it  had  been  raised  out  of  the  shaft  (no.  h  10). 


14  EXCAVATIONS  AT  SAQQARA,  1912-1914. 

Plui  \\\VI. —  1.  View  of  a  tomb  cliapel  of  about  tlie  XXX"1  Dynasty,  seen  from  tbe  north.  It 
lies  just  to  the  south  of  the  tourist  track,  midway  between  tbe  Teta  pyramid  and  Mariettas  house. 

•2.  The  same  from  the  south.  The  cliapel  was  supported  by  four  columns.  In  tbe  background, 
right ,  is  seen  the  coping  of  a  shaft  from  which  we  obtained  a  fine  granite  colfin  of  a  certain  Unnefer. 

Our  oldest  workman,  Osman  Duqmaq,  assured  me  that  he  bad  been  down  before,  in  1869, 
when  Ismail  Pasha.  Assim  Pasha  and  l)e  Lesseps  were  here  with  Mariette;  and,  indeed,  (he 
shaft  had  been  dewed  in  modern  times,  for  we  found  part  of  a  cigar-box  at  the  bottom. 

Note  the  f\tensive  benches  covered  with  white  plaster.  It  would  seem  strange  if  they  were  not 
roofed,  hut  no  evidence  of  their  having  been  covered  was  obtained.  Tbe  chapel  was  reused  in 
Roman  times,  as  a  quantity  of  pottery  found  in  it  showed;  perhaps  as  a  guard-bouse,  not  as  a 
tomb,  for  roasted  pine-cones  lay  among  the  sherds. 

Plate  WWII.  —  I.  Seven  fragments  of  sculpture  from  tbe  chapel  shown  in  the  last  plate 
(no.  612). 

2.  Single  figure  from  the  same. 

.'}.  Anthropoid  coffin,  lid  and  base  from  tbe  same  shaft  as  the  large  coffin  of  plate  XXXIV. 
The  minor  members  of  the  family,  we  supposed,  were  interred  in  these  limestone  coffins. 

h.  Top  of  shaft  of  no.  612  (Unnefer),  to  show  the  excellent  masonry  :  tbe  rough  dry  walling 
above  is,  of  course,  due  to  our  workmen.  The  long  low  blocks  of  tbe  XXX,h  Dynasty  work  below 
are  very  characteristic. 

Plate  XXXVIII.  —  Front  and  back  views  of  the  remarkable  bronze  figure  of  a  composite 
deity  found  loose  in  tbe  sand  above  tomb  no.  2606.  Height  o  m.  43  cent,  from  feather-top  to  base. 

1 .  Front  view.  On  each  knee  is  a  curious  face  with  drawn  down  mouth ,  on  tbe  belly  a  cat's 
head,  on  the  chest  a  scarab.  Above  tbe  right  elbow  is  an  ape's  bead  and  behind  it  a  vulture. 
Above  the  left  are,  in  front  a  bull,  behind  a  cat. 

2.  Back  view.  Behind  the  body  is  Isis  as  a  hawk,  behind  tbe  bead  a  ram's  bead  with  disc  and 
uraeus.  Above  the  horns  is  a  head  of  Bes  and  over  this  a  much  corroded  bird's  head  with  bead- 
dress,  probably  Thoth.  The  figure  seems  to  have  been  cast  in  three  pieces,  head-dress,  main  part 
and  base.  All  four  hands  are  clenched  and  pierced  by  an  opening  large  enough  to  pass  a  match 
through.  There  is  a  bar  of  metal  from  the  chest  to  the  end  of  the  beard. 

This  bronze  had,  of  course,  nothing  to  do  with  the  mastaba  above  which  it  was  found.  A  very 
large  number  of  bronze  statuettes  have  been  found  in  past  years,  loose  in  the  sand  and  uncon- 
nected with  tombs,  mainly  near  the  Serapeum  according  to  our  guards.  They  were  buried  inten- 
tionally, say  our  men,  who  are  indeed  the  only  witnesses  of  these  regrettable  excavations.  One 
would  guess  that  they  were  intended  to  consecrate  and  limit  a  portion  of  the  desert  as  a  cemetery, 
but  there  was  no  group  of  tombs  of  a  late  period  particularly  near  to  this  bronze.  It  is  not  likely 
to  have  been  dropped  and  its  position  must  have  some  meaning.     • 

I'ute  XXXIX.  —  Pottery  forms. 


CATALOGUE  OF  TOMBS. 

MASTABAS  OF  THE  Ist  DYNASTY. 

Tomb  noJ  2185.ll'1  Dynasty  (pis.  V-X).  —  In  the  two  northern  chambers  a  and  b  were  a  mass 
of  broken  vases-eontaining  charcoal  and  fragments  of  flint  knives. 

Chamber  c.  —  Contained  fragments  of  stone  bowls. 

Chamber  d.  —  1  m.  4o  cent,  in  depth,  with  stone  roof  o  m.  20  cent,  to  o  m.  32  cent,  in  thick- 
ness. There  were  many  traces  of  fire,  especially  above  the  roof,  where  charred  wood  was  found 
and  the  slabs  were  cracked  across  by  heat. 

The  objects  found  included  a  flint  knife,  a  much  corroded  copper  knife  and  chisel  (pi.  VIII,  a), 
fragments  of  rough  pottery,  and  one  fragment  of  granite  with  no  surface  worked. 

Chamber  e.  —  Fragments  of  fifteen  ivory  pins,  two  with  signs  incised,  four  little  stone  spheres 
like  playing  marbles,  doubtless  from  a  serpent  game,  and  a  few  scraps  of  copper. 

Chamber  f.  —  Depth  1  m.  35  cent.  On  the  east  side  were  fifteen  tall  vases  (o  m.  90  cent.) 
found  standing  (pi.  VII,  h).  On  one  was  a  sealing  of  good  yellow  clay  mixed  with  fibre,  in 
another  were  a  few  bones  of  some  bird.  A  smaller  egg-shaped  vase  had  black  mud  at  the 
bottom. 

In  the  brick  wall  above  the  stone  roof,  ends  of  joists  were  embedded  which  must  have  support- 
ed a  wooden  floor.  They  were  o  m.  08  cent,  in  diameter,  about  0  m.  3o  cent,  apart  and  from 
o  m.  o5  cent,  to  o  m.  20  cent,  above  the  stones.  In  the  south  wall  of  the  chamber  is  a  robber's 
bole. 

On  the  west  side  were  one  large  vase,  ten  eggshaped,  one  flat  bottomed,  with  the  bones  of  a 
duck  lying  in  the  eartb  between  them. 

Chamber  g.  —  A  limestone  coffin  of  the  Ptolemaic  period  lay  on  the  floor  of  the  upper  cham- 
ber. The  mummy  was  on  its  back,  head  west,  tightly  wrapped,  in  plain  bandages,  with  no  carton- 
nage.  Near  this  was  a  Greek  vase  and  with  it  a  pin  and  kohl-stick. 

The  chamber  was  1  m.  5o  cent.  deep. 

Contents  :  oval  pottery  trays,  one  complete  cylindrical  vase  of  basalt  and  at  the  south  end  a 
fine  set  of  copper  tools  (pi.  VIII,  1). 

Chamber  h.  —  Clay  sealing  with  name  of  king  Zer  (pi.  VIII,  5). 

Chamber  m.  —  Fragments  of  Middle  Kingdom  ware  —  the  only  such  found  during  two  years' 
work  in  this  part  of  the  cemetery. 


16  EXCAVATIONS  AT  SAQQARA,   1912-1914. 

Chamber  n.        I'nder  the  wall  to  the  east  was  a  stairway  of  earlier  date. 

In  a  hole  in  the  north  wall  was  a  wooden  box,  plastered  and  painted  with  a  wooden  hawk 
on  the  lid,  facing  west,  all  in  very  had  condition  and  evidently  from  an  intrusive  burial. 

The  seals  are  shown  in  plate  IX,  stone  vases,  basalt,  slate  and  alabaster  in  plate  X. 

The  tomb  is  of  the  same  type  as  the  trMenesii  tomb  of  Nagada,  but.  was  much  more  denuded. 
It  appeared  that  there  had  been  a  single  upper  row  of  chambers  with  wooden  floors  and  roofs  (?) 
buttb**  had  been  very  thoroughly  burned  and  the  ruins  as  thoroughly  looted. 


1*  Dynasty  (pis.  XI-X111).  —  Dimensions  :  i  m.  4o  cent,  x  i  m.  o5  cent,  and  ca. 
<>  mv-i^cent.  deep.  This  was  a  small  tomb  of  the  same  reign  as  the  preceding,  Zer  (Ist  Dynasty). 

It  had  already  been  robbed  when  in  the  time  of  Netermu  (II"'1  Dynasty)  the  large  mastaba 
no.  2171  was  built  over  it;  probably  the  builders  of  the  one  tomb  destroyed  the  other.  The 
contents  of  the  grave  had  been  very  thoroughly  tossed  about  and  their  relative  position  was 
meaningless. 

The  only  object  of  intrinsic  value  that  had  escaped  the  robbers  was  a  plain  gold  hairpin ,  o  m. 
1 3  cent,  long,  very  sharp-pointed. 

On  the  edge  of  the  tomb  there  remained  part  of  the  mud-covered  mat  that  had  once  been  laid 
above  it. 

There  was  a  wooden  floor  to  the  tomb,  or  perhaps  a  bed,  and  below  this  a  o  m.  to  cent. 
layer  of  clean  sand.  The  sides  of  the  tomb  had  been  lined  with  bricks  (o  m.  2  3  cent,  long)  and 
then  plastered.  In  the  filling  were  a  large  number  of  fragments  of  stone  bowls,  of  delicate  shapes 
and  made  from  fine  stones  :  but  only  one  of  these,  a  tiny  cylindrical  vase,  was  unbroken. 

A  catalogue  of  the  objects  found  is  appended  below. 

1.  Ivory  tablet  o  m.  o35  mill,  square,  broken  and  incomplete  (photo  and  drawing  on  plate 
XI,  2.  3). 

2.  Ivory  tablet  o  m.  020  mill,  long,  plain. 

3.  Ivory  bulls'  feet  (largest  0  m.  o5o  mill.)  and  fragments. 

h.  Ivory  box  lid  with  handle  (0  m.  o35  mill,  x  0  m.  o55  mill.). 

5.  Fragments  of  ivory  pins  and  inlay. 

6.  Complete  vase  of  slate,  0  m.  oft5  mill,  in  height. 

7.  Slate  ring  stand  for  vase,  part  of;  diameter  0  m.  06  cent. 

8.  A  rectangular  slate  palette  0  m.  2 1  cent,  long  with  scratched  lines  round  border. 

9.  Three  flint  scrapers  (ca.  o  m.  o5  cent.  long.  PI.  XI,  7). 

10.  Wooden  tablet  inscribed  (pi.  XI,  5)  with  the  king's  name  in  ink. 

11.  Wooden  box  lid  (0  m.  o3  cent.). 

1  2.   Wooden  plaque,  o  in.  1  3  cent,  long,  carved  as  a  mat. 


CATALOGUE  OF  TOMBS. 


17 


13.  Fragments  of  a  reed  mat  found  low  down  :  probably  part  of  tbe  mat  that  covered  the 
tomb. 

Ml.  Part  of  a  small  bowl  of  tortoise  (?)  shell. 

15.  Fragments  of  sixty-one  stone  vases,  mostly  very  incomplete  but  of  fine 
workmanship,  made  in  quartz,  jasper,  slate,  fine  limestone,  porphyry,  ala- 
baster. The  forms  are  given  on  plate  XII. 

10.  Nine  cylindrical  alabaster  vases  and  parts  of  vases,  vary- 
ing from  o  m.  20  cent,  to  o  m.  35  cent,  in  height  :  the  forms 
are  given  on  plate  XIII. 

17.  Fragments  of  bones  and  teeth  of  a  calf. 

18.  One  tall  vase  of  pottery  as  in  this  figure  i.  The  IInd 
Dynasty  type  is  slighter  (fig.  2). 

12188.  Jst  Dynasty. 
£n— open  grave,  2  m.  90  cent,  by  2  m.  60  cent,  and  1  m.  ho  cent,  deep, 
thoroughly  turned  over  by  robbers.  There  were  fragments  of  human  bones  scat- 
tered through  the  gravel,  a  square  palette  of  slate,  a  copper  adze  and  a  small 
chisel,  four  large  earthenware  vases  of  a  Is1  Dynasty  form,  four  cylindrical  vases, 
a  (lint  scraper  and  the  considerable  collection  of  stone  vases  drawn  on  plate  XIV. 


Fi 


g.  a. 


Tomb  no.  2190.  Ist  Dynasty.  —  Sharply  contracted  burial,  head  S.  face  W.  disturbed.  Male 
skeleton  with  dust  of  wood  or  mat  below. 

Contents  :  fragment  of  wood,  some  fragments  of  copper,  one  copper  spatula,  fragments  of  ten 
stone  vases,  two  flints,  two  large  pottery  jars  with  mud  seal  in  place  (type  D). 


MASTABAS   OF   THE   IInd   AND   IIIrd  DYNASTIES. 

All  the  remaining  tombs  figured  on  the  plan  (pis.  I  and  II)  belong  to  these  dynasties;  they  con- 
tained very  little  pottery  but  a  vast  quantity  of  stone  vases,  mostly  in  fragments;  the  types  are 
throughout  similar  to  those  shown  on  plate  XXI. 

'2101.  Large  mastaba  (pi.  I,  near  middle).  Stairway  in  the  N.-W.  corner.  The  filling  is  mostly 
of  limestone  chip  and  a  row  of  pots  stood  on  the  floor  (forms  E,  L).  Portcullis  in  place,  chamber 
to  S.  (5  metres  x  3  m.  80  cent.  1  m.  55  cent.);  walls  very  irregular. 

Contents  :  twenty-three  bowls  of  alabaster,  two  of  granite,  one  of  slate,  three  of  dark  marble 
with  fragments  of  about  six  more;  seventeen  of  these  were  complete.  Also  some  cylindrical  ala- 
basters and  four  limestone  dummy  cylindrical  vases,  o  m.  i5  cent.  high. 

Pottery  forms  A,  B,  C,  D  (pi.  XXXIX). 

A  group  of  small  shafts  west  of  the  main  tomb  is  numbered  2101  (1 ,  2),  etc. 

Excavations  at  Saqqara ,   191  2-191  A.  3 


IS  EXCAVATIONS  AT  SAQQARA,   1912-1914. 

2101  (a).  Near  S.-W.  comer  of  the  last,  a  roughly  arched  tomb,  arch  to  S. 
Contents  :  two  small  stone  vases. 

2101  (3).  North  of  (a)  and  W.  of  main  tomb.  Chamber  to  west. 

Contents  :  fluted  pillar  headrest,  with  stone  vases  (one  of  diorite,  one  marble,  four  alabaster) 
and  part  of  an  offering  table. 

"2101  (7)  and  1  8).  Two  small  mastabas  in  good  preservation.  Stair  to  E.  No  chamber. 
Contents  :  in  (8 ),  one  cylindrical  alabaster  vase. 

2101  (9).  Stair.  Chamber  to  west. 

Contents  :  one  large  alabaster,  one  small,  two  small  limestone  vases  and  fragments,  mostly 
of  diorite. 

2101  (10).  Chamber  to  west. 

Contents  :  one  porphyry  bowl,  fragment  of  slate,  three  alabaster,  two  limestone,  eleven  dum- 
my limestone  vases. 

Slightly  later  in  date  are  two  tombs  : 

2101  B.  At  the  south-east  corner  of  the  main  mastaba.  A  shaft  tomb  with  arched  chamber. 
The  chamber  and  shaft  were  plastered.  The  blocking  of  the  door  was  found  intact,  but  the  arch 
was  broken  in  from  above.  Only  fragments  of  vases  found. 

2101  C.  Just  to  south  of  no.  2 1 0 1  B  and  built  to  lean  against  the  main  tomb.  Stair  from  E. 
Chamber  to  W.,  both  plastered.  Chamber  1  m.  60  cent,  by  1  metre. 
Contents  :  fragments  of  about  six  stone  bowls. 

2 1 02.  Bow  of  small  mastabas  to  the  E.  of  no.  2101. 

B.  Mastaba  of  black  brick.  Shaft,  rather  than  stair,  about  2  m.  3o  cent.  deep.  Chamber  to  W. 

Contents  :  one  (lint  flake,  part  of  an  alabaster  table. 

K.  Mastaba  of  bright  yellow  brick,  built  over  chamber,  not  over  stair. 

Contents  :  skull  and  a  few  bones,  one  diorite  bowl,  one  of  granite  and  twenty-three  others. 

2103.  Large  mastaba  with  brick  walls  and  gravel  fdling  (bricks  o  m.  ik  cent.).  Stair  shaft, 
portcullis  still  in  place  and  the  robbers'  way  forced  round  it.  On  the  floor  and  below  the  walls  a 
lot  of  pottery  ( forms  1 ,  P ,  C ,  B ). 

Contents  of  chamber  :  thirty-four  stone  bowls  and  four  cylindrical  alabaster  vases. 

2103.  Secondary.  Two  intrusive  burials  of  poor  quality,  one  in  a  couple  of  pots  placed  mouth 
to  mouth,  the  other  covered  by  a  brick  arch. 

2104.  A  row  of  small  mastabas  between  nos.  2io3  and  2io5. 

2  I  04  b.  Shaft  lined  with  light  coloured  brick.  Chamber  on  W.  side.  In  it  some  human  bones, 
four  stone  bowls,  three  cylindrical  alabaster  vases,  part  of  a  table  of  limestone,  a  shell  and  pot- 
sherds. 


CATALOGUE  OF  TOMBS.  19 

2104g'.  Part  of  the  mastaba  remained.  A  stair  of  four  rough  steps  descends  on  the  E.  side  of 
the  2  m.  20  cent,  deep  shaft  to  a  small  chamber  of  rounded  shape  i  m.  4o  cent,  long  by  l  metre 
wide  and  only  o  m.  8o  cent.  high.  The  mouth  of  the  little  cave  was  closed  by  a  dry  wall  of  l  i/a 
bricks  (bricks  o  in.  2  5  cent,  and  om.  ali  cent.  long). 

Inside  the  body  lay  undisturbed  in  a  sharply  contracted  position,  head  N.  and  face  E.  :  the 
knees  were  close  to  the  chin  :  the  right  hand  lay  upon  the  cheek.  Over  the  body  lay  a  consider- 
able quantity  of  carbonised  linen ;  one  tie  of  twisted  cloth  lay  across  the  body. 

A  few  pieces  of  stone  were  in  a  row  E.  of  the  body.  N.  of  the  head  were  the  remains  of  a  wooden 
headrest  with  two  pillars. 

The  south  side  of  the  chamber  is  broken  into  by  the  next  tomb  (A),  which  is  therefore  later 
than  (g). 

2104  h.  A  very  small  mastaba  which  had  to  be  removed  bodily  in  order  to  reach  the  shaft. 
The  blocking  of  the  door  was  intact.  When  it  was  removed  there  appeared,  first,  a  large  pot 
containing  a  little  clay,  behind  it  to  the  south  a  body,  head  N.  face  E. ,  sharply  contracted ,  with 
carbonised  cloth  above  it.  Behind  this  was  a  cylindrical  alabaster  vase,  o  m.  i  5  cent,  high,  con- 
taining organic  matter.  Over  the  body  lay  two  reeds  crossed,  and  two  more  lay  behind  the  back. 
These  were  parts  of  musical  instruments. 

There  was  also  a  poor  coffin  of  the  IInd  Dynasty  type  in  the  tomb  (o  m.  70  cent,  x  0  m.  46 
cent,  x  o  m.  43  cent.)  externally.  Above  it  stood  a  box  ( ca.  o  m.  27  cent,  xom,  a4  cent,  x 
o  m.  10  cent.)  with  lid  of  wood,  painted  red;  both  box  and  coffin  partly  eaten  by  white  ants. 
The  body  in  the  coffin  lay  very  sharply  contracted,  head  N.  face  E.  The  wrappings  were  in  dust, 
but  the  limbs  appear  to  have  been  bandaged  separately.  A  mass  of  hair  twisted  in  tiny  cork- 
screws and  apparently  daubed  with  fat  lay  near  the  head. 

2105  (pi.  XVI).  A  large  tomb  with  stair  on  the  east  side  underneath  the  mastaba  walls, 
portcullis  below  still  in  place;  the  burial  chamber  a  large  square  pit  once  roofed  with  timber 
baulks. 

The  gravel  filling  was  cleared  from  all  the  southern  half  and  underneath .  in  a  trench  cut  in 
the  ancient  floor,  was  found  the  singular  granary  of  plate  XVI,  1,  consisting  of  two  rows  of  un- 
baked mud  jars,  twenty-eight  in  all.  A  tiny  bricked  passage  along  which  a  cat  might  creep,  led 
from  this  to  the  S.-E.  corner  of  the  pit.  The  unbaked  pots  in  the  trench  had  cone-shaped  stop- 
pers outside  and  a  concave  lid  inside.  There  was  an  oblong  impressed  stamp  on  each  vase,  but 
no  inscription.  Search  was  made  for  seeds,  without  success,  but  the  lowest  third  of  each  vase 
contained  a  very  light  organic  powder,  somewhat  of  the  appearance  of  coffee  grounds. 

Save  for  the  egg-shaped  pots  shown  in  plate  XVI,  2 ,  the  contents  of  the  pit  were  scanty,  viz.  : 
fragments  of  three  bowls,  slate,  breccia  and  alabaster  and  the  small  objects  of  ivory  and  flint 
shown  in  plate  XVI,  4. 

2110.  Mastaba.  The  superstructure  ca.  1  m.  4o  cent.  high.  Shaft  2  m.  5o  cent.  deep.  Chamber 
to  W.  1  m.  4o  cent,  x  0  m.  70  cent,  x  1  m.  4o  cent. 

Contents  :  two  copper  ewers  and  basins,  a  third  basin,  a  few  fragments  of  very  thin  metal,  a 
flint  knife  o  m.  21  cent,  long,  five  alabaster  tables,  two  bowls,  fragments  of  diorite. 


20  EXCAVATIONS  AT  SAQQARA,   1912-1914. 

Sill.  Mastaha  with  plastered  shaft  and  a  small  chamber  lined  with  an  arched  roof  also  plas- 
tered. 

Contents  :  fragments  of  stone  howls  and  two  alabaster  tables. 

3 1  I  2.  N.  and  S.  Two  mastabas  standing  about  i  in.  5o  cent.  high.  Filling  of  yellow  limestone 
chip.  N.  shaft  with  narrow,  useless  steps  at  the  top;  three  chambers  to  N.,  S.  and  W.  Top  of  stair 
under  the  north  wall  of  tomb. 

Contents  :  three  small  bronze  bowls  (largest  o  m.  o3  cent.),  mirror  (o  m.  07  cent.),  two  large 
alabaster  plates,  alabaster  bowl  with  spout  mended  in  antiquity,  fragments  of  other  alabaster 
bowls  and  cylindrical  vases,  small  diorite  bowl,  and  a  dumbbell  shaped  bead  of  stone. 

2\  \h.  Two  stairs  in  this  mastaba  descend  in  opposite  directions  one  N.  one  S. 
N.  Stairway.  Chamber  to  N.  1  m.  20  cent,  x  o  m.  80  cent,  x  0  m.  90  cent. 
Contents  :  five  dummies,  two  limestone  cylindrical  vases  with  red  painted  edges,  two  cylin- 
drical alabasters,  incomplete,  and  a  few  beads  of  green  glaze,  these  last  perhaps  intrusives. 

21  \k.  S.  The  stairshaft  2  m.  90  cent,  deep,  with  chamber  1  m.  70  cent,  x  1  hi.  i5  cent. 
and  "  in.  i|."i  cent.  high.  It  contained  : 

1 .  V  bowl  ol  limestone  4V  ''  •  diameter  0  m.  117  cent.,  and  another  incomplete; 

2.  Two  small  vases  ^  (2)  of  the  same  stone,  of  a  wellknown  IInd  Dynasty  type,  made  in 
two  pieces  o  m.  o3  cent,  and  o  m.  o5  cent,  in  diameter; 

3.  The  upper  half  of  an  alabaster  bowl  of  the  same  type,  o  m.  10  cent,  in  diameter,  and  the 
ring  top  of  a  black  and  white  marble; 

h.  A  shallow  copper  bowl,  diameter  o  m.  i5  cent.; 

5.  A  ferrule  of  copper ; 

6.  A  diorite  bowl  fP,  diameter  o  m.  1 5  cent. ; 

7.  A  small  diorite  bowl  with  spout,  0  m.  oh  cent.; 

8.  Fragments  of  an  ostrich  egg; 

9.  A  shell  with  stains  of  green  paint; 

10.  An  ivory  spoon  in  very  bad  condition,  a  gold  foil  bracelet,  consisting  of  a  strip  of  metal 
bent  round,  but  the  ends  not  joined; 

1 1.  A  similar  bronze  bracelet; 

i  2.  Three  barrel  shaped  beads  of  green  glaze ; 
1 3.  The  tip  of  an  ivory  pin. 


The  exact  form  does  not  exist  in  our  fount  of  type  :  pi.  XXI,  4th  column,  second  from  top,  gives  the  shape  belter. 
"  Rather  pi.  XXI,  5"  column,  a"  vase  from  bottom.  These  two  forms,  possibly  an  oilflask  and  a  lamp  are  often  found 
together. 


CATALOGUE  OF  TOMBS.  21 

2115.  Stairway  descends  from  N.  in  nine  little  steps,  then  becomes  a  shaft  (total  depth  h  m. 
60  cent.)  from  which  opens  a  small  chamber  very  irregular  in  shape,  with  hard  boulders  pro- 
jecting from  the  walls. 

Contents  :  copper  ewer  and  basin  and  a  very  large  number  of  stone  vessels,  viz.  :  two  ala- 
baster tables,  ten  good  alabaster  bowls,  one  of  diorite,  one  of  serpentine,  one  of  slate,  many  good 
alabaster  fragments,  one  of  a  spouted  bowl,  five  cylindrical  alabasters  and  about  forty  dummy 
limestone  vases.  Types  similar  to  the  less  flat  types  of  plate  XXI. 

2116.  A  shaft  really,  but  in  plan  an  irregular  oblong  like  the  staircases.  Chamber  to  the  west. 

21 16.  N.  Close  to  the  south  niche  of  no.  9101.  Chamber  to  N.  In  it  a  body  lying  on  its  back, 
one  arm  and  both  legs  sharply  doubled  up.  It  had  been  disturbed  in  antiquity,  but  was  certainly 
buried  in  the  contracted  position.  It  lay  with  its  head  east  against  the  north  wall.  The  wrap- 
pings were  very  rotten,  but  there  was  a  clear  space  of  as  much  as  2  centimetres  in  places  between 
the  bones  and  the  layers  of  cloth. 

Contents  :  one  alabaster  bowl ,  one  cylindrical  vase. 

This  tomb  is  not  shown  on  the  plan.  It  lies  N.  of  no.  2116  and  E.  of  no.  2101. 

2118.  Shaft  3  m.  20  cent.  deep.  Two  small  chambers,  one  to  S. ,  one  to  W. 

Contents  :  two  fragments  of  an  alabaster  bowl;  a  third,  which  fits  with  these,  was  found  out- 
side the  tomb  sometime  before. 

A  few  steatite  beads  and  one  lotus  flower  bead,  belonging  to  a  different  period,  probably  came 
from  an  intrusive  burial  above. 

2119.  Two  tombs.  (1)  Small  mastaba  with  arched  chamber  to  S.  Shaft  well  plastered. 
Contents  :  ivory  pin  (o  m.  08  cent.),  two  alabaster  ring  tops  of  vases,  blue  slate  disc  (o  m. 

018  mill.),  perhaps  base  of  a  vase,  some  alabaster  fragments. 

(2)  Intrusive  burial  at  full  length,  in  a  brick  lined  grave  which  cut  through  the  mastaba 
stair.  Head  to  the  E.  The  grave  was  roofed  with  palm  logs,  one  of  which  remains  in  place.  Bricks 
o  m.  3o  cent.  long. 

2120.  Chamber  to  S.,  small  and  irregular  in  shape,  but  evidently  intended  for  a  contracted 
burial. 

Contents  :  fragments  of  one  marble  vase  and  one  alabaster  spouted  bowl. 

2121.  Staired  shaft  well  plastered. 

Contents  :  ten  cylindrical  dummy  vases  of  limestone. 

2122.  Small  irregular  chamber  to  W. 

■ 

2125.  Barrel  vault  N.  to  S.,  one  brick  in  thickness.  Width  of  span  o  m.  92  cent.  Height  from 

arch  spring  o  m.  96  cent.,  length  of  span  1  m.  1  2  cent.  The  widening  joints  on  convex  surface 

were  filled  with  potsherds.  Bricks  laid  on  edge.  The  doorway,  which  carries  two  thirds  of  E. 

spring  of  vault,  is  0  m.  65  cent,  wide  and  is  covered  by  a  single  limestone  slab  as  architrave. 


ii  EXCAVATIONS  AT  SAQQARA,   1912-1914. 

2 1 "26.  A  verv  small  tomb,  the  chamber  roofed  by  a  barrel  vault  in  perfect  condition,  similar 
to  that  of  no.  aiaa.  Shaft  o  m.  go  cent,  square,  vault  l  m.  3o  cent,  long  (pi.  XXXII,  i). 

2131.  Mastaba  of  yellow  brick.  Skew  shaft  cutting  into  an  earlier  mastaba.  Chamber  to  S. 
Contents  :  two-pillared  head-rest  in  very  bad  condition  and  one  alabaster  bowl,  stained  red 

inside. 

2132.  Mastaba  of  yellow  brick.  Chamber  cuts  into  no.  21 64. 

Contents  :  one  fine  alabaster  table,  two  bowls,  one  cylindrical,  five  short  dummy  vases  and 
many  fragments. 

2136.  Three  small,  poor  mastabas.  One  contained  copper  ewer  and  basin,  porphyry  bowl, 
small  alabaster  bowl ,  a  plate  and  two  cylindrical  vases.  Two  had  chambers  to  the  S. ,  the  third 
no  chamber  at  all. 

2137.  Shaft  and  chamber  to  S.,  both  well  plastered. 

Contents  :  two  slate,  three  alabaster  bowls,  plate,  fragments  of  breccia,  coarse  pots  (form  K) 
found  close  by  shaft. 

2143.  Chamber  to  S.;  blank. 

2143  A.  Short  wide  stair,  lined  with  white  plaster.  Chamber  to  N. 

Contents  :  two  alabaster  bowls,  one  flat  dish,  one  dish  of  red  and  white  breccia,  fragments 
of  other  bowls  of  alabaster,  breccia  and  bluish  marble,  a  dummy  limestone  jar  and  a  coarse 
pot  (form  K)  found  in  the  debris. 

2145.  An  abnormal  plan.  Shaft  to  W.  leads  to  a  square  chamber  which  contains  square  pillar 
near  N.-E.  corner  :  another  chamber  to  S.  of  this.  Probably  not  of  the  early  period. 

2146.  A  square  shaft  opening  into  a  small  (1  metre  by  o  m.  80  cent.)  chamber.  Half  a  bowl 
of  diorite  and  a  disturbed  skeleton  were  all  that  was  left  in  it. 

2146  E.   Steep  stair,  2  metres  deep.  Small  chamber  to  N.  with  stone  lintel. 
Contents  :  two  dummy  limestone  vases,  fragments  of  alabaster  bowls,  and  three  cylindrical 
beads,  one  steatite,  two  of  glaze.  The  stela  shown  in  plates  XXVI-XXVII  was  found  in  the  rubbish. 

2149.  Mastaba  of  yellow  brick.  Lining  of  shaft  of  black  brick.  Chambers  to  S.  and  N.  In  N. 
chamber  a  few  bones  and  a  skull. 

2 152.  Stairway  3  m.  20  cent,  deep,  descending  from  N.  in  nine  steps.  Portcullis  in  situ. 
Chamber  to  S.  Body  at  S.  end,  contracted,  head  W. 

2155.  Shaft.  Chamber  to  S.  with  another  opening  from  it  to  E.,  but  the  latter  is  probably 
the  burial  chamber  of  another  tomb  which  has  broken  through. 

Contents  :  wooden  spoon,  fragment  of  bronze,  fragments  of  fine  bowls,  thirteen  dummy 
limestone  vases,  two  long  blue  beads,  one  faience  disc.  Bead  and  finally  a  slate  lotus  petal  (o  m. 
06  cent,  long)  at  the  time  not  understood  but  plainly  a  fragment  from  a  cup  in  form  of  a  lotus 
flower. 


CATALOGUE  OF  TOMBS.  23 

2158.  Yellow  brick  mastaba.  Chamber  to  S.,  brick  arched,  i  metre  by  o  in.  90  cent. 

2  101.  Plaster  lined  steep  stair,  3  metres  deep  witb  small  chamber  to  west. 

2162.  Chamber  to  S.  The  stair  has  but  asinglestep,  is  almost  ashaft.  In  the  chamber  a  broken 
skull  and  three  sherds  from  three  different  stone  bowls. 

2165.  Stairway.  Chamber  to  S. 

Contents  :  two  alabaster  bowls  type  of  plate  XXI,  col.  A,  no.  3  and  seven  dummy  vases. 

2166.  Yellow  brick  mastaba.  Chamber  to  S.  Ox  skull  in  rubbish  above. 

Contents  :  two  alabaster  bowls,  broken,  but  complete;  had  been  mended  in  ancient  times 
with  some  dark-coloured  adhesive. 

2166  E.  Black  brick  mastaba.  Chamber  to  S.  Six  dummy  vases. 

2167  N.  Brick  stairway.  Chamber  to  S. 

Contents  :  limestone  cylinder,  0111.12  cent,  by  o  m.  3  1/2  cent,  marked  with  4-  on  the  end, 
a  few  fragments  of  an  alabaster  table  and  of  porphyry  and  diorite  bowls. 

2168.  Shaft,  1  metre  deep,  lined  yellow  plaster.  Chambers  to  E.  and  W.  In  E.  chamber,  two 
canopies  with  human  heads,  fragments  of  two  others,  planks  from  a  coffin  and  a  pot.  All  these 
clearly  from  a  New  Empire  intrusive  burial. 

2169.  Bricklined  and  plastered  shaft.  Chamber  to  S. ,  of  the  usual  dimensions  (1  metre  by 
0  m.  80  cent.)  but  quite  empty. 

2170.  Mastaba  built  against  N.  wall  of  ho.  2 102.  Chamber  to  E.  Body  in  S.-VV.  corner,  con- 
tracted. 

Contents  :  part  of  a  panel  from  a  II"a  Dynasty  coflin  lay  over  body;  there  were  a  few  dummy 
limestone  vases. 

2171.  Main  tomb  (pi.  XV). 

Large  mastaba  with  brick  stairway  and  underground  chambers  (plan  on  plate  XXX). 

In  the  underground  chambers  were  found  over  100  stone  bowls  of  diorite,  slate,  breccia, 
limestone  and  alabaster  of  various  shades.  Pottery  forms  A,  C,  K  and  L.  Pottery  forms  thus 
lettered  are  shown  in  plate  XXXIX. 

In  the  shaft,  between  the  blocking  stones,  one  copper  hatchet,  also  a  seal  of  Netermu. 

Just  outside  the  portcullis  were  fragments  of  a  large  vase,  form  D,  and  of  an  alabaster  bowl, 
three  small  alabaster  vases,  some  fragments  of  copper. 

On  the  stair  were  pots  of  the  form  shown  in  the  figure  2  on  page  17,  o  m.  75  cent,  to  o  m. 
80  cent,  in  height.  Some  had  scratched  marks  on  them.  They  contained  blackened  organic 
matter. 

The  pottery  found  in  the  gravel  filling  was  of  the  forms  C,  D,  H  (red  and  black),  I  (black 
topped),  with  coarse  cylindrical  types  as  shown  in  plate  XV. 

The  line  of  pots  under  the  gravel  was  3  m.  80  cent,  long;  it  starts  from  the  W.  wall.  i3  m. 
90  cent,  from  inside  N.  wall  (pi.  XV,  2). 


24  EXCAVATIONS  AT  SAQQARA,   1912-1914. 

a  metres  If.  of  this  line  was  a  large  heap  of  pots,  form  D. 
Five  secondary  hurials  were  found  in  the  filling. 

1.  Wooden  coffin,  Greek  period,  well  made,  plastered  and  painted. 

Face  W.  Inside  a  cartonnage  mask  with  green  wig  and  gilt  face  and  inscription  in  relief  with 
the  name  painted  later  in  hlue.  apparently  fU  U  .  Narrow,  regularly  spaced  handages  on 
the  mommy. 

2.  Wooden  coffin  in  poor  state.  Mummiform. 

3.  Oval  red  pottery  coffin  of  a  child.  Head  W. 

h.  Burial  without  coffin.  Head  W. 

5.  Stone  coffin  of  Greek  period,  near  the  Old  Kingdom  pots.  It  is  visible  in  plate  VI,  left  side, 
high  up.  It  is  hollowed  out  to  the  shape  of  a  mummy,  but  externally  is  flat  sided,  broader,  how- 
ever, at  the  head  than  at  the  feet  (o  m.  7 5  cent,  to  0  m.  5o  cent.). 

2172.  Group  of  small  tombs  near  the  northern  niche  of  no.  2171. 

2172  A.  Small  mastaba.  Shaft  with  one  step  only  at  the  top,  3  m.  &o  cent.  deep.  Chamber 
1  m.  80  cent.  N.  and  S.  irregular  in  shape. 
Contents  :  a  few  fragments  of  stone  bowls. 

2172  B.  Shaft  2  metres  deep.  In  a  chamber  to  the  S.  of  it  were  two  bodies  in  contracted 
position,  heads  N.,  faces  E.  They  had  been  disturbed  and  one  head  had  been  removed,  but  the 
trunks  remained  in  their  original  position.  They  had  been  laid  in  a  short  wooden  coffin,  parts 
of  the  planks  of  which  remained  on  three  sides  of  the  four  :  the  length  of  the  box  could  be  safely 
measured;  it  was  1  m.  01  cent.  There  were  some  remains  of  carbonised  cloth. 

The  eastern  body  was  that  of  a  child.  A  third  body  lay  with  head  to  W.  in  contracted  position, 
but  had  been  too  much  disturbed  for  more  detail  to  be  observed.  In  the  shaft  were  parts  of  three 
Hat  stone  dishes  and  a  granite  cup  o  m.  08  cent.  high. 

2172  C.  Same  shaft  deeper  down.  Chamber  to  N.  (1  m.  3o  cent.  N.  and  S.,  o  m.  75  cent. 
E.  and  W.).  Contents  :  five  dummy  vases. 

"J  I  72  E.  Oblong  shaft  with  single  step.  In  the  shaft,  part  of  a  limestone  table.  The  chamber 
to  N.  was  still  blocked  with  a  wall  of  dry  bricks  (o  m.  22  cent.  long).  The  shaft  had  been  appa- 
rently plastered  after  the  chamber  was  closed.  The  coffin  lay  E.  and  W.,  the  decorated  face  to  N. 
IInd  Dynasty  type  (pi.  XXIX,  2). 

Three  bodies  were  inside,  two  with  head  W.,  face  N.,  sharply  contracted.  The  head  of  the 
third  was  in  the  N.-W.  corner,  looking  N.  The  bodies  must  have  been  buried  at  the  same  time. 
There  was  not  room  to  lift  the  lid  and  introduce  another  body,  unless  the  coffin  were  dragged 
out  into  the  shaft.  This  was  possible,  no  doubt,  but  the  likelihood  that  this  was  a  case  of  suttee 
must  not  be  overlooked.  There  had  been  no  disturbance  except  by  white  ants. 

2172  G.  The  mastaba,  still  0  in.  85  cent,  high,  was  built  over  one  half  of  Ihc  shaft.  This 
was  3  m.  70  cent,  deep,  had  three  steps  in  the  E.  side,  a  small  chamber  below  to  the  S. 


CATALOGUE  OF  TOMBS.  25 

2172  H.  Mastaba  still  more  than  a  metre  high.  The  shaft  is  but  1  m.  20  cent,  deep  and  the 
roof  of  the  chamber,  which  opened  on  the  south,  was  strengthened  by  an  arch  of  brick.  Con- 
tents :  fragments  of  ten  stone  vases. 

2173.   Similar  group  of  tombs  between  nos.  2171  and  2 1 85. 

Mastaba  with  large  stair  of  seven  steps.  3  m.  80  cent,  deep,  from  N.  to  S.  Chamber  at  S.  end. 

Contents  :  skull  and  a  few  bones  of  a  young  person,  a  fragment  of  a  wooden  headrest,  a  bit  of  a 

slate  palette  with  green  paint  and  a  few  fragments  of  stone  bowls,  one  with  a  leaf  pattern  in  relief. 

2173  A.  Plastered  brick  shaft;  chamber  to  east  was  still  closed  by  a  wall,  one  brick  thick, 
of  o  m.  2  5  cent,  bricks,  bigger  than  those  of  shaft.  Two  uprights,  from  a  wooden  head-rest 
were  found  outside  the  chamber. 

In  the  chamber  was  a  small  coffin  of  IInd  Dynasty  type  (pi.  XXIX,  1).  The  chamber  was  only 
just  large  enough  to  hold  it.  Inside  were  the  bones  of  an  adult  and  a  baby.  The  adult  burial  was 
sharply  contracted  with  hands  over  the  face;  head  N.  face  E.  Disease  was  noticed  in  one  femur. 
There  was  a  large  quantity  of  linen,  much  eaten  by  ants.  Traces  of  a  mat. 

2173  D.  Shallow  shaft,  bricklined  and  plastered  yellow.  Chamber  to  N.  was  still  blocked  by 
yellow  bricks  (o  m.  27  cent,  x  o  m.  16  cent,  x  o  m.  08  1/2  cent.). 

The  chamber  was  arched.  It  had  contained  a  coffin ,  but  everything  had  been  eaten  by  white 
ants.  The  body  was  on  its  back  and  left  side  with  head  N.  and  face  E.,  sharply  contracted.  The 
bones  were  those  of  an  aged  person. 

2175.  Mastaba  of  black  brick,  with  shaft  3  m.  35  cent,  deep,  below  the  southern  niche.  The 
chamber  on  the  W.  side  had  its  blocking  intact,  built  of  o  m.  2  3  cent,  bricks,  laid  as  headers 
on  their  sides.  Inside  was  a  IInd  Dynasty  wooden  coffin  with  the  body  in  the  usual  position,  head 
N.,  face  E.,  hands  over  face.  A  large  piece  of  fine  linen  lay  loosely  over  the  body  and  masses  of 
it  also  were  behind  the  head  and  below  the  feet. 

2176.  Mastaba  standing  still  1  m.  20  cent.  high.  Stair  from  E.  Chamber  to  W.  of  the  usual 
dimensions  for  a  contracted  burial. 

2177.  Burial  in  round-ended  pottery  coffin  (New  Empire?).  Head  W.  covered  with  bricks 
(o  m.  3i  cent,  x  0  m.  i5  cent.  xom.  i4  cent.)  forming  pointed  roof  above. 

1  metre  to  S.-E.,  on  the  same  level,  but  not  connected  with  this  was  a  two  handled  vase, 
XVIIIth  Dynasty  type,  built  round  with  bricks  (o  m.  28  cent,  long)  and  filled  with  charred  bones 
and  twigs. 

2178.  Small  mastaba.  Chamber  to  south,  1  m.  60  cent,  by  1  m.  20  cent,  and  o  m.  80  cent 
high.  Contents  :  two  bowls  of  alabaster  and  chips  from  a  table  of  the  same  material. 

2178  N.  Shaft  plastered.  Chamber  to  W.,  small,  empty. 

2178  A.  Intrusive  burial  cutting  into  the  mastaba.  Very  poor  painted  wooden  coffin. 

2179.  Black  brick  mastaba.  Chamber  to  W.  Shaft  plastered  yellow. 

Contents  :  alabaster  bowl  with  spout,  two  small  vases  of  alabaster  and  one  of  marble. 

Excavations  at  Saqqara,   1913-191/1.  & 


M  EXCAVATIONS  AT  SAQQARA,   1912-1914. 

2180.  Steep  stair.  Chambers  to  S.  and  W. 

In  W.  chamber,  bones  and  fragments  of  a  wooden  coffin,  painted  red. 

In  S.  chamber:  wooden  panel  (o  m.  a5  cent,  x  o  m.  10  cent.)  and  other  fragments,  perhaps 
from  coffin,  perhaps  from  a  wooden  box.  Lump  of  bronze  and  two  fragments  of  bronze  bracelet, 
cylindrical  carnelian  beads  and  round  felspar  beads,  one  large  alabaster  bowl  complete  and  frag- 
ments of  five  others. 

2183.  Stair  from  N.,  3  m.  ao  cent.  deep.  Large  portcullis  found  in  place  (i  m.  90  cent, 
high ).  Large  chamber  to  S.  with  recess  to  W. 

Contents  :  fragments  of  bronze  and  alabaster,  thirty-three  dummy  vases. 

2185.  (See  Irt  Dynasty  tombs  above.) 

A  Ptolemaic  coffin  was  found  intact  to  the  S.-E.  of  no.  21 85.  The  lid  was  of  two  pieces  fixed 
on  by  plaster.  The  body  lay  head  W.  with  a  garland  of  leaves  over  it  and  a  fillet  over  the  head. 
Beyond  the  head  was  a  package  of  linen  which  fell  to  dust  on  being  touched  and  disclosed  inside 
a  cake  of  white  powder.  The  mummy  was  elaborately  wrapped. 

2186.  E.  of  no.  2i85.  Chamber  to  N.  Portcullis  only  1  metre  by  0  m.  65  cent,  —  not  large 
enough  to  block  the  door. 

Contents  :  scattered  and  broken  bones,  a  pair  of  copper  tweezers,  one  dummy  limestone  vase. 

2 1 86  A.  Intrusive  burial  in  wooden  coffin  over  S.  end  of  no.  2187.  Head  W.  Mummy  in  poor 
condition. 

2187.  Stair.  Chamber  to  S. 

Contents  :  skull  and  a  few  bones,  copper  tweezers  and  bit  of  ring,  alabaster  table  with  foot 
repaired  in  antiquity,  five  alabaster  bowls,  cylindrical  alabaster  vase,  shell  with  trace  of  green 
paint,  twenty  dummy  limestone  vases. 

2187  S.  Stair.  Chamber  to  S.,  small,  very  irregular. 

Contents  :  black  and  white  marble  table  (incomplete),  fragments  of  diorite,  alabaster,  and  a 
few  flint  flakes. 

2188.  I"  Dynasty  tomb  already  described. 

2189.  Stairway  6  1/2  metres  deep  descending  from  N.  Chamber  to  S.  Portcullis  2  1/2  metres 
high,  leaning  back  from  the  chamber  mouth. 

Contents  :  fragments  of  a  narrow  necked  copper  vase,  five  bronze  tools,  chisel  and  spatula, 
pink  limestone  table,  eleven  fine  stone  bowls  (diorite,  slate,  alabaster),  five  cylindrical  alabasters, 
two  with  raised  ridge  (not  cord)  pattern,  four  flint  flakes.  Pottery  forms  G,  K,  M. 

2190.  Ist  Dynasty  tomb  already  described. 

2191.  Stair  descending  from  N.,  chamber  to  S. 

Contents  :  very  young  body,  disturbed  in  ancient  times,  head  S.  face  W.  Lot  of  decayed  linen, 
some  fragments  of  a  coffin,  but  too  small  to  give  the  shape.  There  was  room  in  the  chamber  for 
two  contracted  burials. 


CATALOGUE  OF  TOMBS.  27 

2192.  Small  mastaba  of  black  brick  (between  nos.  2171  and  91 85).  Shaft.  Chamber  to  W. 
1  m.  20  cent,  x  o  m.  80  cent.  Bones  disturbed  anciently. 

Contents  :  lot  of  linen,  floor  and  part  of  sides  of  small  coffin,  which  cannot  have  exceeded 
1  metre  by  0  m.  60  cent,  by  0  m.  75  cent,  in  dimensions. 

2193.  Shaft.  Chamber  to  S.  Fragment  of  wood,  probably  from  a  small  coffin. 

2194.  Mastaba.  (In  group  between  nos.  2171  and  21 85.)  Stair  from  N.  Chamber  to  S.,  plas- 
tered yellow  in  the  upper  part. 

Contents  :  a  wooden  rod  o  m.  10  cent,  long,  square  in  section  with  hole  at  one  end. 

2195.  Stair  descends  from  N.  to  a  small  chamber  of  irregular  shape. 

Contents  :  eight  dummy  vases,  one  cylindrical  alabaster  with  cord  pattern  on  neck  and  a  few 
chips  of  diorite  and  alabaster  bowls. 

2196  A.  Brick  mastaba.  Both  niches  preserved.  Vertical  shaft  1  m.  60  cent,  with  arched 
chamber  to  S.  The  arch  and  the  upper  part  of  the  walls  of  the  shaft  were  all  plastered.  The 
position  gives  evidence  that  this  is  of  the  same  period  as  the  mastabas  with  stair. 

.2198.  E.  of  no.  21 85. 

Contents  :  two  copper  needles,  bit  of  porphyry  shell,  two  spherical  vases  of  limestone  (dum- 
mies, only  slightly  hollowed  out  in  the  neck,  one  with  lugs),  one  alabaster  vase^,  two  ^)  . 
three  flat  alabaster  plates  and  one  bowl. 

2199.  L-shaped  stairway  descending  from  N.,  then  turning  to  W.  Chamber  to  W.  The  port- 
cullis in  place  but  broken. 

Contents  :  fragments  of  a  thin  bowl  of  beaten  copper,  two  flint  flakes,  fragments  of  four  flat— 
tish  alabaster  dishes  and  one  good  cylindrical  alabaster  vase. 

2199  (2).  Large  mastaba  on  eastern  limit  of  the  work.  Not  dug. 

2199  (3).  Small  stairway  tomb  built  on  to  no.  2  199,  2. 

Contents  :  two  alabaster  tables,  one  porphyry  bowl,  one  diorite,  one  grey  marble,  eighteen 
dummy  cylinders  of  limestone. 

2240.  Stairway  from  E.  :  chamber  W. 

Contents  :  ten  stone  bowls  and  flat  dishes,  most  af  alabaster,  three  pots  form  S  (pi.  XXXIX). 

2241.  Shaft  2  m.  80  cent.  deep.  Chamber  to  N.  1  m.  5o  cent.  long.  Blank. 

2243.  Vertical  shaft  1  m.  7a  cent.  deep.  Chamber  with  arched  roof  on  W.  side  (1  m. 
26  cent,  x  0  m.  90  cent,  x  0  m.  98  cent.). 

2245.  Stair  descends  three  steps  from  E.  Chamber  to  W.  2  m.  20  cent,  x  1  m.  80  cent. 
Contents  :  fine  porphyry  bowl,  alabaster  bowl  and  fragments  of  others,  five  dummy  vases, 
some  fragments  of  one  of  the  short  IInd  Dynasty  box  coffins. 


m 


Shapes  as  in  no.  1 1 1 4  S  above. 


•>  EXCAVATIONS  AT  SAQQARA,  1912-19U. 

2245.  N.  Stair  only.  The  sides  are  plastered,  but  it  was  never  finished. 

2246.  Shallow  shaft.  Chamber  to  N.  In  it  had  been  a  box  coffin  o  m.  75  cent,  x  o  m. 
5o  cent,  x  0  m.  5o  cent.,  of  panelled  design,  but  no  particle  of  wood  remained  :  the  chamber 
had  filled  with  gravel  wbich  had  consolidated  into  a  kind  of  cement  and  in  this  the  side  of  the 
coffin  had  left  a  sharp  imprint. 

22'i7.  Mastaba.  No  superstructure  left.  Stair  from  N.  Chamber  to  S.  The  portcullis  stood  in 
place,  but  tbe  tomb  had  been  robbed. 

Contents  :  two  limestone  trays,  alabaster  vase,  cylindrical  alabaster,  three  pottery  saucers, 
form  S  (pi.  XXXIX). 

2255.  Small  mastaba  of  yellow  brick. 

2259.  Black  brick  mastaba.  Shaft  2  m.  1  o  cent.  deep. 

Contents  :  fragments  ot  ivory  bracelets,  alabaster  bowls  O.  large  cylindrical  alabaster  vase. 

2259.  E.  Small  mastaba.  Shaft  3  m.  10  cent.  deep.  Chamber  to  S. 

2259.  W.  Shaft,  not  a  stair.  Chamber  to  W.  Contents  :  an  alabaster  dish,  a  diorite  bowl  and 
three  cylindrical  vases  ornamented  with  comma-marks  in  black  paint. 

2259.  S.  Rough  stairway.  Chamber  to  W. 

2260.  Mastaba.  Shaft  2  m.  60  cent.  deep.  Chamber  to  W.,  1  m.  3o  cent,  x  1  metre  x 
1  metre. 

Contents  :  skeleton  in  the  usual  sharply  contracted  position  with  head  N.  and  face  E.  An  ala- 
baster table,  nearly  complete,  was  the  only  object  found  with  it. 

2261.  Stair  from  E.  Chamber  to  W.  It  measures  1  m.  60  cent,  by  1  metre  and  1  m.  10  cent, 
in  height. 

Contents  :  fragments  of  a  bowl  and  a  flat  dish  of  alabaster;  a  small  sharpedged  bowl  and  a 
(lint  flake  of  the  regular  oblong  0.  K.  type. 

2262.  Shaft.  Chamber  to  S.  Body  lay  head  N.,  face  E. 
One  coarse  pot  (form  M)  to  south. 

2263.  L-shaped  shaft.  Chamber  to  W.  rather  larger  than  usual. 

Contents  :  body  head  S.  face  W. ,  lying  on  its  left  side.  The  linen  wrappings  were  very  rotten, 
but  it  was  clearly  to  be  seen  that  the  limbs  were  wrapped  separately  and  that  the  whole  body 
was  tied  up  into  a  bundle  with  twisted  wisps  of  linen.  As  in  other  cases  in  this  cemetery,  the 
bones  of  the  arm  lay  loose  in  a  hollow  cylinder  of  linen. 

A  vase  of  black  and  white  marble  was  the  only  object  of  funerary  furniture  remaining. 

2264.  Contents  :  diorite  table  the  foot  of  which  had  been  mended  in  antiquity  with  mud 
mixed  with  quartz  chip;  with  it  two  marble  vases  ^) . 

2266.  Mastaba  of  black  brick;  nearly  all  tbe  space  between  the  walls  filled  by  the  stair  (2  m. 
60  cent.  deep).  Chamber  to  S. 


CATALOGUE  OF  TOMBS.  29 

Contents  :  top  of  alabaster  table,  stone  bowls,  one  slate,  one  diorite,  one  porphyrv,  small 
alabaster,  thirty-eight  dummy  vases,  some  painted  with  red  bands,  lastly  a  few  cylindrical  beads 
of  glaze. 

2267.  Shaft  with  chamber  to  W.  side.  Contained  sherd  of  IVth  Dynasty  milk  bowl  with  sbarp 
edge  1  and  round  bottom  i  ,  made  of  good  red  pottery. 

2301.  Stairway  of  ten  steps,  3  m.  8o  cent,  deep,  leading  to  a  small  chamber  at  the  west 
end,  ca.  i  m.  5o  cent,  square  and  i  metre  high.  In  the  chamber  were  two  Hat  dishes  and  one 
deep  bowl,  all  of  alabaet^NAvith  a  little  well  preserved  iinen  and  a  few  human  bones. 

2302.  Mastaba  of\Ruabu)(PI.  XVII). 

This  is  a  very  large-brick  mastaba  with  black  mud  filling,  resting  on  a  bed  of  gravel.  As 
shown  on  the  plan  the  smooth  mud  facing  of  the  mastaba  core  has  been  enlarged  by  a  mud 
brick  wall  all  round,  thus  forming  inner  and  outer  niches.  Some  plastering  remained  on  the 
outer  face  of  the  south,  east  and  west  sides. 

Two  entrances  were  pierced  by  robbers  through  the  layer  of  mud  and  the  shafts  as  they 
descended  were  buttressed  up  by  rough  walls  made  froni  broken  up  roofing  blocks  (pi.  XVII, 
i).  When  they  got  down  to  the  main  passage,  the  robbers  found  it  blocked  by  large  slabs  of 
stone,  but  burrowed  round  them  and  also  round  the  big  portcullis. 

This  tomb  contains  the  largest  set  of  underground  chambers  (pi.  XXX),  as  yet  excavated 
here.  Outside  the  portcullis  to  the  north  are  four  rooms,  to  the  east,  one.  Inside,  the  long  pass- 
age runs  southwards  (pi.  XXX),  with  chambers  opening  on  either  side.  These  chambers  vary 
in  height  from  i  m.  Ao  cent,  to  i  m.  8o  cent.  Most  have  pilaster  door  jambs  ca.  o  m.  45  cent, 
to  o  m.  5o  cent,  wide  and  door  sills  o  m.  26  cent,  to  0  m.  3o  cent.  high.  Some  are  com- 
pletely plastered,  in  others  plaster  only  remains  in  the  pittings  of  the  stone  while  some  appear 
never  to  have  been  plastered  at  all. 

It  was  first  observed  in  this  tomb  and  confirmed  by  all  subsequently  found  that  the  burial 
chamber  is  to  the  S.-W.  and  that  on  the  S.-E.  there  are  chambers  not  directly  accessible  from 
the  passage,  and  suggesting  arrangements  for  privacy  taken  from  the  design  of  a  private  house. 
These  are  marked  on  the  plan  H  and  L;  the  former  being  probably  for  water  jars,  and  the 
latter  certainly  a  latrine  (pi.  XXXI,  3). 

In  this  tomb,  chamber  H  is  divided,  has  plastered  walls  and  two  projecting  pilasters,  one  in 
the  north,  one  in  the  south  wall;  these  are  connected  by  a  low  ridge  in  the  floor,  dividing  the 
room  into  two  and  giving  the  E.  half  the  appearance  of  a  recess.  In  it,  towards  the  S.  end,  is 
a  circular,  funnel-shaped  depression,  o  m.  i5  cent,  deep  and  about  0  m.  26  cent,  wide  at  the 
top,  possibly  for  resting  a  jar.  The  pilasters  are  cut  away  at  the  top,  as  if  to  afford  supports 
for  beams. 

In  the  latrine,  the  seat  is  at  the  extreme  E.  end  of  the  chamber,  facing  south. 

The  burial  chamber  is  fairly  square,  2  m.  5o  cent,  high,  with  a  pit  1  m.  10  cent,  deep  in 
the  floor,  which  projects  under  the  S.  wall,  thus  forming  a  sort  of  cupboard.  The  walls  were 
plastered.  There  is  a  step  down  half  way  through  the  entrance.  A  few  bones  were  found  in  this 
chamber. 


30  EXCAVATIONS  AT  SAQQARA,   1912-1914. 

Over  the  door  to  the  first  room  to  W.  inside  the  first  portcullis  was  the  following  inscription 

■     ■  ■   mm  nnn 
in  ink  nnnss. 

Inside  the  room  were  large  quantities  of  stone  bowls,  mostly  in  fragmentary  condition.  One 
of  green  slate  was  fairly  complete.  It  and  some  fragments  of  others  had  an  inscription  (pi. 
XVII.  4)  in  hieroglyphs. 

A  clay  seal  (pi.  XVII,  3)  dates  this  tomb  to  Netermu  of  the  IInd  Dynasty.  It  reads  : 


iiEJi 

]rrrc 


1 


3rrr 


On  another  not  reproduced  in  the  plates,  could  be  distinguished 


i  i 


-* 


-f 


\ 


1 


(J   (3    (3 


and  there  were  two  other  fragmentary  inscriptions  in  ink,  one  on  a  potsherd  j#X 
another  the  sign  ^^  on  the  base  of  an  alabaster  bowl.  Of  pottery  the  forms  A,  C,  L  (pebble 
polished)  and  T  of  plate  XXXIX  were  found  with  some  late  fragments  and  an  Arab  glaze  lamp 
left  by  a  predecessor. 

2303.  This  group  of  small  tombs  east  of  no.  2  3o2  proved  a  complete  blank  (pi.  XVII,  2). 

2304.  A  small  libation  tank  remained  in  place  in  the  niche.  A  possible  serdab  behind. 

2304  C.  A  shaft  brick-lined  and  mud-plastered  (bricks  o  m.  2  5  cent.).  The  entrance  to  the 
chamber  was  still  closed  by  a  brick  wall  laid  with  sand  but  without  mortar,  the  courses  of  head- 
ers and  stretchers  alternately,  all  bricks  laid  on  their  sides.  Inside  there  had  been  a  short  box 
collin  (?)  filling  the  small  arched  and  red  painted  room,  but  it  was  utterly  eaten  up  by  the 
white  ant. 

2305.  A  mastaba  of  somewhat  irregular  shape  and  with  underground  chambers  and  tank-like 
magazines  hidden  in  the  filling.  There  were  three  shafts,  the  most  northerly  4  metres  deep  to  the 
top  of  the  portcullis.  The  chambers  lie  to  the  W.  From  shaft  b  parts  of  some  thirty  bowls 
and  tables  of  stone  of  the  regular  forms  were  obtained,  and  from  shaft  c  a  clay  seal  of 

There  were  also  two  intrusive  burials  of  the  New  Empire. 


2306.  On  the  western  limit  of  the  work,  a  bricklined  arched  burial  about  1  111.  20  cent,  deep, 
lying  N.  and  S.  The  body  was  not  found.  In  the  filling  was  a  mixture  of  O.  K.  objects  with 
others  of  a  very  late  period,  —  dummy  vases  of  limestone,  sherds  of  alabaster  and  of  red  and 


CATALOGUE  OF  TOMBS.  31 

white  breccia  vases,  all  of  0.  K.  (pi.  XVII,  2),  while  a  bronze  Ta-urt  amulet  and  bowl  are  of 
N.  E.  and  possibly  Ptolemaic  date  respectively. 

2307.  M.  Large  mastaba  (pi.  XVIII),  with  magazines  in  filling  and  underground  chambers 
(plan  on  plate  XXX).  In  the  filling  of  black  mud  were  eight  brick-lined  trenches,  all  of  which 
had  contained  stores,  had  been  duly  robbed.  A  shaft  had  been  dug  through  the  mud  into  one 
of  the  magazines  and  then  a  way  broken  through  from  one  to  another. 

Contents  :  1 .  Only  fragments  of  egg-shaped  pots. 

2.  Empty.  Divided  by  wall  of  rough  stone  slabs. 

3.  Two  division  walls.  At  E.  end,  small  group  of  pots. 
h.  Empty. 

5.  Floor  of  brick  halfway  down;  below  it  mud. 

6.  Brick  floor  half  way  down  covered  with  mud  plaster.  Red  dust  of  wood  below  bricks. 

7.  Brick  floor  o  m.  5o  cent,  from  top;  red  dust  from  decayed  wood  above,  presumably  from 
a  wooden  roof. 

8.  Similar  to  preceding.  Black  ash  below  brick. 

Contents  of  underground  chambers  :  many  stone  bowls,  granite,  breccia,  pink  limestone,  dark 
slate,  green  slate,  magnesite,  mostly  in  fragmentary  condition. 

The  arrangement  of  the  burial  chamber  and  latrines  was  similar  to  that  in  no.  a3o2  (pi. 
XXXI),  but  with  single  access. 

In  the  N.  wall  was  a  New  Empire  grave  under  a  brick  vault,  2  m.  20  cent,  x  h  metres.  At  the 
N.  end  of  this  were  three  burials. 

The  bodies  lay  head  W. 

( 1 )  The  northernmost  was  in  a  mat  tied  with  four  rope  ties,  in  very  bad  condition. 

(2 )  Was  a  coffin  of  rough  wood;  once  painted  white.  Inside  it  were  two  bodies  of  children. 

(3)  Part  only  of  a  coffin. 

At  the  W.  end,  a  fine  round  basket  with  lid  containing  a  small  inlaid  cabinet  with  fastenings 
complete  and  a  small  pot  of  XIXth  Dynasty  form. 

Facing  S.  niche  of  the  mastaba  was  another  intrusive  burial  in  a  late  coffin,  mummiform, 
black,  with  figure  and  text,  but  no  name. 

2309.  Mastaba  with  underground  chambers. 

Contents  :  good  set  of  stone  vases,  about  twenty  in  number,  of  diorite,  magnesite,  alabaster 
and  sixty-five  dummy  cylindrical ,  six  flint  flakes  and  knife  (o  m.  10  cent.). 

A  N.  E.  intrusive  burial  in  the  filling  at  the  N.  end.  Body  lay  with  head  W.  in  a  wooden  coffin 
with  rounded  lid.  Inside  the  coffin  was  a  kohl  tube  in  the  shape  of  a  palmleaf  column,  also  two 
small  longnecked  vases. 


U  EXCAVATIONS  AT  SAQQARA,   1912-1914. 

2311.  Four  shafts. 

(A)  Blind. 

(B)  Full  of  stone  chips  among  which  one  complete  alahaster  vase  was  found.  Ghamher  to  W. 
In  it  IInd  Dynasty  panelled  collin.  hroken. 

Contents  of  shaft  :  copper  basin,  copper  double  spouted  vase  (hroken,  and  in  had  condition), 
two  diorite  howls,  an  alahaster  table,  three  or  four  cylindrical  vases,  one  alahaster  bowl  mended 
in  antiquity  with  reddish  adhesive. 

The  collin  was  of  the  type  of  plate  XXIX,  1,  and  well  made;  inside  it  a  wooden  headrest, 
two  pillared,  and  a  great  deal  of  linen.  The  body  lay  head  N.  face  E.  The  bandaging  was  elaborate 
and  masses  of  folded  linen,  like  sheets,  lay  below  the  head,  before  the  face  and  over  the  head, 
shoulders  and  hips.  The  limbs  were  bandaged  separately;  eight  thicknesses  were  counted.  One 
continuous  bandage  was  taken  from  the  tips  of  lingers  and  toes  to  the  top  of  the  limb.  The 
fingers  and  toes  were  not  separated.  The  abdomen  was  bandaged  with  a  strip  of  linen,  o  m. 
i  i  cent.  wide.  There  was  a  pad  between  the  knees. 

Two  qualities  of  linen  were  used,  one  very  fine  —  as  in  the  pad  before  the  face  —  while 
the  bandages  and  the  large  rolls  were  much  coarser.  There  was  a  twisted,  rope-like  bandage 
over  the  scapula,  a  knotted,  twisted,  tapelike  bandage  over  the  mid  line  of  the  upper  dorsal 
region  and  at  least  fourteen  layers  of  bandages  over  the  chest.  The  large  rolls  were  about  h  m. 
5o  cent,  long  and  o  m.  65  cent,  wide  :  one  piece  was  joined  and  fringed  on  one  side;  the  widtli 
of  it  was  i  m.  3o  cent. 

No  flesh  remained;  the  bones  were  quite  clean,  the  pelvis  was  hopelessly  broken;  the  bones 
were  generally  slender;  the  sacrum  broad. 

231 1  D.  Blind  shaft.  In  the  filling  small  fragments  of  hones  of  a  calf,  bits  of  stone  bowls  part  of 
a  shell  of  diorite,  some  pieces  of  ivory  from  inlay  of  a  box  and  two  of  the  common  egg-shaped  pots. 

23 1 1  E.  Was  a  shaft  without  a  chamber  but  contained  numerous  fragments  of  stone  bowls. 

2312.  Intrusive.  Late  mummy  in  grave  cut  through  the  wall  of  mastaba.  Head  W.  Gilt  face, 
blue  wig. 

2312  A.  Mastaba.  Bather  large  stair  descending  in  five  steps  from  E.  Chamber  to  N.  Shaft 
3  m.  8o  cent.  deep. 

Contents  :  two  marble  vases,  one  with  spout,  two  alabaster  bowls,  fragments  of  pottery,  six- 
teen dummy  vases  of  limestone. 

2313  (pi.  XIX).  Mastaba  with  very  thick  outer  walls,  the  stair  descending  from  N.  with  two 
turns  to  E.  and  S.,  shaft  stone  lined,  portcullis  still  in  place  but  broken  away  at  the  side  enough 
to  admit  a  boy.  In  the  filling  of  the  mastaba,  on  the  ground,  was  a  layer  of  mud  mixed  with 
pottery. 

An  intrusive  burial  (pi.  XIX,  i  and  k)  was  inside  the  building  against  the  E.  wall.  The  bricks 
used  in  the  new  construction  were  o  m.  3i  cent,  long,  those  of  the  mastaba  only  o  m.  2  5  cent. 


CATALOGUE  OF  TOMBS.  3.1 

The  coffin  lay  with  feet  E.  and  head  W.  The  body  was  covered  with  carbonised  linen  among 
which  six  cross  ties  each  an  inch  hroad,  and  a  ring  of  linen  for  a  pillow,  could  he  distinguished. 
A  Ptolemaic  coin  was  found  above  the  collin. 

In  the  underground  chambers  was  a  good  set  of  stones  vases  (46)  including  a  line  one  of  ala- 
baster with  cord  ornament  in  relief,  this  o  m.  70  cent,  high,  also  a  large  number  of  pots  of  two 
types,  ninety  of  the  smaller  one  and  seventy  of  the  large  Ist  Dynasty  type.  Most  of  these  contained 
a  black  ash  and  in  this  in  one  jar  was  a  fish  bone.  These  tall  jars  often  bore  simple  marks,  a 
square,  square  and  one  stroke,  -j-,  h  ^,  the  broad  arrow, -but  these  marks  were  never  found  on 
the  smaller  vases. 

231/l  B.  Mastaba  with  shaft  3  metres  deep  in  which  was  a  single  step,  1  metre  down.  There 
was  a  small  chamber  below  on  the  W. 

2314  C.   Similar  shaft  with  one  step  and  chamber  to  W.  In  it  one  coarse  pot  of  tvpe  k 

(pi.  xxxix). 

2314  D.  Mastaba  with  stair  shaft  and  chamber  on  W.  side,  1  m.  20  cent,  x  o  m.  60  cent,  x 
o  m.  70  cent.  high. 

2314  E.  Mastaba  with  stair  shaft  and  chamber  below  to  W.  Fragments  of  two  stone  bowls. 

2314  F.  Mastaba  with  stair  shaft  (two  steps)  Chamber  to  W.  contained  fragments  of  a  deep 
alabaster  bowl  and  one  flint  flake. 

2315.  A  large  mastaba,  nearly  16  metres  by  6  1/2  metres,  with  filling  of  limestone  chip.  The 
portcullis  was  in  place  at  the  bottom  of  the  stair.  Seven  underground  chambers. 

In  the  filling  were  two  groups  of  pots,  five  of  unbaked  mud  (type  P)  four  more,  o  m.  5o  cent, 
high  (type  C)  and  one  (type  I),  also  an  alabaster  bowl  with  mark  in  ink,  "^^  T;  in  the  under- 
ground chambers  a  fine  set  of  thirty-five  stone  bowls  of  alabaster  of  varied  tints,  of  marble  and 
of  slate. 

2316.  Small  mastaba  N.  of  no.  2307.  Near  it  was  found  a  blue  glaze  ball  (diam.  o  m. 
o3  1/2  cent.). 

Contents  :  bone  needle,  bronze  needle,  oblong  slate  palette  (o  m.  16  cent,  x  0  m.  1  1  cent.), 
two  flints  «=",  small  bronze  cup,  green  stone  cylindrical  bead,  alabaster  table  (diam.  0  m. 
38  cent.)  with  fragments  of  another,  a  chip  of  galena,  fragments  of  clay  sealings,  eighteen 
dummy  vases. 

2317.  Mastaba  with  stair  descending  from  N.  and  chamber  to  S. 
Contents  :  fragments  of  an  alabaster  table  and  one  bowl. 

2318.  Mastaba  with  three  shafts.  That  to  the  S.  was  blank:  the  middle  one  led  to  a  chamber 
on  the  W.  and  contained  fragments  of  diorite  and  alabaster  bowls  and  four  teeth  of  a  calf  :  the 
northern  one  only  a  few  fragments  of  pottery,  types  K,  T  (pi.  XXXIX). 

2319.  Three  small  mastabas  against  N.  wall  of  no.  2 3 1 5.  The  shaft  of  one  was  about  9  metres 
deep,  square  at  the  top,  rough  and  varying  in  size  with  every  accidental  break  in  the  stone. 

Chamber  to  S.  3  metres  x  2  metres  x  2  m.  10  cent.  high. 

Ercavatiom  at  Saqqara,  1913-1916.  •> 


31  EXCAVATIONS  AT  SAQQARA,  1912-1914. 

2322  (pi.  XX,  figs.  i-k).  Underground  chambers  on  plate  XXX. 

Large  mastaba,  nearly  2  i  metres  long.  Stairway  descending  from  N.  on  the  west  side  (pi.  XX, 
i  ).  Six  tanks  in  the  filling  occupy  most  of  the  east  side. 
Contents  of  the  tanks,  taken  from  N.  to  S. 

A.  In  the  photograph  of  plate  XX,  i,  this  chamber  is  seen  in  the  foreground  with  most  of 
the  mud  covering  in  place.  Beneath  it  were  one  hundred  and  seven  tall  jars  of  the  type  A ,  thirty- 
one  of  these  containing  fat,  seventy  mud;  also  nineteen  small  egg-shaped  vases,  one  filled  with 
ashes,  the  rest  with  mud.  The  jars  had  once  been  covered  with  clay  seals  and  on  what  was  left  of 

111111111   —  %^    M   •!  "^k 

one  of  them,  this  inscription  could  be  deciphered  >**-*  ^^ ©  fl  1 1  lL®*  ^  m*t  thirteen  of 
the  tall  jars  bore  on  the  shoulder  one  of  some  twenty-three  simple  marks  ||,  |||,  these  marks 
crossed  by  one  horizontal,  ix,  ix,xi,  xl,  a  square  with  and  without  a  horizontal  line  above,  a 
double  square,  a  pyramid  with  cross  lines  on  the  top.  All  the  marks  were  made  before  baking. 

B.  Empty,  except  in  the  S.-E.  corner,  where  some  twenty-seven  long  jars  were  stacked,  nearly 
upright,  most  of  them  badly  crushed.  All  but  one  bore  one  of  the  marks  described  above. 

C.  About  seventy-six  egg-shaped  jars.  In  the  S.-W.  corner  lay  a  long  jar  containing  a  little 
sand  and  three  flat  shells.  Below  the  jars  was  a  bed  of  mud  and  under  this  the  remains  of  matting 
which  covered  a  layer  of  grain  o  m.  08  cent,  deep,  resting  on  bare  rock.  AH  the  jars  contained 
mud.  Not  one  bore  a  potter's  mark. 

D.  Bemains  of  three  rows  of  egg-shaped  jars  all  containing  mud  and  resting  on  the  same 
triple  layer  of  mud,  matting  and  grain  as  in  tank  C,  but  in  this  case  there  seemed  to  be  no 
husks;  the  grain  was  pulverised.  In  all  these  'tanks'  some  of  the  jars  had  been  broken  and  dis- 
turbed, so  it  would  appear  that  some  objects  of  intrinsic  value  had  been  deposited  in  them. 

E.  Eight  tall  jars  remained  in  N.-E.  corner  (pi.  XX,  3),  capped  with  hemi-spherical  seals  of 
clay  :  in  most  there  was  sand,  in  five  a  trace  of  fat  (?).  The  floor  beneath  them  was  composed 
of  six  layers,  —  mud,  flat  coarse  potsherds,  matting,  potsherds  again,  stone  slabs,  and,  lowest 
of  all  an  organic  powder,  presumably  the  last  remains  of  corn.  Intruding  into  these  layers  were 
two  jars,  one  containing  berries  which  our  men  called  pepper  but  were  not  identified;  like  most 
organic  remains  in  this  cemetery  they  were  in  the  last  stage  of  decay. 

F.  contained  no  pottery,  but  all  over  the  floor  was  a  layer  o  m.  20  cent,  deep,  of  fine,  pow- 
dery organic  matter.  In  the  shaft  was  a  clay  seal  with  traces  of  inscription  (sign  of  a  scorpion), 
a  flint  knife  0  m.  i5  cent,  long,  another  seal  with  three  lines  of  imprint,  very  faint  II  v 

IrtJn  I  and  a  third,  bearing  perhaps  the  name  of  a  king,  though  it  is  by  no  means  certain  that 

the  ring  surrounding  the  name nebka,  is  a  cartouche  : 


I 

LJ 


000 

YYY 


J 

LJ 


CATALOGUE  OF  TOMBS.  35 

2323  C.  Shaft  3  metres  deep  with  chamher  to  W.  (i  m.  so  cent,  hy  o  in.  8o  cent,  hy  o  in. 
Go  cent.)  containing  another  sharply  contracted  hurial.  Head  north,  face  east.  There  had  heen 
a  box  coffin  of  thin  wood,  rather  ill  made  and  it  had  fallen  to  pieces.  Enough  linen  remained  to 
show  that,  as  in  all  these  tomhs,  a  great  quantity  of  loosely  folded  cloth  had  heen  employed,  Itut 
here  it  was  badly  carbonised  and  decayed. 

2325  A.  Intrusive  burial  E.  and  W.  cutting  into  the  wall  of  no.  23o7. 

The  bricks  that  lined  the  shaft  contained  much  straw,  while  those  of  the  mastaba  had  none 
and  their  size  was  different,  those  of  the  mastaba  being  o  m.  25  cent,  long,  of  the  intrusive  burial 

0  m.  3i  cent. 

2331.  Mastaba  10  m.  65  cent.  N.  and  S.  x  3  m.  65  cent.  E.  and  VV.  In  south  niche,  on  the 
side  facing  east,  a  slab  from  above  the  tambour  showing  the  deceased  seated  before  the  table  of 
offerings  (pi.  XXVIII,  2). 

Thirty-two  vases  and  bowls,  nearly  all  of  alabaster,  of  the  usual  shapes. 

2331  A.  Shaft.  Chamber  to  W.  (1  m.  20  cent,  x  o  m.  80  cent.). 
Contents  :  one  diorite  bowl  of  O  type  mended  in  antiquity,  —  with  mud. 

2331  B.  Stair  with  two  steps  to  shaft.  Chamber  to  W. 
Contents  :  fragment  of  a  marble  bowl. 

2331  S.  Built  against  S.  wall  of  no.  233 1.  Shaft  with  one  step.  Arched  chamber.  Part  of  a 
wooden  headrest. 

2332  N.  Mastaba  of  black  brick. 
Chamber  to  W. 

Contents  :  two  alabaster  bowls,  one  limestone  U- 

2332.  Southern  shaft.  Stair  from  E.  Very  small  chamber  to  W. 
Contents  :  alabaster  table,  one  diorite  bowl,  fragments  of  pottery. 

2333.  N.  Mastaba  with  stair.  Chamber  to  S. 

Contents  :  fragments  of  alabaster  plates  and  of  a  diorite  bowl. 

2336.  Mastaba  with  large  stair  (twelve  steps  to  shaft)  k  m.  75  cent.  deep. 

Contents  :  alabaster  bowl,  three  small  blue  and  white  marble  bowls,  three  dummy  vases  of 
limestone. 

2336  (A).  West  of  no.  2336.  No  superstructure  left.  Stair.  Chamber  to  W.  1  m.  3o  cent,  x 

1  metre. 

Contents  :  fragments  of  a  wooden  coffin,  blue  and  white  marble  bowl,  alabaster  bowl. 

2337.  Large  mastaba  E.  of  no.  23 13,  not  all  cleared. 

Underground  chambers  planned  on  plate  XXX.  North  of  them  a  long  open  trench  running  N. 
and  S.  The  filling  of  the  mastaba  was  of  sand  above,  below  this  a  layer  of  pottery  o  m.  60  cent, 
thick,  much  of  it  unbaked  (type  B,  pi.  XXXIX),  and  still  lower  of  stone  chip. 

5. 


36  EXCAVATIONS  AT  SAQQARA,   1912-1914. 

Contents  :  in  the  filling,  eight  pots  (type  C),  three  of  type  I,  and  the  base  of  a  large  howl 
of  brownish  red  ware,  black  shouldered,  with  a  hole  in  the  bottom  made  anciently. 

In  the  trench  nine  tall  vases  (type  A),  three  stone  bowls  and  one  cylindrical  vase,  some 
dummy  vases  of  soft  bluish  stone  (?  calcite)  and  a  red  pot  stand. 

Stairwav  of  thirty  steps.  Portcullis  groove  6  m.  4o  cent.  high. 

Contents  of  chambers  :  twelve  stone  bowls,  very  incomplete,  two  flints. 

2338.  Shaft  with  one  step  at  the  top  on  the  E.  side.  Chamber  to  W. 

Mastaba  above  i  m.  5o  cent.  high.  The  plastering  of  the  shaft  runs  i  1/2  metres  below  the 
ground  level.  The  chamber  is  small,  ca.  1  m.  /jo  cent.  E.  and  W.,  but  very  irregular  in  shape  : 
nothing  was  left  in  it. 

2338  N.  Similar  to  no.  2338.  Contents  :  fragments  of  one  stone  bowl. 

2341 .  Mastaba.  Shaft  under  the  middle  of  the  mastaba,  steps  to  stair  well  plastered.  Contents  : 
five  stone  bowls. 

2343.  Late  shaft  1  m.  60  cent,  x  1  m.  5o  cent,  x  o  m.  70  cent.  deep.  Four  chambers  open 
from  this,  one  of  which  cuts  into  the  chamber  of  no.  2  33 1.  These  contained  a  number  of  poor 
burials  much  broken  and  damaged. 

Contents  :  inscribed  uprights  of  coflin,  inscribed  wooden  fragment,  small  Ptolemaic  coins,  bits 
of  gilt  plaster  and  fragments  of  a  vase. 

2344  A.  W.  of  no.  2336.  Shaft  2  m.  70  cent,  deep  to  chamber,  but  the  shaft  goes  still  deeper. 
Upper  part  lined  with  brick,  then  plastered.  Blank. 

2344  B.  Shaft  3  m.  60  cent.  deep.  Chamber  to  W. 
Contents  :  twenty  cylindrical  vases,  one  alabaster  bowl. 

2344  C.  Stair  from  S.  Chamber  to  N.  1111.10  cent,  x  o  m.  70  cent,  x  o  m.  80  cent. 
Two  little  steps  from  the  E.  at  the  top  of  stair.  Blank. 

2345.  Mastaba  with  two  shafts.  The  south  shaft,  plastered,  square,  with  a  recess,  rather  than 
a  chamber,  to  W.  Contents  :  fragments  of  coffin,  handmade  pot  (type  K),  with  deep  groove 
round  top.  piece  of  vase  stand. 

The  north  shaft  was  similar,  with  recess  on  W.  side. 

Contents  :  part  of  a  skeleton  and  half  of  a  bowl  (type  T)  of  dark  red  ware.  There  was  also 
an  intrusive  burial,  i  metre  deep.  Two  bodies  side  by  side,  head  W.  feet  E.,  wrapped  in  ban- 
dages. Above  them,  but  probably  belonging  to  them,  a  squat  tumbler  of  light  blue  glaze  (height 
0  m.  10  cent.). 

2346.  Mastaba  of  yellow  brick,  well  preserved.  Stair  from  N.  with  two  steps.  Chamber  to  S. 
Blank. 

2347.  Libation  tank  (pi.  XXVIII,  3)  with  cartouche  of  Userkaf  (Vlh  Dynasty)  was  near  where 
the  N.  niche  had  been. 

Contents  :  twelve  stone  bowls,  shell  with  green  paint,  copper  chisel. 


CATALOGUE  OF  TOMBS.  37 

2347  B.  Shaft  with  one  step  to  E.  Chamber  to  W.  (i  m.  20  cent,  x  1  metre  x  0  m.  90 
cent.). 

Beams  0  m.  06  cent,  to  o  m.  to  cent,  in  diameter  must  once  have  roofed  the  shaft :  traces  of 
four  were  seen. 

Contents  :  five  stone  bowls,  one  of  diorite,  the  rest  alabaster. 

2347  C.  Mastaba.  Stair  descending  from  E.  No  trace  of  the  roof  of  a  chamber,  according  to 
our  men,  but  at  the  bottom  of  the  shaft  there  were  fragments  of  wood  from  a  coffin,  part  of  ;■ 
skeleton  and  a  little  cloth.  One  alabaster  bowl  of  the  regular  ^p  type  (see  note  to  no.  21 14  S). 

An  intrusive  burial,  a  late  coffin,  brightly  painted  on  a  white  ground,  is  mentioned  for  com- 
pleteness. It  lay  head  W. .  feet  E.,  about  1  m.  5o  cent,  below  the  top  of  the  mastaba. 

2348.  Stair  from  E.  Chamber  to  W.  Contracted  burial  much  disturbed. 

2348  B.   Shaft  2  m.  5o  cent.  deep.  Chamber  to  W.  Bones  of  child. 

2349.  Stair,  shaft  to  E.  3  m.  10  cent.,  deep.  Chamber  to  W.  The  foundation  wall  of  the 
mastaba  no.  2  356  crosses  one  of  the  steps. 

2349  B.  Unfinished  shaft,  1  m.  90  cent.  deep.  No  chamber. 

2350.  Well  preserved  mastaba,  about  t  m.  ho  cent,  high  with  Hat  brick  roof.  Shaft  h  m. 
80  cent,  deep;  stair  from  E.;  chamber  to  W.  1  m.  5o  cent,  x  1  metre  very  irregularly  shaped. 

2351  A.  Shaft  with  one  step,  chamber  roughly  circular. 
Contents  :  one  alabaster  bowl  (B  ( sec  no.  21  ih  S ). 

2352.  Shaft  2  metres  deep  with  no  chamber.  Shaft  plastered  down  to  1  m.  ho  cent,  through 
the  pebble  layer. 

2353.  Mastaba  of  black  brick,  flat  topped,  covered  with  yellow  plaster  and  white  washed. 
Shaft  am.  80  cent,  deep  with  one  step  near  bottom. 

Contents  :  fragments  of  fine  alabaster  table,  stone  bowls,  ten  dummy  limestone  vases. 

2357.  W.  of  no.  2332.  Mastaba  with  plastered  shaft,  two  steps  at  W.  side  (this  exception- 
al). Chamber  to  W.  No  objects. 

2358.  Mastaba  of  black  brick,  stair  and  shaft,  2  m.  3o  cent.  deep. 
Contents  :  two  stone  bowls,  nine  dummy  limestone  vases. 

2360.  Mastaba  of  black  brick.  Stair.  Chamber  to  W. 

2361.  S.  of  no.  2358.  Shaft.  Chamber  to  W.  Blocking  intact,  but  robbed  from  the  other  side. 
In  the  filling  a  wooden  box,  0  m.  9.5  cent,  x  0  m.  22  cent,  x  o  m.  10  cent.,  with  ivory  pegs 

and  inlay.  No  lid. 

2370.  Mastaba  of  yellow  brick,  enlarged  with  black  brick.  Stair  from  S.  plastered.  Chamber 
to  N.,  very  rough. 


38  EXCAVATIONS  AT  SAQQARA,   1912-1914. 

2371.  Shaft  i  m.  4o  cent,  deep,  bricklined  and  plastered.  Chamber  to  N.,  roofed  by  stone 
slabs  and  plastered.  The  flat  bench,  one  brick  high,  at  the  top  of  shaft,  which  was  plastered  over 
and  left  till  the  upper  structure  was  built,  is  very  clearly  to  be  seen  here.  • 

2372.  Shaft.  Chamber  to  N.  Two  pieces  of  an  alabaster  bowl  found  here  fitted  with  two  others 
found  in  no.  2373. 

"2373.  Shallow  shaft,  hrick  arched.  Chamber  to  N.  Here  also  the  white  finished  top  of  the 
shaft,  left  before  the  mastaba  was  built,  showed  clearly. 

237 '1.   Mastaba  of  black  brick.  Stair  2  m.  80  cent.  deep.  Chamber  to  N. 

•237/1  S.  Stair  from  E.  Chamber  to  W. 

2100  and  2401  were  a  detached  group,  outside  the  plan  to  the  N.  and  directly  west  of  the 
village  of  Abusir. 

A  search  was  made  1  00  metres  beyond  the  last  group  of  tombs  and  the  same  type  of  mastaba 
was  found  to  continue.  A  passage  was  dug  out  which  had  a  doorway  at  the  north  end  and  a  plain 
wall  to  E. ,  while  on  the  west  were  three  niches,  each  with  its  libation  tank  in  front.  The  walls 
were  about  1  m.  20  cent.  high.  The  name     fi  II  t  I  %  was  found  on  the  door  jamb  of  one  of  them. 

2401.  About  4o  metres  E.  of  no.  2600.  A  mound  looking  like  a  large  mastaba.  A  libation 
tank  was  found  in  it,  but  not  in  position  (pi.  XXVIII,  4). 

Digging  was  not  continued  at  this  point ;  it  served  only  to  prove  the  very  considerable  exten- 
sion of  this  cemetery  to  the  N. 

2405.  Tomb  of  Hesy.  Has  been  published  separately  [Excavations  at  Saqqara,  lgi  1-1012 , 
The  Tomb  of  Hesy,  by  J.  E.  Quibell,  1913.  Le  Caire,  Imprimerie  de  flnstitut  francais). 

2406  M.  Large  mastaba  with  stairway.  Underground  chambers  planned  on  plate  XXX.  Above, 
loose  in  the  sand,  two  bronzes  were  found,  one  an  Osiride  figure  of  the  usual  type,  the  other 
a  compound,  trPantheonn  statuette,  of  very  fine  workmanship  (pi.  XXXVIII).  Under  these, 
but  probably  not  connected  with  them,  was  a  plain,  heavy  mummiform  coffin  lying  with  head 
\\ .  and  feet  E.;  inside  it  was  a  much  decayed  mummy  with  a  wreath  over  the  hips.  A  little  to 
the  W.  was  a  similar  burial,  equally  poor  and  decayed. 

In  the  mastaba,  an  adze  and  two  copper  chisels  were  found  at  the  entrance  to  the  passage 
at  the  foot  of  the  stair  (pi.  XXXIII,  3)  and  in  the  chambers  were  two  pieces  of  stone  offering 
tables  and  about  twenty  bowls,  mostly  of  limestone,  besides  dummy  cylindrical  vases. 

2407.  Large  mastaba  with  two  shafts,  the  filling  divided  into  numerous  cells  (pi.  II)  and  an 
elaborate  series  of  chambers  in  the  rock. 

From  the  shaft  F  a  large  series  of  stone  bowls,  badly  broken,  of  course,  and  with  many 
pieces  missing,  were  obtained  :  no  less  than  123  cylindrical  dummy  vases  were  with  them. 

Part  of  a  large  alabaster  vase  decorated  with  cord  pattern  in  relief  and  engraved  =■■=,  a  fragment 


CATALOGUE  OF  TOMBS.  39 

from  one  diorite  bowl  inscribed  (« — •)  1  "^"fi^  0  and  another  jQ(j  "===*  jj  i  |§  showed  that 
the  equipment  of  the  tomb  liad  once  been  much  richer. 

From  the  second  shaft  forty  stone  vases  were  extracted,  of  which  but  four  were  complete. 

2408.  Long  gallery  (pi.  XXXII,  2).  Probably  a  storehouse  or  magazine. 

2415.  Intrusive,  open  grave  oriented  E.  and  W.  dug  partly  in  the  S.  wall  of  no.  a4o5. 
Contents  :  four  stone  vases  of  XVIIIth  Dynasty  type,  two  fragments  from  a  vase  of  dark  blue 

faience  and  a  wooden  ape  in  bad  condition. 

2416.  Mastaba  of  black  brick  with  gravel  filling.  Stair  from  N.  Chamber  to  S. 

Contents  :  two  alabaster  tables,  two  diorite  bowls,  one  porphyry,  one  alabaster,  the  skull, 
teeth  and  foot  bones  of  calf.  Also  a  bronze  arrow  head  with  hollow  shaft ,  but  as  the  tomb  was 
robbed,  we  cannot  be  sure  of  the  date  of  it.  Above,  loose  in  the  sand,  was  a  fragment  of  lime- 

THS 


stone  o  m.  i  5  cent,  x  o  m.  i  2  cent,  inscribed 

2«Y6PAI= 

2417.  Intrusive  N.  E.  burial,  between  the  enclosure  wall  and  S.  side  of  no.  2407.  Shallow 
coffin,  wood  o  m.  o3  cent,  thick. 

Contents  :  pottery  N.  E.  type,  wooden  chair  leg. 

2421.  Intrusive  burial.  Child's  coflin,  lying  head  E.  and  feet  W.  Two  dom  nuts  at  the  head, 
two  more  at  the  feet.  Fragments  of  XVIIIth  Dynasty  pottery. 

2422.  Large  mastaba  N.  of  no.  2  4o6.  Not  cleared. 

2425.  Intrusive  burial  E.  of  no.  2407.  N.  and  S.  Head  N. 

Contents  :  six  vases  of  XVIIIth  Dynasty  types,  a  head-rest  with  octagonal  column.  Under  the 
feet  a  bronze  knife  for  leather  work  (?),  two  pomegranates,  five  sycomore  fruits  and  a  lot  of  dates. 

2426.  Row  of  small  mastabas  built  into  a  passage  E.  of  no.  24o6. 

(1)  Tiny  shaft,  o  m.  80  cent,  deep  with  recess  to  W.  In  it  female  skeleton  (age  ca.  26)  dis- 
turbed except  for  the  head.  The  body  most  probably  lay  with  head  N.  and  face  E. 

( 2 )  Similar,  also  female  (age  ca.  1 4 ). 

Contents  :  metal  bracelet,  fragment  faience  bracelet,  fragment  ivory  bracelet,  faience  cylin- 
drical bead ,  a  lump  of  copper. 

(3)  Shaft  1  metre  deep,  blocking  intact.  Contracted  body,  male  (age  17-18).  Head  N.,  face 
and  knees  E. 

2427.  East  of  the  boundary  wall  of  no.  2407,  and  near  the  N.  end  of  it  two  stelae  were  found 
in  place  in  W.  wall  of  a  chamber  about  2  metres  wide. 

Of  the  northern  one  but  the  lower  half  remained  :  the  southern  one  was  complete,  though  in 
bad  condition.  It  measured  1  m.  70  cent,  by  1  metre  and  was  of  the  ordinary  Saqqara  VIth  Dyn- 
asty type,  bearing  the  titles  and  name    A    *  ^^  ^    m     m  |         V. 


&0  EXCAVATIONS  AT  SAQQARA,   1912-19H. 

In  front  of  the  stela  a  slab  of  stone  (1  in.  10  cent,  by  o  m.  80  cent,  and  o  at.  i5  cent,  thick) 
tare  a  single  column  of  text,  the  same  name  and  titles,  placed  so  as  to  be  read  by  the  man  com- 
ing out  from  the  false  door,  upside  down,  that  is,  to  the  visitor  to  the  tomb.  And  in  front  of  this 
to  the  E..  lower  by  the  thickness  of  the  slab,  was  a  tiny  tank,  0  m.  19  cent,  long,  opposite  the 
middle  of  the  N.  half.  It  too  was  inscribed  with  the  names  of  the  man  and  his  wife,  and  its  text 
too  was  upside  down. 

This  tomb  surely  belongs  to  the  late  Old  Kingdom  and  it  is  strange  to  find  it  thus  isolated  in 
the  early  cemetery,  by  that  time  deserted. 

m2'i'2~  A.  A  cubical  box  (o  m.  20  cent.)  of  limestone  found  loose  in  the  sand  o  m.  5o  cent. 
from  the  surface.  Scene  on  the  one  side,  the  King  before  Isis,  on  the  other,  a  bird.  The  figures 
had  been  gilt.  This  is  of  a  quite  late  period. 

2^28.  Mastaba.  Not  large,  but  with  a  very  large  stair  descending  to  a  short  shaft  with  cham- 
ber on  the  north  side,  i.e.  under  the  stair.  The  portcullis  was  in  place  and  had  to  be  broken  up. 
Contents  :  seven  stone  bowls,  a  pebble  with  green  stains  and  a  bit  of  copper  wire. 

2^29  (pi.  XX1I1).  Large  mastaba.  Brick  lined  stair  running  from  under  E.  wall,  then  turning 
north.  This  stair  has  a  ledge  on  either  side.  On  the  stair  a  very  large  quantity  of  stone  vases 
[1  calcite)  were  found,  some  inscribed  in  ink  (pi.  XXIII,  U). 

Above  them  was  a  quantity  of  decayed  organic  matter,  including  seeds. 

The  portcullis  was  in  place,  but  the  tomb  had  of  course  been  thoroughly  robbed.  In  the  stair- 
way were  also  found  a  few  Hint  fragments  and  pottery  (pi.  XXIII,  2). 

The  underground  chambers  are  planned  on  plate  XXX. 

Contents  :  a  very  fine  set  of  stone  vases,  twenty-nine  in  number  from  the  chambers. 

2430.  Intrusive  N.  E.  tomb  in  passage  S.  of  no.  2/107.  F°un,l  with  blocking  of  crude  brick 
still  intact.  Collin  of  good  wood,  body  head  W.  feet  E.,  lying  on  back  with  arms  extended.  To 
right  of  the  head  a  small  pot  and  at  the  middle  of  the  S.  side  three  pots.  Over  the  chest  two 
narrow  bands  of  thin  silver  with  eyelets  at  each  end;  on  the  longer  one  (0  m.  2  5  cent.)  is  a  plain 
band,  the  shorter  (o  m.  19  cent.)  widens  at  the  centre  (bracelet  and  necklet?). 

243 1 .  Intrusive  N.  E.  burial  about  1  m.  5o  cent,  below  the  foot  of  0.  K.  walls.  Collin ,  lidless, 
high,  of  narrow  planks  worked  by  adze.  At  E.  end  two  vases  with  stoppers,  in  the  collin,  two 
blackhandled  vases  and  two  of  the  faience  spheres  like  large  playing  marbles  (X VIIIth  Dynasty). 

2436.  Stair  of  ten  steps,  descending  from  N.  to  5  metres  shaft.  From  this,  0  m.  70  cent. 
from  the  bottom,  opens  a  small  chamber,  1  m.  60  cent,  deep,  0  m.  90  cent,  wide  at  mouth,  o  m. 
35  cent,  wider  at  the  back. 

Contents  :  alabaster  table,  tall  cylindrical  vase,  three  diorite  bowls,  spouted  ewer  and  basin 
of  bronze. 

2437.  Fragments  of  a  stela  of  ordinary  0.  K.  type  originally  ca.  o  m.  75  cent,  high,  bearing 
the  name  of  fl  J  -w»  V  nln  were  found  on  the  stair. 


CATALOGUE  OF  TOMBS.  41 

Contents  :  two  alabaster  tables,  two  alabaster  bowls,  four  diorite  bowls,  funnel-sbaped  por- 
phyry vase,  all  incomplete. 

2442.   Small  mastaba  with  chamber  to  S.  Stair  of  two  large  steps,  h  metres  deep. 

Contents  of  chamber  :  human  skeleton,  head,  shoulder-blades  and  foreleg  of  ox,  fragment  of 
pot  (type  T),  two  alabaster  tables,  one  porphyry  bowl  of  (^  form  (see  note  on  no.  21  lft  S), 
sherd  of  a  pottery  bowl  of  same  type,  two  diorite  and  two  alabaster  bowls. 

2445.  A  double  mastaba  (pi.  II,  low  on  right). 

The  N.  stair  descends  steeply  from  N.  3  m.  60  cent,  in  four  steps  to  a  chamber  larger  than  the 
ordinary,  viz.  1  m.  60  cent,  each  way  in  plan  and  1  m.  ko  cent.  high. 

Con  I  en  Is  :  open  diorite  bowl,  heavy,  two  alabaster  Im  Mr-,  ^fc  (see  note  on  no.  21 14  S)  vase 
of  marble,  three  small  diorite  bowls  -^mtw,  a  flint  flake. 

The  S.  stair  led  to  an  unfinished  chamber. 

2446.  Mastaba  with  stair  6  m.  1  5  cent,  deep  descending  from  N.  to  chamber  on  S.  The  cham- 
ber is  not  at  the  bottom  of  the  shaft  but  1  m.  75  cent,  above  it. 

Contents  :  a  rectangular  slate  palette,  parts  of  two  alabaster  tables,  a  bowl  of  red  breccia, 
another  of  blue  limestone,  a  third  of  alabaster,  and  one  of  a  green  slate  bearing  an  incised  inscrip- 
tion (pi.  XXIII,  5). 

There  were  also  the  skull  and  the  bones  of  one  limb  of  a  calf. 

2447.  One  of  the  tombs  roofed  with  raking  arch.  Contained  a  few  bones  only. 

2448.  Small  mastaba  with  shaft,  lined  with  stone  and  brick  and  plastered.  Chamber  to  south. 
A  small  diorite  lamp  and  a  fragment  of  serpentine  were  all  it  contained. 

2449.  Very  small  chamber,  apparently  arched,  but  roof  damaged. 

Contents  :  fragment  of  serpentine  lamp  ^P  (see  note  on  no.  2116  Si. 

2450.  Small  mastaba  built  on  to  no.  a452  and  earlier  than  no.  2446,  which  overhangs  it  to 
E.  Stair  lined  with  brick  and  stone,  plastered. 

No  chamber,  but  the  bones  of  a  strongly  built  man  were  scattered  in  the  shaft. 

2452.  A  large  tomb.  In  the  narrow  passage  east  of  it  five  fragments  of  a  limestone  statue  of  a 
woman  were  found.  The  arms  were  close  to  the  side  :  the  head  was  missing.  Originally  the  statue 
may  have  been  o  m.  5o  cent.  high.  There  is  a  presumption  that  it  belonged  to  the  tomb,  but  its 
condition  was  hopeless  :  one  could  just  affirm  that  it  had  been  a  statue. 

The  S.  niche  was  rather  elaborate  and  a  difference  of  surface  in  the  centre  part  made  us  suspect 
that  a  wooden  (?)  stela  had  once  stood  there.  Part  of  the  filling  of  the  mastaba,  was  composed  of 
broken  pottery;  there  was  a  bed  of  it  half  a  metre  thick;  all  the  pots  being  of  very  coarse  Old 
Kingdom  types. 

The  stair  descended  nearly  8  metres  from  the  mastaba  top,  6  m.  60  cent,  from  the  desert 
level  :  the  portcullis  was  in  place,  a  formidable  block  more  than  2  metres  high.  It  had  to  be 
broken  before  we  could  penetrate  into  the  underground  chambers  :  these  were  on  a  simpler  plan 

Excavations  at  Saqqara,  19 1»- 191 4.  " 


IS  EXCAVATIONS  AT  SAQQARA,   1912-1914. 

than  those  shown  in  plate  XXX.  consisting  of  the  long  main  room  with  one  large  recess  on  the  W. 
side  and  two  smaller  ones  on  the  E.  :  there  were,  however,  two  other  chambers  at  the  bottom  of 
the  stair,  north,  that  is,  of  the  portcnllis. 

In  the  east  chamber  were  several  alabaster  vessels  and  two  pots,  one  of  them  of  the  tall  late 
archaic  type  with  a  ridge,  broken  at  two  points,  round  the  shoulder.  From  the  chambers  S.  of  the 
portcullis  no  less  than  sixty  stone  bowls  and  vases  were  obtained,  including  a  fine  shallow  dish  of 
slate  o  m.  3j  cent,  in  diameter,  an  elliptical  bowl  and  three  others  of  the  same  stone,  two  of 
quart/,  part  of  a  tall  alabaster  vase  with  cord  pattern  in  relief  and  one  bowl  of  granite.  Most  were 
of  alabaster  and  there  was  no  diorite. 

There  was  a  rectangular  palette  of  slate  with  two  little  cups  in  relief  (pi.  XXXIII,  6),  an  axe 
head  of  copper,  two  small  copper  bowls  (one  with  a  foot)  much  crushed  and  three  chisels. 

There  had  doubtless  been  a  head  and  haunch  of  an  ox  or  calf,  but  only  a  few  teeth  of  the  ani- 
mal remained. 

Three  objects  not  in  the  tomb,  but  found  near  it  and  probably  belonging  to  it,  remain  to  be 
mentioned,  —  a  small  limestone  tank  o  m.  3o  cent,  long,  with  the  inscription  S^  ■*=*•  I  "*",  a 
pot"V  of  good  red-washed  ware  and  a  very  poor  and  small  stela,  uninscribed  :  all  these  were 
near  the  N.-E.  corner. 

2458.  Small  square  shaft,  a  m.  20  cent.  deep.  Recess  to  west.  Blank. 

2459.  Intrusive  N.  E.  burial  underneath  wall  of  no.  24o5  (Hesy)  and  6  metres  from  S.-W. 
corner.  Robbed.  In  the  filling  fragments  of  pottery  of  XVIIIth  Dynasty  type  and  little  faces,  0  m. 
08  cent,  long  of  gilt  plaster,  with  eyes  and  eyebrows  painted  black  and  white,  perhaps  from  Osi- 
ride  figures. 

2460.  Stair  W.  of,  and  older  than,  no.  2  442.  Good  steps  in  brick,  white  plastered.  No  cham- 
ber. In  the  filling,  fragments  of  human  bones  and  a  few  sherds  of  stone  bowls  and  pottery. 

2461.  Mastaba.  Stair  about  3  m.  80  cent.  deep.  Chamber  to  S.  Lining  of  stone  with  brick 
above.  Line  of  plaster  showing  that  the  lower  part  was  finished  before  the  upper  structure  was 
begun. 

Contents  :  fragments  of  two  diorite  bowls,  twenty-four  dummy  cylindrical ,  six  of  which  were 
painted  red  at  the  top  with  diagonal  stripes  of  red  and  yellow. 

2462.  Mastaba,  W.  of  no.  2452,  with  square  shaft,  1  m.  5o  cent,  deep,  plastered,  but  lead- 
ing to  no  chamber.  In  the  shaft,  bits  of  a  much  decayed  plank. 

2463.  Northern  mastaba  of  a  row.  Shaft  1  metre  square,  3  metres  deep.  Small  unfinished 
chamher  or  recess  to  W. 

Contents  :  a  few  human  bones,  bones  of  a  bird  (?  owl),  fragments  of  a  wooden  coffin  and  of 
stone  bowls.  The  mastaba  no.  2 4 76  is  built  over  part  of  the  shaft. 

2464.  Mastaba  with  shaft  10  m.  4o  cent.  deep.  In  the  filling  two  long  vases  type  A,  but  larger 
than  usual  and  smooth;  one  bears  a  wet  mark  ^k.  Chambers  to  S.  and  N. 


CATALOGUE  OF  TOMBS.  63 

Contents  :  tables  and  vases  of  alabaster  and  limestone,  twenty-one  in  number,  of  tbe  usual 
types;  fragments  of  tbin  copper. 

2465.  Small  mastaba  with  rather  large  stair  for  its  size.  Stair  from  E.  Chamber  to  W.  High 
in  the  filling  were  two  very  coarse  pots  (type  D).  In  the  chamber,  though  the  coffin  had  disap- 
peared the  mould  of  its  panelled  sides  and  ends  remained  sharp  cut  in  the  gravel  which  had 
drifted  in,  and  the  dimensions,  1  m.  10  cent.,  o  m.  70  cent.,  could  be  measured. 

2466.  Small  mastaba  of  black  brick.  Stair  from  E.  Chamber  to  W. 

In  the  filling  a  small  tank  (0  m.  2 5  cent,  by  o  m.  1 5  cent.)  inscribed  X  •  —  —  k  J. 
also  a  skull  and  a  few  human  bones  and  part  of  the  shoulder-blade  of  an  ox. 

2468.  No  superstructure.  Square  shaft  2  m.  5o  cent.  deep.  Chamber  to  S.  ca.  o  m.  80  cent, 
cube.  Shallow  recess,  also  to  E.  of  shaft. 

Contents  :  in  the  filling  small  copper  bowl  (diam.  0  m.  i5  cent.),  ewer  (o  m.  06  cent,  high), 
part  of  model  mirror,  l>ils  of  metal  ribbon  (0  111.  02  cent,  wide),  four  good  small  stone  vases  ^p 
(see  note  on  no.  9 1 1  4  S). 

2469.  Black  brick  mastaba.  Stair  large  and  well  plastered  descending  from  E.  to  W.  to  a 
chamber  intended  for  contracted  burial. 

Contents  :  bones  but  no  skull,  the  lid  of  white  stone  vase  ^p  (see  note  on  no.  9i  i4  S), 
some  fragments  of  alabaster,  twelve  rough  dummy  cylindrical  vases. 

2470.  Mastaba.  Square  shaft  4  m.  70  cent,  deep;  a  little  ledge  on  the  N.  side  is  the  last 
trace  of  a  stair.  Chamber  to  W.  (1  m.  20  cent,  x  1  metre  x  1  metre). 

Contained  only  some  bones  from  the  head  and  foreleg  of  an  ox. 

2471.  Mastaba,  which  had  apparently  been  built  on  to  E.  wall  of  no.  2464,  but  no  super- 
structure remained.  Square  shaft  o  m.  65  cent,  x  o  m.  80  cent. 

Chamber  to  W.,  evidently  for  a  contracted  burial  but  empty. 

2473.  Short  stair.  Chamber  to  W.  Blank. 

2474.  Mastaba.  Shaft  vertical,  deep  (19  m.  95  cent.)  but  still  kite  shaped:  chamber  to  S. 
Fragments  of  portcullis  in  filling. 

Contents  :  fragments  of  eight  stone  bowls ,  two  dummy  cylindrical  vases. 

2475.  Shaft  1  metre  square,  3  metres  deep.  Chamber  to  S.,  very  low,  1  m.  10  cent,  x 
1  metre  x  0  m.  70  cent. 

2476.  Mastaba,  superstructure  ca.  1  metre  high,  half  covering  the  square  shaft.  No  chamber. 

2477.  Small  mastaba.  This  and  no.  9476  are  in  a  line  skew  to  no.  9  452  and  therefore 
earlier.  Shaft  9  m.  60  cent,  deep,  plastered.  Chamber  to  W.  ca.  1  metre  x  0  m.  5o  cent. 

Contents  :  bones  of  a  young  child  and  of  a  baby  found  in  two  heaps,  bones  of  a  calf,  frag- 
ment of  wood  from  a  child's  colfin,  fragment  of  a  diorite  bowl,  bits  of  coarse  vases. 

6. 


44  EXCAVATIONS  AT  SAQQARA,   1912-1914. 

2478.  No  superstructure.  Shaft  2  m.  Go  cent,  deep,  red  plastered  and  the  rock  also  coloured 
red  down  to  the  lowest  o  ni.  10  cent,  to  o  m.  i5  cent.,  where  it  is  white.  Chamber  to  S. 
Above  the  door  is  a  lintel;  the  mud  with  which  this  is  held  in  place  is  not  reddened.  INo  objects. 

2480.  Mastaba.  Superstructure  still  i  m.  20  cent.  high.  Shaft  1  in.  1  o  cent,  square,  2  111. 
60  cent.  deep.  Chamber  (1  m.  20  cent,  x  1  m.  20  cent,  x  1  metre),  curiously  far  to  W. 

Contents  :  a  number  of  slender  faience  beads  0  m.  o3o  mill,  long,  0  m.  001  mill,  or  0  111. 
002  mill,  in  diameter. 

2481.  Maslalia.  Superstructure  1  m.  5o  cent.  high.  Square  shaft,  2  m.  60  cent.  deep. 
Chamber  to  W.  In  it  a  body  sharply  contracted,  head  N.,  face  E. ,  right  hand  on  knee. 

Contents  :  head-rest  in  very  bad  condition,  a  fragment  of  copper,  a  faience  bead,  shoulder 
bone  of  sheep.  In  the  tilling,  a  coarse  pot.  type  L. 

2482.  The  southernmost  of  a  row  of  small  mastabas  E.  of  no.  2/107.  Shaft  o  m.  60  cent. 
deep  under  the  mastaba.  Small  recess  just  large  enough  to  hold  a  sharply  contracted  body;  it 
lay  with  head  N.,  face  E.,  and  knees  up  to  the  chin. 

2485.  The  fourth  little  mastaba  from  north  of  this  row  and  to  W.  of  no.  2698.  Small 
square  shaft  ca.  o  m.  70  cent.  deep.  Chamber  to  W.  with  blocking  intact,  and  inside  a  con- 
tracted burial,  head  N.  face  E.,  knees  drawn  up  to  the  level  of  the  hips,  right  hand  on  the 
knees.  Scraps  of  linen  over  the  bones  and  much  decayed  linen  below  the  body. 

2487.  Small  mastaba  built  on  the  E.  wall  of  no.  2607.  Small  limestone  tank  before  the 
niche.  Square  shaft  1  m.  4o  cent,  deep,  recess  to  W.,  only  0  m.  5o  cent.  high.  In  it  a  skeleton, 
head  N.  face  E.,  legs  contracted,  but  not  drawn  up  to  body.  Left  arm  extended,  hand  under 
hips. 

2488.  Small  mastaba  o  m.  5o  cent,  high,  the  northern  one  of  this  row.  Square  shaft. 
Chamber  to  W.  Blocking  of  dry  brick  intact.  Small  rounded  chamber  to  W.  In  it  a  body  sharp- 
ly contracted  with  head  N.  and  face  E.  The  teeth  were  very  bad  and  many  were  missing;  one 
eye  was  preserved,  dried  up  in  its  orbit,  and  the  brain  was  seen  inside  the  skull.  Linen  wrap- 
pings in  bad  condition.  In  the  passage  before  this  a  small  oval  tank,  o  in.  20  cent.  long. 

2495.  Small  square  shaft  in  passage  E.  of  no.  2627.  About  h  metres  deep.  Upper  part  of 
brick  (long  bricks,  o  m.  3o  cent.)  plastered.  Small  chamber  to  W.  holding  coffin  (1  m.  o3 
cent,  x  o  m.  55  cent.)  in  which  was  a  contracted  burial,  head  N.  face  W.  Bones  badly  broken. 

2497.  Another  mastaba  of  the  row  no.  2^82,  etc.  The  superstructure  1  m.  20  cent.  high. 
Square  shaft  U  metres  deep.  Small  recess,  no  burial. 

Contents  :  near  the  bottom  of  the  shaft  some  animal  bones  (dog?);  half  of  a  coarse  saucer 
(type  Q),  two  pots  (K)  and  one  good  bowl  (T,  pi.  XXXIX). 

2498  (pis.  XXIV-XXV).  Large  mastaba  E.  face  destroyed.  Stairway  from  under  E.  wall,  run- 
ning to  S.  then  to  W.,  blocked  with  large  stones  set  on  end  (pi.  XXIV,  2).  As  many  fragments 
of  stone  bowls  were  found  between  these  blocks  of  stone,  they  may  have  been  purposely  thrown 


CATALOGUE  OF  TOMBS.  /i5 

down  on  the  stair,  as  in  no.  2429.  Four  inscribed  clay  seals  were  found  in  the  filling  :  three 
reading  so  far  as  the)  could  be  made  oul  >~~*M         ATTYYY    J    TrB^V'  while  on 

the  fourth  the  name  was  thought  to  be  seen ,  but  not  with  certainty.  Underground  chambers 

planned  on  plate  XXX.  Photograph  of  one  of  these  chambers,  plate  XXIV,  h. 

In  the  filling  there  were  seven  brick-built  store  chambers  or  granaries  (pis.  XXIV,  i-3, 
XXV,  2)  numbered  A-G. 

A.  Was  completely  gutted  except  for  fragments  of  coarse  reddish  pottery  (C,  Q.  T).  On  the 
bowl  T  were  remains  of  a  haematite  coating  like  false  Samian  ware. 

B.  The  contents  appear  to  have  been  in  three  layers,  the  lowest  (1)  an  ash-grev,  powdery, 
organic  matter,  (2)  layer  of  single  bricks,  (3)  layer  of  jars  (type  C)  plastered  together  with 
mud. 

C.  A  narrow  strip  at  the  W.  end  was  empty  (o  m.  60  cent,  to  o  m.  5o  cent.  E.  and  W.). 
It  was  bounded  on  the  E.  side  by  a  layer  of  brick.  The  centre  of  the  chamber  to  nearly  half 

its  length  was  filled  with  fragments  of  pottery;  a  few  pots  (type  C)  remained  in  situ  standing 
against  the  wall.  Their  contents,  of  a  mud  like  substance",  have  stained  the  inside  with  a  yellow 
matter  of  the  colour  of  sulphur.  The  E.  end  had  a  lower  level  of  floor  covered  with  fragments 
of  the  same  pottery. 

D.  In  the  floor  of  this  chamber,  against  the  N.  wall,  four  poles  were  arranged  in  a  rectangle, 
the  long  poles  1  m.  85  cent.,  the  shorter  1  metre,  diameter  o  m.  o5  cent.  They  probably 
formed  a  litter.  The  ends  had  nine,  the  sides  nineteen  L-shaped  slits.  Inside  were  some  traces 
of  matting.  Both  inside  and  outside  the  litter  lay  a  lot  of  grain  in  the  husk;  it  had  originally 
formed  a  layer  o  m.  3o  cent,  thick;  at  the  W.  end  there  was  none  of  it. 

Between  the  litter  and  the  vacant  space  on  the  N.  side  are  fragments  of  some  eight  or  nine 
pots  (L)  with  red  (?  haematite)  surface.  One  of  these  is  complete  (o  m.  i5  cent,  x  0  m. 
1  2  cent. )  and  contains  blackish  berries. 

E.  Floor  covered  to  a  depth  of  ca.  0  m.  o5  cent,  with  organic  matter,  similar  to  that  des- 
cribed in  F,  but  redder  in  colour. 

F.  Floor  covered,  as  in  E.,  by  organic  matter  of  brown  ashen  character  with  splashes  of 
white  powder.  The  present  level  of  the  floor  is.  0  m.  60  cent,  below  the  top  of  the  surrounding 
wall,  but  the  original  level  appears  to  have  sunk  o  m.  20  cent,  as  judged  by  a  margin  of  mat- 
ting (?)  with  which  the  whole  chamber  was  covered.  Wall  surface  plastered  with  mud. 

G.  Was  subdivided  into  five  smaller  granaries,  separated  by  one-brick  walls,  roughly  plas- 
tered. Shown  on  plan  (pi.  II). 

In  the  westernmost  sub-chamber  :  fifty  pots  (types  A  and  B)  with  mud  caps  bearing  marks 
similar  to  those  in  nos.  23 1 3  and  232  2  a.  Nearly  all  contained  fat.  In  the  next  sub-chamber 
west,  were  thirty  pots,  five  rows  of  six,  of  pink,  soft,  roughish  ware. 

In  the  middle  sub-chamber  were  five  red ,' egg-shaped  vases  (type  G),  of  which  only  one 
was  whole.  All  contained  tough  black  mud  in  the  lower  part.  The  sub-chamber  on  the  extreme 


46  EXCAVATIONS  AT  SAQQARA,   1912-1914. 

E.  side  was  divided  into  two  parts  by  a  cross  wall.  The  tall  pots  it  contained  (type  A)  were 
stoppered  with  chips  of  stone.  Many  contained  a  light  organic  substance,  possibly  fat  again. 

The  roof  of  G  consisted  of  a  single  course  of  bricks  with  mud  mortar  above,  covering  about 
two  thirds  of  the  chamber. 

Contents  of  the  underground  chambers  :  a  fine  set  of  stone  bowls  (about  seventy),  pottery 
vases  type  A,  with  clay  stoppers,  containing  mud  or  sand. 

2501.  Square  shaft,  o  m.  6o  cent,  square  at  the  top,  2  metres  deep.  Recess  to  W.,  con- 
taining a  few  human  bones. 

2503.  Mastaba.  Superstructure  o  m.  8o  cent.  high.  Under  it  a  short  shaft  with  chamber 
to  S.  Contents  :  two  unbaked  pots  (type  0,  pi.  XXXIX). 

2504.  Small  mastaba  near  no.  26/16.  Shaft  1  m.  60  cent,  deep;  lined  and  plastered.  Very 
small  vaulted  chamber.  The  roof  may  have  been  an  arch,  but  was  carelessly  built  and  damaged. 

2505.  Intrusive  N.  E.  burial  under  the  S.  wall  of  the  tomb  of  Hesy. 

Contents  :  seeds  (lentils?),  seven  dom  palm  nuts,  top  of  a  basket,  pottery  lid,  fragments  of 
a  wooden  box  with  ivory  edge. 

2508.  Small  mastaba.  Kite  shaped  shaft,  5  m.  60  cent.  deep.  Chamber  to  W.  1  m.  5o  cent. 
x  1  m.  20  cent,  x  1  m.  10  cent.  Part  of  portcullis  in  place. 

Contents  :  fragments  of  a  box  coffin,  bits  of  thin  copper  and  of  six  stone  bowls,  diorite, 
porphyry  and  alabaster. 

2509.  Mastaba.  Stair  from  N.  Under  the  stairway  a  small  shaft,  total  depth  about  U  metres 
from  top  of  superstructure.  Contents  :  a  few  human  bones,  cat  skeleton,  one  chip  from  an 
alabaster  table. 


«xs$oc» 


'  / 


LIST  OF  PLATES. 


kTE   I  .  .  .  . 

Plan  of  S.  group. 

Plate  XX  ...  . 

II... 
III... 

Plan  of  N.  group. 
General  view. 

XXI 
XXII .  .  . 

IV... 

Single  mastabas. 

v.... 

Plan  of  I"  Dynasty  tomb  (no.  21 85). 

XXIII... 

VI... 
VII.. 
VIII.. 

View  of  I"  Dynasty  tomb  (no.  21 85). 
Details  of  I"  Dynasty  tomb  (no.  2  1 85). 
Small   objects  of  I"   Dynasty  tomb 

(no.  2 185). 

XXIV... 
XXV  .. . 

IX... 

Clay   sealings   of   I"   Dynasty   tomb 
(no.  2i85). 

XXVI... 
XXVII.. 

X.... 

Stone    vases    of   I"    Dynasty    tomb 

XXVIII.. 

(no.  2i85). 

XXIX... 

XI... 
XII..  j 
XIII.  I 

Tomb  of  I"  Dynasty  (no.  2171  H). 
Stone  vases  of  I"  Dynasty  (no.  2 1 7 1 H). 

XXX .. . 
XXXI... 
XXXII.. 

XIV.. 

Tomb   of  Irt  Dynasty   (no.    2188). 
Stone  vases. 

XXXIII. . 
XXXIV.. 

XV.. 
XVI.. 
XVII. 

Tomb  of  IInd  Dynasty  (no.  2171). 
Tomb  with  granary. 
Tomb  of  Ruabu. 

XXXV.. 
XXXVI.. 
XXXVII. 

XVIII. 

Tomb  no.  2807. 

XXXVIII 

XIX.. 

Tomb  no.  23 1 3. 

XXXIX.. 

Tomb  no.  23aa. 

Stone  vases  of  tomb  no.  232  2. 

Views  of  tombs  nos.  2^07  and 
2^152. 

Tomb  no.  2/129. 

Tomb  no.  2/198.  Views  of  maga- 
zines, stair  blocking  and  burial 
chamber. 

Tomb  no.  2698.  Bier. 

Lintel  (no.  2  1/16  E). 

Lintel.  Line  drawing. 

Lintels  and  libation  tanks. 

Coffins  and  crouched  burials. 

Plans  of  underground  chambers. 

Latrines. 

Arched  tomb.  Store-house. 

Small  copper  objects. 

XXX'h  Dynasty  coffins. 

Lid  of  dwarf's  coffin. 

Late  tomb-chapel. 

Sculptures,  etc.,  from  above. 

Composite  deity  of  bronze. 

Pottery  forms. 


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EXCAVATIONS  AT  SAQQARA,  T.  VI. 


PL.  I 


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EXCAVATION'S  AT  SAQQARA,  T.  VI. 


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EXCAVATIONS    AT    SAQQARA,    T.  VI 


EXCAVATIONS    AT    SAQQAKA,    T.  VI. 


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EXCAVATIONS  AT  SAQQABA,  T.  VI. 


PL.  V 


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EXCAVATIONS    AT    SAQQARA,    T.  VI. 


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EXCAVATIONS    AT    SAQ.QARA,    T.  VI. 


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EXCAVATIONS  AT  SAQQARA,  T.  VI. 


PL.  X 


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pink  limestone  porphyry  imiyiesLte (?) 


fine  limestone 


loioe-sf  4-  rows  basalt 


EXCAVATIONS    AT    SAQQARA,    T.  VI. 


PL  XI 


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EXCAVATIONS  AT  SAQQARA,  T.  VI. 
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opaque  quartz, ,  2.-5  clear  quartz 


mj.tincsi.te 


c\ll  fine  b re e  n  slate 


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opaque  u>bite  ala.b. 


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dark  slate 


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state -only     ^r^. 
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EXCAVATIONS  AT  SAQQARA,  T.  VI. 


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EXCAVATIONS  AT  SAQQARA ,  T.  VI. 


PL.  XIV 


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EXCAVATIONS    AT   SAQQARA,    T.  VI. 


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EXCAVATIONS    AT   SAQQARA,   T.  VI. 


PL.  XXVIII 


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EXCAVATIONS   AT   SAQQARA,   T.  VI. 


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EXCAVATIONS    AT    SAQQARA,    T.  VI. 


PL.  XXXI 


UNDERGROUND    PASSAGE.  -TOMB  2302. 


LATRINE    IN    TOMB    2307. 


LATRINE    IN    TOMB    2302. 


XCAVATIONS    AT    SAQQARA,    T.  VI. 


PL.  XXXII 


ARCHED    TOMB. 


STORE-HOUSK  (?) 


EXCAVATIONS   AT   SAQQARA,   T.  VI. 


PI..  XXXIII 


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EXCAVATIONS    AT    SAQQARA,    T.  VI. 


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EXCAVATIONS    AT   SAQ.QARA,   T.  VI. 


PL.  XX 


EXCAVATIONS   AT   SAQ.QARA,   T.  VI. 


PL.  X 


EXCAVATIONS    AT    SAQQARA,    T.  VI. 


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EXCAVATIONS    AT    SAQ.QARA,    T.  VI. 


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EXCAVATIONS  AT  SAQQARA,  T.  VI. 


PL.  XXXIX 


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