Page:A History of Art in Ancient Egypt Vol 1.djvu/403

 The Tomb under the New Empire. 313 wide; it was surrounded by a stone or brick wall, and reached by a flight of steps. A pylon-shaped doorway gave access to the courtyard from the side next the rock, another door of similar shape opened upon the plain ; but some tombs are entirely closed (see Fig. 201) except towards the mountain, from which side they may be entered by one or two openings. The subterranean part of these tombs varies in size. In some of them a gallery of medium length leads to a single chamber. In others, and these form the majority, there is a suite of rooms connected by a continuous gallery. To this latter group belongs Fig. 201. — A Tomb on El-Assafif (drawn in perspective from the plans and elevations of Prisse). the largest of all the subterranean Theban tombs, that of Peta- mounoph (Fig. 191). We have already noticed the extraordinary dimensions of its galleries ; there are also two wells which lead to lower sets of chambers. All the walls of this tomb are covered with sculptured reliefs. In the first chambers these are in very bad condition, but they improve as we advance, and in the farthest rooms are remarkable for their finish and good preserva- tion. The exterior of this sepulchre is worthy of the interior. The open court, which acts as vestibule, is 100 feet long by 80 wide. An entrance, looking towards the plain, rises between two massive walls of crude brick, and, to all appearance, was once crowned by an arcade ; within it a flight of steps leads VOL. I. s s