Page:Six Temples at Thebes 1896.djvu/15

 The position of the back wall is shown by the great door sill B. At C was the grey granite statue of Amenhotep II, swathed in osiride manner, and holding the crook and flail—a type unusual in a seated statue such as this. The head was broken off, and could not be found anywhere in the whole site. From the position it seems that the statue was one of a pair on either side of the entrance to the temple beyond the court. Such was also the position of the statues of Ramessu and of Merenptah in their temples. Beyond this there are fragments of foundations left, but not enough to indicate a plan. The proportion of the front court to the length of the site behind it is more like that of Tahutmes IV than like the longer temples of the XI Xth dynasty.

10. The foundation deposits were of two classes. There were the usual pits in the rock, containing rough alabaster vases, inscribed in ink with the cartouche (PL. Ill, 5), corn grinders (III, i) of sandstone, oval pieces of alabaster (III, 2, 3, 4), copper models of adzes (III, 6), chisels (III, 8, 9), axes (7), and knives (10); with these were a large quantity of rough pottery vases (IV, 9-29). These deposits are marked D in the plan, and it is remarkable how they are scattered about the site, and not in the usual positions; the three under the line of column bases are strangely close together. The other class of deposits were the small limestone tablets with the cartouches (III, 11, 12); these were found in pairs, face to face, on the ground surface under the ruins. Of miscellaneous objects found here were some bronze rosettes, gilt, and pierced with holes for sewing on to a garment (III, 17). Many pieces of finelycarved statuettes of wood were scattered about, and a headless kneeling figure of alabaster (II, 3), probably of Amenhotep II, as other figures in this attitude are known of him at Paris, Berlin, and Turin, and are drawn in a tomb at Qurneh. The portion of an osiride statuette of Tahutmes I (II, 2) is most unexpected in such a position; it seems more likely to have come from his temple or tomb. 11. The broken altar of Ra, high priest of Tahutmes III (I, 4), was found in the ruins (see "History" II, 162, 163), as also the large unfinished stele of Duaui-er-neheh, reproduced in photograph Pl. XV. This man cannot be the same as Duauineheh of Qurneh, tomb 22 (in Champollion, Notices, I, 515, 844), whose mother was Tarounet (" the virgin "), as this man's mother was Mesut. But as both men have the same hereditary titles, and each has a brother, a uab priest, named Neb-mes, it seems likely that this man was grandson of the owner of the Qurneh tomb, son he cannot be, as his father was Benaa. We might therefore restore the family thus: —;r=Tarounet Erpa-ha, Ifai-sahufl t-» •' c«,i^.«„ A., 1 Duauii smer-tMf &'c. neheh [/aS Neb-mes Benaa^Mesut I £ria-/ui,iat-saiut Uai User-aah Ra Nefert Sen- Ruti Nefer- Anni Aahmes Uuaui-er-neheh Neb-mes senb reupit This would agree well in date. The Qurneh tomb bears the names of Hatshepsut and Tahutmes III, about 1500 or 1490 B.C.; and this tablet was left unfinished and used in the building of Amenhotep II, about 1440 B.C., thus leaving 50 or 60 years between the two for the two generations that elapsed. The main interest of the stele is its unfinished condition. The position of all the figures and signs has been first sketched in red; then the final outlines have been drawn in delicate black line over all the figures and the inscription at the top, the names of the brothers and the first line of lower inscription being in solid black. Lastly a beginning of cutting has been made between the seated figures, just to show which part was to be sunk. The mode of writing the hieroglyphs is instructive, as a lesson in such writing, apart from hieratic forms. The exact formation of the strokes has been carefully copied and published by Miss Murray, in 'Proc. Soc. Bib. Arch.,' xix. yj. The discussion of the inscription is given in Dr. Spiegelberg's chapter here. The stele is now at University College, London. 12. Beside the pottery in the foundation deposits (IV 9-29), there were also found some jars lying in the ruins. One of these is of great value historically (V, 3), as it bears the name of Amenhotep II (V, 5), and a date of the twenty-sixth year (V, 6), with the name of the vine-dresser, Panehsi 'the negro,' who stored the wine. Hitherto no date of this king above the fifth year had been known, and the assignment of 25 years 10 months to this reign by Manetho was generally discredited. The latest writer, Maspero, asserts that the " reign was a short one, lasting ten years at most," (" Struggle of the Nations," 292). Yet from the generations in the royal genealogies, and the finishing of the Lateran obelisk after 35 years of abandonment, it seemed that Manetho's period must be correct (" History" ii. 153). Now there is absolute evidence for the whole length of reign named by Manetho, in this date of the 26th year, and we have a wholesome warning against rejecting his statements, except under the strongest pressure. Some other jars