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PREHISTORIC TUSKS AND STONES WITH HEADS
yjt> 3 1
BRITISH SCHOOL OF ARCHAEOLOGY IN EGYPT
AND EGYPTIAN RESEARCH ACCOUNT
TWENTY-THIRD YEAR, 1917
PREHISTORIC EGYPT
ILLUSTRATED BY OVER 1,000 OBJECTS IN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, LONDON
BY
W. M. FLINDERS PETRIE
HON. D.C.L., LL.D., D.LIT., F.R.S., F.B.A., M.R.I.A.
LONDON BRITISH SCHOOL OF ARCHAEOLOGY IN EGYPT UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, GOWER STREET, W.C.
AND
BERNARD QUARITCH, ii GRAFTON STREET, NEW BOND STREET, W.
1920
57 BS
PKIHTBD BT
HAZELL, WATSON AND VINKT, LO^
LONDON AND AtLBSBUKT.
BRITISH SCHOOL OF ARCHAEOLOGY IN EGYPT AND EGYPTIAN RESEARCH ACCOUNT
PATRON: F.-M. VISCOUNT ALLENBY, G.C.B., G.C.M.G.
GENERAL COMMITTEE {^•Executive Members)
Lord Abercromby
Henry Balfour
Rev. Dr. T. G. Bonney
Prof. R. C. BOSANQUET
Rt. Hon. Viscount Brvce or
Dechmont ♦Prof. J. B. Bury •Somers Clarke Edward Clodd Sir W. Boyd Dawkins Prof. Sir S. Dill
*MisS ECKENSTEIN
Sir Gregory Foster Sir James Frazer •Prof. Ernest Gardner Prof. Percy Gardner
Rt. Hon. Sir George T. Goldie
Dr. GOWLAND
Mrs. J. R. Green
Rt. Hon. F.-M. Lord Grenfell
Mrs. F. Ll. Griffith
Dr. A. C. Haddon
Dr. Jesse Haworth
Rev. Dr. A. C. Headlam
D. G. Hogarth
•Basil Holmes
Sir Henry H. Howorth
Baron A. von Hugel
Prof. A. S. Hunt
Mrs. C. H. W. Johns
Sir Henry Miers
J. G. Milne
Robert Mond
Prof. Montague
Walter Morrison
•Miss M. A. Murray
P. E. Newberry
F. W. Percival
Dr. Pinches
Dr. G. W. Prothero
Dr. G. A. Reisner
Sir William Richmond
Prof. F. W. Ridgeway
Mrs. Strong
Lady Tirard
E. TowRY Whyte
Honorary Treasurer— *W.. Sefton-Jones
Honorary Director — Prof. Flinders Petrie
Honorary Secretary — Mrs. H. F. Petrie
AMERICAN BRANCH
THE EGYPTIAN RESEARCH ACCOUNT
President James Henry Breasted, Ph.D.
Vice-Presidents
William J. Holland, Ph.D., Sc.D., LL.D. Edmund J. James, Ph.D., LL.D, F. W. Shipley, Ph.D.
Charles F. Thwing, D.D., LL.D.
Benjamin Ide Wheeler, Ph.D., L.H.D., LL.D
William Copley Winslow, Ph.D., L.H.D., LL.D.
Hon. Secretary Prof. Mitchell Carroll, Ph.D.
Hon. Treasurer Rev. William C. Winslow, D.D.
PUBLICATIONS
OF THE EGYPTIAN RESEARCH ACCOUNT AND
BRITISH SCHOOL OF ARCHAEOLOGY IN EGYPT
I. BALLAS, 1895? by J. E. Quibell. (Out of print; obtainable in joint volume NAQADA AND
BALLAS, by W. M. F. Petrie.) II. THE RAMESSEUM, 1896; by J. E. Quibell. (Out of print.) m. EL KAB, 1897; by J. E. Quibell.
rV. HIERAKONPOLIS I, 1898; text by W. M. F. P. 43 plates. 20^. net. V. HIERAKONPOLIS II, 1899; by F. W. Green and J. E. Quibell. 39 plates (4 coloured and 20
photographic). 35^. net. VI. EL ARABAH, 19005 by J. Garstang. 40 plates. i6j. net. (Out of print.) VII. MAHASNA, 1901 ; by J. Garstang and Kurt Sethe. 43 plates. (Out of print.) VUI. TEMPLE OF THE KINGS, 1902; by A. St. George Caulfeild. 24 plates. \f>5. net. (Out of print.) IX. THE OSIREION, 1903; by Margaret A. Murray. 37 plates. X. SAQQARA MASTABAS I, 1904 5 by M. A. Murray ; and GUROB, by L. Loat. 64 plates. 30^. net. XL SAQQARA MASTABAS II, 1905; by Hilda Petrie. {In preparation) XII. HYKSOS AND ISRAELITE CITIES, 1906 % by W. M. Flinders Petrie and J. Garrow Duncan.
40 plates. 25J. net. In double volume with 03 plates. 45^. net. (This latter is out of print.) XIIL GIZEH AND RIFEH, 1907; by W. M. Flinders Petrie. 40 plates. 25J. net. In double volume
with 109 plates. 50J. net. XIV. ATHRIBIS, 1908 5 by W. M. Flinders Petrie, J. H. Walker and E. B. Knobel. 43 plates. 251. net.
(Out of print.) XV. MEMPHIS I, 1908; by W. M. F. Petrie and J. H. Walker. 54 plates. 251. net. XVL QURNEH, 19095 by W. M. F. Petrie and J. H. Walker. 56 plates. (Out of print.) XVIL THE PALACE OF APRIES (MEMPHIS II), 1909 5 by W. M. Flinders Petrie and J. H. Walker.
35 plates. 25^. net. XVUL MEYDUM AND MEMPHIS (lU), 19105 by W. M. F. Petrie, E. Mackay, and G. Wainwright. 47 plates. 25^. net. XIX. HISTORICAL STUDIES, 1910. 25 plates. 2^5. net. (Studies, vol. ii.) XX. ROMAN PORTRAITS (MEMPHIS IV), 19115 by W. M. F. Petrie. 35 plates. 251. net. XXI. THE LABYRINTH AND GERZEH, 1911 5 by W. M. F. Petrie, E. Mackay, and G. Wainwright.
52 pLates. 25^. net. XXII. PORTFOLIO OF HAWARA PORTRAITS. 24 coloured plates, soj. net.
XXIII. TARKHAN I AND MEMPHIS V, 19125 by W. M. F. Petrie. 81 plates. 25^. net.
XXIV. HELIOPOLIS I AND KAFR AMMAR, 19125 by W. M. F. Petrie. 58 plates. 251. net. XXV. RIQQEH AND MEMPHIS VL 19135 by R. Engelbach, Hilda Petrie, M. A. Murray, and
W. M. F. Petrie. 62 plates. 25^. net. XXVL TARKHAN II, 19135 by W. M. F. Petrie. 72 plates, 25^. net.
XXVII. LAHUN I, THE TREASURE, 19145 by Guy Brunton. 23 plates (coloured). 63^. net. XXVIIL HARAGEH 5 by R. Engelbach. {In preparation) XXIX. SCARABS AND CYLINDERS, 19155 by W. M. F. Petrie. 73 plates. 32^. net. XXX. TOOLS AND WEAPONS, 19165 by W. M. F. Petrie. 76 plates. 35^. net. XXXI. PREHISTORIC EGYPT, 19175 by W. M. F. Petrie. 53 plates. 25^. net. XXXII. PREHISTORIC POTTERY OF EGYPT 5 by W. M. F. Petrie. 58 plates. 25^. net. LAHUN IL THE PYRAMID. {In preparation)
Subscriptions of One Guinea for the Annual Single Volumes, or Two
Guineas for the Two Annual Volumes, are received by the Hon,
Secretary, at the Edwards Library, University College,
Gower Street, London, W.C., where also copies
of the above works can be obtained.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
THE MATERIALS
BCT.
1. Publications of the prehistoric
2. Publications of early dynastic
3. Numbers of dated graves
CHAPTER II
THE DATING
4. Development of sequences
5. Precision of the dating
6. Number of graves .
7. Geologic ages .
8. Period of graves
9. Nile deposits . 10. Length of cycles
CHAPTER III
HUMAN FIGURES
11. Date
12. Ivory figures .
13. Tusk figures .
14. Paste figures ,
15. Clay figures .
16. Female figures
17. Figures in boats
18. Steatopygous figures
19. List of figures
CHAPTER IV
ANIMAL FIGURES
20. Camivora
21. Herbivora
22. Birds ....
23. Reptiles, etc. .
PAOB
I
2 2
10 II 12 13
|
CHAPTER V |
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THE WHITE CROSS-LINED POTTERY |
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SECT |
PAGE |
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24. |
Date and examples |
14 |
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25- |
Basket patterns, chevrons |
14 |
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26. |
Cross-hatched triangles . |
15 |
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27. |
Axes, ships |
15 |
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28. |
Plants . |
• 15 |
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29. |
Animals |
13 |
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30. |
Men |
16 |
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31. |
List of animals figured |
16 |
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CHAPTER VI |
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THE DECORATED POTTERY |
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|
32. |
Introduction of types |
16 |
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33- |
Decline of types |
17 |
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34- |
Copies of stone vases |
17 |
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35. |
Rushwork covers . |
17 |
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36. |
Brush drawing |
18 |
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37- |
Sources of spirals |
18 |
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38. |
The Aloe design |
18 |
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39- |
The ships |
18 |
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|
40. |
Details of ships |
18 |
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|
41- |
Ensigns on ships |
19 |
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|
42. |
Notable vases |
20 |
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|
43. |
Flamingoes, etc. |
20 |
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44- |
Sails |
21 |
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|
45. |
Birds . |
21 |
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46. |
Squat jars |
21 |
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47- |
Later style |
21 |
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|
48. |
Boat models . |
21 |
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CHAPTER VII |
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WEAPONS |
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49- |
Disc maces |
22 |
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|
50. |
Mace handles ...... |
■ 22 |
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|
51. |
Pear-form maces .... |
. 22 |
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|
52. |
Peculiar maces |
• 23 |
VJ
CONTENTS
53. Stone axes
54. Arrow heads .
55. Bone harpoons
56. Copper harpoons
57. Clay and wood models
CHAPTER VIII
METAL WORK, MEASURES AND WEIGHTS
58. Daggers and lances
59. Knives
60. Axes, adzes, and chisels .
61. Personal objects .
62. Gold, silver, lead, and iron
63. Liquid measure
64. Weights of gold unit
65. Weights of Daric unit .
66. Weights of J Qedet unit
67. Balance beam
CHAPTER IX
PERSONAL OBJECTS
68. Long combs .
69. Short combs
70. Hairpins
71. Armlets, rings, sandals .
72. Spoons
73. Marbles
74. Ninepins
75. Gaming slips and rods .
76. Association of pieces
77. Tusks, plain and headed
78. Tusks with lines .
79. Tags, flat . . .
80. Stone tags .
CHAPTER X
THE STONE VASES
81. Squat vases
82. Barrel and shoulder vases
83. Tubular vases
84. Standing vases rearranged
85. Saucers
86. Conical cups
87. Cylindrical jars
88. Peculiar forms
89. Libyan vases
PAGE 24 24 24. 24 25
25
25 26 26 27 27 28 28 28 29
29 30 30 31 31 32 32 32
33 33 33 34 34
34 35 35 35 35 35 36 36 36
CHAPTER XI
SLATE PALETTES
SECT.
90. Use of palettes
91. Men and quadrupeds
92. Birds and boats .
93. Fish ....
94. Double bird type .
95. Rhombic and rectangular
96. Magic slates .
97. Details of slates
98. Hard-stone palettes
CHAPTER XII
MINOR ARTICLES
99. Ivory and horn vases 100. Inscribed objects . loi. Lance amulets
102. Forehead pendants
103. Spindle whorls
104. Carton spacers
105. Emery objects
106. Ivory and bone work
107. Pottery objects
108. Glazing, early
109. Glazing on quartz . no. Glass .
111. Wood and fibre
112. Shell. Model garlic
113. Materials
CHAPTER XIII
THE EPOCHS OF THE PREHISTORIC AGES
114. Evidences of changes ....
115. Pottery of the first age ....
116. Pottery of the second age
117. Dates of other products
CHAPTER XIV
THE PREHISTORIC CIVILISATIONS
118. The Solutrean age ....
119. The first civilisation ....
120. The second civilisation ....
121. The collapse of the old order, and entry of
the dynastic people .... Note, on prehistoric periods Index
36 37
37 37 38 38 38 39 39
40 40 41
41 41 41 41 42
42 42 42 43 43 43 43
44 44 45 45
46
47
48
49 50 51
LIST OF PLATES
WITH PAGE REFERENCES TO THE DESCRIPTIONS
U.
m. iv.
V.
vi. vii.
vm.
IX.
Tusks and stones with heads . • 7. 9
No. II, p. 34 ; 12, p. 24 ; 14, p. 33 Ivory figures . . . . • 7. 9 No. II, p. 42 ; 12, p. II ; 13, 16, p. 41 Clay and stone figures . . 7, 9, 10 Clay figures . . . . 8, 10
Steatopygous figures . • . 8, 10
Designs on steatopygous figures 8, 10
Flint and pottery animals ; pottery boats and figures Nos. I, 11-14, p. II ; 2, p. 10 ; 3-8, p. 13 ; 15-17, pp. 8, ID Ivory hairpins, p. 30 ; stone figures
of animals, pp. 10-13
Amulets .....
Animals : pp. 10-14 ; 32-3, 43, p.
41; 44, 48-50, p. 42 ; 47'P-43;
56-7, p. 40. Groups 35-37. 38-
41 Tarkhan
E2 . 14, 15
13-23 . 14, 15
24-32 . 14, 15
33-41 • 14. 15
42-48 . . 15
49-59, Ship and
plants . 15 60-66, Animals . 15 67-69, Animals . 15 70-74, Animals
and men 15, 16 18-21 18-21 18-21 18-21
|
X. |
White-lined bowls, |
|
xi. |
it i> |
|
xii. |
tt i> |
|
xiii. |
i> a |
|
xiv. |
tt tt |
|
XV. |
tt tt |
|
xvi. |
, „ |
|
xvii. |
„ |
|
Kviii. |
tt t> |
|
xix. |
Ship designs, 36-41 |
|
XX. |
» 43-44 |
|
xxi. |
„ 45-46 |
|
xxii. |
.. 47-48 |
xxiii. Prehistoric drawings ; ist dynasty glazed vases, etc. No. I, p. 16 ; 2, pp. 16, 18 ; 3, p. 18 ; 5, pp. 19-20 ; 6, p. II ; 7. p. 40 ; 8, p. 41 ; 15, p. 26 For others see Rise of the Dynasties. xxiv. Birds, fish, serpents and boats .
Nos. I-15, p. 13 ; 16, 17, p. 21 XXV. Disc maces . . , . 22, 23 xxvi. Pear-maces and spindle-whorls 22, 23
xxvii. Stone axes . . . . -24 xxviii. Bone harpoons ; clay and wood
model weapons ... 24, 25 xxix. Bone and ivory combs, ist period, lo,
29,30 XXX. Combs and spoons, 2nd period. (18-
20, p. 43) • • • • 30-32
xxxi. Gaming pieces, armlets and rings 24, 31-33
xxxii. Tusks . . . . • 33. 34
Imitation tusks . . . -34
Stone vases, photographs 1-15 34-36
16-48 34-36 49-65 34-36 „ ,, squat shape, nos. 1-28 34-36 ,, ,, barrel shape, nos.
29-65 . . 34-36
,, ,, shouldered, nos. 66-108 34-36 „ ,, hanging, tubular, nos.
109-139 . . 34-36
xli. „ ,, standing, bowls to cylin- ders, nos. 140-183 34-36 xlii. ,, ,, standing cylinders to
Libyan, nos. 184-225 34-36 xliii. Slate palettes, types 1-57 . 36-39
xliv. „ „ „ 65-103 . 36-39
XXXlll.
xxxiv.
xxxv.
xxxvi. xxxvii. xxxviii.
xxxix. xl.
vii
Vlll
LIST OF PLATES
xlv. Magic slates (p. 39), figures and spacers, Nos, 29-33. pp. 7, 8 ; 42, p. 42 ; 44-5,
p. 7; 47-9' P- 41; 46. p. 43 xlvi. Ivory and stone objects .
Nos. 1-3, p. 7 ; 4, p. 12 ; 5-16. p.
42 ; 18-20, p. 39 ; 21-22, p. 25 ;
23-25- p. 43 ; 26-35, p. 32 ; 36.
p. 29 ; 37-39. P- 42 ; 40, p. 41 ;
41. P- 43 xlvii. Boats (p. 42) and eels of pottery (p.
13^ ••••••
xlviii. Carvings and copper bands, ivory vases ......
Nos. 1-7, see Rise of the Dynasties. 8, 9, 12 copper tie and bands. 10, p. 26 ; II, p. 27 ; 13-19, p. 40 xlix. Vases and weights ....
Nos. 1-5, p. 40 ; 6-10, p. 28 ; 11,
p. 31. See Rise of the Dynasties.
1. Periods of change . . . 44-46
11. Sequence dates of graves . • 3. 4
Ui. ,, ,, ,, . . . 3, 4
liii. Contents of graves at Gerzeh . . 3, 4
PREHISTORIC EGYPT
CHAPTER I
THE MATERIALS
I. Before discussing the prehistoric civilisation ot Egypt, it seems needful to give some account of the scattered sources of information, and the way in which they have been utilised. There is much material, but of very unequal value. The mere publication of an object, even if illustrated, is not necessarily of use. Apart from a few unique specimens of various kinds, it may be said that no publication is of use unless the object is part of a group from the totality of which some relative date may be assigned, or part of a comparative series. We are not here concerned with materijd which merely illustrates in general the style of early Egypt — such belongs to second-grade museums. Ova concern here is with the relative ages of styles and products, the material which teaches the history and evolution of the civilisa- tion. The methods by which the relative ages are discriminated will be dealt with further on.
It wiU be clearest to take the various publications in their order of date, two dozen volumes on the subject having been issued between 1896 and 1915. Nine of these refer to the protodynastic age, and are dealt with additionally in the volume on The Rise of the Dynasties.
V 1896. Naqada and Ballas (Petrie and Quibell) 86 plates. This was the first pubhcation of any connected material of this age ; and it is, as yet, the largest store of illustration, the 25 plates of pottery serving till now as the corpus for subse- quent registration of types, now expanded with all subsequent discoveries as the "corpus of Prehistoric Pottery. As the subject was entirely new, dis- crimination of periods could not then be attempted ; and owing to the bulk of material the publication of separate graves was limited to the most remark- able. The register of the grave-numbers of pottery was, however, largely maintained ; from that, later
on, the relative dating was worked out. These ages of the grave-groups are published in the •^ corpus of Prehistoric Pottery. There are 540 graves dated within 10 units, and mostly much closer.
1896. L'Jge de la Pierre et les Metaux (De Morgan) 604 figs. In this, by happy intuition, though without any definite proof, De Morgan treated the Naqadeh discoveries as being pre-dynastic. He dealt here with all periods, from earliest palaeo- lithic down to the xixth dynasty, in very suggestive outline, though without any details of relative age in the prehistoric civilisation, nor any statement of tomb groups, and therefore it was of little use subsequently.
1897. Ethnographie Prehistorique et Tombeau Royal de Negadah (De Morgan). This continued the dis- cussion of the prehistoric, largely taken from plates of Naqada. The tomb of Neithetep (Queen of Mena ?) is fully described, and some details are given of Amelineau's opening of the Royal Tombs at Abydos. The large group of Neithetep's tomb is of the greatest value for the beginning of the ist dynasty.
■/ 1901. Diospolis Parva (Petrie). In this the whole range of the prehistoric civilisation was classified as to age, the relative dates being assigned to all the types of pottery, and the other classes of pro- ducts. With some small rectification in detedl this dating holds good when appUed to all later dis- coveries, and is here followed. Twenty plates of new prehistoric material in tomb-groups, supply fresh details ; 500 graves are fairly dated from this work, ^ 1902. El Amrah and Abydos (RandaU-MacIver and Mace). The cemetery at El Amrah supplies 19 plates of material, and a full register of the pottery and objects sufiicient to date about 80 grave-groups. The rough classification in periods is not close enough, and every group has been re- examined and dated as closely as may be. The hst of dates of graves is given in the corpus of pottery. 1902. Hierakonpolis II (Quibell and Green).
THE MATERIALS
The first part (1900) does not extend before the early dynastic age. In the second part (1902) is the unique painted tomb of the middle of the second prehistoric age.
1911. Predynastic Cemetery at El Mahasna (Ayr- ton and Loat) 38 plates. This gives a good register of about 38 grave-groups, fairly dated.
v' 1912. The Labyrinth, Gerzeh, and Mazghuneh (Gerzeh. Wainwright). The whole of the pottery was dated when found, by the corpus, and about 70 graves are approximately fixed, and used in the present voliune. The list of dates of the graves is given in the corpus of pottery.
1910. Archaeological Survey of Nubia, 1907-8 (Reisner) 102 plates. This contains the register of about 20 grave-groups sufficiently recorded for dating ; beside 28 grave-groups of the protodynastic age. The other material is later. It is difficult to co-ordinate this material, as the current niunber- ing of types is abandoned, and a fresh corpus of smaller size is used. The conversion table to reduce this new corpus to the standard is given in the corpus of Prehistoric Pottery.
1912. Archaeological Survey of Nubia, 1908-9 (Firth). In this it is possible to date about 24 graves ; but, as even the new corpus is abandoned, and only separate sketches given of each group, reference is still more difficult. As there are discrepancies between the drawings and photo- graphs, the typing is somewhat uncertain.
1915. Archaeological Survey of Nubia, 1909-10 (Firth). About twenty graves might be dateable, but the scarcity of distinctive types hinders using most of them. It is unfortunate that the Nubian survey neither unites with the earlier registration, nor keeps a continuous new register, so that its \aentific value is largely lost.
1914. Cemeteries of Abydos, I, II (Peet). About /hirty graves are dateable in each of these volumes, the pottery corpus being followed in registration.
2. Taking next a review of the protodynastic material (s.D. 76 and on) from the start of the dynastic civihsation a century or two before Mena, down to the iiird dynasty, the principal sources are the following :
1896. Naqada and Ballas. 21 graves dated.
1897. Tombeau de Negadeh. Large group of material from the tomb of Neithetep, probably Queen of Mena.
1900. Royal Tombs I. Large groups from 5 kings' tombs, and those of surrounding servants.
1901. Royal Tombs II. Large groups from 7 kings' tombs, and surroundings. All these royal tombs are specially valuable for the precise period being fixed, and the objects being of fine work and abundant.
1901. Diospolis Parva. 55 graves dated.
1900, 1902. Hierakonpolis. A large mass of mate- rial just before Mena, and of the iind dynasty.
1902. Abydos I. Further pottery, etc., of the Royal Tombs; 11 rich tombs of the ist dynasty; 8 plates of early dynastic pottery from the temple site, all levelled, and thus dated.
1902. Mahasna (Garstang). Royal Tombs of the iiird dynasty.
1907. Gizeh and Rifeh. Great tomb of ist dynasty.
1911. Mahasnah (Ayrton and Loat). 14 dated graves.
1912. Turah (Junker). 122 graves fairly dated, after reducing Junker's notation to the standard corpus (see Tarkhan I, Ixviii).
Naga ed Deir (Reisner). 13 graves dated, so far as the figures can be reduced to the corpus.
1910. Archaeological Survey of Nubia (Reisner). 28 dateable graves.
191 2. Archaeological Survey of Nubia (Firth). 6 dateable graves.
1913. Tarkhan I. 296 dated graves, S.D. 77-82.
1914. Tarkhan II. 785 dated graves, similar. 1920. Harageh. 70 graves, about 50-70 s.D. 1920. Lahun. 33 dated graves, ist-iiird dynasty. 3. The sum-total of graves fairly fixed in relative
age, then, is as follows :
|
—75 s.D. |
s.D. 76- |
||
|
Naqada |
540 |
21. |
|
|
Diospolis . |
500 |
55 |
|
|
Royal Tombs |
— |
12 |
|
|
El Amrah . |
80 |
— |
|
|
Abydos I . |
— |
II |
|
|
Mahasna . |
38 |
14 |
|
|
Gerzeh |
70 |
— |
|
|
Turah |
122 |
||
|
Naga ed Deir |
— |
13 |
|
|
Nubia, 1907 |
20 |
28 |
|
|
„ 1908 |
24 |
6 |
|
|
M 1909 |
20 |
— |
|
|
Cemeteries of Abydos I, II . |
60 |
— |
|
|
Tarkhan I . |
. I |
— |
296 |
|
Tarkhan II |
— |
785 |
|
|
Harageh |
• • |
70 |
|
|
Lahun |
• • 4 |
— |
33 |
1,422 1,396
THE RELATIVE DATING
The latter class is, however, by far the richer, from the fullness of material in the royal tombs of various sites.
The striking feature of this material is its unifor- mity of styles over a long range of country. From Gizeh and Turah for 350 miles to Naqadeh there is no difference in the protodynastic work ; and the same is true of the earlier prehistoric times for more than 300 miles from Gerzeh to Naqadeh. Moreover 200 miles farther south in Nubia the styles of this age are perfectly continuous, although mixed with other types which belong to Nubia. Thus for over 500 miles the prehistoric civilisation seems to have been so well organized and unified that the same tastes, ideas, patterns and materials prevailed throughout. This shows that there were not isolated and warring tribes, which prevented intercourse and trade, but rather a peaceful, if not a united, rule over all Egypt and Nubia.
Beside the publications of discoveries, reference should also be made to Capart's Primitive Art in Egypt. Though most of the illustrations duplicate those in the volumes just named, there are also many objects in museums hitherto unpublished, and the arrangement of the material is helpful.
Owing to the mass of material, the subject will be divided in three volumes. The present. Pre- historic Egypt, deals with every class of object (except flint-work) down to the beginning of the dynastic influence, and continuous subjects, where no new motive arose, down to the ist dynasty, and the tables of dates of the published graves. With this is the volume of the corpus of Prehistoric Pottery and Palettes, specially needed for registra- tion of graves during excavation, and with the tables of conversion of different register numbers, and catalogue of forms of pottery vases in University College. A third volume. The Rise of the Dynasties, will contain all the material which is characteristic of that movement, and the corpus of pottery belonging to that period.
CHAPTER II
THE DATING THE RELATIVE DATING
4. When the first great mass of graves was examined at Naqadeh, it was seen that there had been an earlier and a later period, as certain types of pottery were manifestly decadent in style. These
were classed apart as Late Pottery. The earlier pot- tery was divided into eight entirely different classes of work and material : the black-topped pottery, baked partly in ashes ; the red polished pottery, similar, but baked in flame ; the fancy forms, square, oval, double, animals, boats, etc., which were not concentric ; the red pottery with white line designs ; the black pottery with incised designs ; the wavy-handled pottery with two ledge handles ; the decorated pottery with red painted designs, and the rough brown pottery. These classes fulfil the first need of classifying, that they should be distinctive, and leave no doubt as to which class an example belongs. When a general view could be taken of the whole material it appeared evident that the wavy-handled pottery gave a long series of gradual changes of form, from a globular to a narrow cylindrical type. This provided a first means of subdividing the general mass of pottery.
Next it was seen that a large part of the grave- groups were of pottery unlike that foimd with the wavy-handled series. These were then classed according to the proportion of types which belonged to the wavy-handled series. Then it was seen that, the fewer types were in common with the wavy- handled, the larger was the proportion of white- lined designs. Thus the white-lined pottery was the furthest removed from the wavy-handled. Further, the graves arranged in order of community of types with the wavy-handled are in inverse order of community of types with the white-lined pottery. Such is the basis of the gradation by age, resolving the confused mass of hundreds of graves into rational order.
Another method next comes into play. If we had a series of graves certainly in their original order, then any changes in order would be more likely to scatter the examples of any type than to concentrate them. Therefore the more the range of each type can be reduced by changes of order of the graves, the more likely are we to approach the original order. For this purpose the earlier and later examples of each type were sought, and the graves containing them were shifted nearer together, so long as other types were not scattered by the changes. Thus the result is reached of having the shortest total of ranges of all the types, and this is the more probable order. The more peculiar a type is— such as singular decoration — the less likely is it to have had a long range of use. Such
THE DATING
are the principles of the gradation of a long series of graves, in the order of their age. The details can be seen in more detail in Diospolis, pp. 4-8.
The practical method was to use for each grave a slip of card f x 7 inches, ruled with columns for the several kinds of pottery ; in each column were entered the numbers of the types found in the grave. These slips could be quickly arranged and shifted on boards, each holding about 50 cards in a column of 18 inches high. Thus some hundreds of graves could be searched over and considered in one single view.
The number of graves thus taken into account was 900, each containing not less than five different types of pottery. All that have been foimd and published since — about 450 graves — have been further taken into account, in making up the corpus of forms now pubhshed, and the extent of range of each type.
5. For permanent reference the whole 900 graves, when placed in their most probable order or se- quence, were divided in 51 equal sections, and these were numbered 30 to 80, and such numbers termed Sequence Dates, marked as s.D. It has since been found that s.D. 79 is the beginning of the ist dynasty. The nimibers before s.d. 30 are left for any future discoveries of earher material.
This numbering does not at all imply equal intervals of time ; it means only equal numbers of burials in the cemeteries of Naqadeh and Diospolis. It fortunately happens that Naqadeh alone covers every period of the prehistoric that has yet been found in Egypt ; there is no gap in the series, nor are there any burials that can be placed earlier. Yet it is probable that there was considerable variation in the number of burials in each century, and they are likely to have been more numerous as population and wealth increased. Hence the earlier numbers of Sequence Dates probably cover more years than the later numbers. The total p)eriod we shall consider further on.
The division into fifty parts has been felt by some persons to be too minute for the precision obtainable, and it has been termed " a very minute subdivision " ; accordingly different authors have lapsed on to a few broad divisions instead. Now it is the first principle of scientific measurement, of space, weight, or time, that the means of regis- tration shall be sufficiently detailed not to lose any possible accuracy of result. In a series of physical measurements an instrument must show at least
one place of figures farther than the range of variation. How closely then does the scale of 50 divisions serve to distinguish the detail of dating the graves ? Take any cemetery with rich graves containing plenty of dating material, and see how much range of uncertainty is left on using the scale of 50 parts. For instance in El Amrah, the ranges of date of the richest graves run thus : s.D.
35-41. 32-41, 46, 41-46, 41-43. 38, 48, 52-53, 44-50, 47, 48-50, 37-43, each of these having at least half a dozen dated types for fixing the limits. These ranges are of 7, 10, i, 6, 3, i, i, 2, 7, i, 3 and 7 divisions. Any much coarser scale would certainly cause a loss of accuracy in the results, the average range of uncertainty being only 4 divisions, and many graves being fixed to one single division. The scale of 50 parts is therefore none too fine ; and any coarser series of divisions would be a waste of good material. There is no pretension to fictitious accuracy in using it, and we may remember that — where there is sufficient material — it means on an average an uncertainty of two or three divisions on each side of any single number that is stated.
THE LENGTH OF THE PERIOD
6. So far we have only been dealing with the relative ages of graves, as shown by the order of them expressed in Sequence Dates. The time- values of these Sequence Dates, and the years comprised in the period of the prehistoric graves, is the present question.
It is quite futile to compare the number of known graves with the population at any period. The greater part of the people were poor and had no distinctive burial of objects with them. If we took account of all the known graves of the historic ages, we could not account for a hundredth of the population that we know to have existed. The only possible clue is the proportion of graves of the prehistoric to those of the historic ages.
Unfortunately there are no cemeteries sufficiently recorded of all periods together to give a satis- factory comparison. The best is the group of cemeteries extending over about eight miles recorded in Diospolis. There is enough ground there to prevent merely picking out one period ; the whole of it was completely searched ; it had not been flagrantly exhausted by recent plundering, before we went over it ; and the range of time covers all
THE LENGTH OF THE PERIOD
periods to the xviiith dynasty and Roman graves, while the prehistoric range is fairiy general, but poor in the s.d. 40-50 age, much as the historic range is poor in the xixth to xxxth dynasty age. There is thus a somewhat similar ground for com- parison of the prehistoric and historic periods. The resulting number of graves that we recorded is about 1,200 prehistoric, and 850 historic. Allow- ing for historic graves which had been plundered out, and were not counted by us, the numbers would not be very unequal between the two ages. We cannot suppose that the prehistoric population was more numerous or richer than that of historic times, and it was probably fewer and poorer, so the time allowed for the prehistoric would have exceeded that of historic ages, and might be much longer. The historic period according to the Egyptians was 5,500 years to Roman times, or 3,400 years by the impossible chronology of Berlin. Hence the beginning of the prehistoric civilisation would be put to 11,000 B.C. (or at least 7,000 B.C.), but more remote if the prehistoric people were fewer and less wealthy than the historic. Thus though we are still rather in air in estimating the range of the prehistoric, yet we can see that it was at least some thousands of years, and we may contemplate anything back to about 10,000 B.C. as open to consideration.
7. We now turn to approach the question from the other end. Recent research on the helium and lead constituents of rocks has given a tolerably consistent view of geologic time ; and as the helium contents give a minimum age, and the lead gives a maximum age, it is unlikely that such results are both far from the truth in one direction. (See Proc. Royal Soc. Nos. 547, 562, 569, 571, 578.) The broad result is an age of a million years for 100 feet thickness of strata. This is taking the maximum thickness of each stratum ; and as even that is not probably the full extent, there may have been 100 to 200 feet deposit in each million years. The amount of meteoric nickel in the abysmal red clay would indicate somewhat the same order of quantity, pointing to about 400 feet in a million years (Nature, 2280, p.
487)-
Taking only the determinations of Tertiary age, they give 100 feet, 50 feet, and 400 feet per million years ; but the very minute amounts to be detected in these shortest ages of strata are least favourable to accuracy. Yet the scale is not widely different
from that of the longer periods. If we accept 200 feet per million years, or 5,000 years to i foot, it may be taken as a fair estimate. This may be compared with the rate of denudation, which varies from 700 years to 7,000 years, averaging 3,500 years for I foot. On the whole age of the world the rate of denudation probably equals that of deposit. By simple solution the denudation of chalk in English rainfall is about I foot in 5,000 years. All this will show that when we have to deal with greatly changed surface conditions, such as valleys ploughed out since gravels containing implements were deposited, rivers deepened as much as 80 feet between the Mousterian and Magdalenian periods, the filling up of the Nile Valley with 600 feet of silt and the washing of it out again, we have the work of more probably over, rather than under, 100,000 years before us in the human period. Blanckenhorn would give 10,000 years for the age of the Solutrean ; Geikie, following Penck, 20,000 for the Magdalenian, or Schmidt 20,000 for the beginning of the Magdalenian, coeval with the pre- historic cemeteries of Egypt. Such dates would only imply the average removal of 4 feet of surface, and that seems too little rather than too much to allow for the changes that have taken place.
8. It appears, then, only reasonable to grant the evidence of the numbers of graves as dating the prehistoric graves to 8,000 or 10,000 B.C. To be asked to end them with the ist dynasty at 5,500 B.C. is as late as we can ask geology to grant, and we may well put the beginning of that age to 8,000 or 10,000 B.C. In any case, the suppositions which would bring the ist dynasty to 3400 B.C., and crowd the prehistoric into a few centuries before that, would seem to be quite irreconcilable with the geologic scales of time action. Provisionally we may say that 8,000 b.c. is the latest date likely for the beginning of the prehistoric graves. Seep. 50, note.
g. Another datum is given by the Nile mud deposits. These rest upon the sandy and rocky bed which was the original Nile valley floor. So long as enough rain filled the Nile, its velocity was kept up and no mud fell. When rain ceased the current slackened, mud was deposited, and agricul- ture became possible. The deposit of about 5 inches a century shows that this mud- bed began between 5,000 and 13,000 B.C., according to varying depths. As the lesser depths were elevations originally, and the deposit was probably slight to begin with, it is reasonable to credit an age of 8,000 or 10,000 B.C.
THE DATING
for the beginning of cultivation and the rise of preliistoric civilisation.
10. Another way of looking at the matter is from the periods of the civilisation. There are two well-marked periods, or different civilisations, in the prehistoric graves. Now the average length of a cycle of civilisation in Egypt is 1,300 years, and so two cycles would imply a length of 2,600 years on an average. This added to 6,000 B.C. of the dynastic immigration, would give a date before 8,000 B.C. But we must remember that this is the minimum geologically, and that archaeology cannot deny that the date may be more remote.
If, then, the 50 divisions of Sequence Dating cover about 2,500 years, each division is on an average 50 years in length. The variations of the rate of burials, however, would greatly vary this scale, as we may see by comparing the number of biuials known of the xviiith and of the xxiind dynasty. The unit of Sequence Date may roughly be said to be not shorter than a generation, and generally about a life-time.
The various indications of the age of the begin- ning of the prehistoric civilisation of Magdalenian connection, and of the earlier desert flints of Solu- trean connection, stand thus :
Egyptian prehistoric, = Magdalenian. By proportion of graves . . 11,000 B.C.
By Magdalenian age Un Europe f 20,000 ,,
Solutrean age J (or after 10,000 ,,
By Nile deposits . . 8,000 or 10 ,000 B.C. By periods of civilisation, rather before 8,000 B.C.
The abbreviations for reference to published volumes are as follows :
A. El Amrah and Ahydos, Maclver and Mace. A.S.N. See E. F. and R. Ab. II. Ahydos II, Petrie.
C. Cemeteries of A bydos, I or II, Naville and Peet.
D. Diospolis, Petrie, cemeteries B, H, R, U.
E. Survey of Nubia I, Firth, 1907-8.
F. Survey of Nubia II, Firth, 1908-9.
G. Gizeh and Rifeh, Petrie.
H. Hierakonpolis I and //, Quibell and Green.
K. Primitive Art, Capart.
L. Mahasnah and Bet Khallaf, Garstang.
M. Pre-dynastic Cemetery of El Mahasna, Ayrton.
N. Naqada, Petrie. (Also cemetery and graves.)
R.T. I. Royal Tombs I, Petrie.
R-T. II. „ „ II, Petrie.
Q. Archaic objects, Cairo Catalogue, Quibell.
R. Survey of Nubia, Reisner.
T. I. Tarkhan I, Petrie.
T. II. Tarkhan II, Petrie.
W. Gerzeh, Wainwright (in Petrie, Labyrinth).
U.C. Specimens at University College.
CHAPTER III
HUMAN FIGURES
II. The period of human figures in the round is closely limited to the first civilisation ; those which can be dated are —
S.D.
|
32 . |
. I |
|
34 • |
. 5 |
|
36 . |
. 3 |
|
38 . |
• 3 |
|
39 . |
I |
|
41 . |
. 2 |
|
42 . |
. I |
|
44 . |
. I |
example
Thus nearly all belong to the age from the end of the white-lined pottery to the beginning of the decorated pottery. It is only the heads on combs that extend later, to 42 and 50 s.d. We do not here count those of which the dating is vague.
The different classes of figures seem to be mostly contemporary. The figures of clay, of vegetable paste, and of ivory, well made, all begin at 34. The ruder peg-shaped ivory figures, and the rough blocks with triangular faces, begin at 38. The course of work seems therefore to follow the same rapid growth and gradual decay which is seen in later civilisations.
12. One of the earUest dated figures is of ivory, long and slender, a man wearing the sheath, and having inlaid bead eyes. This is between 31 and 37 S.D., but by the white-lined bowl found with it the date can hardly be after 34 (M xi). The style of this figure fairly carries with it the ivory figures here, 22, 23, 24, and all these should there- fore be placed about s.d. 34. These are part of a group, which was bought together from a local country dealer, as having been found at Ballas, and the work and condition of them agree together. Thus the group ii, 18-24 will all belong to about S.D. 34, and with these must be placed some of the MacGregor figures (K 129, 135). The figure ii,
HUMAN FIGURES
23 has had the sheath undercut, and afterwards broken away. Probably rather later, and more fixed in style, is ii, 6, carrying an object on the head ; and this leads on to the rougher figures xlvi, i, 2, 3 (see N, lix, 7) which we dated to s.d. 38. They clearly represent women carrying jars, presumably of offerings for the dead ; and they were placed upright in a row along the side of the grave. The eyes are white beads inlaid, as above. We have, then, a fairly defined position for the best art of the early prehistoric — figures carefully wrought in the round at 34, and passing into formal copying at 38.
To this stage succeeded the block figures, with a rudely indicated pointed beard, such as i, 9, 10 ; ii, I to 5 ; iii, 2 ; xlv, 44, 45. These are dated by some from Naqadeh. Of s.d. 38 is the figure N, lix, 4, having the breasts marked with beads, which do not recur later. Of s.d. 41 are three N, lix, 2, 8, and found with 2 was also 8 A (no. ii, 4 here), these are less detailed ; later still there is no. 5 and a more purely mechanical cut of figures, N, lix, 10, of S.D. 42-47. The five stages of which we can trace the dates, from 34 to 42 show a con- tinuous decay due to mechanical cop5dng. The drill-hole necklace at 38 (xlvi, 2), 41 (ii, 4), and 42 (xxix, 23), gives a date for ii, 6 and 30.
The new civilisation which came in about s.d. 40, started afresh, with the heads on ivory combs, of which a double-faced one, N, lix, i, is of 42, and another, lix, 5, of 50 S.D. With this style, having long eyes and incised lines, agrees the tusk head no. 8.
13. The carved tusks of ivory are a separate class, and unfortunately none of good work have been found by scientific excavation, capable of being dated. The plain heavy tusks, with cut and pierced tip, are dated to 34 (M xi), and at Naqada to 33 (U.C), 31-42, zi (1426), 31-59 (N 1703 U.C), 41-43 (N 1539 U.C), 43, 44 (N, Ixii, 35). Two of the tusks with eyes only are of 44 (Ixii, 34). They extend, therefore, over the same range as the figures noted above ; and, being in the same material, we are bound to suppose that the changes in work would be parallel. There is one tusk with a very rudely cut face at s.d'. 41 (N, Ixiv, 81). So by com- parison with the series of figures it seems probable that the well-cut heads i, i, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 all belong to before 40, more likely about 35. There are no figures of the second prehistoric age at all like these, nor are such tusks found after 44. The double head 8, from a tusk, seems to be of different char-
acter, with long eyes and incised lines, like the comb head of s.d. 50 (N, lix, 5) ; hence this may be assigned to the last stage of the tusks, when under the second civilisation. Another ivory figure, i, 3, seems to show a woman in a long flounced dress, of about 45 by the similar lines on dated tusks.
14. Having now traced the stages in those figures which show the best work, we turn back to the rougher materials. Female figures were often made of vegetable paste and Nile mud, usually modelled on a stick, and coloured with red and black. The earlier of these were at s.d. 34 (D, v, loi) with modelled arms ; by s.d. 38 the arms disappeared (N, lix, 11), as also in the BerUn example (K 127). In the examples here xlv, 29-33, the black wigs are modelled separately over the bald heads coloured red, nos. 31-33 being parts of wigs. The date of the two pieces of wig 31-2 (N 1546) is 37. The figure 30 is entirely coloured red, with black eyes, 4 black V lines parallel across the chest, sug- gesting necklaces, with four black crossing lines on the back, while black spots suggest a bead girdle round the hips. There is no trace of clothing in the modelling or painting ; but there are remains of Unen sticking to it, from a line below the breast, downward. As it had a separate wig, it may have had a separate dress. The other figure, 29, was simi- lar, but less full in the form ; there is also a stick and scrap of head of a third figure. Pieces of two parts of figures here are from Naqadeh 1413 ; and part of another, from N 1705, is of s.d. 45. There is also a male figure of similar work, dated to 39 (A,
xii, 7).
15. Clay and pottery figures were the usual cheap substitutes for better material. Figures of men are dated to about 35 (Garstang, Mahasna, pi. iii) and to 36 (D, v, U, 96, and x, 17, 18 ; here xlv, 43) ; they are reduced to mere pegs with heads in 43 (A, ix both figures). A seated figure of a man found with model tools (D, vi, B 119) is only vaguely dated to 33-55 S.D. Another seated figure, iii 3, is of unknown source, but from the work seems to be prehistoric. All wear the sheath, except the erect figure s.d. 35, which is nude.
A headless figure is shown in iv 2 ; and fragments of a figure also occurred dated to 31-38 (A, p. 2^ h 202) . The men^ooking over a wall (D, vi, B 83 ; K 160) are only vaguely dated to 33-48 s.d.
16. Female figures are dated to 34 (head M, xv ; A, a, 90, p. 16), and of 36-38 is a seated figure of good work (M xvi). Pottery figures are vaguely
8
HUMAN FIGURES
dated to 33-48 (D, vi, B 83) and probably about 44 (D, vi, B 109). The figures here of clay iii, 4. 5 were brought together, and are obviously of the same fabric. The heads were modelled bald, and the hair worked over afterwards. There is no out- line of garment shown, but the absence of detail about the pelvis seems to point to clothing being worn low down, though it does not hide the breast.
Another style of figure has no features, but only a beak head. On the buff clay figure iv, 3 there is painted a red apron in front, curving round to the sides of the legs, secured by a red girdle, tied behind, with long ends hanging down. The dress on iv, 4 is painted white, reaching from the armpits to the ankles. No. 5 is part of a similar red figure, and no. 6 a whole figure of pottery painted red. Nos. I and 7 are beak heads, i of buff clay with black lines, 2 of pottery painted red- brown in front,
17. Another class of figures are those in pottery boats. A fine model of a boat, with incurved ends and a middle cabin, has two men in it (Berlin, K 158). Another boat with curved ends ending in rosettes, is here vii, 17. In it is a pottery woman seated, like no. 16, and held in place by wavy ridges along the sides. The upper part of the figure is hidden by a mat-work awning which is tied down to the edges of the boat. A group of these boats was found some years ago, and appeared all together at a Luqsor dealer's. Being a new type, I doubted their antiquity, but the age was put beyond question by the present example, sold to me later. The ties which hold the awning are too brittle to be moved, and have clearly been in position for centuries. The wavy ridges apparently represent snakes, of which the heads were reared up alongside of the feet of the figure. Beyond is a vertical hole on each side, and further a large hole in the middle. These clearly held masts or poles, perhaps a mast and two staying poles, forming a tripod. Regarding the date of this class, unfortunately all ravaged from graves without a history, there is some clue in a boat with similar ends painted on a box from El Amrah (A, xii), which is dated between 35-41. Another strange boat form, vii, 15, has a figure at the end all in one with the boat, seated with feet projecting ; and in the middle of the boat is what looks like a corpse at length on a bier ; the projec- tion of the long face and feet can hardly mark anything but a body. This may represent the dead in a funereal boat, with an attendant to guide it. From the colouring of the pottery it would seem to
be rather of the xith dynasty than prehistoric. The other boats and figures might likewise be figures of the dead in their funereal boats.
Other figures which should be noted are the fine stone bearded statuette, wearing only a sheath and girdle, of the MacGregor collection (K 20), the slate palette with head, and perhaps arms (see Palette series and K 52), and the slate head on an inscribed stem, here xlviii, i, 2, which will be considered with the proto-dynastic, as it is obviously much later than the figures we have noticed here. The pot-marks (N, li) should be noticed, but they are not early ; no. 2 is of s.d. 61, and i, 3, are undated.
18. The steatopygous t5:pe remains to be noted ; all the preceding figiu-es are of the normal human form. Only two steatopygous figures have been found in dateable graves, and these were with " a red bowl with a pattern painted inside " (N, p. 13), but the discoverer does not record the type. This is enough to show that the figures must be placed between s.d. 31 to 34. The same date is shown by the paintings on a figure of similar clay and style in N, lix, 6, as the moufflon and the plant there are exactly like those on the white-lined pottery.
The figures in this collection are all made of buff clay, unbaked, and all drawn in black line, unless noted. The details are as follow.
PI. iv, 8 has the rhombic-leaved plant on left thigh, and a V mark (see pi. vi), on right thigh three zigzag bands; across the back of the pelvis a rhombic-leaf branch. On the right hip a line of SS as on N, lix, 6 ; and up the abdomen a line of VV, as on N, lix, 6.
IV, 9 had the arms turned up around the breasts and a broad black band across the front as a girdle. On the neck a small circle with a cross in it, like the hieroglyph for a town. For 10 see pi. vi, and the back of 6 on the next plate. Since photographing, the head iv, i is seen to join the figure 9.
V, I, 2, 3, views of a complete figure, snapped and rejoined at the thinnest point. On the back and left shoulder-blade an antelope with wavy horns (see pi. vi.). Over the right shoulder a striped band, ending in an hour-glass figure. Across the pelvis an enclosure with a plant (?) in black and blue colour. On the front, long eyes, left normal, right upright. Two green lines parallel on each side joining in the beak, a black line between them. Traces of spotty necklace ; below it traces of design in black. Pubic edge modelled very prominent, and wide black patch
HUMAN FIGURES
all over to middle of thighs. On ankles, bands of parallel lines, like the bead anklets of the pyramid age, and the traces of such on prehistoric bodies. This is the only figure with feet.
V, 4, 5. Black lines of eyebrows and eyes (?). Between breasts a line of a pattern (see pi. vi), inverse of N, lix, 6. Around front of waist, four parallel zigzags. On wrists bracelets, like anklets of last. On back, traces of black lines. On back of pelvis W zigzag of parallel horizontal lines. Compare with these patterns those from New Guinea, Jour. R. Anthrop. Inst, xlviii, of which pi. vii, 5 is closely like the AA pattern here.
V, 6, Lines joining in beak. On throat two oval beads (?) one over the other, wavy line below. Over right arm 5x3 black spots. Over left, three wavy lines (?). On abdomen diagonal wavy lines. Below that a broad black band. On the back, several lines of indistinct nature.
A fragment of a figure, painted red, shows the fact that the legs were modelled separately, and then joined together.
Other figures of this class are published in N, vi, partly duplicated in K 123-4, another in Berlin is in K 125 ; one from Nubia in F, pi. 11, is an ex- aggeration of the thinner t5^e v, 2. This Nubian is of later age, not well defined, but probably 60-70 s.D. A vase figure, which represents the same race, is of 33-41 ; see D, v, B 102 ; K loi.
It is obvious that these steatopygous figures belong to a different race to the generality of prehistoric figures, which are always slender, as ii, 20-24, or attenuated, as iv, 4, 6. From the time of their discovery they have been linked up with the similar figures found in Malta, and with the ivory carvings of Solutrean age from the French cave of Brassem- puy (N 34). Other figures from Thrace, lUyria, Poland, Greece, and Crete (references see K, p. 164), and the figure of the wife of the chief of Punt at Deir el Bahri, aU seem to belong to the same tj^e. It may be that the type existed independently in different stocks, as the hips are the position in which fat can be stored with the least disability of the person, for action or in health. Yet it is tempt- ing to see in the diffusion of this type, now only persisting among the Korannas of South Africa, the early spread of a race which has been gradually expelled from Europe, then from Malta and Egypt, next from Somaliland, and the last refuge of which is in South Africa. To appreciate the meaning of these figures in Egypt, we should note that they
are always female, and only occur in the first civi- lisation. They apparently represent slaves to wait on the deceased, belonging to an earlier race which was enslaved or expelled by the Libyans who founded the civilisation. The occurrence of the type as late as 60-70 in Nubia would agree with this race being pushed southward out of Eg}^t.
19. List of human figures in the collection (the dates in ellipses are only inferred by style) :
|
Pla< |
e. Material. |
S.D. |
|
i, I. |
Tusk .... |
(35) |
|
2. |
}t • • • • |
• (35) |
|
3- |
it .• • • • |
• (45) |
|
4- |
tt • . • , |
. (33) |
|
5- |
n ' • • • |
. (33) |
|
6. |
»> • • . • , |
. (34) |
|
7- |
Ji • '• • • |
(35) |
|
8. |
t > • • • • ,, Modern, Katanga, K 156. |
(45) |
|
9- |
Slate .... |
(38) |
|
10. |
Brown steatite . |
(37) |
|
ii, I. |
Ivory, ostrich shell eye, N 276 |
41 |
|
2. |
,, similar piece, N 1583 n.d. |
(41) |
|
3- |
• • • • T • |
|
|
4- |
N 1757 n.d. . . f . |
(41) |
|
5. |
ft • • • • • |
(44) |
|
6. |
„ fragment of man ui a!%kin N 499. |
(40) t |
|
7- |
Lead. |
|
|
8. |
Wood. |
|
|
9- |
Brown limestone. |
|
|
10. |
Ivory, with base gold band. |
|
|
18- |
24. Ivory, found together at Ballas 20 and 22 have eyes of green glazed steatite beads. |
> (34) |
|
25- |
Alabaster, figure of boy. |
|
|
26. |
Ivory, similar work to 24 . |
(34) |
|
27. |
Ivory, peg figure of man . |
(40) |
|
28. |
Ivory, delicate work, face lost . |
(75?) |
|
29-30. Ivory, peg figures of women . |
(40) |
|
|
31- |
Ivory, female figure. |
|
|
ii, I. |
Clay painted red ; top of figure like |
|
|
iv, 2, Diospolis, B 83 . . |
33-48 |
|
|
2. |
Slate, ceremonial hammer, head on front, two heads on sides at |
|
|
other end . . • • |
(40) |
|
|
3- |
Pottery. |
zo
ANIMAL FIGURES
FUte. Material. S.D.
4. Drab clay.
5. Drab day faced with buff wash
(really of xith dynasty). iv, I. Buff day, head of no. 10.
2. Nile mud, painted red, Diospolis
B 83 (36)
3. Buff day, red apron.
4. Pottery, red-faced, white dress.
5" >' "
6. ,, ,,
7. ,, red-brown facing.
8. Buff day, black ink patterns . (34)
9. ., .. • • • • (35) 10. ,, ,, back of V, 6.
V, I, 2, 3. Buff clay, black and green
paint (40)
4, 5. Buff clay, black patterns . (33) 6. Buff day .... (35)
„ painted red, legs only. vii, 15. Pottery, buff wash.
16. „ red wash . . • (40 ?)
17. „ coiled string awning . (40 ?) viii, 36. Limestone, Tarkhan 1333, n.d. . (78 ?) jclv, 29, 30. Paste figures, painted red, with
black detail . . . (38)
31-3. Pieces of separate wigs, N 1706,
N 1546 . • . .37 Portions of legs of paste figures,
coloured red, N 1705 . . 45 and two figures, round and flat, of N 1413.
43. Nile mud, painted red. Dios. U 96 36
44. Slate, inlaid ostrich shell eyes, with
another and ii 4, N 1757 . (41)
45. Ivory, thick : figure ?
xxix, 23. Bone, face on back and front, N
Z411 42
24. „ (42)
xlvi, I, 2, 3. Ivory, pot-bearers, N 271 . 38
See also slate palette, xliii, i, White-lined pottery, Decorated pottery, and forehead pendants, for other human figures.
CHAPTER IV
ANIMAL FIGURES
20. The amialets in animal form have been de- scribed in the volume Amulets ; here they will be regarded as examples of the animals, along with
other animal figures. All such figures may very likely have had a magical value, whether suspended on the person, or placed elsewhere. The interest of them here is in the art, and the kinds of animals shown ; further examples of animals occur in the second section on the proto-dynastic remains.
Baboon : apparently not found before the late prehistoric age, either in the round or in drawings. One here in copper, ix, 38, is of s.D. 77 from Tarkhan 1552. Another is the curious figure of a baboon holding its young, seated upon an alabaster frog, viii, 37. The combination is so strange that it might be suspected as modern ; but there is no question as to the age of the frog, and it has a raised socket all in one piece on the back ; the baboon is also ancient, by the state of the ivory, and it has a tang which fits the socket. As it is very unlikely that a country dealer would chance to get a figure to fit in this way, there seems no doubt left as to its being in original order. A thin flat oval plate of nacreous shell is interposed between the baboon and the frog. Similar figures of a baboon and young occur from Hierakonpolis and Abydos, of dynasties o and i. A slate palette here has two baboon heads at the side of it.
Dog : domesticated in Egypt from early pre- historic times ; see the dog hunting a crocodile on a white-lined bowl, xxiii, 2. A flint figure, chipped out of a thin flake, vii, 2, shows much the same variety as that on the bowl, the usual Egyptian cur. A very different type is that of the alabaster head viii, 35, with long flap ears, thick lips, and spots over the eyes ; this is like the long-legged hound of Amenemhat in Bent Hasan I, xiii. Another dog figured here is the deerhound in relief on ivory, xlviii, 6. A dog with a collar is on a handle of an ivory spoon, N, Ixi, 2. Also see the pot-marks, N, U, 25, 26 ; D, XX, 14-16, 19, of s.D. 65 and 66. The only dated figure of a dog is of 34 (C, II, iv) ; but a dog's head was found in a grave of 36 (Naqadeh 286, N. p. 26), and in a grave- pit in the T cemetery at Naqadeh were the bones of about twenty dogs. The dog figures of ivory from the proto-dynastic time are dealt with in that section ; one hunting is shown on a comb in K 44.
Jackal : apparently represented at about 31-34 S.D., on a white-lined jar above the ichneumon, xvii, 67. It twice occurs among amulets which may be prehistoric, as they cannot be paralleled later, namely the haematite figure ix, 11, and the syenite ix, 24.
ANIMAL FIGURES
11
Lion : absent from early figures, and only one vaguely dated example occurs at about 64, from Naqadeh 711 (N, Ix, 12), probably after 60 in any case. Three lions and a hare, from a game, are undated (N, vii). Of isolated figures there are three in limestone, viii, 25, 27, 28, from Gebeleyn ; one in breccia, viii, 26; one in green noble serpentine, ix, 23 ; a lioness in ivory, ii, 12 ; a lion and lioness in reliefs on an ivory knife-handle, xlviii, 3, which is probably about 60-65 s.D. ; the lion on an ivory spoon-handle, chasing a dog, N, Ixi ; and the great stone lions of Koptos, one of which, mainly entire, is at Oxford (K 142), the other is in fragments, not yet un- packed, at University College. In the close of the prehistoric and early dynasties the lion figure is often found, and to that age must be placed the alabaster lion, viii, 24, which has been the end-piece of a low seat, the attachments of which are seen below it, related to the lion ends later placed on seats. The early dynastic figures are dealt with later. See the pot-marks, N, li, 6-10. The claw, ix, 51, is from Naqadeh 1503, of date 36. Claws of green serpentine are found at 60 (N, Iviii, Q 23) ; those here, ix, 21, are bought, undated; see Amulets, no. 24.
21. Hare : found along with lion figures for a game (N, vii ; Ix, 17).
Ox : commonly found from the earliest age. At El Amrah of 31 (A, ix, 6, 9, 10), of 32 (ix, i, 3), of 34 (ix, 2). In ix, 6 and 9, the bull and cow are distinguished ; in ix, i the oxen are a row of four feeding at a trough, and therefore completely domes- ticated. There were also four clay cows of 37-43 (A, b 132), and four, white with black stripes and white with red stripes, of 44 (A, b 139). At Ma- hasnah was an ivory cow, between 31-44 (M, xix), and one of pottery (M, xxi). There are here nine pottery kine, as vii, 11-14. In all these the horns are usually curving forward, sometimes downward, only once upward, and never wide-spread. The early type seems to have the incurving horn on a level, and this was somewhat varied both down and upward. The later type with wide- spread horns, as pot-mark N, li, 14, is unknown in the carvings. The upri^t horns are seen on a lime- stone figure, painted with red and black stripes, viii, 46. Upright horns amulet, see xxiii, 6.
A model horn of black polished pottery, ending in an ox head, with inlaid ostrich egg eyes, was found in grave 20 Gerzeh, of s.D. 58. The purpose of it seems to have been for holding a powder, as it has
a plug closing a hole below the head, singularly like the snuif-horn used by the Basutos at present ; see Gerzeh, pi. vii, p. 23 (Univ. Coll.).
The most usual amulet of early times was the bull's head, front face, with the horns curving down- wards, dated to 34-46 by N, Ixi, 4. It continued in use, conventionalised, till s.D. 76 {Abydos I, li, 4, 5), and in a very rude form till the ist dynasty {Ab. II, xiv). The examples here are in ix, i of bone, 2 green serpentine, 3 noble serpentine, 4 bone, 5 came- lian. Others not figured here are of grey serpentine, sard, slate, black steatite (2), brown serpentine, alabaster (3), and a very large one of green serpen- tine : see Amulets, pi. xxxviii, where they are termed ram's heads, from not noting the early type of ox, with forward and downward horns. There are here three dated examples, two from Dios. U 379 of 67, and one from Tarkhan 1256, 77-81. A fine example in ivory, at Berlin, is figured K 152. This amulet seems connected with the magic value of the bucrania placed over doorways [Hierakonpolis I, xiv), the bucranion over the shrine of Shedti in the Fayum {Labyrinth, xxix), the painted skulls of oxen and goats in the " pan graves " of the Nubian invaders of Egypt, the buU's-head amulet in Spain, hung on buildings in Majorca, and commonly hung on fruit- trees and buildings in Malta, Sicily, and Algiers at present. A natural form of the ox head, of quartz covered with blue-green glaze, is at ix, 22.
Sheep are found, not so early as the ox. One with shaggy fleece is dated to 44 (D, vi, B 109). Others have corkscrew horns, but are not dated (M, xxi, 8). The ram couchant is found as an amulet in green serpentine, ix, 25, and see the palette N, xlvii, i. The audad, or Barbary sheep, occurs on the white-lined pottery (N, xxix, 91, 93, 95 ; pi. xviii, 73), also in flint work at Berlin (K 118), besides the slate palettes later on.
Monster : a quadruped with falcon head, occurs in limestone (N, Ix, 13) vaguely dated to 44-64. There is here the hinder part of a similar quadruped, hollowed out, apparently as a vase, cut in fine- veined breccia.
Antelopes : commonly figured on Decorated pottery, but rare otherwise. On combs they are figured at 33 (leptoceros ?), 35 (gazelle), 33-46 (harte- beest), (N, Ixiii, 60, 63, 59), and here viii, i undated. A gazelle hunted by a dog is on the fragment xlviii, 6. A flint figure chipped out of a flake is at vii, i. Other flint figures of the hartebeest and ibex are at Berlin (K 116, 117). The hartebeest is figured
12
ANIMAL FIGURES
as a slate palette, xliii, 4 N, and N, xlvii, 11. A deer with palmate horn, and the rounded nose of the elk, is of s.d. 39 (D, xi, i). Ibexes are on a large comb of the later period, K 44, and engraved on slate, xliii, 4 c. An amulet of horns made of noble serpentine was found with malachite, and a rhomb of calcite, of 44-55, in grave N 632, xxiii. 6.
Orycteropus, aard-vark, or ant-eater. Two little squ£ire ivory plaques with finely cut figures of this animal in sunk relief are in ii, 14, 15. These have evidently come from the inlay of a box, a small ebony peg remaining in the edge of 14. The date is unknown, but the work is too good for any- thing after the pyramid age, and they may well be late prehistoric.
Porcupine : probably intended by the spiny figure with a long head spine below the lioness on xlviii, 3. It is more clearly seen on the fragment of a dupUcate of this at Berlin (K 38).
Horse. The horse has not been found repre- sented in Egypt before the xviiith djoiasty, when it was brought from Central Asia by the movement of the Kassites into Babylonia about 1,800 B.C. It has, however, been supposed to have been intro- duced long before, and to have become extinct (K 190). It is therefore possible that the disc ii, 17, with a rudely outlined horse on it may be pre- historic ; it is of ivory, the common material of early times, which became much rarer as the elephant was driven southward. The incision is not at all like the work of the xviiith dynasty, or any later age that we know. The disc is double convex, like a thick lens, without any hole or attachment.
Hippopotamus : one of the commonest animals in early Egypt, figured on the white-lined pot- tery xix, 71, 72. It is found as a slate palette at 34, and also in clay and cut in limestone as a plug pendant (D, B loi) ; in clay at 36-38 (A, ix, 5) ; as a large modelled figure of pottery at 41 (D, vi, R 134) ; and as a plug pendant at 45, in the grave N 1475. It is drawn on white-lined pottery before 34 (xviii, 71, 72), and on a pottery box at 35-41 (A, xii). Four hippopotami are in the round on an ivory spoon-handle (N, Ixi), undated. There is also a pot-mark (N, Ii, 10) of 34-38. A large granite figure, very clumsily done, is at Athens (K 139). Of the figures here ix, 28 is of brown steatite, pierced to hang as an amulet ; 29 and 31, of pink limestone, are pendant plugs with a circular top pierced, which will be discussed with the tusk pendants ; 30 of grey-brown steatite has an imitation
plug at the top. Other hippopotamus figures are of ivory (xlvi, 4, from a comb) ; of alabaster (viii, 30, broken and turned on end) ; three of clay, as viii, 45 ; and a head of limestone, viii, 44. It is figured, apparently on a boat, on the base of which is a ser- pent cut in green serpentine, ix, 27. It occurs also as the head of an ivory hair-pin, viii, 2. The hippo- potamus goddess Ta-urt is figured holding the croco- dile by the tail, on the ivory xlviii, 5. A flint flake chipped as a hippopotamus was found at Kahun [Kahun, viii, 22), and is probably therefore as late as the xiith dynasty ; this is not impossible, as flint figures enter the dynastic period {Abydos I, xxvi, p. 21). See also limestone ix, 53.
Elephant. There is a fine incised figure on a slate palette, of s.d. 33-41, palettes in the form of an elephant (N, xlvii, 5, 6, 7) of 38-73, and pot- marks of 33 and 37-48 (N, Ii, 11, 12). It is also a ship ensign at 47 (N, Ixv, ii, 4), pi. xxiii 5. Probably later, the elephant appears on the Min statue {Koptos, iii) , and the Hierakonpolis ivories {H. I, xvi) . It is here in ivory, on a fragment of a thin cylindrical object (xxiv). Two vases have heads upon them (xxxvi, 63, 65) which have been termed hippo- potami ; but the upward turn of the front makes that impossible, and they can only be young elephant heads, before the tusks lengthen. No. 63 is of alabaster, and 65 of hard buff limestone. Another figure, 62, in the same limestone, is difficult to understand ; it seems to be an animal with small eye and mouth, and a frontal horn, which could be most nearly paralleled in the rhinoceros.
Three indistinguishable quadrupeds, cut in bone, ix, 16, 17, are of unknown age, and might be Coptic.
22. Falcon : commonly called " royal hawk," is first found in the form of the early royal emblem on a crescent, as aship standard, xxiii, 5 (D, xvi, 41 b). The regular type with a thick body cut off square at the tail is dated to 44-64, in the group N 721 (N, Ix, 14, 15), of limestone, and of thin sheet-lead which probably covered a wooden case now decayed. Of sard it is found as an amulet at 'jj and 78 ; see ix, 36. The same type is also found in glazed quartz (N, Ix, 18), and on the hair-pin, N, Ixiii, 48. The examples here are of bone, ix, 6, from the pre- historic town at Nubt, no. 7 of bone, 8 of yellow and black serpentine. Other examples of the same are of bone (2), schist, grey steatite, and green ser- pentine ; see Amulets, pi. xli. A very fine slate palette of falcon shape is in the palette series, xliii, 20 G.
ANIMAL FIGURES
13
Birds are otherwise not clearly defined ; there is the earliest piece of glaze, N, Ix, 19, of S.D. 31 ; and here, ix, 9, the pelican ? as at Hierakonpolis ; two pottery birds viii, 31 (D, vii) 32 ; two bird-form vases viii, 33, 34, of brown serpentine, and black and yellow serpentine ; ten pottery bird-form vases, pi. xxiv ; a flying bird chipped in flint, vii, 3 ; and a bone figure ix, 10. The most usual place for bird figures is in the series of slate palettes, xliii, 20 G to 22 B, where they are of nearly all periods. They are also very usual as the ornament on combs, in a single or double form, xxix, 2 to 13 ; and as the favourite head to ivory hairpins, viii, 3 to 11, from S.D. 33 onward. Pottery figures of a flying or standing bird are not uncommon, as there are nine here in the fancy forms, F 69 ; see N, xxvii. Flam- ingoes are a usual design on the Decorated pottery, both standing and flying.
23. Nile Turtle is first seen on a white-lined bowl, of 34 ? xxiii, 2. It was modelled at an early time in clay, D, vi, B 83, of 33-48. It was a usual figure for slate palettes, xliii, 14-17, dated to 33-41 in D, V, B 102. See figures in N, xlvii, 9-18 ; D, xi, 6-11 ; A, viii, i of 40-51 ; W, xii, 2, 7. A fine porphyry turtle with the legs and head well formed is stated to be a mace head, and therefore of 31-40 ; it is at Berlin, K 67.
Crocodile : appears on the white-lined bowl of 34 ?, xxiii, 2, and on several other vases of the same age, as xvi, 7. It appears on one of the later slate palettes {Rise of the Dynasties) ; also as figures of chipped flint in dynasties o and i {Abydos I, xxvi, p. 21). It is held up by the goddess Ta-urt, on the ivory relief, xlviii, 5.
Frog is never drawn, but is found carved, as ix, 18 of grey steatite, 19 of grey-green steatite, and 20 of ivory. Others are viii, 37 of alabaster, 38 of black and white marble, 39 and 40 of bright green limestone, 41 a vase of white limestone, 42 a vase of black serpentine with the feet carefully marked. Unfortunately none of these are from known graves. There is one dated example of a frog amulet, of 65 (N, Iviii, Q 709).
Serpents are occasionally figured on pottery (F 66) as K 125 in T;eliei, and at a late date, 65 ? painted on pottery, as xxii, 78 F, and K 96. Other figures in the round are apparently not early, as the red limestone head ix, 12 ; and (perhaps of xiith dynasty) a grey marble head with copper rings for eyes, ix, 52. Thus the uraeus never appears, and other serpents only at a late date ; similarly the
other main emblem of historic times — the royal falcon — rarely appears, and only in the later pre- historic age. Serpents of chipped flint are found, broken in fragments, vii, 5-8. The main examples of the serpent are towards the close of the pre- historic age, when the entwined serpents, with rosettes or flowers between them, are favoured ; see the ivory knife-handle here, xlviii, 4, the part of a similar handle at Berlin (K 38), and the grand gold-leaf handle of a rippled flint knife at Cairo, K 33. This group of serpents and rosettes is almost exactly the same as on the Indian naga steles ; see also the Mesopotamian twined serpents in Anc. Egypt, 1917. 33- The coiled serpent is found as an amulet of lazuli (Amulets, xii, 96 e), which may be pre- historic. Coiled serpents, divided into sections, are found in Umestone, such as in Amulets, xlvii, 96 f, and on a limestone lid of a jar, undated, N, xliii, 2. A large coiled serpent of blue glazed pottery was on sale at Luqsor about twenty years ago, but at that time I doubted its genuineness. Unfortunately none of these have been found in recorded work, so the date is not known. Serpents round vase, xxiv, 14. Eels of pottery rarely occur, as xlvii, 7, 8 ; 7 has a hole in the base, with incised lines on either side of it, of indistinct purport ; the whole surface has been jabbed closely with a pointed tool, to indicate the roughness of the skin ; 8 has an impression of a wooden stamp on the head, which was prevented from sticking by interposing a piece of very thin muslin. The stamping represents a disc, two bars (like faui), a hemi-disc (? kha), an oblong block (? men), another bar, a god with head of falcon (?) or eel, right arm raised, left arm down with onkh, behind him a long neter, below that a t sign, before him a uraeus the end of which is under the feet. Below is another men (?) sign, a falcon with the triangle rfa before it, and a short bar behind. The whole work resembles that of the sealings of the iind dynasty, of Perabsen ; see Royal Tombs II, . xxii, 179. • Fish are very commonly copied for slate palettes of all periods. A slate fish in the round, xliii, 35, xlv, 10, is probably prehistoric ; as also may be the fish of steatite viii, 6. Fishes are painted on the white-lined pottery xviii, 71, xxiii, 2, but not on the Decorated. Fish-shaped vases are often found of 33 to 40 S.D. ; see the fancy pottery F 68. and pi. xxiv. Scorpion : occurs on white-lined pottery, xvi, 61, of 34 or earlier, and on late Decorated D 78 c f , of about 65. It is not found as an amulet before
\
ti
THE WHITE CROSS-LINED POTTERY
about 70, and occurs at the beginning of the ist dynasty, ix, 46 (Tarkhan II, 1438, s.d. 79 ; and 80 ? in 1528). It was the name, or title, of a pre-Menite king, and commonly found at Hierakonpolis in this connection, as will be noted in The Rise of the Dynasties.
Locust : only found in one large figure of bright green limestone, viii, 43.
Beetle : the long Sudani beetle was an amulef, as found at Abydos in dynasty o {Ahyd. II, xiv) and in crystal here ix, 55 from Tarkhan of the same age, and in green serpentine of s.d. 77, ix. 35, 2,7-
Fly : a frequent early amulet, as here in lazuli of 40 (N 1858). It occiu^ in a group at 60 (N, Iviii, Q 23). Two of pink limestone and one of green serpentine cire undated ; see ix, 14, 15.
CHAPTER V
THE WHITE CROSS-LINED POTTERY (PLS. X-XVIIl)
24. This class of pottery gives the most insight as to the abilities and ideas of the earliest civilisa- tion of Egypt, and hence every example of it should be noticed and compared. As to the period of it, the range is placed to s.d. 31-34 ; many graves without it are classed into the same range by statis- tics of the other pottery, hence it is not made an arbitrary class. But, as in distribution it is the opposite to the wavy-handled class which begins at 40 and runs on to the historic times, it must clearly come at the beginning of the first period. Only the rudest graves with a single cup in them can be placed before the white-hned pottery. No trace of this class has been found in the later pre- historic periods or the historic times. Yet — strange to say — the colouring and designs have survived down to the present time in the highlands of Algiers. It might be expected that a few examples would linger on later than S.D. 34 ; possibly a few of rougher and degraded style may be later ; yet the entire absence in all graves that are clearly of later date shows that only an insignificant amount could be placed later than the limits here assigned.
The examples are not widely published. The series at the College, here in pis. x-xviii, is of 74 specimens (7 already published in following books) : Naqada (N) 53, mostly now at Oxford and Man- chester ; at Cairo, in Catalogue of Archaic Objects (Q) 36 (none important) ; El Amrah (A) 22 ; Diospolis
(D) 10 ; Mahasna (M) 14; Cemeteries of Abydos II (C) 3 ; Garstang, Mahasna, i, copied here, pi. xxiii, i ; L'Anthropologie, 1898, pi. iii, i, copied here, xxiii, 2 ; Arch. Survey Nubia (R) i ; altogether 208 specimens. They are classed here according to the character of the designs, pis. x-xviii, 1-6, spots, lines, rhombs, triangles ; 7-26 parallel lines, mostly chevrons ; 27-44 crossed lines ; 45-49 objects ; 50-59 plants ; 60-74 animals. The subdivisions are stated in the description, in which references will be given to all the parallels that are published, as it is hardly practicable to republish them here.
25. The motive which clearly underlies the orna- ment is that of basket work. Even the spot patterns, as I, 2, probably copy the little hollows in a piece of over-cast basketry, such as that in Qurneh xxvi, or Gizeh and Rifeh, X F. A simpler use of round spots in rows is in M xxiv, H 35, but spots are one of the rarest decorations of this age. See also Q 11529.
Parallel lines are also unusual, unless as shading, Q 1 1573. The oval tray, 4, may be copied from the ribs of basketry, and 3 is probably from the same idea. A bowl with six radii of 5 lines each is in D, xiv, 45, and parallel lines sloping round a tube in N 85 c. Other radiating line designs are in Q 11498, 11510, 11579.
Zigzags formed of lines all parallel are obviously from basketry, as N 34, yy, 84, A 12 a ; M xxvii, 13. Zigzag lines are sometimes found, but are unusual ; see N 85 d ; M xxiv, H 45, H C, xxvi, i ; A 3, 4, 10 out, 19 ; Q 11518-9, 11528. Rhombs shaded with parallel lines are sometimes found, as no. 5 ; and shaded with crossed lines, N 74.
The plain block vandyke is rare, a contrast to the constant use of it shaded. There is a bowl with this, no. 6, and others in N 60, 91, 93. Parallel lines were only exceeded by the crossed lines as a favourite means of design. Sometimes, as nos. 7, 8, they run across the Vandykes, following the circular weaving of a basket ; see Q 11503 ; or, less usually, shade a Vandyke, as in no. 9. The chevron is the favourite use of parallels, sometimes alone, as nos. 11-15 ; N 52, 75 a b, 76, 78, 79 a b ; A 12 b ; D 27, 62 ; C II, iv, 3 ; Q 11505, 08, 11517-20, 11575. It is combined with parallel lines in no. 10, A 22. Or combined with a counter-chevron in nos. 16-21 ; N 7, 8, II, 85 b. 86 ; Q, 11502, 11574 ; and D 31 b. Or with rhombs in no. 22. Or with zigzags, N 56, A 4. Another class has a central patch or group, copied from the base of a basket, as nos. 17, 19, 23,
THE WHITE CROSS-LINED POTTERY
15
24, 25 ; N 6 to 24, 34 to 40 ; Q 11517, 9. The chevron sometimes has a mid-rib, as nos. 24, 26, but that is unusual.
26. The other great class of design is the cross- lined triangles. These hardly seem derived from the chevron triangle, as the lines scarcely ever meet down the middle, as in 39, 41, but merely shade over the whole triangle uniformly. The plain hatching in four or five triangles, 27, 28, 31, appears curved owing to foreshortening over the curve of the bowl ; the lines are always straight and uni- formly spaced. See also N 26-30 ; A 5, 7 ; M xxiv H 15 ; Q 11499-11501, 09, 13, 16, 11566-7, 11578 ; and two H odd. Triangle and counter- triangle occur in 32 ; A 6 ; D 31 a, c. Triangles with parallel lines between are sometimes used, as nos. 33-37, A 8. Cross-lined chevrons are placed around a central circle, N 21-24, 38. Sometimes hatched triangles are mixed with line chevrons, as nos. 36, 40 to 43 ; N 28, 32 ; A 15 ; D 31 a, 43 a b ; M xi, xxiv H.T., xxvi ; Q 11531, 4. "577 ." R- P- 3i9- Large tri- angles are mixed with groups of small triangles in no. 59 ; N 36 ; D 43 a ; Q 11517. Radii may also be cross-lined, as N 44 ; and bands or squares in no. 41 ; H 72, 73, 84 ; D 43 a b ; C II, iv, 5 ; M xxiv. Rarely, cross-lines are put over the whole vessel, as no. 44.
27. The various kinds of objects represented are the more instructive matter. The row of five objects on 45 are unexplained ; possibly a yoke with cross- bars to hold the animals' necks may be the source. On 46 the lower row look like stone axes let in to stout wooden handles, and the upper row may be stone hoes. The cross-lines may be only to express solidity, like shading. A strange object is on 47 and 48, a middle stem, with square objects attached at the sides; see Q 11535, 11571.
The ship, so usual on the later Decorated pottery, seems to be shown in plan on 49. There is the long outline, pointed at each end, the two square cabins marked by the cross sticks of the roofing, the oars along the sides, a wavy line across them for the water, and in the prow is the branch for shading the look-out. That such ships with cabins were used in the period of white-lined decoration is proved by a bowl which is copied liere, pi. xxiii, i, showing also the oars. With this form of ship dated so early, there need be no hesitation in recognising the ship on the oval tray 49.
28. The plants are the most usual decoration, and show a remarkable interest in artistic figures, apart
from any utilitarian or magic intention. They are not merely one or two conventional forms, but eleven different kinds are distinguished one from another. The simple stem with straight leaves is the most usual, as on nos. 15, 50, 74 ; N 2, 40, 42, 54, 69, 76 ; A 9, 10, II, 20 (branching), and 21 ; C II, iv, 4, 5 ; Q 11535. It may be a palm-leaf, in some instances but not in all. Another stem has leaves curling over outward at the end, no. 67. On another the leaves bend down sharply, as nos. 57, 58, 59 ; Q 11533. Other leaves are wide and curve outward, A 21. Others curl inward, as 53, 56, 65, 69, or appear thick and fleshy, turning in sharply, as 54, 55, per- haps Peplis portula. A bud with pairs of broad leaves below it is used geometrically in N 48. Wide rhombic leaves in pairs, with some inflorescence on the stem, are often shown, nos. 58, 68 ; xxiii, i ; N 85 d ; M xiv, xxvii ; (Q 11508 ?) ; perhaps the henna, Lawsonia alba. A branching tree with nar- row leaves is figured once on no. 59, possibly the sont acacia. A flowering plant with drooping bell flowers is on no. 51. Lastly, tufts of grass or reeds are placed above water lines on no. 68. No. 60 may possibly be a degraded plant form. I have to thank Miss Garlick for some suggestions of names.
29. Animals are often summarily figured, and diffi- cult to distinguish. The bowl 61 has three scorpions around it. No. 62 has a wavy pattern, which is probably a degradation of a crocodile figure, as on the next. The oval dish 63 appears to represent a crocodile hunt. The large crocodile that fills the middle is shut in by hurdle-work above, apparently controlled by two men at the right hand, probably connected with the rope with coiling end before them. Below are three hippopotami, and what may be intended for splashes of water caused by the hunted crocodile.
A dog seems to be intended by the figure in the middle of no. 64 ; for a good figure see xxiii, 2. Cattle are figured on 66, the forward position of the horns resulting from their being noticed when grazing.
The upper animal on 67 looks like an oryx at the head, but the length of tail could only be intended for a jackal. The lower animal, by the length of curve of the tail, must be an ichneumon, the bristly hair being represented upright. On 68 are probably dogs above, and a stork below. The horned beast on 69 seems surrounded, or hunted, by dogs. The cattle on 70, and hippopotami on 71 and 72 are fairly well done, and less natural on Q 11570 and
i6
THE WHITE CROSS-LINED POTTERY
xxiii, I. On 73 the larger animal must be the African goat by the wattles on the throat. The animal with diverging horns and long hair on the chest is the audad, desert sheep {Ovis tragelaphus) ; the animal with parallel curved horns is doubtless the ibex.
30. Lastly come the human figures, which are very scarce. The most distinctive is the vase here, no. 74, with a combat of long- and short-haired men. The long-haired man is probably of the usual pre- historic people, wearing the sheath, and having the long hair as often actually found on the bodies. He is successfully attacking the short-haired man, who wears a hanging appendage, perhaps a dagger- sheath ; see Hierakonpolis, vii, 6. Neither figure seems to have any other clothing. The zigzag line connecting the legs may be expressive of their con- nection in one figure, like the zigzag lines joining the outlines of quadrupeds, or may be to express rapid motion. The dots down the legs of the van- quished figure may express hairiness, suggesting that he belonged to a colder climate. Two other figures of men, wearing the sheath, are on a bowl, C II, xxvii, and another figure of a long-haired man hunting oxen is on a bowl, M xxvii. A man hunting hippopotami, and two women are on xxiii, i. There are also two rude diagrams of men on no. 63.
Figures of women are very rare. Of the wide t5T)e the only complete ones are on a bowl from Mahasna (xxiv, H. 88) : these are formed as an hour-glass figure of two triangles for the shoulders and hips, a neck, and some enlargement for a head above, and a girdle of fringe ending the figure below. Remembering the Nubian rahat fringe, it seems that this was the usual covering for women in the early prehistoric age. A portion of a similar figure is on the bowl with a boat (ph xxiii, 2). Another, head- less, is on a painted pottery box of s.d. 35-41 (A xii). A woman is on the bowl xxiii, i.
31. The various figures of animals published here and elsewhere, of the early period, 31-35 S.D., are as follows, with references :
Scorpion, no. 61 ; xxiii, 2.
Fish, no. 71 ; xxiii, 2.
Crocodile, no. 63 ; xxiii, 2 ; M xiv ; C II, xxvii.
River Turtle, xxiii, i, 2.
Stork, no. 68.
Small birds, xxiii, 2 ; A 21.
Hippopotamus, nos. 63, 71, 72 ; xxiii, i, 2 ;
A 21 ; Q 11570. Antelope, long-tailed, pot- mark N 22 (s.d. 38). Giraffe, N. 98 ; M xxiv.
Ibex, no. 73 ; M xxvii ; N 91. Goat, no. jz ; N 91, 93, 95. Audad, no. 73 ; N 93, 95 ; D 93.
young? D 93. Ox, forward horns, nos. 66, 69 ; N 97 ; M xiv ; pot- mark N 15.
,, upright horns, no. 70 ; A 17 ; M xxvii.
,, spreading horns, A 17. Elephant, M xiv ; pot-mark N 11. Hare, D 93. Ichneumon, no. 67. Jackal, no. 67.
Dog, nos. 64, 65 ?, 66, 68 ; xxiii 2 ; D 93, 96 ? Man, nos. 63, 74 ; xxiii i ; M xxiv, xxvi ; C II, xxvii.
CHAPTER VI
THE DECORATED POTTERY (PLS. XIX-XXII ; CORPUS PLS. XXXI-XXXVIl)
32. This is the most important class of remains for the detail of the second period, as it shows so much of the products of which no other traces are left. The numbers with letters are corpus types.
It may be divided into three stages, well defined and separate. From s.d. 31 to 39 there are a few examples ; in 31 of rush-band pattern (10 g, 13 w), in 36 of marbling (63 c), in 37 of chequer (29 a), and in 39 rush-bands appear on a larger scale (68 a). All these are very rare and sporadic ; yet there can be no question as to the early date, as 10 g is asso- ciated in grave Naqadeh 1449 with two of the cross-lined bowls (C i, C 6), which class is the most remote from the usual age of decorated pottery. These point therefore to the simpler styles of deco- ration being really contemporary with the first pre- historic age, 31-39 S.D., but in an adjoining region from which they were rarely imported.
At 40 there is a sudden burst of new types, the spiral (35 a), aloe (36 a), and deer (36 c), all ap- pearing at once. This marks the entry of a fresh civilisation, and probably of a fresh race. That the forms are taken from stone vases, and one of the earlier ones, in s.d. 36, imitates marbling, points to the source being in a rocky country of variegated stones, with little clay for pottery. The ship type begins at 45, and two fresh types come in later, at 46 S.D., the flamingo (41 m) and the row of hills (55 a 56 b, 59 c d). These belong to the age when the
THE DECORATED POTTERY
17
new-comers were well settled in Egypt ; they took the flamingo of the Delta marshes as a subject, and coming from the hills they noticed the contrast of hill and plain.
33. The end of these naturalistic designs is almost as sudden as their beginning. There was a diminu- tion after s.d. 60, and with 63 they entirely dis- appear. This change was not only a negative one, of the decay and loss of types, but some new styles come in. The barrel-shaped pots with an internal brim, to hold a conical cap, entirely copied from basket-work, begin at 64 or 65 s.d. and continue to S.D. 77 {Tarkhan 2057) or 80 in type D 74. The tall jars with rough figures of animals begin in S.D. 60, type 78 b (Diospolis), and are obviously late by their coarse style, see corpus, pi. xxxvii. Another new type of brush-work appears, in two or three comma-hke strokes (66 b to p, pi. xxxv), beginning in S.D. 6g. Beyond these types there are only left rough groups of lines without any structural meaning.
At first sight it might seem that these three natural divisions of periods agreed with Dr. Reisner's Early, Middle, and Late Prehistoric. Those terms, however, refer to Nubian periods, which are stated to be later than equivalent stages in Egypt {A.S. Nubia, 1907, p. 320). As there was not a single object with a royal name in the pro to-dynastic Nubian series, it is difiicult to fix exactly of what age the divisions are. At least it is plain that the " Late Prehistoric " there includes the spiral pottery of 44-64 S.D., the boat pottery of 40-63, and the wavy-handled of 57-66 s.d. In the next stage of " Early Dynastic " are included the triple-line pottery of 63-74 S-D., a spiral pot (E.D. vi, 8, reference should be 492) of 58 S.D., wavy-handled pots of S.D. 65 and onward. Thus the divisions would be about 20 S.D. later than in Egypt. There was no absolute dating, and as there are no reasons given for these dates, they may be classed with the statement {A.S.N. 329) that plain cylinder jars with cord pattern have " never been found in Egypt before the ist dynasty " ; the fact is that such jars were entirely over and gone before the Royal Tombs of the ist dynasty, where later degradations of them are found.
34. We turn now to consider the types of the Decorated pottery in the corpus, i b, d, m, t, are imitations of mottled stone, the first two with ledge handles, the others with pierced handles. The imitation is best done on the latter two ; i d has been sprinkled with a brush of colour from three
directions, i b is very badly splotched with a brush* As to the date of these, i b is dated to s.d. 63, and accords in form with W 43 dated 57-66 ; i d is like W 3 g of Diospolis, not dated, but from the forms of W 3 b (42-3) and W 3 d (48-53) it might be placed at about 45 ; i m resembles the stone type at about s.d. 60 ; I t is most like the pottery D 68 m and s at about 60. Other imitations of marble are the bowl 65, of S.D. 63, and the flat pots 62, 63 b, 63 c, ranging from 36 to 71 S.D. Thus marbhng was used over the whole of the middle period ; so far from the painted pots of the xviiith dynasty being early imitations of fine stones, they were only following the cheap shams of thousands of years earlier.
35. Type 2 here in the corpus denotes the wavy handles with line patterns ; 2 k is dated to 52 ; and 2 n, s, are of about 60-65 by the Wavy-handle series. The style of pattern would agree with such a date. The meaning of these wavy lines, vertical and horizontal, and the bands of lines on 2 s, together with all the line patterns down to 12, seems to be a copy of twisted rush-work covers, made to hold the stone vases. Such rush-work we know in modern times on the Italian oil flasks, used for the same reason — the difficulty of hanging or carrying vases without handles. The collar and base of rush- work, joined by bands, are very plainly seen on 4 a to 4 c, which entirely prevent attributing these wavy line patterns to imitation of veins in stone. In type 13 the original form is evidently vertical cords around the vase, held together by alternate squares of cross-plaiting, so as to show the vase between the cords. Similar cords and cross-plaiting is the origin of the chequers on type 29 ; and when the cords were forgotten the squares of connecting cords like 10 n were left isolated, as on type 12. Such rush cording belongs to the earliest stage of the vases, before they were made in Egypt, as in 10 g and 13 w of s.d. 31. It degrades in late times into groups of lines without any meaning and placed irregularly, as on 21 d of 75 S.D. and others at Tarkhan extending to 80. The purpose of the twin vases, type 14, also 33 a, 43 t, is not known. They are always small, as if for toilet use ; but they never ' have any galena or malachite in them, so they cannot have been for kohl. Presumably they were for some liquids which have entirely vanished.
The spotted vases, type 16, may have been in- tended to imitate some crystalline stone. They extend from 48 to 60 S.D., or the latter half of the second period.
r8
THE DfiCORATED POTTERY
36. All of the line patterns are largely influenced by a habit of holding three or four brushes together, in order to speed the work. On any lined vase it will be found that the lines are all multiples of 2, 3, or 4, according to the number of brushes held together. Three brushes continued to be used in the coarsest late work, as 25 a, c, 26 a, g. This system of work extended to the spirals, which were made by a group of brushes, as shown by the thick colour beginning all along the same radius. Four brushes are used thus, then three or four turns made in the middle by free hand, and one turn round the outside to finish the spiral.
37. The spirals have often been put down as imitations of nummulites in limestone. The history of the type does not favour this view. The single spiral as 31 belongs to s.d. 40-45 ; the groups as 35 a are of 40-50 ; but the continuous surface of spirals, as 67, is later, of 46-58. If the source were nummulitic the continuous mass would be the earlier, and the study of detached large spirals would be later. Moreover the nummulite is usually seen in cross section in limestone, but no such spindle- shaped form is ever painted ; and there is no instance of nummuhtic limestone being made into vases, except one in pyramid times. The spiral rather seems to be a piece of pure ornament, inspired by trying to fill up the face of a small ovoid pot, as type 31. It might be due to a spiral mat of twisted rush applied to each side of a pot, and joined down the edges, as hinted by 31 a, where wavy lines join the edges of two spirals. A late variety has a wavy line placed between the spirals, detached, as 32 1, 35 n, and in 67 d dated to 58-63 S.D.
38. The flowering plant, which is the main subject of type 36, is an aloe according to Dr. Schweinfurth, and on his authority we term it such. It is never represented as springing from the ground, but always in a tub or vessel, around which the leaves hang. The vessel is sometimes pointed, as 36 a, or flat-based, as 36 b, or a large tub like the cabins of the ships, as 36 d. Above it is a double arch, which probably represents the concentric sheaths of leaves round the base. From that the long central stem rises, and hangs over with a terminal flower. So far as we can imagine a meaning for this plant here, it would be funereal. It is usual in Egypt now to place aloes in pots upon a grave ; being a desert plant the aloe can survive the drying up in such a situation, and it is occasionally watered. From its permanence it is regarded as an emblem
of duration of life, and may thus have a value in sympathetic magic, or the doctrine of similars, to influence the survival of the departed soul.
Along with the aloe are often figured bushes, of an indeterminate kind, as 36 k, p, and below ships on 43 a, 43 b, 44 d. Of these 36 p might throw light on the species intended, as it has loose little branches projecting.
39. Rather later than the spiral, aloe, and bush, about S.D. 45, the figures of ships begin to appear, types 40 to 48. As a different interpretation has been put upon these, it is needful to call attention to the facts. It has been proposed that these repre- sent forts, with two block-houses forming a pylon entrance, and that the oars represent sand-ripples. Now the details are all against such a rendering. Similar ships (or forts) are figured on the painted tomb of Hierakonpolis (s.d. 63), though without oars. There is a steersman holding the steering paddle at the stern, and in the bows is always a branch as a shade for the look-out, and usually a chair below it. The tying-up rope dangles from the stem. This difference of the two ends is entirely in the nature of a ship, it is quite meaningless for the sides of a fort. Further, one of the ships (or forts) at HierakonpoUs has the very high end, exactly like a figure of a ship with a square sail on a vase in the British Museum (pi. xxiii, 3). On the ivory knife-handle in the Louvre {Ancient Egypt, 1917, 27) are ships of both the types which are seen at Hiera- konpolis, standing in threes grouped together, over- lapping ; these cannot possibly be forts. Yet other evidences come from the earlier pottery of the white- lined on red. In vi, 49 is the top view of a ship ; the two cabins are marked by the cross lines of the roof-thatch, around the ship are the oars projecting with large blades, a wavy line for a water ripple runs between them, at the bow (right end) is the branch. This is obviously in agreement with the ships on the pottery ; it cannot possibly be a fort. On another early dish (xxiii, 2) is an obvious figure of a ship and similar oars with triangular blades, with square cabins, and a branch at the prow. In all these various examples, the details show un- questionably that the figure is that of a ship, and not of a fort. The ostrich-farm theory is still more impossible. It is to be hoped that writers will consider the facts, and not so often revive impossible theories.
40. The features of the ships on the pottery we may notice, beginning with the stem. At the bows
THE DECORATED POTTERY
19
is a branch or branches, as on the Hierakonpolis ships, over a seat for the look-out. These branches under- went changes in drawing(xix-xxii). First is a plain branch (40 b, m, 41 d undated) ; then a double branch at 46 (41 b) and 50 (46 d), and undated at 40 n, 44 p, 47 g ; further, a triple branch at 52 or 3 (47 a, 43 k). The double branch is stiffly outlined at 46 (45 b), and by 52-63 this becomes a rigid double or triple mass of cross-lines (of 52-56 in 4S c, 58-60 in 51 b, 58-63 in 44 d). Thus the formalism of the branch progresses with date, and it serves as a good indication of age for vases without any tomb-date. We may summarise it thus ;
|
Single branch . |
before |
46 |
|
|
Double |
46-50 |
||
|
Double formal . |
46 |
||
|
Triple branch . |
52, 53 |
||
|
Double cross-barred |
45-63 |
||
|
Double or triple cross 1 1_ _ _-_ • _T It 1 1_ _ J _ |
-lined ^ ^i_ |
'it- |
52-63 |
In the middle are the two cabins with a gangway between them. Below the gangway the side of the ship is coloured red at Hierakonpolis, corresponding to the gap in the oars on the pottery drawings. This probably represents some structure on the side similar to the red cabins ; it might be a hurdle that served to lift as a gangway to the shore. In any case the gap in the oars would be needed for a clear way when at a landing bank. The cabins are more fully shown at Hierakonpolis ; they had annexes of less height (as also Naqada, Ixvii, 14) ; on the corners they had loops of withy (?) to serve to hold in the oars when stacked out of the way. In one case an upper story appears as a shelter for a seated man, shaded by a branch.
41. Behind the cabins is the tall pole bearing an ensign. The use of ensigns of ports on ships was • well known later, as Strabo describes how the horse ensign of Gades was recognised when found in the Indian Ocean (II, iii, 4). That these ensigns (xxiii, 5) are essentially port signs, like the letters on the sails of fishing-boats, is indicated by the three, four, and five hills (nos. 19-21). These are not known as signs of any deity, nor are they likely to be personal marks of owners. No' doubt some of these ensigns are religious emblems, as 16 of Ra, 28 of Neit, 32 of Min ; but such would be very likely to be adopted as port signs where such deities were worshipped, like the city signs of the owl of Atherie or the caduceus of Hermes.
Referring to the separate signs, i seems to be the shoulder and arms of a man. 2, the elephant, which occasionally appears in pre-dynastic times (marks Naq. II, s.D. 33 ; 12, s.D. 37-48 ; Dios. slate 43, S.D. 33-41) and earliest dynastic {Hier. xvi ; Kopt. iii). As it was known on the Nile, and also in North Africa (by the Carthaginians) it does not fix a region. 3, the falcon on a curved base, such as is seen later at Hierakonpolis (xix, xxxiv, i) as the royal emblem ; this probably belongs to the Nile Valley, but might refer to a royal factory on the coast. 4, the wide horns of the ox and lyre-shaped horns of the hartebeest are only found once. 5, the commonest sign is the two pairs of horns ; and 6 may be a variant of this, badly drawn. 7 probably represents four pairs of horns, set around a square base. No such horns curving inward are usual in Egyptian hieroglyphs ; the regular Egyptian type is that of the wide splaying horns, both in the ist dynasty and in the later hierogl57phs. 8 is a rougher form of 7.
The only plant represented is the flowering-stem of the aloe, 9 to 12, and the separate flower 13. The frequent figures of the aloe upon the pottery, as well as these ensigns, seem connected with the ideas still remaining in modern Egypt. The aloe there is an emblem of vitality and long life, and, as such, is hung as a charm over the doors of houses, where it can live for years without earth or water, acccording to Lane. It is, with the same symbolism, often placed in pots over the graves. It is stated to hinder evil spirits from entering a house. Further, aloe wood is used to burn in fumigating, especially to a visitor on leaving a house, perhaps with the idea of pro- tection from coming evils. The aloe as a town sign would be appropriate to any place where it freely grew. Such would be more likely along the Medi- terranean coast than on the Nile, where the towns were all on the alluvial inundated plain. As the aloe flourishes now in Southern Italy, it was doubtless common on the sandy coast of North Africa. The two signs, 14, 15, may represent plants, but are indistinct.
Of cosmic signs there is the sun, 16, shown as in later times. 17 may be intended for the same or vior a mace. The groups of hills, 18, 19, 20, 21 are evidently local signs, particularly appropriate to ports, as being seen from a distance. It seems very unlikely that four or five hills could be a sign of any place in the Nile Valley, where the hills are ^most always a level table-land, with occasional
to
THE DECORATED POTTERY
valleys ; nor could these refer to the flat coast of the Delta. It is rather on some part of the coast of Syria or North Africa that so many hills would be found together.
The sign 22 differs from others in being on a double pole. The nature of it is unknown, as also the following signs 23 to 27. Nos. 24, 25 are found also on slate palettes (D, xii, 43 ; Liv. Ann. Arch. iv, 140), and as a pot-mark (D, xxi, 88-94 ; N. liv. 248-252; A, xvii, 2). Sign 28 is probably the crossed arrows, the regular symbol of Neit. 29 and 30 are the harpoon, commonly used in the early pre- historic times ; for any fishing station this would be a likely symbol. The double-pointed dart, 31, with the duplicated ends 32, is found as a pot-mark (Naq. 117-121 ; Dios. 73-79). The single ends are like that of the sign in relief on a slate from El Amrah, s.d. 58 (pi. viii), and the double form is like that of the relief figures on the Min statue of Koptos (K. iii). In both of these cases the emblem on a pole seems to be intended for that of the god Min, and therefore the signs, 31, 32 may be credited with the same connection. Min, as a god of the desert, might be worshipped at any desert coast. He seems originally to have been brought in from the land of Punt (see Athrihis, 8-9), by the Koptos road. Hence as a port deity he might appear at Qoceyr on the Red Sea, or at Koptos or Panopolis on the Nile. As he is also represented in the Oasis of Khargeh, he might have been taken as the deity of one of the Libyan ports on a desert shore. It does not appear therefore that these signs are quite distinctively of the river or of the sea ; the hills favour belonging to sea-ports, and the absence of any of the known nome signs, or of the common crocodile, hippopotamus, palm, or other Egyptian products, is against these ensigns belonging to Nile towns.
It is surprising to find several signs in exactly the form in which they were later used in Egypt, such as the falcon on a crescent (3), the circle with a central spot for the sun (16), and the cross for the arrows of Neit (28), all about s.d. 50. Similarly among the pot-marks is the plant of the south (40- 67), the crown of Lower Egypt (35-39), and the falcon and ostrich feather standard (s.d. 63, Dios. 51). These imply that a good deal of the historic Egyptian system has probably come down through the pre- historic ages, though our scanty material of those long periods only shows some fragments of the story.
The main question to be solved is where these ships were trading. Were they only for Nile traffic.
or were they for the Mediterranean or Red Sea ? The use of a great number of oars is in favour of sea traffic. On the Mediterranean, in all ages, rowing galleys have been the most dependable vessels ; we find them as the main fighting force from Ramessu III down to Louis XIV. On the contrary, oars are useless on the Nile, as the stream can only be overcome by wind power, and oars only appear for crossing the stream, or rarely for aiding in the descent on the current. On the Red Sea, oars would also be much needed, as the coral reefs prevent tacking, and the difficulties of navigation practically stopped the track from Qoceyr up to Suez. The evidence of the signs of many hills for the ports is also strongly in favour of sea rather than river traffic.
42. Two remarkable vases should be noted, on pi. xxi. No. 45 m has three ships on it, and above each is a sign in rehef on the pottery (marked by thin outline), and painted red upon the relief. These signs are the harpoon, the crocodile, and the crescent. There is no connection between these and the ensigns of the ships below them. The other notable vase is one with a ship moved by long punting poles, pushed from the shoulder exactly like poling on the modern dahahiyeh. It resembles the Nile boat also in having a row of cabins upon it ; these appear to be occupied by women, and two women stand out on the bows. It seems to represent the pleasure-boat of some chief with the harem on board for an airing. The bows seem to be a corrupt form of that on the vase Q 11557. Not only is the drawing of this boat unique, but on the other side are some figures of gazelles and flamingoes drawn with unusual delicacy and spirit.
43. Just after the appearance of the ship design, the group of flamingoes began to be figured, S.D. 46, as on 41 m, 45 m, 46 j, 53 d, 55 a, b. At first these were termed ostriches ; but, as my friend Dr. Forbes pointed out, they are undoubtedly the flamingo, now so common on Lake Menzaleh. These marsh birds show that the Delta was well known to the designers of pottery ; and they may explain another part of the design, the groups of horizontal lines with a flexure in the middle ; such appear above the flamingoes on 45 m, and with them on 41 m. It seems that this group represents a flock of flam- ingoes flying to or from the observer, so that the outstretched wings are seen edgeways, with a slight shift at the body.
Antelopes are represented from s.d. 40 onward.
THE DECORATED POTTERY
it
sometimes with the aloe (36 c), or over ships (47 b, c, g), below ships (47 m), and on the reverse of a ship vase (46 k).
44. A puzzling object of artificial kind is shown below the ships on 41 d, j, m, n, s, u, 48 c ; and at the side of the vase in 43 a, b, 45 b, 47 g. It seems never to be found except with ships. It is attached by cords to the top of a pole (41 j, 45 b). It is of some flexible material, apparently stretched by di- agonal sticks, and drawing in along the sides with a curved outline. It has been called a shield, but no shield would have a pole projecting below it, or be slung from a pole at the top. As it is almost always associated with the ships, there is a strong suggestion that it was a sail, perhaps of matting hung from a temporary mast, which could be taken down when not required. It usually has on either side of it a small cabin like those on the ship, see 41 m, n, s, u, 43 a, b, 45 b, 48 c. This may be to indicate that its place was between the cabins, stuck upon one of the cabins. The great difficulty of this view is that in no case is it shown upon the ship. Perhaps as it was of small size, and only set up occasionally, it was not looked on as a part of the ship, but as a piece of movable furniture, like a steering paddle or a baler.
45. The rows of S figures, as on 41 a, u, 45 b, vary in position to a reversed N. It has been suggested that they are a degradation of a flight of birds, and that seems to be the only explanation of them. The concentric semicircles of wavy lines, as on 45 b, 47 c, 50 a, b, 59 p, are yet unexplained. They only occur on wide pots, usually with little triangular knob suspensors, 45 b, 50 a b, 59 p. They seem to represent something connected with the form of the pot, rather than with the design drawn. Are they possibly developed from loops for carrying the pot, attached to the suspensor knobs, and hanging down between ? The jar 59 t has appa- rently had large circular handles, between the sus- pensor knobs ; they have been broken off, and the stumps ground down, at the parts cross-shaded.
46. The family of squat jars, 61-63, 67-69, seem to be of a different source from the rest of the Decorated pottery. They never have any of the familiar design of ships, plants, flamingoes, deer, or hills. There is no doubt that they are of the same age as all those designs ; and separation of them from all the usual subjects seems to show that they were made by an entirely different school. Now in Nubia the squat jars are not uncommon {A.S. Nubia, 1907-8, p. 327 ;
1908-9, pp. 113, 116, 137, 143, and many pi. 43 ; 1909-10, p. 97, pi. 27), whereas only a single ship vase (1909-10, pi. 27) is reported. Probably none of these were made in Nubia, and all were brought in from Egypt ; but the disproportion shows that the squat jars were produced nearer to Nubia than the ship jars. As also the ship jars bear the Delta flamingo they are probably northern, while the squat jars are southern. The squat type begins with rush-work patterns, 68 at 39 s.D., and 9 c at 40 s.D. ; next comes imitation marbling at 43 (63 b), and then spirals at 46 (67 a). This form is well known in stone from S.D. 38 onward, having been brought in with the second prehistoric civilisation ; it continued to be copied in very rough form to the iiird dynasty (Garstang, Mahasna, xxvii). The plain undecorated forms are included with the others here, as they are of the same fabric, and unlike any other class of pottery.
The bowls 71, 72 are incised, and really belong to the school of white-Uned pottery, at S.D. 32 ; 74 a, d, are also incised, of the end of the prehistoric age ; 76 is a copy of a basket, incised, of early date, s.D. 34 ; yy has a row of men, painted with their arms raised up.
47. The class of tall jars with rude figures is of the last age of the prehistoric, S.D. 60 and onward. The beginning of such decoration is seen in the crocodile hunt on 78 a (s.D. 52). Then follow croco- diles and serpents on 78 b, at s.D. 60, and others apparently as late or later, 78 c-f , ending with mere wavy lines at s.D. 75, type 20 c.
The bowl 79 m has been painted with a triple brush, making groups of 6, 9, or 12 lines.
48. The model boats, 81, show somewhat of con- struction. They were evidently not mere reed floats, ' as they are thin and well deepened inside. Nor were they dug-outs, as the separate parts are clearly showTi. The lines suggest longitudinal ribs with narrow strips running from side to side. The material is not obvious. There was no tree with suitable bark, or which would split in thin sheets ; matting would be made wider to avoid joins ; papyrus bundles would not bear the pressure of water ; skins would be wider. Such boat models are early, at Naqadeh they were of s.D. 32, 33, 35, and three of 36. A later type, 80, is of s.D. 52, painted with figures of sailors between the stripes. See pi. xxiv.
The remaining forms might rather have been placed in the fancy class, as they can hardly be called Decorated.
24
WEAPONS
The earlier part of this Decorated class, i to 19, has been re-arranged and re-numbered. The Naqadeh series has been greatly extended, by later work and by types purchased, and many of the numbers assigned to the additions were incongruous. In this part therefore it seemed necessary to change the notation, though elsewhere only a very few changes of the established corpus have been tolerated. No doubt a somewhat more consistent arrangement might be made throughout, with all the present material in hand ; but as the scheme of the first year's discoveries proves to be so nearly what is needed, it is better to avoid the confusion of the past records which would ensue on a general re- nimibering.
CHAPTER VII
Vi^EAPONS MACES (PLS. XXV, XXVl)
49. There are two main types of stone maces and their funerary imitations : the disc of the first period, and the pear-form of the second period. Of the dated examples the earliest discs are of a shallow cone form with sHghtly reflexed slope in S.D. 31 (N, vii, 1443) and 34-38 (N 1416 ; lime- stone, Univ. Coll.) ; and a very shallow plano- convex pottery model at 32 (N 1437). A deeper plain cone is shown at 32, in the model, A, xii, i ; and at 34, in the clay model, D, v, 56. There is a shghtly concave outline, prolonging the central hole, of S.D, 34 (A, x, 6, 90) : with a distinct concavity and longer hole, of 35-40 (D, v, 86, on handles), of 33-41 (D, v, 102). before 40 (M, xix, 4), 36-43 (M, XX, 3), of 37, 37, 36-43, 42-46 (in R. 62 c, 10, II, 2, 12, apparently), and of 42, fig. 12 (N 1401). With the last was one of breccia, fig. 3, with a sharply tubular centre ; another of probably the same age — vaguely 31 to 44 — is in M, xix, 2. Thus the form passes from a very shallow cone to a tubular projection.
Limestone models, coloured with black and white bands, or with spots, belong to 31 (N, vii, 7), to 34 (A, X, 6, a 90), 35-41 (N, vii, 3), 44-70 (N, vii, 5), and 63 (N, vii, 4), by which time the painted imita- tion of stone had passed into an independent pattern.
A convex variation, fig. 8, appears at 38 in syenite (A, x, 6, a 102) . Later there comes a deep cone with reflex outUne, between 44 and 70 (N, vii, 5). This type continues as late as Hierakonpolis, fig. 4, along
with an exaggerated tubular form, fig. 3, and a thin concavo-convex form of debased style. The series of forms found at Hierakonpolis (early dynastic) are, nearly all, erratic and debased. Thus it appears that as actual weapons they range from 31 to 42 ; a few hmestone models, and the purely ceremonial survivals at Hierakonpolis, are all that are later. They continued to be figured among offerings, in a debased form, as late as the xiith dynasty.
50. The manner in which they were mounted for use is shown by the pair of maces with handles of ivory and horn (D, v, 86), the length of the whole being four diameters of the head ; date about 35-40.
A clay model of a mace on a handle, of date 34, is rather over five diameters long. This latter (A, xii, i) shows a spiral line around the handle, and on some pear-shaped maces a spiral line is represented, or a band passing down the head, see Riqqeh xxiii ; Lacau, Sarcophages, xliii, 273, 275-6, 279. Now the diameter of the hole in the head is often only a quarter of an inch, even in the largest, fig. 2, weighing two pounds ; it is absurd to suppose that a handle of ivory or horn cut so small would not be snapped if actually used. The working handle must have been tough and pliable, and the only likely form would be a strip of dried hippo- potamus hide, thinned down at the top to the size of the hole, and with the thin end long enough to pass down the outside of the head and coil round the handle, so as to secure the head from falling off. That some such binding was used, and not any wedging as in a hammer, is proved by the holes tapering to the flat top, where they are smallest, so that no wedging on is possible. A disc mace is found in Denmark (Mem. Ant. Nord. 1914-15, pp. 104, 107), but other references given are to biconvex maces.
51. The second type of mace is the pear-form. The earliest dated example is fig. 36 of s.d. 42 (N 1401), or another of 36-43 (M, xx, 3) : these are widest at the base, short, and almost globular. A more flat-topped form appears at 43-48 (D, vi, 236), like fig. 48, which comes from N 1488, unfortunately very vague in date (33-72). At s.d. 52 there is a full well-poised form, fig. 34, in breccia (N 1241). There is also a narrow barrel form, at 52, fig. 24 (N 690). A low globular form recurs at 55-63, like fig. 27 {Gerzeh, iv, 2). At 60 is a higher form, like fig. 31. Unfortunately there are few well-dated examples published, and there is no definite trend in those quoted, the globular form covering both early and later, On reaching the proto-dynastic age
MACfiS
23
I
the great number found at Hierakonpolis {H. II, xxvii) nearly all have narrow bases, and conical lower ends ; of this group there are here figs. 30, 32, as 38, 43, 44. This type is found with the name of Khofra in his temple at Gizeh {Scarabs, 4-3-ii), also commonly figured on coffins of the xiith dynasty, and it continued to be represented in the hand of the King slaying his enemies, down to the end of the temple scenes. The great ceremonial mace heads covered with sculptured scenes, found at Hiera- konpoUs, are of the form of fig. 37. PecuUar exam- ples are fig. 45 of basalt with nine irregular pits in the face ; fig. 29 with eleven drilled holes filled with grey paste ; and fig. 31 with a sign f cut on the upper part. Pear-maces are found in Italy {Bull. Pal. Ital. xxix, 150-186) ; the forms in various countries need to be placed together to distinguish the several different types. From Viterbese they are of Eneolithic age, with pillowy copper adzes, and a wide dagger with three rivets.
52. Other forms of maces, 49-65, are not pre- cisely dated. 41 is from Koptos. 42 is beautifully finished hard white limestone. 43, 44 seem con- nected, and 44 is of a type found at Hierakonpolis {H. II, xxvii, 18), probably early dynastic. The broken example, fig 53, shows how the drilling was worked from each side. The ridged form, fig. 57, may be compared with H. II, xxvii, 18, 19, probably of the same age ; being of a hard dioritic stone it is not hkely to be later. Fig. 58 is the end view of an oval mace of shelly marble from Hierakonpolis. Pointed maces, figs. 59, 60, are unusual. They belong to the first period, as they are dated to 33-41 (D, V, 102), to 36-43 (M. xx), and to the same in Nubia (R 62 c, 7, 8), only the latter have a groove round the middle instead of a hole. The axis of 60 is sjonmetrical as usual ; 59 is a rare form with the points in the line of the base. Pointed maces are found in Italy, France, Denmark, and Britain ; see Bull. Pal. Ital., xxvi, loi.
A long hammer-shaped mace of black and white porphyry, fig. 62, is rare. A hexagonal mace comes from Nubia (R 62 c, 5), of date 37.
Lobed mace heads, figs. 61, 63, 65, have never been found in a recorded grave ; so neither region nor date is known, but they-are somewhat like a mace of the earliest age of Susa, with four knobs around it {Ancient Egypt, 1917, 33). These here are all of the same design, a pear-form head, with two hori- zontal bars at the sides, and a boss on the stem between them. 61, 63 are in hard white crystalline
marble, 65 in dark green chlorite. They seem likely to be a foreign make, perhaps brought by the proto- dynastic people from Elam. Fig. 64 is an ovoid of red limestone, pierced, with eight holes on each side, from the prehistoric town of Nubt. The bottom row on pi. xxvi are spindle- whorls, dealt with later on. The materials of these mace heads are :
1. Porphyry.
2. Syenite.
3. Brown limestone, H.
4. PorphjTry.
5. Syenite.
6. Diorite.
7. Syenite.
8. Syenite.
g. Syenite, H. concave.
10. Syenite.
11. Syenite.
12. Porphyry.
13. Syenite.
14. Porphyry.
15. Syenite.
16. Syenite.
17. Breccia.
18. Syenite.
19. Limestone. 20.
21. Alabaster.
22. Clay.
23. Wt. and bk. marble.
24. Brownish limestone, N 690.
25. Grey metamorphic.
26. Hard wt. limestone,
48 B.
27. Breccia.
28. Hard wt. limestone.
29. „
30. Hard limestone, pink-
ish. H
31. Hard wt. limestone.
32. Drab Umestone, H.
33. Alabaster.
34. Breccia, N 1241.
35. Hard wt. limestone,
N. Town.
36. Alabaster, N 1401,
s.D. 42.
37. Hard wt. limestone.
38. Drab limestone, Kop- tos. Hard marble. Hard marble. Alabaster, Koptos. Hard wt. limestone. Br. and bk. marble, H. Grey Marble, H. Basalt. Geobertite. Hard wt. marble.
48. Alabaster, N 1488.
49. Hard alabaster, Kop-
tos. Hard wt. marble. Alabaster. Alabaster. Grey metamorphic. Breccia. Breccia.
Brown alabaster. Bk. and wt. schistose Veined msu-ble, H. Alabaster. Breccia.
Crystalline marble. Porphyry. Hard wt. limestone. Pink limestone, S.
Town. Chlorite. Limestone.
39- 40.
41- 42.
43-
44- 45- 46.
47-
50. 51- 52. 53- 54- 55- 56. 57- 58.
59- 60. 61. 62.
63. 64.
65- 66. 67. 68. 69. 70.
71- 72
73
74 75-J
and wt. Breccia.
Limestone. S. Town. Naqadeh.
N 177.
hard pink N 267.
44
WEAPONS
Also 14 other disc-maces, 9 pear-maces, and 18 spindle-whorls. H above, from Hierakonpolis.
An ivory ceremonial mace head, pi. i, 12, has two bands and two zigzag lines of drilled holes around it. From this drilled decoration it is probably of about s.D. 40.
STONE AXES (PL. XXVIl)
53. The flint working of the prehistoric civilisa- tion is so much connected with the general subject of flint working before that, and after it down to the xviiith d3masty, that it seems best to treat the whole of the flint work together as a separate study, with comparisons from other lands.
From a few sites in Egypt polished stone axes have appeared, but never in dated graves. The main amount has been found in the lowest levels of the town of Koptos, and certainly therefore of the earliest dynasties or prehistoric. The material is seldom flint, but generally basaltic or quartzose rock.
The dating has been found in Nubia. A camp site there produced sundry axes, splaying, with conoid butts, Uke the Egyptian specimens ; and this camp, by the pottery found in it, is dated to s.D. 63 (R, 63 d, 11-23, PP- 215-218). Two speci- mens, more pohshed, were after the ist dynasty (nos. 8. 9.) Another group, from a grave, is pub- lished in Survey of Nubia, 1908-9, pi. 38, one of which was with a pot which has a wide range of 43-70, but not dynastic, so they would quite agree with the camp date of 63. Mr. Firth, the finder, has kindly sent me the type of the pot. He states that such axes are found in Nubia as late as the Old Kingdom ; but, as the comparative objects are not published, this may be on the later scale of dating, which is contradicted by the Royal Tombs, where the indications would set it several centuries earlier.
ARROW-HEADS (PL. XXXl)
54. The ivory arrow-heads here are all bought, undated. The barbed type, xxxi, 19, 20, is known to be of the second period, by N Ixi 14 of 49-63. The plain points, 17, 18, are of the ist dynasty, like those from the Royal Tombs.
HARPOONS (PL. XXVni)
55. The harpoons of ivory, bone, and horn are very Umited in their spread. They were found in a few graves, and in the town, at Naqadeh, and two
were at El Amrah ; no others are recorded. The dating is known in only eight cases, and those not precisely. The earliest, 34-38, has three barbs, xxviii, fig. 9 (N 1345), and this form continued to 59-63, fig. 8 (N 1215), and to 61 (N, B, 99). The next in origin is the two barbed at 45, fig. 6, of horn, top barb broken (N 1705) ; this continued to 46-53 and 48-53 (A, xii, 4 ; b 21, b 106). Appa- rently later is the rise of the single barb form, fig. 5, of between 49 and 63 (N 1215), also dated to be- tween 44 and 63 (N 272). Thus the facts, though scanty, point to a simplifying of the type in course of time, from about 35 to 50. Other examples, from the South Town at Naqadeh are figs. 3, 4, and a broken one like fig. 10. The others on pi. xxviii have been bought without a record. Fig. 11 is a green slate arrow-head, probably for fishing, like the harpoon. The attachment of the cord to har- poons is provided in the earliest by a notch cut above the lowest barb, seen in fig. 9. On the suppression of the lower barbs, only leaving the top one, this attachment became a mere stop notch with or without a slight knob, as figs. 3, then 4, lastly 7.
56. The copper harpoon is found as early as that of bone. For the forms here see Tools, xliv, 24-39 ; there are three more here like 26-28. Unfortunately none of these are from recorded graves, except 24 from N 1808, only vaguely dated to 36 -63. From pubUshed examples the earliest is 34-38 for a small size (N 1345). Another of full size, certainly of the first period by its association with the disc and pointed maces, is dated to 36 -43 (M. xx) ; this has a stop knob. A large size is of 54, grave N.T. 9 (N, Ixv, 7) ; and a medium one of 61 (N, Ixv, 8), of 55-63 (W, iv, 2), and of 80 (R, 65 b 5). On reach- ing the ist dynasty a more complex type comes in, with a top and middle knob and a stop knob (i?. T. II, XXXV, xliv). The slender forms, of thin stem and a single barb, are seldom dated ; see two models of the xiith dynasty from Harageh, one with a stop knob, and one with a double head {Tools, xliii, 38-9). The double head type continued cere- monially till late times, as in the figures of Koptos (Koptos, xxi). The simple barb on a long thin stem also appears in the Maket tomb, xviiith dynasty (Illahun, xxvi, 47), and as it is not dated to any early period, it seems as if it were dynastic. It woiJd thus be contemporary with the similar form of bronze age in Italy [Tools, xliii, 54).
The harpoon seems to have been used only in the first and second prehistoric ages, and to have
CLAY AND WOOD MODELS
25
been merely an archaic and ceremonial survival in the last prehistoric and later periods. Not a single harpoon was found in the two thousand graves of Tarkhan, nor any except models in later tombs. The frequent scene of harpooning in the tombs may show a dilettante survival, like archery at present, or a funerary survival ; in practice it seems to have disappeared before historic times, as harpoons like- wise vanished after the Magdalenian age in Europe.
CLAY AND WOOD MODELS
57. In a prehistoric grave at Hierakonpolis {H. //, 51, pi. Ixvii) were clay models of a knife and two forked lances, xxviii, figs. 13, 14. These are coloured red on the blade and the tips of the lances, buff on the handle and the body of the lances, and a broad black band edges the buff, top and bottom. The red represents flint covered with blood (for such lances are unknown in metal), the butt is linen covering, and the black represents fibre binding to secure the linen.
Probably the model knife and two lances of baked pottery, coloured red, figs. 15, 16, 17, are also pre- historic. On the knife handle are three lines of white and some dots between, like the painting of white- lined pottery. This indicates some binding ; beside which there are remains of some fibre (? papyrus) binding, sticking to the handle.
Another model of a forked lance, fig. 18, of red brown rough pottery, is unpainted. Part of a model of a curved knife, fig. 19, is coloured red on one side only.
Wooden models of double-edged knives are coloured ; fig. 20 dark red blade with spiral black line around it, white handle ; another with plain red blade, two red stripes on handle ; fig. 21 plain wood, with spiral red line around the blade, red band and zigzag on the handle, remains of fine musUn wrapper ; another blade similar, but broken.
It seems that all these clay, pottery and wooden models are funerary substitutes for weapons in the prehistoric graves.
Fig. 12 is a clay cone, coloured buff, with a red band round the base„ and two pairs of black lines round it above. Grave B 17 Naqadeh.
Fig. 22 is one of the pottery objects found in the offerings of the temple of the ivth dynasty at Abydos ; supposed to be the pottery substitutes offered when Khufu forbade sacrifices.
CHAPTER VIII
METAL WORK, MEASURES AND WEIGHTS COPPER IMPLEMENTS
58. Dagger. The flint forms should be taken into account in considering the development of copper work. The earliest fUnt daggers start at 36-40, a rhombic form with a lumpy handle (D, vii, 259), For the rest see N, Ixxii ; the rhombic outline con- tinues in 36-44 (N 1410), 32-48 (N Q 489), 35-52 N Q 148), and 52 (N 1241) ; a shorter handle and slight mid ridge comes in 51 (N 414) ; lastly a rounded butt in 56 (N 331). The development is thus regular, from the rhomb to the round butt.
The copper form does not start till 48-54 (A, vi), a flat-based triangle without any tang, trusting to its width to have a grip in the handle ; this form arose when the flint work was giving up the long handle. A slight projection and a rivet is allowed in 61-2 (A, x). Both of these are of the flat, wide, triangular blade, usual in the copper age of Europe ; see Tools, xxxv, 70-1 Crete, 72 Italy, 74 La Tene.
An entirely different type appears in 63, with long narrow blade, and deep mid-rib, forming a cusp and two curves on each side (N, Ixv, grave 336). This was taken out by myself, from the thigh of a body stained green by it, and the whole grave was fully registered and well dated. Thus there is no chance of uncertainty about it. The type is well known later from Cyprus in the xviiith dynasty, and its appearance isolated as early as S.D. 63, shows how very fragmentary our knowledge yet is. Two ivory models of daggers here were bought, undated, xlvi, 21, 22.
Forked Lance. — This is a large subject in the flint series, ranging through the whole of the first and second periods, from 32 to 63. The single example in copper (M, xix, 5) is before 40, and agrees with the form then made in flint. Like the flint, it has fine notching along the curved edge and some way round the tips.
59. Flaying Knife {Tools, xxxi, K 2-6). — This form is wide and short, usually slightly dished so as to slide over the curves of the body, to separate the hide. The handle is a short tang, as little force is needed, and length would be in the way during work. One like K 2 is dated to 49 (N, Ixv, grave 807). Another, broken at the end, was of about 70 (A, xii, 9, p. 27). Others from Tarkhan, K 4, early in the ist dynasty, are narrower, with parallel sides. It is
a6
METAL WORK
notable that two here are worn away on one side alike ; this would be the cutting edge towards the worker when holding the knife concave downwards in the right hand, which would be the position in skinning.
Hooked Knife. — This is only known in one ex- ample, before 40 (M, xix, 5). From the small size, 3| inches long, it could not be used with much force. It is of the pruning-hook type, like those used in the iron age {Tools, Ivii, 60-67), ^"^ suggests that vines were sdready cultivated in the first pre- historic age.
60. Axe. — The earUest large copper axe seems to be that from the camp site in Nubia, of about 63 ; it is semicircular, with a slightly concave back (R 65, b 9). As this is much more hke the type of the iind — iiird dynasty in Egypt, and was close to the surface above a hearth, it might have been left there by accident after the period of the camp. The earliest large axe in Eg3^t is square, of date s.D. 78, from Diospolis (D. vii) aud Tarkhan (T. I, iv, v), and examples here. Tools, iii, 101-3, are probably of the same age.
Adze (Tools, xvi). — The adze is dated to ? 61 (N 1298) without widening edge, and to 56 (N 39) with splayed edge (N, Ixv) ; but others here of smaller size {Tools, 60-1), 3 and 4 inches long, are probably earUer stages. The straight-sided adze continued to 76 (N, Ixv), but always with a flat top. The semicircular top begins with the dynastic people at 78 (D, vii, 74), and continued at Tarkhan {T. I, v ; Royal Totnbs, I, v, //, vi ; Gizeh, iii. A) and elsewhere in the ist dynasty ; see Tools, xv, xvi.
Chisel {Tools, xxii). — This begins at a very small size in the first period, as a little bar of copper, flattened at both ends, dated to 38, Tools, 46 (N 297), to 49, no. 44 (N 807) ; later the edge is not straight but pointed, in 58 (N 162) and some date after 40, no. 45 (N 63). For these and other forms see N, Ixv, 9-23.
The chisel with a point at the other end is known at 34-38 (N 1345), at 58 (N 162), and after 40 in N 63.
The chisel with square shank is of 34-38 (N 1345), 58 (N 162), and 61 (N 1233).
It thus appears that the first idea of the chisel is as a small graving tool, held between the fingers, and not pushed with much force ; both ends were used alike. The square butt end used for pressure only gradually ousted the double-ended tool.
The rimer is found at 34-38 (N 1345), 58 (N 162),
at 62 (N 1270), some date after 40 (N 63), and at 66 (N 3).
61. Tweezers. — A pair was found in a grave which is not dated, but which by its type is probably about 40 (Amrah, a 104). Otherwise they are not known till the ist dynasty.
Knife. — A small copper knife with square tang, blade partly lost, was found in N 63, and is of some date after 40.
Earpick. — One has apparently been found, of 58, see N, Ixv, grave 162.
Prick Point. — This was probably used for ex- tracting thorns, like the point in the later sets with tweezers and cutter. In later times such points are known, as xviiith dynasty, Ghurob, and one point here seems probably for the same use.
Pins {Tools, Ixv). — These may have been for prick points, or for fastening garments. The distinctive feature is the loop head (N, Ixv, 15), which in some cases is twisted round the stem (Ixv, 19). The type begins at 31, Tools, Ixv, 106 (N 1490, 1606), then 34 (N 1260), 33-37, as fig. 106 (N 1821), 37 (R 65 b, I, 2), 39 (N 1485), 34-46 (R 66 a 12), 41 (N 1759), 43-56, as fig. 104 (N 1856), 61 (N 1233), 61-72, as fig. 106 (N 293). The end wound on the stem is widely found north of the Mediterranean {Tools, Ixii).
Needle {Tools, Ixv). — The earliest at 34, xxiii, 15A (N 1260), has not a pierced head, but a hook to catch the thread, needing therefore to be handled carefully to keep the thread on the hook. A needle is named from El Amrah, of 31-41 (A b 117), and another of 55-61 (b 65). Needles pointed at each end, with eyes J inch from end, are after 40 (N 63), and the same form lasts to 66 (N, Ixv, 21, grave 3). At 72 a small end eye appears, xxiii, 15c (N 1212), made by hammering out and turning over ; the union is doubtful.
Bodkin. — A thin flat bodkin is of 66 (N, Ixv, 22).
Spoon. — A silver bowl to a spoon, with a copper handle, was found at El Amrah (A, b 233) of date 60. Two pieces of a copper spoon are named as found in N 430, 39-63. A silver spoon (N. p. 46) 57-64.
Forehead Pendant. — This is rarely of copper, one from N 1770 is of about 61. Another apparently (M, xix, 5) is before 40.
Rings. — Of 35 is a broad strip of foil with zigzag punched pattern, xlviii, 10, probably a finger-rin^g (N 1552). Similar strips of foil, but tapering tn the ends, were in N 1480, of 33-55 (N, Ixiv, 100) . A plain band of foil as a ring was of 44-50 at El Amrah (A, b 28), and others in a, 67 ; also from
METAL WORK AND MEASURES
27
Ballas 224, undated. A plain wide finger-ring of 72 comes from N 1248. A broad flat ring, i-8 inside 2-3 outside width, is of 68, xlviii, 11 (N 1290). An armlet (?) is formed by a crescent-shaped strip, overlapping at the ends (xlviii, 11).
Beside the copper foil of the above ring at 35, there was foil made as early as 33 (A, a 58).
Vase Lid.— A cover for a vase, made of thin copper, was found of date 55-57 (W, viii, 24).
Chain. — The principle of a chain was already invented in the first period, as it was found with a clay figure of a man, which is characteristic of that age (A, a 67) . Much later, copper chain occurs in the iind dynasty tomb of Khosekhemui.
GOLD WORK
62. There is no doubt that a considerable quantity of gold work was made in the prehistoric age, as, though nearly all the graves were plundered for gold in early times, yet many examples have been found in the few graves that were intact. The gold known belongs to the second prehistoric age ; and it is remarkable that copper should have been abun- dantly used in the first age, without any of the native rnetal — gold — being obtained.
Beads and wire are the earlier form of gold work. A gold wire ring and beads belong to between 46 and 52 (N 723). Gold beads were certainly used from 47 to 65 ; the sohd beads are dated to 38 (N 1547), 49-53 (N 822), 44-63 (A, a 3), and 58-63 (W. p. 22, grave 80). It was more usual to beat out thin gold tubes, carefully turned over to a flat end, and then filled with a paste of carbonate of lime, in order to keep them from being crushed. Such beads are found of 47 (A, b 40), 46-53 (A, b 106), 48-50 (A, a 122), 50-52 (A, b 87), 55-63 (W, V 67), 57 (A; b 17), 58-60 (A, b 104), 60 (A, a 96), and 65-72 (W, V 55). This art of thin gold work backed by paste thus began by 47 and continued to Roman times (see Ornaments).
Fittings to stone vases, of beaten gold lips, plating round handles, and wire loops, belong to the same general period as the beads, but none have been recovered in recorded graves, all known were looted by plunderers. Gold tips to a bow were found in Nubia, of 57 (R 65 a, 3, 4). A gold pendant of foil with a punched dotting is of 59 (N, Ixv, 16). A tube of gold and copper alloy of 48-59 was found at Naqadeh (N 1247, P- 28). The most important examples of gold work, evidently of the second
period, are the two knife-handles in the Cairo Museum ; one with animals and entwined serpents and rosettes, the other with incised figures of women, and of a ship (K 33, 34).
SILVER WORK
Silver is much rarer than gold in the early ages. It was obtained probably from Northern Syria which was less accessible to the Egyptians than Nubia — the land of gold. Also it needs nearly always to be mined, whereas gold can be found in stream-workings. The earliest examples are a cap of a vase of 42 (N 1257 ; Ixv, 2) and hollow globular beads from the same grave (Ixv, i). A silver spoon was of 57-64 (N, p. 46), and a ring of 61 (N, p. 46). All of these are from Naqadeh, and none seems to have been found elsewhere.
LEAD
Very few objects of lead are known from the prehistoric age. Among a group of small animal figures, there was a hawk which had been thinly coated with lead (N 721 ; Ix, 14) over a core — prO' bably of wood — which had decayed (s.d. 44-64), There is in the collection a leaden figure of a woman of prehistoric type (xxiv, 3). As galena is common it is strange that lead is not oftener found.
IRON
The only occurrence of iron was at Gerzeh, where tubular beads of iron were found in two graves dated to 55-63 and 60-66 s.d. So the iron may b« certainly dated between 60-63. It was so much valued that it was threaded with gold beads. Whether the source was meteoric, or native iron produced by reduction in basalt, is not known. {Labyrinth, 15-19, pi. iv ; group fig. 2 is in this collection.)
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES
63. On a basalt vase, xxxiv, 5, there is inscribed the mouth sign and two strokes beneath it, reading in the usual hieroglyphs " fraction one half." This vase contains 7,200 grains of water when quite full ; so the whole measure would be 14,400 grains, or 10 deben. This is quite likely. But as that form of vase belongs to about s.d. 36-40, it would show that not only had the prehistoric people a unit of liquid measure, in accord with the later weight unit, but ^so that the Egyptian mode of writing a fraction
28
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES
dates from the first prehistoric age. Both of these are large propositions. The marks are undoubtedly ancient, but whether prehistoric, or added later by historic Egyptians, might perhaps be questioned. The subject is complicated by a series of basadt jars with various fractional marks on them, which were offered to me in Egypt, and subsequently bought by a museum. These marks, however, looked fresh, as if recently added ; moreover, the higher the numbers of strokes the larger the jar, whereas the higher nxmibers, being denominators of the fraction, should have been on smaller jars. I concluded that the numbers were recent. In the present case the niunber seems ancient, and the seller of the jar did not notice it, so that there is good ground for its being ancient.
64. In several graves at Naqadeh were cylindroid stones with domed ends. They were never worn, and had no use as implements. On comparing the weights of them they all agree within the limits of variation of the gold standard, nub, the beqa of Palestine, which was certainly known in the ivth dynasty, by the weight of Khufu, and in the ist dynasty by the gold bar of Aha. These are :
|
Grave. |
S.D. |
Weight. |
.^ |
Unit. |
||
|
461 . |
. 40-61 |
2785 |
15 |
185-7 |
||
|
B 107 |
33 |
5676 |
30 |
189-2 |
||
|
1773 • |
31-41 |
7694 |
40 |
192-3 |
||
|
Bought |
1163-6 |
6 |
194-0 |
|||
|
1873 . |
46 |
5897 |
3 |
196-6 |
||
|
1866 . |
43 |
3996-6 |
20 |
199-8 |
||
|
1563 . |
32 |
4224-5 |
20 |
2II-2 |
||
|
Bought |
2180-2 |
10 |
218-0 |
|||
|
Bought |
ii8-o |
i |
236-0 |
|||
|
Porphyry |
turtle |
790-0 |
5 |
197-5 |
||
|
tp |
cy |
lindei |
418-4 |
2 |
209-2 |
The forms of 189-2, 192-3, 211-2 are cylinders with rounded ends ; of 194-0, 199-8, 236-0 pointed domes with rounded bases ; 218-0 same with flat base ; 185-7 cone with rounded base ; 196-6 a rounded oblong like early Old Kingdom weights. Two porphyry objects are added here, as perhaps also being weights.
65. There is also a possibility of another class of objects being weights. There are some rounded cones of limestone paste, artificially worked up, as the hole through them has evidently been formed while plastic, probably on a thread. They are painted with wavy line patterns in black. There
is also a rounded double cone of clay, whitewashed and painted, which has similarly a threading hole. The weights of one pair with similar long zigzag lines (xlix, 8, 9) are 313-5 and 941-3 grains, evidently as I to 3. Another pair with rectangular and sharper zigzag lines (xlix, 6, 7) are 261-7 ^^^ 485"5, probably i to 2. The big double cone (xlix, 10) is 1267-0 grains. Now these may all be connected, and with these we may note two large stone rings, one of alabaster (xlix, 11), too large for a thumb, too small for a wrist, 3763-8 grs. and one of breccia, 4435"0 grs., which might be worn on the arm. Also a finely wrought syenite slab, which might other- wise be a stone palette, 3785-6 grains.
Cone
|
261-7 - |
2 |
130-8 |
|
313-5 - |
- 2i |
125-4 |
|
485-5 - |
- 4 |
I2I-4 |
|
941-3 - |
- 7h |
125-5 |
|
1267-0 - |
- 10 |
126-7 |
|
3763-8 - |
- 30 |
125-5 |
|
3785-6 - |
- 30 |
126-2 |
|
4435-0 - |
•r- 36 |
123-2 |
S.D. 40
Alabaster ring Syenite slab Breccia ring
This seems to be the well-known Daric standard of Mesopotamia, which has the same range of values, and the same sexagesimal multiples as the two stone rings. The cones have been bought, without a history, but the double cone from grave N 1251, is of 40 date, and so is of the beginning of the second period, the civiUsation of which seems to have come from the East.
66. At Tarkhan six alabaster cones were found in the graves, two pairs, and two singly. They do not fall into a very simple arrangement, as they indicate a multiple and division of the qedet by 3 ; yet the frequency in later times of weights of a third of the qedet (over fifty here) would be thus explained as a survival of an old ternary division. The amounts are :
|
Grave. |
Grains. |
-i- |
Unit |
|
1548 |
845-3 |
18 |
47-0 |
|
717 .7^7 |
478-2 |
10 |
47-8 |
|
144-8 |
3 |
48-3 |
|
|
J728 I728 |
872-6 |
18 |
48-5 |
|
985-0 |
20 |
49-2 |
|
|
1892 |
980-0 |
20 |
49-0 |
This would correspond to a qedet of 141-147, median 145-2, which would be quite normal, the
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES
29
Old Kingdom qedet being 139-151, median 145. It might be questioned if this 48 grain-unit is not a quarter of the beqa or nub standard. It would correspond to a unit of 188-196, median 193, but the fractional multiples would be very improbable on the nub basis.
It would thus appear that the nub, or bcqa of Palestine, was the aboriginal Libyan standard of the first civilisation ; the Daric or Babylonian shekel was the standard of the second or Asiatic civilisation ; while the qedet, last of all, was due to the dynastic invasion.
67. A small balance beam (xlvi, 36) is made of hard pink-brown limestone, a material often used in prehistoric work, but seldom later. The beam is 3-35 inches long, -16 to -20 wide, -17 to -20 deep. The middle hole for suspension is -08 wide, the end holes for the pans are -06 wide. The arms between the holes are 1-595 and i'6oo long, a difference of I in 320 ; but on actual trial a difference of i in 120 was found ; a change of i in 500 was visible in the level of the beam. The strings shown in the photo- graph are modern.
CHAPTER IX
PERSONAL OBJECTS COMBS (PLS. XXIX, XXX)
68. The main distinction in this class is that the combs with long teeth, for fastening the hair, belong to the first period, and only a sixth of them come between 41 and 47, when they end. Those with short teeth are none before 40, and nearly all about 57-60, when they declined into mere ornaments.
The earliest have a plain flat top, dated here to 31 (N 1595, 6 teeth ; and a similar one from N 149) ; 33-37, xxix, 18 (N 1821, 5 teeth ; and a similar one, xxix, 17, N 1708) ; a much longer one of 36 (N 1503) ; and a short one of 10 teeth, of 38, xxix, 19 (N 1465), of 42 (N 1411), and of 58 (N 162). Similar combs, as N, Ixiii, 55, are also of 38 and 41, vaguely of 31-56 ; also from El Amrah, (a 120) of 47. Plain combs of thin cut horn are of 34-39 (N 1507), and XXX, 10, vaguely of 38-67 (N 1598).
An early decoration was of quadrupeds, standing up on the top of the comb. None of these are later than 42. Those from Naqadeh (N, Ixiii) are of 33 {1497), 34 here (1661), 35 (1687), 33-46 (1586),
and 40-43 (260) ; from Mahasnah one with an ass (?) of 34 (pi. xi comb, xii animal), and one of about 42 (pi. xvii). From Nubia one with animal lost, of 35-46 (R 66 a 18). One hippopotamus is placed along with other animals, xlvi, 4 ; a hippo- potamus (?) of 38, xxix, I (N 1649) ; also combs with animals lost of N 1647, and another. Two broken quadruped combs are of 34 (N 1661) and 33-69 (U 255).
Birds are the most usual figures, ten between 31-39, and five between 40-47. First is a thick narrow comb with apparently a bird, of 31, here (N 1505). A small comb of 4 teeth, with a bird on it, is of 32 (D, x, 6) ; and another (N 1614) of three teeth here, seems to have had a bird (lost), and is of 33. Thus the earliest are very simple and small. Plain figures of birds (N, Ixiii, Ixiv) are dated to 34 (N 65 ; D, V, loi), 38 (N 65, 67), 31-39 (N 67), flying 42 (N 69), 44 (N 72), 47 (N 64), and 58 (N 162), omitting those of vague dating. A separate base is sometimes placed between comb head and bird, as D, X, I, of 36, and D, x, 2, of 69. Those here are xxix, no. 4 of 34-46, no. 6 of 35-41, no. 3, undated. With a separate base is no. 5 of 38, and with a double base of 31-42. Two birds seem to have been on no. 7 of 36 (N, Ixiv, 86).
This last leads to the multiple bird tops, which become modified almost into horns. This type is dated to 33 and 36 in N, Ixiii, 56, here xxix 12, and to 43 (D, x, 3). There are only vague datings to N, Ixiii, 58 ; and no dates for those here xxix, 8-1 1, 13 ; but II is like one of 58 (N 102). Another here has the row of dots, which belong to 38-42. The largest example of this type has four pairs, with a gazelle (?) at the top (K 43). The horns become modified into a ring, almost closed in N. Ixiii 57, of 35-43 ; it is quite closed in N Ixiv 73 of 40-43, here xxix, 16, and N Ixiii 57 A of 50. Apparently a ring, on a stem with six notches, is of 58 (N 162).
Indistinct forms, modified from the horns, are of 51, N Ixiv 70, here, slightly broken at the upper tip ; as also another with a double base and horns or birds broken away.
The knob top appears at 34 (D, V, B loi), or with a base at 46, here xxix 15 (N, Ixiv, 88). Two knobs are of 58 (N 162) and of 61-72, xxix, 14 here ; joining on to the type of slate with a row of knobs, of 35-53 (A, X, 7). This latter looks like a magic or amuletic design.
A plain rounded top, without any object, appears at 40, N 1858, here. Two which have had birds (?)
30
PERSONAL OBJECTS
broken away are of 39 (N 289) and 40 (N 1251). Another with the top notched at each side (N 1536, here xxix, 21) is accompanied by a short horn comb XXX, 12 ; xxix, 22 is simply broken at the top.
An instructive group of contemporary fragments is from N 162, of s.d. 58, comprising types as xxix 4, II, 14, 17, 19, and D, X, 8 ; all are noted under the types above.
The two with himian heads xxix 23, 24, and a third like 23, belong to about s.d. 42. The lines of dots as necklace appear to date from 38 (N, lix, 7) to 42 (N, lix, I, 1411).
69. The short-tooth comb begins at s.d. 40, with distinct teeth, but shortened (N, Ixiii, 52). The square form with grooved teeth at one end and slight notching at the other, as N, Ixiii, 54, is of 57 (1230), 58 (A, viii), 60 (Q 23), 46-61 (177), and 60-61 (147). The wide form, with short depth (N, Ixiu, 51) is of 31-58 (1875), 59 (Q 185), and 35-68 (1413), so the only good dating places it contem- porary with the square form. Unfortunately those here are none well dated. Beside that of 35-68 (here xxx, 11) there is one of 37-57 (N 325).
While the material of the long-tooth combs is usually bone, or else ivory, the short-tooth combs — passing out of real use — became made of various materials, xxx, 5 is of noble serpentine ; 6, 7 with diagonal cross lines are of ivory ; 8 from N 1787 (undated) is ivory ; 9, of ivory, may have been intended for a bird ; 10 is of horn ; 11 (N 1413) is ivory ; 12 (N 1536) is horn ; 13 is of ivory, and another like it also ; two of ivory are without a cross line (one is N 325) ; 14 is of bone, as also a piece with long grooving of teeth ; 15 is of buff limestone ; 16 of brown limestone, the edge quite smooth and teeth represented by a zigzag line ; lastly 17 is of breccia, with a very slight notching. Thus there is every stage of decay from the teeth several inches long, down to a smooth edge. In the first dynasty the comb reappears with a round top and moderate teeth, as the comb of Benerab under Aha (R. T. II, iii, 20) ; or with flat top at S.D. 81 [Tarkhan I, ii, 11).
The combined comb and hairpin seems to come from the comb with long handle xxx, i, which is of about 40 by the lines of holes. The pin comb with a rounded shoulder is of 39 (N, Ixiii, 53), and with square shoulder of 60-1, xxx, 4 (N 147, Ixiii 53), while in D vi B 378 it is of 52. The others here, xxx. 2, 3, are not dated.
HAIR-PINS (PL. viii)
70. The plain ivory hair-pin with flat top was used throughout the long period 31-72. The bird on the top, without or with lines below it, is of nearly the same age, 31-70. Strangely one of the most sim- plified birds is the earliest, of 31, like viii, 8 (N 1774) ; the few examples of good birds, viii, 3, 4, 5 are none dated. Two dated to 52 are of simple work (D, vi, 378). The head with two birds, D, x, 10, is of 65-75.
The pattern on the stem begins with crossing lines in 31 {N, Ixiv, 82), which are also found in 44-50 (N 1852 here), in 44-54 (A^. Ixii, 25), in 58 {A, viii, b 62), in 57-66 (C. /, iii) and yj (viii, 9 from Tarkhan 1584). Diagonal lines come 47-50 (A^. 26) and 53-69 (N 1216 here). Spiral lines appear between 35 to 68 (N 1643, viii, 10), or 48-74 (N 1224, here ; N, Ixiv, 84) of 66 and 75 (A'', Ixii, 27). Thus the plain pin, the bird, and the crossing lines, belong to all periods, the latter being a favourite in even the xixth dynasty. The diagonal and spiral lines seem to belong only to the second period. In the beginning of the dynastic age only three or four perfectly plain pins were found in the two thousand graves of Tarkhan ; and at the Royal Tombs only one extremely de- graded bird pin of the time of Zet {R. T. II, xxxviii, 8). There are undated plain pins of iioi, three of 1517, four of 1788, and fragments from many graves.
Two ornamental pins, viii i, with gazelle, and 2 with hippopotamus, cannot be dated, but probably these and the best bird pins belong to 33-38.
Flat hairpins are nearly all of the first period. The bird is the usual top, though often partly broken. The earliest here has a serpent end, viii, 19 of S.D. 34 (N 1654). Birds are of 34, and 33-37 (M xii, xiii 45) ; and here of 36, viii, 21 (N 1503). With bases underneath, of 34 (D, v, B loi) and 36 (N, Ixiii, 61). A double base, with top decayed, is of 51, see viii 22 (N 259). A coarse flat pin, notched to form a head, is of 50 (N 1852 here), and a broad head, broken, of 31-48 (N 1677). A stem with five notches and horns or bird on the top is 31-56 {N, Ixiv, 74) ; a similar stem with birds on the top is of 61-72, see viii, 20 (N 1293). Three other notched stems here, viii 17, 18, 23, are probably about 36 by their resemblance to A^ 61. A ribbed round head, viii 15, is of 40 (N 1251) ; no. 16 looks like a degra- dation of the same. Nos. 12-14 may be spoon- handles ; but sometimes a broken spoon-handle
ARMLETS, RINGS, SANDALS, AND^SPOONS
31
seems to have been converted into a hair-pin (see Gerzeh, viii, 32).
ARMLETS (PL. XXXl)
71. The different materials that are used are shell, at 31-33 ; ivory at 31-72 ; bone at 31-72 ; alabaster at 38 ; tortoiseshell at 36-52. The flint here is not dated, but armlets were found of 70-80 (D, vii, 354), and of 80 at Tarkhan ; so it seems that the flint armlets belong to the fine work of the ist dynasty.
The only distinction in form seems to be that the broad coarse armlets belong to early in the second period. These are the precursors of the very broad ornamental armlets of the Royal Tombs.
The examples here are as follows, giving first the Sequence Date, then the grave number at Naqadeh (or elsewhere), then no, the number on the plate, xxxi, or as, the nearest such type ; n.n. no number or date.
Shell. — s.D. 31, eleven of 1587, no. 27 ; 33, three of 1613, no. 21 ; n.n. five as 21 ; 65-76, Diospolis, 364, as 43.
Ivory.— 31, 1587, as 22 ; 33, 1497, three bits ; 33, 1613, two as 22, one broader as 41 ; 35, Diospolis, B 117, as 21 ; 33-41. Dios. B 102 as 21 ; 36, 1503, two as 21 ; 38, 1899, two as 22 ; 40, 829 large, bit ; 40-44, 1893, two, no. 22 ; 42, 1411, as 21 ; 46, 1863, as 43 ; 47, 1841, two as 22 ; 57-64, 1018, as 33-38, broken ; 65-80, 1343, as 28 ; 65-76, Diospolis, 364, as 41 ; 72, 1248, bits. No date, 389, 1530, bits, another as 43.
Bone.—^T., 1595, as 21 ; 31-42, 1789, as 43 ; 42, 1411, thick bit ; 49, 871, bit as 28 ; 72, 388, thick and broad ; 78 ?, Tarkhan, 1333, no. 39-40. No date, 8 as 28, 891 as 28 ; no numbers, as 21, as 41, three as 28. A coarse massive armlet is 2"o inside, 3 '3 out, and i'5 inches deep.
Horn. — No date, 1338, broad piece.
Tortoiseshell. — 36, 1503, many bits as 33 ; 40, 1723, bit as 33 ; 41-51, 1440, bit as 33 ; 52, 690, bit as 33 ; no number, bought, six, nos. 33-38. Bit from 658, no date.
Alabaster. — 38, 1899, as 42- n.n. as 21. Also a wide flat ring, i\ inside, 4 outside, xlix, 11.
Slate. — 56, Diospolis, U 230 as 43. N.n. ; pair no. 43, no. 44. Tarkhan, two bits.
Flint. — 56, Diospolis, U 230, as 43. N.n. ; as no. 43 ; no. 44, flat ring.
Breccia. — A massive ring, 33 ins. wide inside, 50 outside.
Grey Steatite. — N.n. ; no. 43.
RINGS (PL. xxxi)
The dated rings are of s.D. 32, 1563, five, nos. 29, 30 ; 33. 1613, eleven, nos. 24, 25, 31 ; 34, 1592, five, nos. 23, 26 ; 33-55. 1480, eight, no. 32 ; undated, 1562 ; n.n. broad finger-ring.
The plain rings from Naqadeh run from S.D. 33 to 37. The knob rings, nos. 23-26, would suggest that a metal ring with a set stone was already in use as early as 33. As they disappear at 34, they are not likely to be connected with the armlets with knobs, nos. 39 and 40, which are from Tarkhan, and certainly between 77 and 81 ; these were found with the seated figure, viii, 13.
SANDALS
Sandals have rarely, if ever, been found in pre- historic graves. Yet a model pair of sandals in ivory was found of s.D. 32 at Diospolis (D, x, 19). They are stained red, with cross lines left white. The loops are represented at the sides for an ankle strap, a mid strap, and a toe strap joining that. The sandal was therefore fully developed at the beginning of the prehistoric. After that there is an entire blank until we see Narmer followed by his sandal-bearer, both on the slate palette and mace head. In the middle of the ist dynasty we find the trays for sandals, with a foot-rest carved across the top, buried in the graves. Tarkhan I, xi 24, 25, and xii 10, 11.
SPOONS (PL. xxx)
72. The spoon seems to have been unknown in the first civilisation, and even in the earlier part of the second period. Of ivory spoons the earliest fixed date is 46, and from that they increased in use down to the ist dynasty. There is but little difference that can be dated. The splay end to the handle is from 51 to 72 ; the plain end with a hole seems to be later, being of 77 in xxx, 22. The plain end without a hole is of 52 (D, vi, 378) ; but, in the scarcity of dated examples, it would not be safe to deny wider dating.
Referring to the examples here, in xxx, 21 is a very deep bowl, with pointed handle, and the ivory looks early, but no such spoon has been found other- wise. 22 is from N 1707, like others in N 104 and N 1234, and dated by Tarkhan 1584 of 77. Also Tark. II, ii, i of 77, 5 of 78, 10 of 81. 23, 24 are larger and thicker, and like N, Ixi, 9, of 73-74, also the Nubian R 66 b 25 of 79, and Tark. I, xiii, 10
32
PERSONAL OBJECTS
of 79. 25, with a bowl peaked toward the handle, is as N 17 (in Ixi 5) dated to 47, and therefore the earliest here dated. 26 has a bowl V-shaped all along. 27 has a deep vesica bowl and wavy handle, such as occurs in Turk. I, xiii, 12 and 15, of 79, and T. II, ii, 9 of 77. 28 is vaguely dated to 35-61 by N 1203. No. 29 with the splay end, is as N, Ixi, 8, ranging from 51 to 72 ; other examples are W, iv, 60-66, W, vi, 52-63 ; and a cross end to the handle, unpierced, of 55-57. No. 30 is N 743 of 60 ? 31-33 are without history. 32, by the form of the handle, seems to be prehistoric, but there is no other instance then of a spoon of wood. 33 is of slate. A short spoon with a falcon on the end of the handle from Ballas 224, is undated.
Other matericds used are silver, also a slate bowl with copper wire handle covered with stone beads (N, Ixi, 6) of 42, and hence the earliest dated spoon. Square bowls are found in s.D. 77 (Turk. II, ii. 3 and 7). A square bowl covered with rows of deer outside, and deer on the handle, is of 78 {Turk. I, xiii, 4) . Other decorated bowls have hands outside, T. II, ii, 4, of 78 ; also a rosette and animals, T. II, ii, 5, of 78. The handles were also decorated with figures of animals in the round, as that with a lion chasing a dog, or with four hippopotami {N. Ixi, 2, 3). Others have the ibex (K 39), and a falcon of 77-78 (M, XX, 4).
GAMES (PLS. XXXI, XLVl)
73. The commonest objects for games are the marbles used in playing. They are of various fine materials, quartz, porphyry, camelian, and agate, as well as limestone, and selected natural pebbles of quartz and ironstone — probably decomposed pyrite nodules from the limestone (xlvi, 26-31). Unfor- tunately most of the records do not state the ma- terial. The marbles do not occur before about 38 or 39 (A, a 113 by comb type, N 1485, 17 ironstone U.C), so they are probably due to the second civi- lisation, which began about then. Some are dated to 36 here (N 1503), to 45 (N 472), to 47 (A, b 37), and vaguely to 31-48 (N 1677, 21 white quartz pebbles, U.C), to 36-55 (A, a 75), to 34-59 (N 267, 7 ironstone, U.C), to 35-68 (N 379, 5 rough porphyry, U.C), to 46-66 (N 1239), to 52 (N 1209), to 49-63 (N 1215, porphjnry, grey marble, breccia, U.C), to 52-56 (A, b 107), to 52-62 (N 399, 3 porphyry, U.C), to 52-66 (A, vii, 4), to 52-70 (W, G, 116, 6 grey granite, 5 limestone), to 58-66 (N 1246), and to 60
(A, vii, i). Thus only one is necessarily beyond the limits of the second civilisation, 39-63. They re- appear in the reign of Zet, ist dynasty ; there is one of chalcedony {Gizeh and Rifeh, iii), and early in the iiird dynasty 52 of white quartz, 2 camelian, I brown agate, 9 hard brown limestone, all of beautiful finish, 22 at U.C. {G.R. iv, pp. 7-8). An undated ball is of calcite (N 691). There are many unnumbered bcdls in the College Collection, 6 black and white porphyry, i breccia, i lazuli, 4 marble, 4 of ironstone.
74. The use of these balls is shown by the group for a game of ninepins, N. vii, of about s.d. 60 from Naqadeh. The ninepins are of alabaster and breccia, the four balls to play with are of black and white porphyry, -47 to 57 diam., and three slips of veined brown marble are proportioned for a gateway '96 wide and 117 high, to play through. Portions of other such sets are here, as a bar of porphyry with the balls of N 1215, xlvi, 26-31, above, 49-63 ; 5 porphyry balls and an alabaster bar, xlvi, 35, N 379 ; a bar of breccia, N T 10, of 52, xlvi, 32 ; a syenite bar with malachite, N 10 of 70 ; and bars of grey marble and porphyry, xlvi, 33. 34. bought. This game therefore is probably dated to about 50-60, and continued to xii dyn.
75. Another frequent gaming piece is the slip of ivory, marked with bracts on one side. Six such slips, with one having diagonal lines, two thick and one thin rod, were in N 1215 of 49-63. The slip is copied from the slips of split reed, used down to the present day for casting a throw ; four are used together, and the number thrown is shown by how many fall with the outside or the inside uppermost. Here one square sUp or rod with diagonal lines on three sides and none on the fourth, with three plain rods and four blocks, are of N 1229 ; date 62 ; and portions of a set of four slips with diagonal lines on one side xxxi, i, 2, N 1245, are of the second period. There is a similar square rod in Cairo Museum (14498), and with cross lines (14492, 14504). Slips with bracts, along with diagonal line slips, rods with bracts and plain rods, were found with balls, blocks, four Uons and a hare together in a pit N Q 711 not dated (N, vii, 2). There is here a group of rods with bracts, xxxi, 3-6 (bought). Also a set of three slips with bracts, and five blocks, 3 of bone, i syenite, and i of marble, curved, from Ballas 43 ; no record. Of plain rods there are dated examples here of 34-56 (N 169), 44-64 (N 450), 43-67 (N 376), 62 (N 1229), 66, xxxi, 7. 8 (N 679), 58-70 (N 343),
I
GAMfiS AND TUSKS
5J
and 78 XXXI, 3-6 (Tarkhan 10). Thus the use of these rods certainly ranges from 56 to 78, and they seem to be of the same age as the marked rods and slips.
76. Blocks, xxxi, 11-16, are found along with rods in some cases, but not with balls without rods. They therefore belong to the smooth rods. With 5 blocks there were 6 rods (T 10), with one block there were 11 ends of rods broken up (N 169), so apparently 6 rods were used with the blocks. See also in Tarkhan I, xiv, groups 17, 271. In the large gaming set, found buried by itself (N, Q, 711, pi. vii) there were i pair of pink limestone blocks, i pair of bone, I pair of alabaster, and 12 pairs of limestone. In the College there are 5 blocks, found with 6 rods, and a domed piece, s.d. 78 {Tarkhan I, xii, xiv, grave 10) ; i block with broken rods, of 34-56 (N 169) ; and 4 blocks, bought.
The whole set of gaming articles found together (iV. Q, 711, pi. vii) were : 2 tapered slips with short bracts in mid ; i slip with long bract ; 2 slips with diagonal lines ; 6 rods with middle knob and end knots ; 6 plain rods ; all these ivory. 4 lions, i hare, of limestone, i pair pink limestone blocks, i pair alabaster, i pair bone, 2 pairs limestone, each pair different size from others ; 5 other pairs of limestone blocks, alike in size. 33 flint balls, and one dumb- bell flint.
From the various groups we can now specify what objects went together in different games. The plain rods go with the blocks, as above noted. The slip with cross lines diagonally goes with balls, pro- ably ninepins (A, vii, i). The slips with bracts go with blocks (Dallas 43) and with ninepins (N 1215) ako crossed slip and plain rods. The rods with bracts go with the 4 Uons and hare {N , Q, 711, vii, 2. the other elements of this group having been already associated above). The use of tall pawns does not come in before the dynastic people (see Tarkhan and Royal Tombs). Two pieces, pi. i, 14, are therefore of the ist dynasty.
The game on a squared board, usual in historic times, was already begun by about S.D. 42 (M. xvii) ; this is the only example of the prehistoric age, and it is dealt with in the catalogue of Games, along with the later examples. Cones of clay that might be playing pieces are of 36-38 (A, ix, 7, b 163). Sets of cones of alabaster and breccia in this collection may be prehistoric. An ivory game- piece is in i, 14. Rattles of pottery are found along with the game board, of about 42 (M xvii) and 51-63 (W, vi) ; and
such are not unusual in historic times. See the section on Toys.
TUSKS (PLS. xxxir, xxxiii)
77. Apart from the subject of the large straight tusks, like those with human heads, which have been considered along with human figures, there is a very large class of tusks which have been attached by their wide ends to leather work, by means of pierced holes around the base (s.d. 31-50). These pass into flat tags of ivory and bone (31-55), and also into tags and cones of stone (34-60 ?). The range thus belongs to the first and second periods, but ends entirely before the third or late prehistoric age. Here we shall review the order of the designs, re- ferring to plates xxxii, xxxiii, which are numbered continuously, denoted here by "fig."
The earliest is a perfectly plain tusk, fig. 9, with sixteen holes around the top, of S.D. 31 (N 1587) ; a similarly plain tusk with eight holes is from N 1488, Another plain tusk is fig. i. The decoration begins at S.D. 33, with fig. 7 (N 1497), having three lines around it half-way down, and three lines near the tip ; this is a solid tusk, so in place of holes there is a groove round the top, for binding it on. Another solid tusk with similar lines, of coarse work, was in grave N 1348, but is only vaguely dated 33-48. A pair of large tusks (fig. 2) have each a single line around, near the tip, and above that two holes, originaUy filled with black paste, and a bead of ostrich-shell for an eye ; lines from those go round and upward. Another undated tusk has two pairs of lines around and many at the tip.
78. The simplest sloping lines are on fig. 10, where two pairs of lines each encircle the tusk diagonally, not joining as a spiral. Bands of diagonal lines are first dated at 37, fig. 16, from N 1426. A nearly similar tusk here was in N 1542. Another tusk has a single wide band of diagonal lines. A different system is the opposing groups of diagonals, fig. 15, from N 1583, undated ; these tusks are slightly hollow, and are cut off fiat in the solid part ; prob- ably a pair of solid tusks were carved from the rest. A pair of tusks with zigzag lines down the inner curve, and parallel lines on the outer curve, fig. 14, may be about this age. Other zigzag Unes can hardly be later than 40, and are more Ukely about 35, as on the pair of fine tusks each with two zigzags, fig. 4 ; and fig. 5 with a double zigzag on one side, and a single on the other. Fig. 6 has two rectangular zigzags, formed by drilled holes.
34
PfeRSOKAL OBJECTS
The next stage was passing from diagonals into spiral lines, which come at 43, fig. 13, a pair from N 108, and at 46, fig. 11, a pair from N 1871. Some were also found at El Amrah (A, b 75 of 46-56).
After this the decoration seems to have reverted to the earUest type of plain rings, three or four in the middle and eight at the tip, on a pair, fig. 3 (N 1419) of 44 ; others, probably of the same age, are a pair, fig. 8, and a single one smaller. Firstly the plain tusk appears again, with only two little rings at the tip, at s.d. 50, a pair from N 1732.
Another form of short rounded tusk, with incised triangles on it, has 14 holes with some leather re- maining, around the top ; from N 1536, undated.
79. 2'he Flat Tags. — These begin with a few plain lines around, at 31, fig. 18 (N 1606). Next come zigzag diagonal lines at 33, figs. 21, 22 (N 1407) ; also fig. 33 of 34-63 is probably nearly as early, one of a pair (N 1772). Others of the same class are figs. 35, 36, dated to s.d. 36-39 (A, vii, 2), to 35-43 and 38-43 (A, a 89 ; b 220), and to 44 ? (D, vi, 109). Another here with only two pair of lines is like one of 33-41 (D, v, 102). The quadruple zigzag pattern, on fig. 26, might be a little later, perhaps of 38, because decadent and less regular designs, on figs. 34, 24, and 19 are probably before 40, by M. xix, which is not likely to be later. Spirals around tags begin at s.d. 31-9 (A, a 26), and continue 35-43 (A, a 59), 40 (N, Ixii, 19, or 1251), 44 (N 1419), 41-8 (A, b 78), 46, fig. 32 (N 1871), 50, fig. 29 (three, Diospolis, R 155), 50 and 53 (D, X, 21) and 55, fig. 39 (N i486). Other spirals, undated, are fig. 17, probably early in the series (38 ?), one of three alike ; and figs. 20 and 30, less bold and rather later (40 ?), but not at all degraded.
Another step was the notching of the edges in place of continuous lines. This begins at 35, fig. 40 (N 1552), like N, Ixi, i, of 31-7, 35-43, 45, 47. Probably fig. 23 is also of 35. Fig. 28, from N 149 undated, is like D. v, 102, of 33-41. Edge lines imitating a spiral are of 37, fig. 38 (N 1736) ; a similar tag is of 36-39 (A, vii, 2). Sloping edge lines, opposing, are dated to 43 (pair here, N 1866) . Plain edge lines continue in 45, fig. 31 (N 1575) ; and lastly there are a pair of thin, badly cut tags of 47, fig. 41 (N 1781). A pair of thick, coarsely notched tags, fig. 25, are undated.
Edge notches and diagonals are united in the large tag, fig. 27, of s.d. 44 (N 1419). Zigzags continued in s.d, 46, fig. 32 (a pair, N 1871), and down to 52, as here (N 1697). Peculiar forms are
a narrow tag without any hole or groove for tying, bearing three lines at middle, and three at tip ; also a pair of plain thick coarse tags with grooves.
80. The Stofie Tags. — The dated examples extend from 34 to beyond 52, and they were used therefore side by side with ivory tags. The first here is of fig. 48 dated to 34, of alabaster (N. 1900) ; another of alabaster, flatter and wider, is that of 38 (N. 1414). Two round tags of alabaster, figs. 45, 46 (N. i860), are of 39-43, dated by A, vii, 2 of 36-39, A, a 66 of 43 ; D, X, 22 of 36-44. Cones begin by 34, see D, V, loi ; M. xiii. The large cones of red limestone 53. 55 (N 1705) are of s.d. 45, but similar cones are of 37 ? (R, 62 c, 13). With these go the cone N 1432 here, and one bought, fig. 56. Probably of like date are a pair of alabaster cones, fig. 54. A pair like fig. 47 are dated to 43 (A, a 66). By s.d. 50 the tag had shrunk to the little alabaster, fig. 50 (N 268) ; and the last appearance is the long cylindrical tag dated between s.d. 52 and 63, figs. 51-2 (N 399). Others undated here are of red limestone, figs. 43, 44, 47, 58, pair, and 61 ; of buff limestone, fig. 42, and a pair as fig. 44 (N 1583) ; of alabaster, figs. 49, 57, and one similar, also 59, 60 ; of pottery, fig. 62, made in imitation of the red Ume- stone, from El Amrah (A, x, 6). Clay cones are found ; one covered with red leather (N 1705) is of 45 ; three others of bare clay (N 1905) being found with a rhombic slate, are probably before 40. There is a double pointed tag of ivory, with 12 holes drilled for tying on, i, 11.
Regarding the use of these tusks and tags, they were attached to leather, which is often found sewn on to the grooves and holes by leather strips, or were of clay, covered with leather. This was for ornament, and such ornament might arise oh leather dress from wearing tusks as trophies of hunting, or might belong to leather water-skins as plugs to stop the holes of the limbs. The purpose is not yet certain, and the only positions noted are of three along a forearm (A. p. 24). We need the clearance of a well-preserved and intact grave to settle the question.
CHAPTER X
THE STONE VASES (PLS. XXXIV-XLIl)
81. The hanging stone vases here, nos. i to 139, on pis, xxxvii-xlii, are classed in order like the
THE STONE VASES
35
corpus, Naqada, viii, ix. The system of order is, round-bottomed squat vases from flattest to highest, 1-14 ; flat-bottomed 15-28. Barrel vases, of equal curve above and below, in order from most globular to tallest form, 29-65. Shouldered vases from nearly barrel form to the highest shoulder, 66-108. Tubular vases, without feet 109-112 ; with conical foot 113-117, included here, though not hanging, because * of connection with following 1 18-134 vases with feet, in order of degradation of foot. Oval vases 135-139. The history of the squat type must be entirely taken from the corpus, as none in University College are dated, except the small one, no. 22. In Naqada viii the earliest type is 4 of s.D. 38, the widest mouth in proportion ; to that follows type 5, of 34-43 in one grave, 45, 45, at Diospolis 66, a5jd much larger of 66 s.D. After this arose type 3 of 52-3 and 63 ; lastly is the flattest base of all, Diospolis, ix, i of s.D. 66. So the course of changes was from the most open mouth and deepest form, to narrow mouth, and then shallowest form, ending in a wide flat base. Of the small flat-bottomed vases t5^e 7 is of 46 and 58, and 8 is of 44 to 65 in ten examples. The very coarse little one here, no. 22, is of 65 s.D. This form is exactly contemporary with the Deco- rated pottery forms which are scarcely known before 40 and end at 63 : evidently the same changes of civilisation affected stone and pottery ahke. The type survived into the ist dynasty, as in R. T. II, xlix, 129-132, 455.
82. The barrel forms of all proportions begin and also end nearly simultaneously. The ranges of s.D. are earliest for types 15, 25, 26, 29, beginning at S.D. 42. Types 23 and 28 are not noted before S.D. 47, and 30 begins at s.D. 50. None of them end before 61 (types 26, 29) ; at 66, 30 ends ; and the others at s.D. 69. One, the most globular, is found in a rather degraded form down to the ist dynasty.
The shouldered form begins as a slight variant on the barrel form j^t s.D. 42 (type 33), and 47 (t. 32) ; it is more distinct as time goes on, and the high shoulder 42 begins at s.D. 60, and type 45 at s.D. 66. This merges into the types 47-51 usual in the ist dynasty. The barrel and shouldered types persisted in the ist dynasty, as in i?. T. //, 122-6, 204-6.
83. The tubular basalt vases, nos. 109-112, are undated ; but the similar type 63 is late, of 52 and 73 s.D. (D, ix, 4). The basalt vases, 113-117, with a t£dl conical foot are early, as type 62 is of 38, and one from Diospolis is of 38. They led on to the
series, nos. 118-134, which begins with the full form type 72, no. 121, of s.D. 32 on to 51. Later is no. 119 of s.D. 47, no. 120 of s.D. 51, and no. 118 like type 58 of s.D. 63. The very wide short vases nos. 123, 124 are not late, 123 being of s.d. 42-3. Thus the tendency was from full and wide forms to narrow, although the foot type started from a tube form. The degradation of a clear conical foot to the mere button of nos. 125-130 is obviously a descent of type.
Lastly the oval forms 135-139 are of the middle period, 38-60 s.D., in types 71-75 placed in Naqada xii. The examples here are no. 135 of 57-64, and no. 136 of 52 s.D. The large oval jar of breccia, no. 14, may be noted with these, but the material and work rather link it with the squat jars.
84. The standing stone vases are here re-arranged, as the older corpus is inconsistent in period and in arrangement. Much of it is now known to belong to the proto-dynastic age. The College series here includes a few of that later age, to show the change of type ; but the bulk of the dynastic vases are included in the catalogue of Stone and Metal Vases.
85. The little saucers 140-142 are probably late prehistoric, as the bottom is rounded, or only slightly flattened : those from Tarkhan and the Royal Tombs have a distinctly flat base. The materials — noble serpentine and porphyry with large crystals — indi- cate the later prehistoric age. No. 144. is dated to s.D. 44. The more definite base to no. 143, and flat brim, suggest a late date ; 145 might be of the ist dynasty, as in R. T. II, xlviiA, 63. No. 146 is undoubtedly of dynasty 0, as it is from Hiera- konpolis and bears the name of " The Falcon Ro," both falcon and name being protected by the arms of the ka. This King Ro was first recognised on a sealing (R. T. II, xiii, 96), with the falcon on the mouth sign, and the same as pot-marks (R. T. I, xliv, 2-8). If the name occurred only in this form it might possibly be merely a stand for the falcon 1 It is therefore very satisfactory to find it here set apart under the ka arms ; and also from an entirely different site, a capital instead of a cemetery. The hemispherical bowl 147 may be late, as it is almost like D. ix, 19, of 80 s.D., or R. T. II, type 311, of the end of the ist d3masty. The basalt bowl 148 is like that of the middle of the ist dynasty, R. T. II, t\ pes 109, 119.
86. The conical cups are of the middle prehistoric age, 149 of s.D. 61 and 151 of s.d. 46. In the early dynasties the form changed to splaying outward at
36
THE STONE VASES
the mouth. No. 150 is only a model, scarcely hollowed at the top. There is no evidence as to the date of the conical cups with brims, 153, 154 ; nor about the curved cups, 155, 156, both of which are thin, and the forms beautifully wrought, with slightly hollowed foot. The alabaster cup 157 might be of historic times. The very thick and clumsy breccia cup looks like the base of a table inverted ; but as it is of 63 s.d., and no tables are known before the ist dynasty, it seems as if this must be a vessel. The saucer 159 has a stumpy handle, pierced for hanging up. The breccia bowl 160 rather suggests the ist dynasty (see that from Royal Tombs II, type 416) : the material makes it unlikely that it is later. The blue and white marble bowl with handles, 161, looks as if it had been a squat vase Uke no. 5, broken, and cut down at the top. The long oval alabaster dish is of the same tjrpe as the white-lined pottery tray, Naq. xxix, 70 (no. 4, pi. x here), and is there- fore probably early, about s.d> '31-35- No. 163, a rough gypsum dish, is of the usud proto-dynastic type from Hierakonpolis.
87. The discrimination of cylindrical jars needs care, as they extend over the whole prehistoric age in various forms. The tall, plain cylinder, slightly convex in the side, belongs mainly to the early pre- historic time. Three here, nos. 172-3-4, are dated 33. 37. 34 S.D. ; of four from Diospolis, three were in a grave dated some time between 33-41, and one dated 32-46 ; two from Nubia are of 31 and 37 ? (R, 64, b 3, 4) ; three from Naqadeh were of 33, 37-57, 44, and one of 72. Thus the type is of the early age 31-37 s.d., only one in a dozen being later. These are nearly all two diameters or more in height. The shorter cylinders are similarly dated. Those, like nos. 166, 167, 169, with a plain angular brim, bevelled above, are of 34 {Naqada, S 4 a, 4 c), 34 ? (Af . H. 29, pis. xii, xxi), between 33 and 41 {D. ix, 11), and of 37 ? (R, pi. 64 b 2). Similar, but widening below, is of 31 (R, 64 b i), and 34 {Naqada, S, 8). The rounded brim is rather later, as no. 170, between S.D. 37 and 57, and is usual in the ist d3aiasty at Tarkhan.
The slightly conical class, as nos. 164-3, 178-183, seem to be later ; one is dated, no. 178, to 45 s.d. The bulgy cyhnders of basalt, 184-190, are none of them dated. The well-known rope pattern cylinders are dealt with fully in the later age, in the class of Stone and Metal Vases.
One of the most surprising dates is that of two small pointed vases, no. 192, from Gerzeh, fixed to
58-60 S.D. This form is otherwise characteristic of the vith dynasty. The beautiful little syenite vase, 200, judging from the deep cut under the brim, is probably of the ist dynasty (compare R. T. II, 278). The little cup vases, 201-205, are undated.
88. The bottle form, 206, has a serpent in relief on either side ; it is undated. The animal vase, 207, has a gold handle on either side ; it seems to be of the same family as Naqada, S 82-84, which are of 44-64, 59, and 33-54 S.D. ; probably 50-60 may be the age of this class ; 208 is a black pottery vase imitating stone, andiis placed here for comparison of material. Many other black pottery imitations are in the pottery corpus, class F, 70-100.
The square boxes, 209-212, are undated here. A painted box from Diospolis (xvi, 73) is undated ; a second, vi, B 51, with four holes in the top edge, is of about s.d. 40. Another box with painted sides is of 35-41 (A. xii, 10-13). So these seem to come at the close of the first prehistoric age. The pairs of circular boxes, nos. 213-14, are undated.
89. Lastly there is a very interesting group of peculiar vessels, nos. 215-220, which are akin to those found in burials in Libya, as described by Mr. Bates in Ancient Egypt, 1915, 158-165. Since then he has pointed out that a similar vase to 215 was found by Dr. Reisner, of prehistoric age; and this enables us fairly to connect this form splaying to the base with the black pottery imitation of stone, type F 96 b of s.d. 34, and the wide-spreading brim resembles that of F 96 g, s.d. 40-50. It seems, then, that the family 215-16, 218 belongs to the first pre- historic age, and is probably of Libyan work ; 217 may belong to the same family, but perhaps later. No. 220 resembles another of the Libyan group {Anc. Eg. 1915, 163, 7) ; 219 is obviously of the family of the white-lined pottery, type 65, which belongs to s.d. 31-34. These Libyan stone vessels, then, are a part of that civilisation which pushed into Egypt and formed the first civilisation there. No. 221 is doubtless much later, but it has the same splay at the base as 215-18, and the tie round the middle as 217, so it is probably of the same source.
CHAPTER XI
slate palettes