Five Years' Explorations at Thebes: A Record of Work Done 1907-1911 by The Earl of Carnarvon and Howard CarterCarnarvon, George Edward Stanhope Molyneux Herbert, Earl of
History
Five Years' Explorations at Thebes: A Record of Work Done 1907-1911 by The Earl of Carnarvon and Howard Carter
Carnarvon, George Edward Stanhope Molyneux Herbert, Earl of
If one compares the facial type of these coffins, more especially the
profiles, of all the examples known, it will be noticed (as Erskine
Nicol pointed out to me) that they have a distinct and uniform
character. And it is not without interest to note that the expression
and peculiarity of face strongly resembles the so-called Hyksos heads
discovered by Prof. Naville at Bubastis.[48]
_Plain anthropoid coffins_, Nos. 5, 29, 38, and 47 (Pl. LXI. 29). Only
one coffin of this series contained any material that was of use for
dating. This coffin, No. 47 (p. 79), with the mummy of a woman, had a
scarab of the Hyksos Period, a cowroid in glass, and a glazed scaraboid
bead of the Second Theban Empire (see Pl. LXXII. 47). The two latter
objects plainly show that the burial cannot be anterior to the Early
XVIIIth Dynasty.
_Semi-decorated anthropoid coffins_, Nos. 6 and 68 (Pl. LXI. 6). These
two specimens form a small group of their own. They are of very coarse
workmanship, in design resembling those of the New Kingdom, but in the
face they have a likeness to the _Rîshi_ type. They bear no names or
inscriptions, and the only objects beside the mummies found in them were
a few bead-bangles (Pl. LXXIII. 6), which give but little help towards
their date. One is inclined to believe that they are coffins of the
poorer people of the Early New Empire.
_Decorated anthropoid coffins of the New Kingdom_, Nos. 23, 24, 73, and
74 (Pls. LXII. 73, LXIII. 74). These coffins are painted white and
embellished with a light and simple decoration. The finest specimen of
the series was No. 23 (p. 74), but unfortunately it was found in very
bad preservation, the rock ceiling of the tomb having fallen upon it.
Coffin No. 24 (p. 74) contained, besides other antiquities, two scarabs
of a much earlier period than the date of the coffin; one was of the
XIIIth Dynasty and bears the name of a ‘Herald’ Ren-senb, the other is
of the Intermediate Period and bears an enigmatical inscription (Pl.
LXXII. 24). In coffin No. 73 (p. 84) was a small pot containing a kind
of pomatum, which shows the use of such small pottery vessels so
frequently found with burials of this cache. Coffin No. 74 (p. 85, Pl.
LXIII) was of particular interest, it having depicted upon its sides, in
place of the usual representations of the gods, scenes of burial
ceremonies; and among the formulae written upon it occurs a variant form
of the sign for Horus.[49]
A fifth coffin, No. 18 (Pl. LXII. 18), of simple blue decoration upon a
white ground, might be placed in the same category, though perhaps it is
of a slightly earlier date than the above four.
Two viscera boxes, Nos. 19 and 20, found at the feet of coffins 23 and
24, probably belong to them. One of the boxes, No. 20 (p. 73, Pl. LXI.
20), bore the name Ta-nezem, which occurred on coffin No. 24. At the
feet of coffins 73 and 74 was another viscera box, No. 72.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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