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
28. _A pottery pan containing various objects._ (1) A model
four-stringed musical instrument (Pl. LXXI. 28) made of sycomore
wood, ebony, and ivory. (For further description see No. 63 A.) (2)
A bird-trap (Pl. LXIV. 28) made of wood and of the following
construction and mechanism:--Two flat boards cut semicircular and
joined in the middle by a central broad bar of wood which is
slightly longer than the diameter of the circle formed by the two
semicircular boards; these three pieces of wood formed the floor of
the trap. Upon the central bar, it will be noticed that there are
two pairs of pillars, grooved on top, and a hole in the bar on the
right and left side of each pair of pillars (see Pl. LXIV). Strung
over each pair of pillars were (now missing) several strands of
catgut (?), with their ends passed through the holes on either
side, and held at the back by short pieces of stick. By revolving
these pieces of stick at the back the strands of catgut were
twisted and brought to any degree of tension required, and thus by
this method formed two spring-hinges. Fixed in these spring-hinges
was a flexible piece of stick bent to form an arched bow (not shown
in Pl. LXIV), either end of the bow being passed through the
strands of twisted gut at such an angle as to cause the bow to be
pressed on to one half of the circular bottom of the trap (the
position when closed). Attached to the bow and on the opposite half
of the bottom of the trap was a net (see holes for this purpose and
remains of net, Pl. LXIV. 28), sufficiently large to allow the
capture of a bird. To open the trap, the bow would be pulled over
to the side that the net is attached to. On this side, at the edge,
there is a notch (see Pl. LXIV. 28) for a pillar-catch which held
the bow open. This catch was worked by a string through a hole
beside it (see Pl. LXIV. 28), which was passed underneath and
brought up through a hole in the centre of the bottom of the trap
(see Pl. LXIV. 28), where the string was attached to a sensitive
adjustment so placed that the movements of a bird touching it would
detach it and cause the trap to close (i. e. the bow to spring into
its original position on the opposite side). The wooden bow
belonging to the trap was found sometime afterwards among a lot of
stray wood that came from the tomb, and it was exactly as described
above. (3) A mechanical toy bird made of wood (Pl. LXIV, right and
left of trap). (4) Pottery bowl of red pottery full of a brown
powdery substance. (5) A painted clay head of a bull. (6) A small
round basket containing a blue faience kohl-pot. (7) A writing
tablet like No. 26 (see Chapter XIII by Dr. Möller).
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