CHAPTER I
THE MORTUARY CHAPEL AND SEPULCHRE OF TETA-KY. BY HOWARD CARTER 12
II THE PAINTINGS AND INSCRIPTIONS OF THE VAULTED CHAMBER OF TETA-KY. BY GEORGE LEGRAIN 14
III THE FUNERARY STATUETTES FROM TOMB OF TETA-KY. BY PERCY E. NEWBERRY 19
IV EXCAVATIONS IN THE VALLEY OF DÊR EL BAHARI. BY HOWARD CARTER 22
V WORK DONE IN THE BIRÂBI. THE SEVENTEENTH DYNASTY TOMB NO. 9. BY HOWARD CARTER 34
VI THE CARNARVON TABLETS I AND II. BY F. LL. GRIFFITH 36
VII THE ‘VALLEY’-TEMPLE OF QUEEN HATSHEPSÛT. BY HOWARD CARTER 38
VIII PTOLEMAIC VAULTED GRAVES. BY HOWARD CARTER 42
IX DEMOTIC PAPYRI AND OSTRACA. BY WILHELM SPIEGELBERG 46
X COLONNADE AND FOUNDATION DEPOSIT OF RAMESES IV. BY HOWARD CARTER 48
XI OTHER ANTIQUITIES DISCOVERED. BY HOWARD CARTER 49
XII THE LATE MIDDLE KINGDOM AND INTERMEDIATE PERIOD NECROPOLIS. BY HOWARD CARTER 51
XIII HIERATIC TEXTS FROM TOMB NO. 37. BY GEORGE MÖLLER 89
XIV THE VEGETABLE REMAINS. BY PERCY E. NEWBERRY 94
INDEX 95
ILLUSTRATIONS: PLATES I-LXXIX _At end_
ILLUSTRATIONS
FRONTISPIECE
ELECTRUM STATUETTE OF A YOUTH: XVIIITH DYNASTY
PERIOD OF AMENHETEP I
FIGURES IN TEXT
FIG. PAGE
1. Excavations in the Birâbi 2
2. First Appearance of the ‘Valley’-Temple Wall 3
3. The ‘Valley’-Temple Wall 5
4. Tomb No. 25 6
5. Tomb No. 37 7
6. Uninscribed Cones of the Eleventh Dynasty 8
7. Votive Cake-offering--Tomb of Kha-em-hat 9
8. Chert Chisels and Hammers 10
9. Scarab from Tomb No. 5 27
10. Hieratic Inscriptions from ‘Valley’-Temple 39
11. Graffiti on Stones from ‘Valley’-Temple 40
12. Gilt Copper Vessel from Ptolemaic Vaulted Graves 43
13. Ptolemaic Coins from Ptolemaic Vaulted Graves 44
14. Key to Gaming-board 57
ILLUSTRATIONS
LIST OF PLATES AT END
PLATES I-XII: TOMB OF TETA-KY:
I (1) Open Court-yard; (2) Vaulted Chambers.
II Plan of Tomb.
III (1) Right Wall of Painted Niche; (2) Left Wall of Painted Niche.
IV (1) Ceiling Decoration; (2) Ceiling Decoration and Frieze.
V Scenes on North Wall.
VI Scenes on Eastern and Western Walls.
VII-IX Scenes on Southern Wall.
X (1) Shawabti Figure in Model Coffin; (2) Shawabti Figure of Sen-senb.
XI Model Coffins.
XII (1) Table for Offerings; (2) Funerary Statuettes.
PLATES XIII-XXIV: DÊR EL BAHARI VALLEY:
XIII Panoramic View showing the Sites excavated.
XIV Tomb No. 5 before and after opening.
XV Plan of Tomb No. 5.
XVI Series of Coffins from Tomb No. 5.
XVII Tomb No. 5, Antiquities from.
XVIII Tomb No. 4, Limestone Statuette; and Pottery from Tombs Nos. 1-16.
XIX (1) Foundations of Wall of Amenhetep I and Aahmes-nefert-ari; (2) Offerings to a Tree.
XX (1) Serpentine Wall; (2) Bathing Slab.
XXI (1) Offerings from Dromos Deposit; (2) Brick-lined Hole for Dromos Deposit.
XXII Dromos Deposit. (1) Pottery and (2) Implements.
XXIII (1) Child’s Toy; (2) Pottery from Excavations; (3) Stamped Bricks of Amenhetep I and Aahmes-nefert-ari.
XXIV Panoramic View showing Site of ‘Valley’-Temple and of Dromos Deposits.
PLATES XXV-XXIX: TOMB No. 9:
XXV (1) Three sides of a Canopic Box; (2) Three Canopic Jars in Pottery.
XXVI Types of Pottery.
XXVII Carnarvon Tablet I, _obverse_.
XXVIII Carnarvon Tablet I, _reverse_.
XXIX Carnarvon Tablet II, _obverse_ and _reverse_.
PLATES XXX-XXXII: HATSHEPSÛT’S ‘VALLEY’-TEMPLE:
XXX Plan of Hatshepsût’s ‘Valley’-Temple and Neighbouring Tombs.
XXXI Northern Boundary Wall of ‘Valley’-Temple.
XXXII (1) Tally-stone of Hatshepsût; (2) Stamped Brick of Hatshepsût; (3) Wooden Hoe; (4) Stamped Bricks of Hatshepsût and Thothmes I.
PLATES XXXIII-XXXIX: PTOLEMAIC VAULTED GRAVES:
XXXIII View of Ptolemaic Vaulted Graves over Site No. 14.
XXXIV (1) Amphorae beneath Floor of Vaulted Grave; (2) Façade of Vaulted Grave.
XXXV} Carnarvon Papyrus I. XXXVI}
XXXVII Demotic Dockets and Inscribed Potsherd.
XXXVIII} Carnarvon Papyrus II. XXXIX}
PLATE XL: SITE No. 40:
XL Foundation Deposit of Rameses IV.
PLATES XLI-XLIII: SITE No. 14:
XLI A XXIInd Dynasty Stela.
XLII (1) Osiride figure; (2) Mud Feretory or Shrine; (3) Reed Burial of a Man; (4) Inscriptions on Underside of Lid of a Box.
XLIII Funerary Statuettes and Model Coffins.
PLATES XLIV-XLVII: TOMB No. 24:
XLIV (1) Statuette of Ankhu; (2) Mummy Decoration; (3) Wooden Doll; (4 and 5) Faience Bowl.
XLV (1) Jewel-box; (2) Contents of Jewel-box; (3) Scribe’s Palette.
XLVI (1) Jewel-box; (2) Contents of Jewel-box.
XLVII Pottery Vessels and Pans.
PLATES XLVIII-LII: TOMB No. 25:
XLVIII (1) Ivory and Ebony Toilet-box; (2) the same with Drawer and Lid open.
XLIX (1) Scene Engraved on Front of Toilet-box; (2) Inscriptions on Lid of Toilet-box.
L (1 and 2) Gaming-board and Playing Pieces in Ivory.
LI (1) Blue Faience Hippopotamus; (2) Necklace, Mirror, and Brooch.
LII (1) Alabaster Toilet Vases; (2) Pottery.
PLATE LIII: TOMBS Nos. 28, 29, 31, 32, 33, 34:
LIII (1, 2, 5) Types of Pottery; (3) _Rîshi_ Coffin (Tomb No. 32); (4) Dug-out Coffins (Tomb No. 29).
PLATE LIV: TOMBS Nos. 27 and 31:
LIV Stela of the Keeper of the Bow, Auy-res.
PLATES LV-LXXVIII: TOMB No. 37:
LV Plan of Tomb.
LVI Central Passage showing Closed Doorway of Hall C.
LVII North Wing of Corridor showing Closed Doorway of Chamber A.
LVIII (1) Seal Impression on Doorway of Chamber A; (2) Interior of Chamber A.
LIX (1) Chamber B before Opening; (2) Chamber B after Opening.
LX (1) Decorated Rectangular Coffins; (2) Plain Rectangular Coffins.
LXI (1) Children’s Coffins and Viscerae Boxes; (2) Plain Anthropoid, ‘Dug-out’, and Semi-decorated Anthropoid Coffins.
LXII (1) _Rîshi_ Coffins; (2) Decorated Anthropoid Coffins of New Empire.
LXIII Decorated Anthropoid Coffin of the New Empire.
LXIV (1) Rush-work Baskets; (2) Mechanical Toy Bird and Bird Trap.
LXV (1) Toilet Set; (2) Fan-holder, Kohl-pot, &c.
LXVI Scribe’s Outfit.
LXVII (1) Electrum Statuette; (2) Statuettes lying in Coffin No. 24; (3) Wooden Statuette.
LXVIII (1) Objects from Decorated Rectangular Coffins; (2) Objects from Plain Rectangular Coffins.
LXIX (1) Objects from a Rectangular Gable-Topped Coffin; (2) Objects from a Plain Rectangular Coffin.
LXX Objects from _Rîshi_ Coffins.
LXXI (1) Chair and Stool; (2) Musical Instruments.
LXXII Scarabs, Cowroids, and Rings.
LXXIII Bead Necklaces, Bangles, and Bracelet.
LXXIV Pottery Vessels.
LXXV Panel Stelae.
LXXVI (1 and 2) Writing Tablet No. 28, _reverse_ and _obverse_; (3) Panel Stela.
LXXVII Writing Tablet No. 26, _obverse_.
LXXVIII Writing Tablet No. 26, _reverse_.
PLATE LXXIX: BOTANICAL SPECIMENS AND FIG BASKETS.
INTRODUCTION
BY THE EARL OF CARNARVON
The necropolis of Thebes--the great city which for so many centuries had been the capital of Egypt--lies on the western side of the Nile valley, on the margin of the desert opposite the modern village of Luxor. No ancient site has yielded a greater harvest of antiquities than this famous stretch of rocky land. From time immemorial it has been the profitable hunting-ground of the tomb robber; for more than a century a flourishing trade in its antiquities has been carried on by the natives of the district, and for nearly a hundred years archaeologists have been busy here with spade and pencil. The information that has been gleaned from its temple walls and tombs has enabled scholars to trace, point by point, the history of the city from at least 2500 B.C. to Ptolemaic times. The necropolis itself extends for some five miles along the desert edge, and evidences of the explorer and robber present themselves at every turn. Open or half-filled mummy pits, heaps of rubbish, great mounds of rock débris, with, here and there, fragments of coffins and shreds of linen mummy-wrappings protruding from the sand, show how
## active have been the tomb despoilers. Notwithstanding all the work that
has been done here, very little can, in any sense, pretend to have been carried out in a systematic manner; and as few records of the various excavations have been kept, the work of the present-day explorer must necessarily be a heavy one. Often he will get no further in his excavations than the well-sorted-over dust of former explorers; and if he is fortunate enough to make a ‘find’, it is often only after clearing away a vast amount of rock débris and rubbish to the bed-rock below.
With a view to making systematic excavations in this famous necropolis, I began tentative digging among the Kurneh hills and desert margin in the spring of 1907. My workmen were all from the neighbouring villages and their number has varied from seventy-five to two hundred and seventy-five men and boys. I had three head reises--Mansûr Mohammed el Hashâsh, Mohammed Abd el Ghaffer, and Ali Hussên--who all worked well and satisfactorily. The labourers themselves were a willing and hard-working lot: but though they were no more dishonest than other Egyptian fellahin, inducements for them to steal were many, and we found it essential to proceed in our work with great care. I made it a rule that when a tomb was found, as few workmen as possible should be employed; and, in order that the opportunity for stealing should be reduced to a minimum, no clearing of a chamber or pit was carried on unless Mr. Carter or I was present. That nothing should escape us, we also, in certain cases, had to sift over the rubbish from the tombs three times.
[Illustration: FIG. 1. EXCAVATIONS IN THE BIRÂBI.]
My preliminary excavations eventually resulted in my confining attention to three sites in that part of the necropolis which lies between the dromos leading to Dêr el Bahari and the great gorge giving entrance to the valley of the Tombs of the Kings. These three sites were: (1) a spot a few metres to the north of the village mosque, where, according to the natives, lay a hidden tomb; (2) the Birâbi,[1] which is near the desert edge, between the hills of Drah abu ‘l Nagga and the cultivated land, and adjoins the entrance to the dromos of Hatshepsût’s famous terrace temple; and (3) that part of the XIth Dynasty cemetery which lies along the hill slope, on the northern side of the Dêr el Bahari valley.
Excavation on the first site was begun in 1908, and, after a fortnight’s arduous work among the native houses and rubbish heaps of the village, an important inscribed tomb of the beginning of the XVIIIth Dynasty was opened. This tomb proved to be of a ‘King’s Son’ named Teta-Ky, and contained, among many painted scenes, a figure of Aahmes-nefert-ari, the queen of Aahmes I and mother of Amenhetep I. This is the earliest known portrait of the celebrated queen, who
[Illustration: FIG. 2. FIRST APPEARANCE OF THE ‘VALLEY’-TEMPLE WALL.]
afterwards became the patron goddess of the necropolis: she is figured as of fair complexion and not black, as is usually the case in her portraits of a later date. The scene shows her adoring the goddess Hathor, as a cow issuing from a cliff; and behind her is a lady, presumably the queen’s mother,[2] named Teta-hemt, who is otherwise unknown. In the course of clearing this tomb many wooden Funerary Figures, in model coffins, were brought to light. These figures were of two types: (1) rudely carved mummiform figures with model coffins of wood, clay, or pottery, some of which were inscribed with hieratic or linear hieroglyphic texts; and (2) well-carved figures in wood, painted and with gilt faces, and inscribed with an early form of