The cheops boats

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UNITED ARAB

REPUBLIC

,

MINISTRY OF C U L T U R E AND NATIONAL ORIENTATION

ANTIQUITIES DEPARTMENT OF EGYPT

THE CHEOPS BOATS by MOHAMMAD Z A K I NO J ?

ZAKY

MOHAMMAD SALAH OSMAN

AHMAD YOU&SOF

•

•

•

PART

I

CAIRO General Organisation for Government Printing Offices 1960

ISKANDER

MOUSTAFA

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THE CHEOPS BOATS PART I

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UNITED ARAB REPUBLIC

MINISTRY

OF CULTURE

AND NATIONAL

ORIENTATION

ANTIQUITIES DEPARTMENT OF EGYPT

THE

CHEOPS

BOATS

by M O H A M M A D

M O H A M M A D *

Z A K I

N O U R

SALAH

Z A K Y

OSMAN

A H M A D

*

•

PART

I

CAIRO General Organisation for G o v e r n m e n t P r i n t i n g Offices 1960

I S K A N D E R

YOUSSOF

MOUSTAFA

A H RIGHTS RESERVED

TABLE OF CONTENTS A Preliminary Report on the Newly Discovered Boat at Giza Page T h e

D i s c o v e r y

1

The southern court of the pyramid

2

The southern enclosure wall of the pyramid

2

Opening the pit and finding the boat

3

L i f t i n g

u p

t h e

W o o d e n

P a r t s

o f

t h e B o a t

a n d

t h e i r

P r e s e r v a t i o n

4

1.—Dating the southern enclosure wall

5

2.—The limestone blocks

5

3.—The pit

6

4.—The quarry marks

7

5.—A description of the boat

7

List

o f

F i g u r e s

11

L i s t

o f

P l a t e s

13

Report on the Engineering Works in the Newly Discovered Boat Introduction

15

Erection of the shelter

18

The limestone blocks under the wall

18

Lifting up the blocks

20

Further observations on the blocks and the pit

23

L i s t

o f

F i g u r e s

25

L i s t

o f

P l a t e s

27

The Scientific Study and Conservation of the Objects and Materials Found in the Discovery »i the W o o d e n Boat at Giza T h e

D a k k a h :

The powder

29

The wood scraps

29

— VIII — Page

THE BLOCKS:

1.—The mortar used in connection with the blocks

31

2.—Tools used in dressing the surfaces of the blocks and the pit

34

3.—Red pigments

39

4.—Quarry marks

39

THE BOAT :

1.—Relative humidity inside the pit and its relation to the state of the wood of the boat

...

40

2.—Plant materials used for making the matting, cordage, basket-work and cloth found on the surface of the boat

41

3.—Distribution of objects on the surface of the boat

43

4.—Kinds of wood used in making the boat

45

5.—Pigments used for painting the wood

47

6.—Joints

48

7.—Conservation of the objects found on the surface of the boat

55

8.—Conservation of the wooden parts of the boat

56

LIST OF FIGURES

59

LIST OF PLATES

61

The Lifting up of the Wooden Parts of the Giza Boat INTRODUCTION :

1.—Taking photographs of the wooden parts before lifting them from the pit

64

2.—Beaching the surface of the pieces without being supported on them

65

3.—Protecting the weak pieces of the boat

65

4.—Lifting up the wooden parts of the boat and transferring them tothe restoration studio.

65

5.— How the parts of the boat were arranged in the restoration studio

69

LIST OF PLATES

71

A PRELIMINARY REPORT ON

THE N E W L Y DISCOVERED B O A T A T GIZA BY

ZAKI THE

NOUR

DISCOVERY

Since 1940 the D e p a r t m e n t of Antiquities has followed the policy of excavating t h e m o u n d s of the debris of various heights along both the eastern and western sides of t h e Great P y r a m i d at Giza. B o t h sides could hardly be seen owing t o these m o u n d s , which consisted of sand and chips of stone which accumulated there t h r o u g h the course of time, a n d of debris d u m p e d b y previous excavations. T h e endeavours of t h e D e p a r t m e n t were first directed t o the eastern side. T h e removal of t h e debris from the south east corner of t h e P y r a m i d has lead t o the discovery of some mastabas ( F i g . 1 ) . rqjpi'rl,_

FIG. 1.—The site of the three Pyramids at Giza. -

R.Tn,j'ij,..;J

— 2 —

I n November 1952 began t h e clearance of the debris t h a t collected along the southern side of t h e Great P y r a m i d . This debris filled t h e whole southern court of the P y r a m i d and extended t o t h e mastabas which constituted t h e southern necropolis of K i n g Cheops ( P i . I ) . T h e debris was about 20 metres high as shown by t h e lighter colour of the stones of the pyramid t h a t were hidden by it ( P I . I I , A ) . T h e removal of the debris was completed on April 22 nd., 1954. T h e S o u t h e r n Court of t h e

Pyramid

T h e evacuation of the debris was carried o u t from t h e n o r t h to the south, with the result t h a t the wide southern pavement of the P y r a m i d was completely cleared. I t was t h u s found that th3 pavement was made of well dressed slabs of limestone about 55 cms thick. These slabs are similar to those p a v i n g t h e n o r t h e r n court of the same P y r a m i d . T h e S o u t h e r n E n c l o s u r e wall of t h e

Pyramid

A part of a wall r u n n i n g parallel to t h e southern side of the Great P y r a m i d was at last revealed. I t was the r e m n a n t of an enclosure wall which once surrounded the P y r a m i d along all sides except in the portion occupied b y t h e m o r t u a r y temple. T h e part of the southern wall which appeared first was to the west, and therefore the work continued eastwards until the whole wall was completely revealed ( P I . I I , B ) . W e cannot tell its original height, b u t a part of it is now 1.66 m. high ; the wall is 206.55 m. long a n d lies about 18.50 m. from the southern side of t h e P y r a m i d . There is evidence t h a t this wall was connected w i t h t h e western part of t h e enclosure wall at a distance of 23.60 metres from t h e western side of t h e P y r a m i d ( P I . I l l , A ) . Owing to the complete disappearance of the eastern wall, we cannot trace the original connecting point between it and t h e southern wall. However, remains of the n o r t h e r n wall are still visible. T h u s , it can be concluded t h a t the Great P y r a m i d was surrounded by an enclosure wall parallel to its northern, southern and western sides : ( а ) T h e northern wall at a distance of 23.60 metres. (б) T h e southern wall at a distance of 18.50 metres, (c) T h e western wall at a distence of 23.60 metres. T h e southern wall, like t h e western and n o r t h e r n walls, was built of small rubble masonry, most of which is of limestone and some of granite and basalt. T h e limestone pieces were most likely obtained from quarries in the area and were probably the remains left after the different kinds of work which h a d been carried out in t h e site. T h e wall was also coated on both sides with m u d plaster about 6 cms thick. Most probably, t h e wall was coated with another layer of white plaster over the m u d plaster so as to appear as if the whole wall was built of white limestone. This is similar to w h a t took place in similar buildings d u r i n g the Old K i n g d o m especially in the F o u r t h D y n a s t y ( P I . I l l , B ) .

E3 T h i s wall was slightly inclined towards the n o r t h . T h e same inclination has been observed in the walls of the sloping causeway of t h e Second P y r a m i d at Giza ( P I . I V , A ) . T h e width of the ] art of t h e wall contacting t h e rocky plateau is 2.50 metres while the t o p is 2.25 metres wide only. I t seems t h a t the building of the wall was carried out by several sets of labourers at the same time, as there are m a n y joints denoting t h e completion of a certain part of the wall. These joints were completely cased with m u d ( P i s . I V , B and V, A ) . T h i s has b u t one explanation, namely, t h a t groups of labourers carried out the building simul­ taneously. Opening the Pit and Finding the Boat Underneath the wall was found a layer of compressed g r o u n d covering h u g e blocks of limestone placed one close to t h e other in a regular line parallel to the base of t h e Great P y r a m i d . . T h e y were arranged in t w o rows to t h e east and to t h e west of a square rock of the plateau the centre of which lies exactly on t h e axis of t h e P y r a m i d . ( P I . V, B ) . T h e row to the east consists of 41 blocks, and t h a t to the west consists of 40 blocks. I n order to know what lies underneath those h u g e stones, it was found to open a small hole in one of the eastern blocks ( P I . Y I , A ) .

necessary

On 26th May 1954, the hole was made. T h r o u g h this hole it was seen t h a t the blocks were covering a pit occupied b y a wooden boat. On the surface of the boat could be seen a steering oar, wooden boards, columns, beams and remains of m a t t i n g , ropes, etc. ( P I . V I , B ) . T h e part of the wall t h a t covered t h e eastern blocks was removed, while a wooden roofed shelter was erected covering an area slightly wider t h a n t h a t occupied by t h e eastern g r o u p of blocks. T h i s shelter was necessary for t h e safety of the parts of t h e boat after lifting u p the blocks. ( P I . X V I I I , A ) . T h e blocks were t h e n lifted u p and removed t o t h e southern court of t h e Great P y r a m i d under a wooden shed. T h e quarry marks found on t h e blocks were chemically treated for preservation and copied. T o keep a fixed a n d suitable degree of h u m i d i t y in the pit, and to avoid severe disintegration due to excessive drying up, the director of the chemical laboratory advised that wooden boards should replace the h u g e blocks on the t w o ledges. As further precaution for the safety of the wood, these boards were also covered with water - and fire - proof cloth. Scientific remarks from the archaeological, architectural and chemical points of view were duly registered ; moreover, all the steps carried o u t were recorded in pictures and designs in the course of work.

— 4 —

A

laboratory was

built in t h e site of the discovery for the treatment of

the

different parts of the boat in situ. T o avoid fire accidents a fire brigade station was established. T h e lifting u p of the blocks started on 23rd November 1954 and continued till 28th J a n u a r y 1955. T h e chemical treatment and lifting u p of the remains of matting, ropes a n d fenders started on 25th March 1955 and continued till the end of J u n e 1955.

L I F T I N G U P T H E W O O D E N P A R T S OF T H E B O A T AND THEIR

PRESERVATION

I n the S u m m e r of 1955 a building (restoration studio) was constructed beside t h e pit, for t h e chemical treatment and restoration of t h e wooden parts of the boat. O n 17th December 1955 began the lifting u p of the wooden parts of the boat.

This

process was completed during t h e seasons 1 9 5 5 - 1 9 5 0 , and 1 9 5 6 - 1 9 5 7 . Mr. Hassan Zaki, the photographer of t h e Department, managed to make one complete picture for t h e whole surface of each layer which facilitated t h e registration. Mr. A h m e d Youssef, the chief of restoration, was charged with lifting u p the wooden ports of t h e boat from the pit a n d transferring t h e m to the restoration studio. D r . Zaky Iskander, the director of the chemical laboratory, and myself collaborated to describe in detail every piece of the boat after lifting it u p from the pit. This description was recorded in a special register book in Arabic and in cards in English. D r . Zaky Iskander was also concerned with the chemical treatment of t h e wooden parts of t h e boat with plastic solutions to prevent their decay. T h e whole n u m b e r of the pieces is 651, which were found arranged in thirteen layers O n t h e floor of t h e pit were found a great q u a n t i t y ot ropes which were mostly disintegrated; nevertheless a good part of these ropes could be preserved. I n t h e season 1957 - 1958 started the process of reconstructing the boat for exhibi­ tion in a local m u s e u m . I t should be mentioned t h a t this report does n o t refer to t h e western pit and its h u g e blocks as this is still untouched. I t is probable t h a t this western pit contains another boat, because of t h e same architectm-al characteristics in both t h e eastern and western blocks on which extends the same wall. I t was agreed t o postpone t h e opening of t h e second pit until we finish or nearly finish the s t u d y of the eastern boat. I am now going to deal briefly with t h e following : ( 1 ) D a t i n g the southern enclosure wall. ( 2 ) T h e limestone blocks. ( 3 ) T h e pit. ( 4 ) The quarry marks. ( 5 ) A description of the Boat.

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5

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1 . — D a t i n g t h e s o u t h e r n enclosure wall The enclosure t h a t this the reign Dynasty.

poor materials and primitive method employed for building this southern wall compared with those employed d u r i n g t h e F o u r t h D y n a s t y m a y suggest Avail was built during a later period. I think, however, t h a t it was built d u r i n g of Dedefre or at least during t h e reign of one of his successors of t h e same

This can be concluded from t h e following: 1.—As will be mentioned later ( p . 7) 18 cartouches bearing t h e name of K i n g Dedefre were found on some of t h e blocks covering t h e pit. Since t h e Avail Avas built over the blocks, this wall m u s t have been built during his reign a t t h e earliest. 2 . — T h e Second P y r a m i d of Chephren was surrounded by a wall, t h e remnants of which are still visible i n its eastern side a n d connected with both northern a n d s o u t h e r n Avails of t h e m o r t u a r y temple. T h i s Avail was erected i n the same AAay as the southern one of t h e G r e i t P y r a m i d , i.e. composed of small pieces of stone a n d coated with m u d p k s t e r ( P I . V I I , A ) . This does n o t , mean t h a t the southern Avail of t h e Great P y r a m i d m u s t haA^e been built d u r i n g t h e reign of Chephren, b u t it seems t h a t this method Avas t h e one employed in t h e F o u r t h D y n a s t y . r

3.—It Avas observed t h a t t h e northern a n d southern surfaces of t h e wall were coated with a layer of m u d plaster about 6 cms. thick ( P I . V I I , B ) . T h i s layer coated also t h e compressed g r o u n d t o t h e south of t h e wall a n d extended underneath t h e northern side of mastaba N o . 5 excaA ated b y Prof. Doctor H e r m a n n J u n k e r . This means t h a t this wall and t h e m u d d y layer Avhich extended from t h e wall t o t h e south m u s t precede t h e period of the building of t h a t mastaba. r

2 . — T h e limestone blocks r

These h u g e blocks are of A arious sizes a n d were employed as a roof for t h e pit con­ taining t h e boat. T h e row of t h e blocks ended t o t h e west with three stones of medium size (key stones). A t first, there appeared only the upper surfaces of t h e blocks Avhich Avere n o t on t h e same level. T o reach one a n d the same leA el, t h e E g y p t i a n s filled t h e gaps with a sort of compressed g r o u n d about 40 cms thick, composed of powdered limestone mixed with a graA el of limestone chips, small scraps of wood ( P I . V I I I ) and small fragments of charcoal, as will be explained i n detail i n t h e scientific report by D r . Zaky Iskander. T h i s layer was very compact a n d some parts of i t adhered so strongly t o t h e blocks t h a t it was found very difficult to separate. r

r

On lifting u p the blocks, it Avas noticed t h a t between most of them and t h e t w o rocky sides ( t h e north and t h e south sides of t h e p i t ) , there were small pieces of limestone used as shutters to reinforce t h e blocks in their proper places on t h e t w o ledges of the pit.

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6

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I n order to facilitate the movement of t h e blocks, the E g y p t i a n s cut one or t w o square holes in the upper part of the n o r t h e r n and southern sides of each block and t w o or four holes in the western side of the block. Most probably also, t h e semi circular hole which was carved in t h e rock of the plateau 7.55m. far from the east end of the pit, and the three other holes which were carved 3.70 m. far from the same side of the pit ( P I . I X , A ) were also concerned w i t h the process of moving the blocks from one place to another. I t is also w o r t h mentioning here t h a t a rectangular hole was carved in the rock of the plateau t o the west of the western pit for t h e same purpose. ( P I . I X , B ) . I t seems as t h o u g h the Ancient E g y p t i a n s were anxious to protect the boat against the penetration of rain water and insects, and to this end t h e y used very fine liquid plaster in order to fill t h e gaps on the side surface of each block which remained after chiseling Moreover, t h e plaster in question assisted in linking the blocks together.