tte 's diggers, because of the abundance of burials with steles
of the twelfth to eighteenth dynasties.

[Illustration: 395.jpg WALL OF USIRTASEN I.]

They have removed all the earth to far below the base of the walls, thus
digging in most parts right through the town of the Old Kingdom, which
stood here before the great walls were built. The inner two sides of
this enclosed corner are later than the outer wall; the bricks are
larger than those of Usirtasen, and the base of the wall is higher than
his. The causeway line indicated through the site by a dotted line from
the east to the west gate is a main feature; but it is later than the
sixth dynasty, as the wall of that age cuts it, and it was cut in two
by later buildings of the twentieth dynasty. It seems then to begin with
Usirtasen, whose gateways it runs through; and to have been kept up by
Thutmosis III., who built a wall with granite pylon for it, and also
by Ramses II., who built a great portal colonnade of limestone for the
causeway to pass through on entering the cemetery outside the west wall
of this plan.

To the north of the causeway are seen the tombs of the first dynasty.
One more, No. 27, was found beneath the wall of Thutmosis; it was of the
same character as the larger of the previous tombs. All of these are far
below any of the buildings shown on this outline plan.

Of the two long walls, marked vi., the inner is older, but was re-used
by Papi. It is probably the temenos of the third dynasty. The outer
wall is the temenos of the sixth dynasty, the west side of which is
yet unknown, and has probably been all destroyed. The temple of Papi
is shown in the middle with the north-west and south sides of the thin
boundary wall which enclosed it. The thick wall which lies outside of
that is the great wall of the eighteenth dynasty, with the granite
pylon of Thutmosis III. It seems to have followed the line of the sixth
dynasty wall on the north. The outline marked xix. shows a high level
platform of stone, which was probably for the basement of buildings of
Ramses II.

Within the area of these temples was discovered quite a number of
historical relics. None is more interesting, perhaps, than the ivory
statuette of the first dynasty king. This anonymous ruler is figured as
wearing the crown of Upper Egypt, and a thick embroidered robe.

From the nature of the pattern and the stiff edge represented, it looks
as if this robe were quilted with embroidery;