The Minor Cemetery at Giza, Unpublished Manuscript, Chapter II: Mastaba Types and Construction, p.021

Diary Transcription:

Unpublished manuscript transcription: begin page 21

the proper depth was reached. The debris was used for the filling of other mastabas in the process of construction. It probably was intened to sink the shafts with vertical sides, that is to keep the area uniform from top to bottom. It was however exceedingly difficult to do this and the care and labor necessary were not practicable for these smaller tombs. [1] As a result the rock portions where very irregular. As a rule the bottom was somewhat smaller than the top, but in a few cases it widened and in some the dimensions remained practically the same.

[1] These remarks do not apply to the larger mastabas in the royal cemeter. In these great pains were taken to construct exactly symmetrical shafts with often very beautifully laid masonry linings. The shafts too were completed before the final exterior casings were put on.

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