Bamboula, Tombs (extracted from McFadden's notebooks)

NB VI, pp. 43, 53 ff.

5 May 1938In Lot 236, North Slope find Tomb 3, apparently un[handwritten: plundered,] and start clearing it.

Find a break in the bed-rock leading into the chamber of Tomb 3. The break is roughly circular, [handwritten: ...] in diameter. Otherwise the roof of the chamber is intact. There is only ... cm. of earth over the rock at this point. The rock is hard white calcareous sandstone.

Digging down we find two cut blocks of fair size, but no fallen rock, perhaps indicating that the roof was cut for the last burial, not collapsed; or maybe that it had already collapsed and was cleared out at that time.

The earth of the tomb shows no sign of disturbance.

[handwritten: 50 cm.] below the highest preserved part of the roof begin to find bones and pottery of L.C. III type, lying on silted earth showing clear signs of frequent flooding. Parts of two or three skulls, numbered I-III are found at this level. This is not a burial level, but these objects are clearly all floated by the water which must have flooded the tomb every winter. Some bones at the back of the tomb are more nearly in situ.

7 May 1938Photos 268-270 of objects (floated) at 0.50 to 0.65 from the top, with skeletal remains in situ at 0.70 showing through below.

Remove 16 pots and the higher bones.

9 May 1938Digging below we clear the 0.70 skeleton (IIIa). Skull III probably belonged to it. This layer is a wedge high in the east, but not reaching the west side. On the west we find a few fragments of bone on bed-rock, associated with a White Slip pot. Another in red earth by the west side of the door may be of the same burial.

Photos Bam 271, 272.

11 May 1938Dig below skeleton IIIa and find scattered bones in the grey earth going to bed-rock. They seem to belong to an earlier burial thrown aside. A few skull fragments are numbered IV.

Stamp: ...