The Minor Cemetery at Giza, Unpublished Manuscript, Chapter II: Mastaba Types and Construction, p.020

Diary Transcription:

Unpublished manuscript transcription: begin page 20

2. Substructure
a. Shaft

The shafts were the last portion of the mastaba to be made. A number of mastabas have one or more of the shafts in various stages of completeion and. [sic] In G 3022 none of the shafts was cut below the surface and in G 3023 only A with two chambers, was completed. Thus it is clear that the plan of the mastaba was laid out in brick-work or rubble, as the type might be and the building finished, leaving of course the built shafts uncovered. The rock was quarried out by first cutting a groove around the side of the opeing wide and deep enough to manipulate easily the tool. The central part of the rock was then split off, probably here as elsewhere, with wooden wedges inserted dry and then wetted. This process of splitting off in horizontal layers was continued until

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