g now to the floor, the basis of it is mud plastering, which was
whitewashed. On that were laid beams around the sides, and one down the
middle: these beams were placed before the mud floor was hard, and have
sunk about one-quarter inch into it. On the beams a ledge was recessed,
and on this ledge the edges of the flooring planks rested. Such planks
would not bend in the middle by a man standing on them, and therefore
made a sound floor. Over the planks was laid a coat of mud plaster. This
construction doubtless shows what was the mode of flooring the palaces
and large houses of the early Egyptians, in order to keep off the damp
of the ground in the Nile valley. For common houses a basis of pottery
jars turned mouth down was used for the same purpose. A very striking
example of this method was unearthed at Koptos.

The sides of the great central chamber of Zet are not clear in
arrangement. The brick cross walls, which subdivide them into separate
cells, have no finished faces on their ends. All the wall faces are
plastered and whitewashed; but the ends of the cross walls are rough
bricks, all irregularly in and out. Moreover, the bricks project forward
irregularly over the beam line. It seems, then, that there was an
upright timber lining to the chamber, against which the cross walls were
built the walls thus having rough ends projecting over the beams. The
footing of this upright plank lining is indicated by a groove left along
the western floor beam between the ledge on the beam and the side of
the flooring planks. Thus we reach a wooden chamber, lined with upright
planks, which stood out from the wall, or from the backs of the beams.
How the side chambers were entered is not shown; whether there was a
door to each or not. But as they were intended to be for ever closed,
and as the chambers in two corners were shut off by brickwork all round,
it seems likely that all the side chambers were equally closed. And
thus, after the slain domestics and offerings were deposited in them,
and the king in the centre hall, the roof would be permanently placed
over the whole.

The height of the chamber is proved by the cast of straw which formed
part of the roofing, and which comes at the top of the course of headers
on edge which copes the wall all around the chamber. Over this straw
there was laid one course of bricks a little recessed, and beyond that
is the wide ledge all round before reaching the retaining wall. The
height of