28 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 
What the true nature of these cones may have been we do not 
know. They have hitherto been found only at Thebes, and there they 
are specially abundant at the burying-place of Drah abou’! Neggah. 
They are never found within the tombs, but are placed around them, 
and they are frequently in duplicate or even in larger numbers. They 
have been supposed to be marks set round the burying-places to 
indicate the limits of the allotted spaces in that crowded cemetery ; 
and this is, in the absence of special evidence, the most probable con- 
jecture. Others have supposed them to be seals, as we know that the 
ancient Egyptians used to secure with seals their private treasure- 
houses (as in the story of Rhampsinitus, Herodotus, Huterpe, 121), 
but no corresponding impressions are found, most of the seals being in 
relief, as if stamped with an engraved die. Others suppose them to 
have been ornamental, or even passports, to permit strangers to visit 
the tombs, but none of these latter theories are probable. As they are 
so often multiple, it is to be hoped that a duplicate of this specimen 
may be found from which the whole inscription can be intelligently 
read. 
