Mair (Egypt)

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Mair in hieroglyphics
A39 t
O49
or
A39 O49

Qjs.t or Qjs
The hieroglyph is only used to denote the city of Qjs . It shows a person on two snake necks.
A38 O49

Qjs
The hieroglyph is only used to denote the city of Qjs.
N29 M17 S29 O49

Qỉs
Rare spelling from the grave shaft of Pepiankh the Middle.

Mair (مير Mair , DMG Mair , also Meir , spoken for example Mēr; Greek Μοῖραι) is a village in Middle Egypt ( Egypt ) in the Asyut governorateon the west bank of the Nile 8 km west of the city of al-Qusiyya . The village is located on the caravan route from al-Qusiyya to Farafra , which leads either via the (monastery) ad-Dair al-Muharraq and south of grave group E or in a westerly direction 3 km north of the first route through wadis in the upcoming mountains.

Approx. 5 km southwest of the village of Mair is the necropolis of the same name of the Old and Middle Kingdom . Coffins found here indicate further use in Greco-Roman times.

background

Mair is the cemetery of the princes , mayors and priests of Qusae (also Cusae, ancient Egyptian Qjs , today al-Qūṣīya, 14th Upper Egyptian Gau ) and their family members and servants, mainly of the 6th and 12th dynasties . For the former, rock graves were created on the western edge of the necropolis, for the servants, shaft graves were laid east in front of it. The reliefs in the graves of the 12th dynasty are among the most important representatives of flat art (especially graves B1 and B2).

Over a length of approx. 1.5 km there are five groups of graves (from north to south): Group A (graves of the 6th - 11th dynasty), B (graves of the 12th dynasty), C (graves of the late 12th century) . Dynasty), D (graves of the 6th dynasty) and E (graves mainly of the 6th dynasty). Their subdivision was made by Blackman. Tombs of the New Kingdom are believed to be on the east bank of the Nile. The oldest grave is that of Ni-anch-Pepi-Kem (grave A1).

Qusae was a center of the Hathor cult , as evidenced by the titles of the priests buried here. However, to date, neither the temple complex nor the city have been archaeologically proven.

Research history

Aylward Manley Blackman describes the state of research up to 1913. Despite the guarding of the necropolis, it was regularly plundered in the 19th century. The wooden planks of the coffins, which are used in agriculture and for irrigation, were in great demand. Around 1877 a certain Muhammad Schehīn was digging for coffins on behalf of the Antiquities Service, some of which are said to come from grave A4. The well-preserved coffins were sent to Cairo , the rest burned. In 1890, Émile Chassinat emphasized the importance of Meir, but nothing was done to protect the graves. In the years 1892 - 1895 there are the first authorized excavations under the direction of Georges Daressy u. a. The excavations took place mainly in the area of ​​grave group A, among the numerous finds was the wooden statue of Ni-ankh-Pepi-Kem from his grave A1. In the years 1899 and 1900 cleaning work was carried out in the area of ​​group B, Émile Chassinat, Georges Daressy and Jean Clédat copied inscriptions.

In 1910 the Asyut merchant Sayd Bey Khashabeh (Chaschaba Bey) received a large-scale excavation license for the area from Dairut to Dair al-Gandala , which included the area of ​​Meir. The excavations took place here from 1910 to 1914 under the direction of Ahmed Kamal . Groups B, D and E were mainly digging. Numerous individual finds were brought to light, a large part is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York . The annual preliminary reports appeared in the Annales du service des antiquités de l'Égypte , volumes 11-15 (1911-1915).

In five excavation campaigns (1912-1914, 1921, 1949-1950) examined Aylward Manley Blackman on behalf of the Egypt Exploration Funds (EEF) or the later Egypt Exploration Society, the decorated graves of grave groups A to E. The decoration of the graves was in six Volumes published. The division of the grave groups and the numbering of the graves comes from him.

Further cleanings and excavations took place in the first half of the 20th century: in 1918 graves from group B were cleaned under the direction of Howard Carter , and Sami Gabra digs here in the 1940s on behalf of the University of Alexandria .

With all the results (documentation of the numerous individual finds and grave decorations) it must be said that there has "never" been a topographical investigation of the necropolis or even documentation. The finds are mostly unrelated to their origin. Even the number of graves is unknown. Howard Carter documented B. the uncovering of eleven graves in grave group B (see above), of which only four have been published .

The collapsed graves (including grave group B) were secured with a roof by the antiquities administration. The graves A1 and A2 received electrical lighting.

Representations in the graves

Two graves of the A group (6th dynasty) and four graves of the B group (12th dynasty) are accessible to the visitor. These graves are among the most important of these necropolis.

Tombs of the Old Kingdom, A group

Meir, tombs of the A group, Egypt
Meir, grave A1 of Ni-anch-Pepi-Kem, Egypt

The two graves in the center of the A group form the double grave complex of Ni-anch-Pepi-Kem and his son Pepi-anch. You enter the graves through grave A2. This group of tombs is stylistically very different from those of the 12th Dynasty. The reliefs are painted, the colored actors are shown on a blue background .

  • Tomb A2 : Tomb of Pepi-anch, Chancellor of the King of Lower Egypt , Head of the Prophets , son of Ni-anch-Pepi-Kem, time of Pepis II. This complex tomb consists of eight rooms, the entrance is in the south. In the first room behind the entrance there are depictions of the grave lord with his entourage, of gift bearers and numerous craft and agricultural scenes. The adjoining room in the north is undecorated . To the east is the Serdab , the chamber for the Ka statue of the deceased. In the lower part there are about 250 representations of the tomb lord with his titles. In the upper part you can see ink drawings of the ship crossing to the west bank of the Nile to the cleaning tent ( west journey), of herds of cattle, furniture and food for the grave lord. From the first room one reaches another large, decorated hall in the west, on the north side of which there are two undecorated rooms, one with the grave shaft, and on the west side of which there is the passage to his father's grave (grave A1). On the walls of this hall there are depictions of boat trips, from agriculture, fishing and bird trapping and handicrafts, the grave lord catching fish and birds, the grave lord receiving gifts and the grave lord in a litter . In the north-east corner of this hall there was another room with depictions of men at slaughter, the list of victims and the grave lord at the dining table or receiving gifts.
  • Grave A1 : grave of Ni-anch-Pepi-Kem (also Ni-anch-Pepi the black), chief of Upper Egypt , chancellor of the king of Lower Egypt, chief of the prophets, time of Pepis I. The entrance in the south is decorated and partly silted up. Nowadays this grave is reached through that of his son. The tomb consists of a large vestibule, in the rear part of which there are three pillars decorated with the image of the tomb lord. On the west side of the hall there are facade steles and sacrificial panels, the rear part of the hall is decorated with depictions of the grave lord and offerers, fish and bird catching scenes. The three adjoining rooms in the rear are almost undecorated, in the western room two unfinished statue niches can be seen.

Tombs of the Middle Kingdom, Group B

Meir, tombs of the B group, Egypt
Meir, tomb B1 of Senbi, south wall, Egypt

One of the most unusual representations in graves B1 and B2 is that of the emaciated so-called beja shepherds with well-fed cattle. The interpretation is controversial; some scholars see this as the burial master's care for Bedouins .

The graves probably collapsed in ancient times . In some cases, only the lower parts of the painted bas-reliefs can be seen. The work is not carried out completely in every case, you can study the work processes used here.

  • Grave B1 : Senbi, Gaufürst, Head of the Prophets, Chancellor of the King of Lower Egypt , time of Amenemhet I. This grave consists of a large hall with a statue niche on the back wall, the two pillars were added during the reconstruction of the tomb. On the southern wall of the entrance, the grave master is depicted hunting the desert. On the south wall you can see the grave lord in front of shepherds, butchers, sacrificial bearers, priests, fighting bulls, men jumping over bulls and a calving cow. The back wall shows hardly any decorations. The north wall shows the grave lord at a party with dancers and musicians, in front of gift bearers, wrestlers, fishing in the marshes and bringing birds as well as other depictions of agriculture. Remains of craft scenes can be seen on the northern entrance wall.
  • Tomb B2 : Ukh-hotep, Gaufürst, Chancellor of the King of Lower Egypt, Head of the Prophets of Hathor , time of Sesostris I. This tomb consists of a large hall with two pillars and a statue niche on the back wall. On the southern entrance wall you can see two men with donkeys, on the (left) south wall the grave lord hunting the desert, lists of sacrifices, gift bearers and shepherds. On the back wall you can see the grave lord and his wife at festival, bullfighting and gift-bringing scenes, in the niche the grave lord, his wife and gift-bearer are depicted. On the (right) north wall, the grave lord and his wife are shown in front of victims, shepherds, musicians, before the papyrus harvest , the catching of birds and the boat building. On the northern entrance wall, the grave master and his wife are shown in front of servants.
  • Grave B3 : Senbi , son of Ukh-hotep , hereditary prince, head of the prophets, time of Sesostris I to Amenemhet II. This grave consists of a larger vestibule with four pillars and an adjoining sarcophagus hall . Only a few places are decorated: On the south wall you can find the stele of his sister Mersi and on the back wall the door to the next hall is labeled.
  • Grave B4 : Ukh-hotep, Gaufürst, head of the prophets of Hathor, time of Amenemhet II. This grave consists of a large hall without pillars, the statue niche of which on the rear wall is given a kind of shrine by two walls extending into the room. Another hall can be reached in the northwest of the hall. All the walls of the tomb are decorated: the southern entrance wall contains remains of handicrafts. On the south wall you can see the grave lord with his family catching fish and birds and men catching fish with the net. The southern back wall bears a list of 59 guest princes , who are probably the ( fictional ) ancestors of the tomb lord. The shrine in front of the niche bears scenes of slaughter and offering gifts; the niche itself inscriptions and a painted false door . The north wall shows the tomb lord in front of musicians and scenes of herding, bringing and counting cattle. The remains of a hunting scene can be seen on the northern entrance wall. The rear hall mainly shows the grave lord and his wife, priests, victims, men at slaughter, cooks and men with trays of food. The rear wall contains the false door stele.


Finds

Apart from coffins and canopic boxes and canopic jugs , apparently no other objects are found in the graves (anymore). An exception is grave A1 of Ni-ankh-Pepi-Kem, in which, at the end of the 19th century, two wooden statues of the grave lord and servant statuettes ( Egyptian Museum CG 60, 236 - 254) and model boats ( Egyptian Museum CG 4880 - 4893) has found.

The origin of numerous finds, mostly from the excavations under Ahmed Kamal and his predecessors, is unknown. These mostly include coffins, statuettes, steles, sacrificial tablets, a wooden pallet with the name of Pharaoh Merikare (10th Dynasty) and another model boat.

literature

  • Aylward Manley Blackman : The rock tombs of Meir. - 1: The tomb-chapel of Ukh-Hotp's son Senbi , London: Egypt Exploration Fund, 1914, 1977 (2nd ed.), (Memoir / Archaeological Survey of Egypt; 22).
  • Aylward Manley Blackman: The rock tombs of Meir. - 2: The tomb-chapel of Senbi's son Ukh-Hotp (B, No. 2): with two appendisees on hieroglyphs and other details in B, Nos. 1, 2, 4 , London: Egypt Exploration Fund, 1915, (Memoir / Archaeological Survey of Egypt; 23).
  • Aylward Manley Blackman: The rock tombs of Meir. - 3: The tomb-chapel of Ukh-Hotp son of Ukh-Hotp and Mersi (B, No. 4) , London: Egypt Exploration Fund, 1915, (Memoir / Archaeological Survey of Egypt; 24).
  • Aylward Manley Blackman: The rock tombs of Meir. - 4: The tomb-chapel of Pepi'onkh the middle son of Sebkhotpe and Pekhernefert (D, No. 2) , London: Egypt Exploration Fund, 1924. - (Memoir / Archaeological Survey of Egypt; 25).
  • Aylward Manley Blackman: The rock tombs of Meir. - 5: The tomb-chapels A, no 1 (that of Ni-'ankh-Pepi the Black), A, no 2 (that of Pepi'onkh with the "Good Name" of Ḥeny the Black), A, no 4 (that of Ḥepi the Black), D, no 1 (that of Pepi), and E, nos 1-4 (those of Meniu, Nenki, Pepi'onkh and Tjetu) , London: Egypt Exploration Society, 1953, (Memoir / Archaeological Survey of Egypt; 28).
  • Aylward Manley Blackman: The rock tombs of Meir. - 6: The tomb-chapels of Ukhḥotpe son of Iam (A, no 3), Senbi son of Ukhḥotpe son of Senbi (B, no 3), and Ukhḥotpe son of Ukhḥotpe and Ḥeny-ḥery-ib (C, no 1) , London: Egypt Exploration Society, 1953, (Memoir / Archaeological Survey of Egypt; 29).
  • Harco Willems: Meir. In: Kathryn A. Bard (Ed.): Encyclopedia of the Archeology of Ancient Egypt. Routledge, London 1999, ISBN 0-415-18589-0 , pp. 487-88.

Web links

  • Meir by Su Bayfield (English)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Kessler, Dieter, Meir , In: Helck, Wolfgang (ed.), Lexikon der Ägyptologie: Volume 4: Megiddo – Pyramiden , Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 1982, Sp. 14-19.
  2. ^ AM Blackman, The rock tombs of Meir , Volume 1, London: EEF, 1914, pp. 14-16
  3. ↑ Barbara A. Porter, Meir , in Redford DB, The Oxford Encyclopedia od Ancient Egypt , Oxford: OUP, 2001, pp. 370–373.
  4. ↑ Gabra, Sami, Fouilles de l'Université Fouad Ier, à Hermopolis Ouest Tounah el-Gebel et Meir, season 1946-1947 , Bulletin of the Faculty of Arts, Fouad I University, Volume 9.1 (1947) p. 131– 134.
  5. ↑ Bertha Porter; Rosalind Moss: Topographical Bibliography of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts, Reliefs, and Paintings. Volume 4, Clarendon, Oxford 1934, pp. 247-258.
  6. ^ Lapp, Günther, Coffins of the Middle Kingdom from the former Khashaba Collection , Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, 1985. - Lapp, Günther, Typology of coffins and coffin chambers from the 6th to 13th dynasties , Heidelberg: Heidelberger Orientverlag, 1993.

Coordinates: 27 ° 24 ′ 35 ″  N , 30 ° 42 ′ 42 ″  E