Mastaba M17

Mastaba M17 in front of the Nile Valley

Mastaba M17 is an ancient Egyptian tomb ( mastaba ) from the beginning of the 4th Dynasty , it is located in Meidum in the pyramid district of King Sneferu . It is unknown who was buried in it.

description

When finished, the mastaba was about 100 × 200  meters in size and an estimated 15-20 meters high. Their superstructure consisted of unfired clay bricks and was clad with limestone bricks . The grave substructure includes a 28-meter-deep shaft that leads into a corridor and several grave galleries and chapels along with a burial chamber. The entire complex had already been devastated in antiquity and looted via a grave robber tunnel, all decorations and grave goods had been stolen. The roughly hewn sarcophagus contained the remains of a heavily plumed mummy when it was found .

• Views of the mastaba
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  Masonry with entrance tunnel

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  Descent to the narrow passage

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  Passage to the burial chamber

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  Rose granite sarcophagus

Assignment

Mastaba M17 (Meidum)

Location in Egypt

Since cavities and gaps were filled with fine rubble from the second construction phase of the Meidum pyramid , the grave monument can be dated to the beginning of the 4th Dynasty and the reign of King Snefru. However, due to the lack of inscriptions and grave goods, it is unknown who was buried here. Due to the extraordinary size and proximity to the Meidum pyramid, Rainer Stadelmann and Peter Jánosi suggest two options: a crown prince who died surprisingly, who was originally supposed to succeed King Snefru on the throne, or Snefru's predecessor, King Huni .

literature

• Peter Jánosi: The tombs of the pyramid era . von Zabern, Mainz 2006, ISBN 3805336225 , pp. 37-38.
• Rainer Stadelmann : The Egyptian pyramids. From brick construction to the wonder of the world (= cultural history of the ancient world . Volume 30). 3rd, updated and expanded edition. Philipp von Zabern, Mainz 1997, ISBN 3-8053-1142-7 , pp. 86-87.

Web links

Commons : Mastaba M17  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

• Mastaba M 17. www.semataui.de, March 1, 2005, accessed on October 27, 2014 . 

Coordinates: 29 ° 23 ′ 23 ″  N , 31 ° 9 ′ 31 ″  E