Mastaba S3111

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mastaba S3111 ( Saqqara grave no. 3111 ) is a Mastabagrab from the ancient Egyptian 1st Dynasty ( Early Dynastic period ) that v in the 29th century. Was built. The mastaba has been excavated by Walter Bryan Emery and John Winter Crowfoot since January 19, 1936 . At first they suspected that it would be the tomb of Pharaoh Anedjib . In the course of the research, however, it became clear that the tomb owner was the official Sabu . His name was found on unrolled seals in the grave. Mastaba S3111 was robbed in ancient times.

description

The mastaba is located in the north of the Saqqara necropolis on the eastern edge of the plateau. In ancient times the Abusir lake bordered here . About 1.5 km south is the Djoser pyramid . The superstructure was 19.20 m long and 12.05 m wide and had a north-south orientation. The outer wall was made of unfired adobe bricks and had a niche arrangement that mimicked a palace facade. The long sides had eight niches and the short sides three. The bricks used had a length of 0.26 m, a width of 0.12 m and a height of 0.07 m. Contrary to the construction method customary at the time, the grave had no access stairs and so resembled the previous grave architecture. Although it was not a royal tomb, there was a secondary burial outside in the northern part of the west facade, which was found pristine and which contained the burial of a man. He was huddled in a wooden coffin. Four stone vessels and seven ceramic vessels were found as grave goods. In the southern part of the grave, Emery found a platform made of hewn limestone blocks about 2 m by 3.50 m in size. It was probably used at the funeral ceremony.

Chambers

The seven chambers were built in a pit 2.55 m deep, 10.45 m long and 6 m wide, and separated from each other by mud brick walls. Chamber A in the northwest had walls plastered with clay and covered with wooden planks. 96 clay pots were found here, some of which were sealed. Some of the clay seals bore the names of Pharaoh Den and the grave owner. To the east of Chamber A is Chamber B, which was just as big. There were ox bones and five ceramic bowls with remains of pieces of meat. Chamber C, which adjoins Chamber A to the south, also had a clay plaster. Since the chamber is larger, it had a beam that rested in recesses in the west and east walls and supported the wooden ceiling. Here Emery exposed 71 clay pots, some of which were sealed with unlabeled seals. The eastern chamber D was constructed similarly to chamber C. It contained only a few fragments of stone and clay vessels.

Chamber E, the actual burial chamber, is much larger than all other chambers. On top of the clay plaster on the walls, it also had a layer of white stucco. The wooden plank ceiling was supported by three wooden beams that rested in recesses in the west and east walls. In the southern part of the chamber, parts of a wooden sarcophagus with the remains of the Sabu were found. He was placed in a huddled position in the grave lying on the right side, facing west. It was the first noble corpse from the 1st Dynasty to be found in this pose. Grave robbers had separated one arm from the skeleton during their foray and took all valuables with them. Nevertheless, the original arrangement of the grave goods was relatively well preserved. The grave goods were 77 ceramic pots, 48 ​​stone vessels made of travertine , slate and tuff , two ivory boxes, two boxes with a total of 85 small flint knives and five triangular flint scrapers, the bones of two oxen, arrows, flint and copper tools. Among the stone vessels made of slate there was also the broken so-called Sabu disk , which became famous primarily through the followers of pre-astronautics .

To the south of chamber E are chambers F and G, which are the same size as A and B. The western chamber F contained ceramic shards and some seals with the name of Pharaoh Anedjib. In chamber G there were only fragments of stone and ceramic vessels.

Web links

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ellen Morris: On the ownership of the Saqqara mastabas and the allotment of political and ideological power at the dawn of the state. , in: Zahi Hawass, Janet Richards: The Archeology and Art of Ancient Egypt, Essays in Honor of David B. O'Connor , Volume II, The American University in Cairo Press, Cairo 2007, ISBN 978-9774372414 , p. 186
  2. ^ Emery: Great Tombs of the First Dynasty I , p. 95
  3. ↑ Emery: Great Tombs of the First Dynasty I , p. 99, fig. 57
  4. ↑ Emery: Great Tombs of the First Dynasty I , p. 101, fig. 58 and plate 40a, b

Coordinates: 29 ° 53 ′ 7.4 ″  N , 31 ° 13 ′ 6.7 ″  E