Mastaba S3504
Mastaba S3504 ( Saqqara grave no. 3504 ) is a large Mastabagrab in Saqqara ( Egypt ), under the ancient Egyptian king ( Pharaoh ) djet , in the first dynasty ( Early Dynastic period ) shortly after 3000 BC. Was built. The structure was excavated in 1953 under the direction of Walter Bryan Emery . It is one of the largest mastabas from this dynasty .
The construction
The building consists of air-dried clay bricks and is 56.45 m long and 25.45 m wide. The former height is unknown. The mastaba was decorated on the outside with a palace facade , also called a niche facade. There were eleven niches on the long sides and four niches on each of the short sides. Enclosed by a wall, this mastaba stood on a low platform on which there were in turn models of cattle heads with real cattle horns. In addition, 65 subsidiary graves were created around the grave complex.
The actual mastaba superstructure consisted of 43 chambers. Below this was the burial chamber, which was surrounded by other storage rooms. The burial chamber itself was once lined with wood with gold strips on it.
Grave goods
Although the grave was robbed in antiquity , many grave goods were still found. The storage chambers in particular still contained the remains of around 2500 ceramic vessels . More valuable gifts were once housed in the underground chambers. There were still numerous remains of furniture, some of which show elaborate wood carvings, copper and stone tools and approx. 1500 stone vessels. Many of the vessels were once sealed with clay stoppers. The unrolled seals are an important historical source. Many of them bear the name of King Wadji. But some also mention the name of the last ruler of the 1st dynasty, Qaa , under whom the grave apparently was rebuilt after an initial plunder.
owner
The identification of the grave owner has long been controversial in research. The excavator Emery said it was the tomb of Wadji , whereas recent research suggests the official Sechemkasedj as the owner of the tomb , whose name appears in many of the inscriptions found here.
literature
- Walter B. Emery : The Great Tombs of the First Dynasty II. (= Egypt Exploration Society. / Memoir of the Egypt Exploration Society. ) Egypt Exploration Society, London 1954, pp. 5–127.
Web links
Coordinates: 29 ° 52 ′ 48.6 ″ N , 31 ° 13 ′ 17.8 ″ E