Mastaba S3503
In Mastaba S3503 ( Saqqara grave no. 3503 ) is a large Mastabagrab the ancient Egyptian 1st Dynasty ( Early Dynastic period ), which is about v by 3000. Was built in Saqqara .
The construction
The construction was excavated by Walter Bryan Emery and his team in the 1950s. The superstructure of the mastaba is 42 m long and 16 m wide and was built from air-dried clay bricks. It was decorated on the outside with a palace facade , with nine niches on the long sides and three niches on the short sides . There were 23 chambers in the superstructure. Underground there was a large burial chamber in the middle of the building and four side chambers. 20 side burials were arranged around the building.
Grave goods
The grave was robbed in ancient times. The burial chamber was also robbed, but still contained numerous objects that were in their original place, so that one could get a relatively good picture of the former arrangement of the grave goods.
In the middle of the burial chamber there was once a large coffin, but only a few wooden planks were found. It measured about 2.7 x 1.8 m. The remains of a skeleton were also found, the gender of which could no longer be determined. On the east side of the coffin there were bowls and vessels that obviously represented a meal for the dead person. There were numerous stone and ceramic vessels on the walls of the burial chamber, but the remains of chests were also found next to them . To the north of the coffin there were poles that might have been intended for a tent or a canopy.
The owner
The former owner of the grave is unknown. Emery suspected Queen Meritneith , because her name appears on some objects and there are also unrolled seals with her name and King Djer . However, this assignment is rejected today, as her grave in Abydos is known. The owner of the grave remains anonymous. In the grave there were also various unrolled seals that only bear the name of Djer.
literature
- Walter B. Emery : The Great Tombs of the First Dynasty. Volume 2. Egypt Exploration Society, London 1954, pp. 128-170.
Individual evidence
- Jump up ↑ Emery: The Great Tombs of the First Dynasty. Vol. 2, p. 169, fig. 226
- ↑ 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 (editor): 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 185
- Jump up ↑ Emery: The Great Tombs of the First Dynasty. Vol. 2, pp. 168-169, Figs. 225, 227.
Web links
Coordinates: 29 ° 52 ′ 50.6 ″ N , 31 ° 13 ′ 16.4 ″ E