Umm El Qaʻāb (sometimes

romanised Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and ...

Umm El Gaʻab, ar, أم القعاب) is a

necropolis A necropolis (plural necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'', literally meaning "city of the dead". The term usually im ...

of the Early Dynastic Period kings at Abydos, Egypt. Its modern name means "Mother of Pots" as the whole area is littered with the broken pot shards of offerings made in earlier times. The cultic ancient name of the area was ''(w-)pkr'' or ''(rꜣ-)pkr'' "District of the pkr

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

(an unidentified species) or "Opening of the pkr

( Coptic: ''upoke''), belonging to ''tꜣ-dsr'' "the secluded/cleared land" (

) or ''crk-hh'' "Binding of Eternity" (Coptic: ''Alkhah''). The area was a site of veneration and worship in ancient Egypt, and by the time of the Middle Kingdom, at least one of the royal tombs was excavated and rebuilt for the priests of

Osiris Osiris (, from Egyptian ''wsjr'', cop, ⲟⲩⲥⲓⲣⲉ , ; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎𐤓, romanized: ʾsr) is the god of fertility, agriculture, the afterlife, the dead, resurrection, life, and vegetation in ancient Egyptian religion. He wa ...

.Shaw, Ian. ''The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt.'' p. 67. Oxford University Press. 2000. The tombs of this area were first excavated by

Émile Amélineau Émile Amélineau (1850 – 12 January 1915 at Châteaudun) was a French Coptologist, archaeologist and Egyptologist. His scholarly reputation was established as an editor of previously unpublished Coptic texts. But his reputation was destroye ...

in the 1890s and more systematically by Flinders Petrie between 1899 and 1901. Since then the area has been excavated repeatedly by the German Archaeological Institute since the 1970s, which has allowed for a thorough reconstruction of the original layout and appearance of these tombs.

Pre-dynastic tombs

* U-j: Unknown ruler, but possibly Scorpion I found in tomb, also possible pre dynastic ruler Bull is attested in one of the ivory tablets. * B1/B2: Iry-Hor * B7/B9: Ka

First Dynasty tombs

Known as ''Cemetery B'', this area contains the Early Dynastic tombs of the

pharaoh Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian: '' pr ꜥꜣ''; cop, , Pǝrro; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') is the vernacular term often used by modern authors for the kings of ancient Egypt who ruled as monarchs from the First Dynasty (c. 3150 BC) until th ...

s of the First Dynasty of Egypt and the last two kings of the Second Dynasty. * B17/B18: Narmer * B10/B15/B19: Aha * O: Djer * Z: Djet * Y: Merneith * T:

Den Den may refer to: * Den (room), a small room in a house * Maternity den, a lair where an animal gives birth Media and entertainment * ''Den'' (album), 2012, by Kreidler * Den (''Battle Angel Alita''), a character in the ''Battle Angel Alita ...

* X:

Anedjib Anedjib, more correctly Adjib and also known as Hor-Anedjib, Hor-Adjib and Enezib, is the Horus name of an early Egyptian king who ruled during the 1st Dynasty. The Egyptian historian Manetho named him "Miebîdós" and credited him with a reign ...

* U: Semerkhet * Q:

Qa'a Qa'a (also Qáa or Ka'a) (literal meaning: "his arm is raised") was the last king of the First Dynasty of Egypt. He reigned for 33 years at the end of the 30th century BC. Identity Manetho calls Qa'a Biénechês and gives him a reign of 26 ...

Second Dynasty tombs

The last two kings of the Second Dynasty returned to be buried near to their ancestors—they also revived the practice of building mud-brick funerary enclosures nearby. * P: Peribsen. A seal found in this tomb contains the first full sentence written in hieroglyphs. * V: Khasekhemwy. This tomb was on a massive scale, with several interconnecting mud-brick chambers, and the actual burial chamber being constructed of dressed limestone blocks. When excavated by Petrie in 1901 it contained a scepter made from sard and banded with gold, limestone vases with golden covers, and a ewer and basin of bronze. Khasekhemwy's Tomb

Human sacrifice and 1st Dynasty tombs

Human sacrifice Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more humans as part of a ritual, which is usually intended to please or appease gods, a human ruler, an authoritative/priestly figure or spirits of dead ancestors or as a retainer sacrifice, wherei ...

was practiced as part of the funerary rituals associated with the First Dynasty.Shaw, Ian. ''The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt.'' p. 68. Oxford University Press. 2000. . The tomb of Djer is associated with the burials of 338 individuals thought to have been sacrificed. The people and animals sacrificed, such as asses, were expected to assist the pharaoh in the

afterlife The afterlife (also referred to as life after death) is a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual's identity or their stream of consciousness continues to live after the death of their physical body. The surviving es ...

. It appears that Djer's courtiers were strangled and their tombs all closed at the same time.Payne, Keith "Exclusive Interview: Dr David O'Connor on the Abydos Expedition" ''Heritage Key'' 29 September 200

/ref> For unknown reasons, this practice ended with the conclusion of the dynasty, with shabtis taking the place of actual people to aid the pharaohs with the work expected of them in the afterlife.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Abydos, Egypt sites Tombs of ancient Egypt Cemeteries in Egypt