Mastaba S3504 (Saqqara Tomb No. 3504) is a large

mastaba A mastaba ( , or ), also mastabah or mastabat) is a type of ancient Egyptian tomb in the form of a flat-roofed, rectangular structure with inward sloping sides, constructed out of mudbricks or limestone. These edifices marked the burial sites ...

tomb located in the

Saqqara Saqqara ( : saqqāra ), also spelled Sakkara or Saccara in English , is an Egyptian village in the markaz (county) of Badrashin in the Giza Governorate, that contains ancient burial grounds of Egyptian royalty, serving as the necropolis for ...

necropolis A necropolis (: necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'' (). The term usually implies a separate burial site at a distan ...

Lower Egypt Lower Egypt ( ') is the northernmost region of Egypt, which consists of the fertile Nile Delta between Upper Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea, from El Aiyat, south of modern-day Cairo, and Dahshur. Historically, the Nile River split into sev ...

. It was built during the reign of the

ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt () was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Northeast Africa. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology), when Upper and Lower E ...

ian Pharaoh

Djet Djet, also known as Wadjet, Wadj, Zet, and Uadji (in Greek possibly the pharaoh known as Uenephes or possibly Atothis; ), was the fourth pharaoh of the First Dynasty, successor of Djer. Djet's Horus name means "Horus Cobra" or "Serpent of Horus ...

, in the First Dynasty ( Early Dynastic Period), shortly after 3000 BC. It is one of the largest mastabas from this dynasty. The building was excavated in 1953 by

Walter Bryan Emery Walter Bryan Emery, CBE, (2 July 1903 – 11 March 1971) was a British Egyptologist. His career was devoted to the excavation of archaeological sites along the Nile Valley.Archaic Egypt (bio), Walter B. Emery, Pelican Books, London, 1963. During ...

Structure

The building is made of dried

mudbrick Mudbrick or mud-brick, also known as unfired brick, is an air-dried brick, made of a mixture of mud (containing loam, clay, sand and water) mixed with a binding material such as rice husks or straw. Mudbricks are known from 9000 BCE. From ...

s and is 56.45 metres long and 25.45 metres wide. The original height is unknown. The mastaba was decorated on the outside with a palace facade (also called a

niche Niche may refer to: Science *Developmental niche, a concept for understanding the cultural context of child development and growth *Ecological niche, a term describing the relational position of an organism's species *Niche differentiation, in ec ...

facade). On the long sides there were eleven niches, but on the short sides, only four. The facade was painted white, the innermost niches red. The mastaba was enclosed by a wall and stood on a low platform, on which models of cattle heads with real cattle horns were found. Around the tomb there were up to 65 subsidiary tombs. The actual mastaba superstructure contained 43 chambers. Below this was the burial chamber, which was surrounded by additional store rooms. The burial chamber itself was originally clad in gilt wood.

Grave goods

Although the tomb was robbed in antiquity, several items were found. In particular, in the storage chambers, the remains of c. 2500 pottery vessels were preserved. Valuable offerings were originally housed in the underground chambers. There are many remains of furniture, which include elaborate wooden carvings, copper and stone tools, and c. 1500 stone vessels. Many of the vessels were originally sealed with clay stoppers. The sealings are an important historical source. Several of them name the King Djet, but some also bear the name of the last king of the First Dynasty,

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 y ...

, under whom the grave was refurnished after being robbed for the first time.

Occupant

The identification of the tomb owner was long debated in scholarship. The excavator Emery considered it the tomb of Djet, while more recent research suggests the official Sekhemkasedj as the tomb owner, since his name appears in several inscriptions found here. Another possibility is the tomb belonged to Sewedj-ka, the Seal Bearer of the King of Lower Egypt.

Bibliography

* 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, S. 5-127.

References

External links

Saqqara Tomb no. 3504 on www.touregypt.net
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