Tarkhan (Egypt)
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Tarkhan is an
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 necropolis, located around 50 km south of
Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...
on the west bank of the
Nile The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the List of river sy ...
. The cemetery was excavated in two seasons by Flinders Petrie. Tombs of almost all periods were found, but most importantly many belonging to the time of Egyptian state formation, the Early Dynastic period around 3100 BC. Petrie found more than 2,000 tombs, most of them simple holes in the ground belonging to common people. However, there were also several mastabas of the First Dynasty, decorated with a palace facade. The most important finds include a tomb with many seal impressions belonging to king
Narmer Narmer (, may mean "painful catfish", "stinging catfish", "harsh catfish", or "fierce catfish"; ) was an ancient Egyptian king of the Early Dynastic Period, whose reign began at the end of the 4th millennium BC. He was the successor to the Prot ...
and the Tarkhan dress, the world's oldest piece of woven clothing. The cemeteries of the later periods are called Kafr Ammar, although lying side by side with the earlier tombs. From a Roman period tomb came a Fayum mummy portrait.


Tomb 1060

Tomb 1060 is the oldest and largest mastaba at Tarkhan. It was divided into several rooms, most likely used for storing burial goods, although little survived. In the middle was the underground burial chamber with four small side chambers not connected by doorways, but there were doors incised on the walls acting as symbolic chambers. The niches were painted red; only one niche, with a wooden floor, was unpainted. This might indicate a cult place for the deceased. Around the mastaba there was a wall. The name of the owner is unknown.


Gallery

File:Contents of tomb 99. 1st century CE. From tomb 99 at Tarkhan (Kafr Ammar), Egypt. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London.jpg, Contents of tomb 99. 1st century CE. From tomb 99 at Tarkhan (Kafr Ammar), Egypt.
Petrie Museum The Petrie Museum of Egyptian and Sudanese Archaeology in London is part of University College London Museums and Collections. The museum contains over 80,000 objects, making it one of the world's largest collections of Egyptian and Sudanese ma ...
, London File:Pottery jar, drab ware. The original loop slip is still present. Ptolemaic period. From Tarkhan (Kafr Ammar), Egypt. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London.jpg, Pottery jar, drab ware. The original loop slip is still present. Ptolemaic period. From Tarkhan ( Kafr Ammar), Egypt. Petrie Museum, London File:2008-04-05_(London,_Petrie_and_British_Library)_-_078.jpg, Tarkhan dress. Petrie Museum, London


See also

* List of ancient Egyptian sites, including sites of temples


Bibliography

* Wolfram Grajetzki: "The architecture and the signification of the Tarkhan mastabas" In: ''Archeo-Nil'' 18 (2008), p. 103-112 *W. Grajetzki, ''Tarkhan'', In: J. Picton, I. Pridden (editors): ''Unseen Images, Archive Photographs in the Petrie Museum, Volume I: Gurob, Sedment and Tarkhan'', London 2008, p. 185-237 *W M. Flinders Petrie, G.A. Wainwright, B.A., A.H. Gardiner, D. Litt.: ''Tarkhan I and Memphis V'', London 1913 *W.M. Flinders Petrie: ''Tarkhan II'', London 1914 *W.M. Flinders Petrie: ''Heliopolis, Kafr Ammar and Shurafa'', London 1915 {{Coord, 29.500, N, 31.225, E, display=title, source:dewiki Archaeological sites in Egypt