DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.50107#0029
TYPES OF GRAVES AND BURIALS IN CEM. N 500-900 9
It is to be noticed that the large tombs develop in logical and chronological succession, one from the
other: (I) the wooden-roofed substructure, («) with single chamber and then (b) increased in size, with
more than one chamber; (II) the same tomb with a stairway entrance which permitted construction
previous to burial; (III) the stairway form with the stronger corbel-vault instead of the wooden roof;
then (IV) the burial chambers excavated deep in the geological strata and approached by a long stairway;
and finally (V) the shaft mastaba. The superstructures of these five types are all closely allied except
that, with the advent of the shaft mastaba, the long form of the mastaba which was necessary to cover
the deep stairway type was gradually abandoned for a shorter, broader form adapted to the necessities
of the improved substructure. The further course of this line of development is to be found in the stone
mastabas and must be treated elsewhere.
In the case of the small tombs, the series arose in an open pit form in which the body was laid,
protected by mats or by a wooden chamber (or box), and the pit was filled with gravel or sand originally
excavated from the pit. The families of those buried in small graves desired as much as rich families
to make the burial secure against injury, but were always hampered by lack of means. This primitive
form of grave therefore runs through all periods (types i a, iv c, v f, and vi e), slightly modified at times
by the changes in other small types, but actually lying aside from the line of development. One of the
earliest cheap solutions of the difficulty of protecting the burial from the pressure of the filling was the
excavation of a side chamber, the mouth of which in the pit was closed with stones or c.b. plastered with
mud. And this second type of grave (type i c) also continued to be used all through the period of con-
tracted burials (types iv d, v e, vi b). Almost all the small type graves of the early dynasties are based
on one or the other of these two cheap types—the open pit and the side chamber hollowed in the gravel.
The types of the large tombs down to the stairway tomb (type IV) were all of the open pit form with
varying constructions in the pit to contain the burial and its equipment. Naturally the small tombs of
the same periods also present merely a development of the pit grave—a development which affected
mainly the structure used in the pit to protect the burial. Thus type I A and i a are the same except
in size—pit lined with c.b., roofed with wood and mud at the top of the lining, and filled above the
roof with gravel excavated from the pit. Type i b with its two or more compartments is an imitation
of type I B. A similar small grave with a stairway (type ii) might be expected and perhaps occurred but
I have no certain example. Type iii with its corbel-vault is an imitation of type III. With type iv of the
period of the Third Dynasty stairway tomb, the small tombs follow an independent course based on the
wood-roofed pit tomb. In the graves of type iv a the c.b. lining is replaced by a low c.b. well roofed
with rough limestone slabs heavily plastered with mud. In the examples of this type found in Cem. N
500, the fact becomes apparent that the tomb was made at the time of the burial; part of the vessels to
be buried with the body were placed around the bottom of the open pit; the c.b. well was constructed;
the body in a wooden coffin or on a mat was placed in the well; the rest of the furniture (pottery and
stone vessels) were placed around the coffin or the burial; the whole was usually covered with a mat;
the well was roofed with stone and plastered and the upper part of the pit filled as always with the gravel
excavated from the pit; and over all on the surface, the small c.b. mastaba was finally built with its two
niches in the valley face (see also Mace, Naga-d-Der, II, pp. 6-13). In the cheaper variation of type iv
(type iv b) the well is of rubble or of upright stone slabs, or is merely sunk in the bottom of the pit, and
in all cases roofed with stone. Type iv c is only a further degeneration of type iv b in which the coffin
of wood or pottery was laid in a pit and packed around the sides with stones or gravel, while, over the
coffin, stones set in mud or plastered formed an accidental arch which sometimes remained fixed after the
wooden coffin below had sunk down in decay. Type iv d is a continuation of the older side-chamber pit.
c
It is to be noticed that the large tombs develop in logical and chronological succession, one from the
other: (I) the wooden-roofed substructure, («) with single chamber and then (b) increased in size, with
more than one chamber; (II) the same tomb with a stairway entrance which permitted construction
previous to burial; (III) the stairway form with the stronger corbel-vault instead of the wooden roof;
then (IV) the burial chambers excavated deep in the geological strata and approached by a long stairway;
and finally (V) the shaft mastaba. The superstructures of these five types are all closely allied except
that, with the advent of the shaft mastaba, the long form of the mastaba which was necessary to cover
the deep stairway type was gradually abandoned for a shorter, broader form adapted to the necessities
of the improved substructure. The further course of this line of development is to be found in the stone
mastabas and must be treated elsewhere.
In the case of the small tombs, the series arose in an open pit form in which the body was laid,
protected by mats or by a wooden chamber (or box), and the pit was filled with gravel or sand originally
excavated from the pit. The families of those buried in small graves desired as much as rich families
to make the burial secure against injury, but were always hampered by lack of means. This primitive
form of grave therefore runs through all periods (types i a, iv c, v f, and vi e), slightly modified at times
by the changes in other small types, but actually lying aside from the line of development. One of the
earliest cheap solutions of the difficulty of protecting the burial from the pressure of the filling was the
excavation of a side chamber, the mouth of which in the pit was closed with stones or c.b. plastered with
mud. And this second type of grave (type i c) also continued to be used all through the period of con-
tracted burials (types iv d, v e, vi b). Almost all the small type graves of the early dynasties are based
on one or the other of these two cheap types—the open pit and the side chamber hollowed in the gravel.
The types of the large tombs down to the stairway tomb (type IV) were all of the open pit form with
varying constructions in the pit to contain the burial and its equipment. Naturally the small tombs of
the same periods also present merely a development of the pit grave—a development which affected
mainly the structure used in the pit to protect the burial. Thus type I A and i a are the same except
in size—pit lined with c.b., roofed with wood and mud at the top of the lining, and filled above the
roof with gravel excavated from the pit. Type i b with its two or more compartments is an imitation
of type I B. A similar small grave with a stairway (type ii) might be expected and perhaps occurred but
I have no certain example. Type iii with its corbel-vault is an imitation of type III. With type iv of the
period of the Third Dynasty stairway tomb, the small tombs follow an independent course based on the
wood-roofed pit tomb. In the graves of type iv a the c.b. lining is replaced by a low c.b. well roofed
with rough limestone slabs heavily plastered with mud. In the examples of this type found in Cem. N
500, the fact becomes apparent that the tomb was made at the time of the burial; part of the vessels to
be buried with the body were placed around the bottom of the open pit; the c.b. well was constructed;
the body in a wooden coffin or on a mat was placed in the well; the rest of the furniture (pottery and
stone vessels) were placed around the coffin or the burial; the whole was usually covered with a mat;
the well was roofed with stone and plastered and the upper part of the pit filled as always with the gravel
excavated from the pit; and over all on the surface, the small c.b. mastaba was finally built with its two
niches in the valley face (see also Mace, Naga-d-Der, II, pp. 6-13). In the cheaper variation of type iv
(type iv b) the well is of rubble or of upright stone slabs, or is merely sunk in the bottom of the pit, and
in all cases roofed with stone. Type iv c is only a further degeneration of type iv b in which the coffin
of wood or pottery was laid in a pit and packed around the sides with stones or gravel, while, over the
coffin, stones set in mud or plastered formed an accidental arch which sometimes remained fixed after the
wooden coffin below had sunk down in decay. Type iv d is a continuation of the older side-chamber pit.
c