DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.50107#0184
164 THE CHRONOLOGY OF CEM. N 500-900
twenty-five in number, shows not so much the length of the period as the extent of the development
during that time.
The clue to the chronological growth of the cemetery is to be sought as ever in the large tombs.
The six large mastabas which stretch across the map from ‘SW’ to ‘NE’ obviously present the primary
line of growth. The secondary line lies in those middle-sized mastabas which are situated on inde-
pendent sites in the spaces between the six primary mastabas. Before attacking the main question it
will be of advantage to eliminate from consideration the large group of sharply marked graves of Dyn.
V-VI and especially those members of that group which have intruded on map ii and the ‘western’ part
of map iii.
1. THE GRAVES OF TYPE vi, DYN. V-VI
The graves of type vi in all its variations have been listed in the chapter on grave types, pp. 24-31.
In the examination of the objects found in the graves, the stone vessels, the pottery, &c., it was con-
clusively shown that the graves of these types were made in Dyn. V and VI, in accordance with their
location in the ‘eastern’ end of the cemetery. The mass of these graves lies in map iii BCD 2-4. Spread-
ing from this area, examples of type vi were found, planted around the group of large and small mastabas
in iii EF 1-3, and ‘westward’ through ii as far as the ‘eastern’ edge of G. And on map ii and on iii
EF the graves of type vi lie ‘north’ and ‘south’ of the large mastabas and their medium-sized subsidiary
mastabas, that is, they were later than these mastabas.
Wherever a contact is found between any grave of type vi and a grave of any other type (except, of
course, Coptic) the contact shows that the grave of type vi is later than the grave of the other type.
For example:
a. N 598 b, type vi d, map ii H 4, was cut through N 598 a, type v d (1).
b. N 735, type vi d, map ii IJ 6, ,, ,, mastaba N 688 (IV A).
N 9T3, type vi d, map ii J 6,
N 734, type vi d> maP “ U 5,
N 916, type vi d, map ii H 6-7,
c. N 556, type vi c, map ii I 7, ,, ,, N 647, type v f.
d. N 772, type vi d, map iii DE 2, ,, ,, mastaba N 764, type V C.
By all this evidence a firm foundation is constructed for the date of type vi. The chief features of
the type and the sub-types a-d are based on the burial position and its orientation, as already pointed
out in Chapter II, the hcsk or lesk body, the long coffin, the long pit, and the orientation of the head
towards the ‘N’ (not absolute rule). When it is remembered that the burial practice begins with a con-
tracted body on the left side with the head ‘south’ in a short wide coffin, the exceptions which are found
in the orientation of long graves are not surprising and the sub-type vi e is accounted for as a survival
in this period of the older practice. The same survival of older forms is witnessed in the corpus of
stone vessels and pottery vessels. For example, the corpus of stone vessels found in graves of type vi
include 11 of the old traditional forms and 30 vessels of the new O.K. types. Thus the existence of the
short wide sub-type vie with its csk burial must be admitted as a fact quite in conformity with all the other
known facts. But when we attempt to select the individual tombs of type vi e we find it difficult to
be positive about a number of graves owing to the absence of objects found in them and owing to the
fact that the poor graves of the very similar sub-types iv c, v f, and vi e present a continuous chronological
line. The location would have been quite decisive except for the fact that on map iii DE 3-4 and
F 3 lie two patches of graves of older date of the types iv a, b, and d; and the orientation of the body
twenty-five in number, shows not so much the length of the period as the extent of the development
during that time.
The clue to the chronological growth of the cemetery is to be sought as ever in the large tombs.
The six large mastabas which stretch across the map from ‘SW’ to ‘NE’ obviously present the primary
line of growth. The secondary line lies in those middle-sized mastabas which are situated on inde-
pendent sites in the spaces between the six primary mastabas. Before attacking the main question it
will be of advantage to eliminate from consideration the large group of sharply marked graves of Dyn.
V-VI and especially those members of that group which have intruded on map ii and the ‘western’ part
of map iii.
1. THE GRAVES OF TYPE vi, DYN. V-VI
The graves of type vi in all its variations have been listed in the chapter on grave types, pp. 24-31.
In the examination of the objects found in the graves, the stone vessels, the pottery, &c., it was con-
clusively shown that the graves of these types were made in Dyn. V and VI, in accordance with their
location in the ‘eastern’ end of the cemetery. The mass of these graves lies in map iii BCD 2-4. Spread-
ing from this area, examples of type vi were found, planted around the group of large and small mastabas
in iii EF 1-3, and ‘westward’ through ii as far as the ‘eastern’ edge of G. And on map ii and on iii
EF the graves of type vi lie ‘north’ and ‘south’ of the large mastabas and their medium-sized subsidiary
mastabas, that is, they were later than these mastabas.
Wherever a contact is found between any grave of type vi and a grave of any other type (except, of
course, Coptic) the contact shows that the grave of type vi is later than the grave of the other type.
For example:
a. N 598 b, type vi d, map ii H 4, was cut through N 598 a, type v d (1).
b. N 735, type vi d, map ii IJ 6, ,, ,, mastaba N 688 (IV A).
N 9T3, type vi d, map ii J 6,
N 734, type vi d> maP “ U 5,
N 916, type vi d, map ii H 6-7,
c. N 556, type vi c, map ii I 7, ,, ,, N 647, type v f.
d. N 772, type vi d, map iii DE 2, ,, ,, mastaba N 764, type V C.
By all this evidence a firm foundation is constructed for the date of type vi. The chief features of
the type and the sub-types a-d are based on the burial position and its orientation, as already pointed
out in Chapter II, the hcsk or lesk body, the long coffin, the long pit, and the orientation of the head
towards the ‘N’ (not absolute rule). When it is remembered that the burial practice begins with a con-
tracted body on the left side with the head ‘south’ in a short wide coffin, the exceptions which are found
in the orientation of long graves are not surprising and the sub-type vi e is accounted for as a survival
in this period of the older practice. The same survival of older forms is witnessed in the corpus of
stone vessels and pottery vessels. For example, the corpus of stone vessels found in graves of type vi
include 11 of the old traditional forms and 30 vessels of the new O.K. types. Thus the existence of the
short wide sub-type vie with its csk burial must be admitted as a fact quite in conformity with all the other
known facts. But when we attempt to select the individual tombs of type vi e we find it difficult to
be positive about a number of graves owing to the absence of objects found in them and owing to the
fact that the poor graves of the very similar sub-types iv c, v f, and vi e present a continuous chronological
line. The location would have been quite decisive except for the fact that on map iii DE 3-4 and
F 3 lie two patches of graves of older date of the types iv a, b, and d; and the orientation of the body