Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (10.1998(1999))

_WEST SAQQARA

EGYPT

LAYER 9
The next level of deposits, layer 9, consists
of mostly large angular rock fragments,
with small rock fragments forming loose
mounds in places. Blue faience plaques9*
and sherds of Old Kingdom pottery, found
mostly in the central and western parts of
the layer, are not numerous. In the central
part of layer 9, a deposit of fine yellow sand

PYRAMID OF DJOSER
t


Fig. 1. Area I (former Pit 1), location of exca-
vated sectors
(Drawing M. Puszkarski)

with small angular rock fragments, layer
9a, is attested (Fig. 2:9a). The surface of
layer 9 was an occupational level, as evi-
denced by fragments of mudbrick, pottery,
animal bones and organic material.
SHAFT 1
Builders of this shaft had to pass through
layers 10 and 9 before they reached the
bedrock level of the terrace (Fig. 2:18). The
yellow sand layer (Fig. 2:9a) is most prob-
ably connected with the filling of Shaft 1.
The shaft (Fig. 3) was hewn in the times
after the 3rd dynasty and before the 6th
dynasty (see below).
LAYER 8
Deposits superimposed on layer 9 are
mostly large angular rock fragments, form-
ing loose mounds in places, and small rock
fragments. Some of mounds are the result
of human activity, e.g. rock material from
Shaft 1. Finds include blue faience plaques,
charcoal and sherds of Old Kingdom pot-
tery.
ROCK FACADE OF THE CULT CHAM-
BER OF THE VIZIER MEREF-NEBEF
Layers 10 to 8 had existed above the rock
terrace when the construction of the cult
chamber of vizier Meref-nebef was initiat-
ed in the reign of king Teti10* and the
builders must have been aware of the pres-
ence of Shaft 1. The west end of the terrace
was cut off vertically to prepare a rock
facade for the tomb complex.11*

9) The plaques resemble objects decorating the so-called "south tomb chamber" of the Netcherihet, Djeser's funerary com-
plex, cf. Mysliwiec et al., ET XVII, op. cit., pp. 186, 188 and n. 4, figs. 11-12; id., Nowe oblicza Sakkary (Tuchow 1998);
p. 8, fig. 13; Z.E. Szafranski, Archeologia Zywa (= AZ) 2 (1998), p. 31- As for the blue faience plaques dated to the 3rd
dynasty, see also K. Kromer, Siedlungsfunde aus dem friihen Alten Reich in Gizeh. Osterreichische Ausgrabungen 1971-
75 (Wien 1978), pp. 77-78, fig. 23, pl. 33:6 & 8.
10) For the date of the vizier Meref-nebef, see Mysliwiec, PAM IX, op. cit., p. 95, fig. 3; id., Nowe oblicza, op. cit., p. 11;
Szafranski, Nieznany wezyr krola Teti, AZ 6 (1998), pp. 3, 6.
11) See contribution by Mycielska-Dowgiatto and Woronko in this volume.

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