Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (11.1999(2000))

WEST SAQQARA

EGYPT

Other parts were made in a thick layer of
reddish, coarse-grained mortar that was
laid to even out the rock surface (southern
end of eastern wall of the facade). In the
facade, where the quality of rock is partic-
ularly poor, a missing part of the rock of
considerable size was filled in with a slab of
a much better quality stone bearing a relief
(in the northern outer jamb, the inserted
slab being the only fragment of this jamb
where the relief decoration is still pre-
served).
Perhaps the same case occurred inside
the chapel where a part of the relief was

carved in blocks inserted in a rectangular
niche in the wall (southern upper corner of
the eastern wall)A Here, the scenes are dif-
ferent from the rest of the decoration, both
in their style and color range. It is possible
that this fragment was made at a later
date.3 4)
The damages to the relief decoration
and the polychromy of the chapel are obvi-
ously a consequence in part of the natural
weakness of the rock and its salinity.5) This
kind of damage concerns mainly the plas-
ter and paint layer (then the outlines of the
relief are visible) as well as the mortar layer


Fig. 1. Funerary chapel of Meref-nebef Plan
(Drawing K. Kuraszkiewicz)
3) Ibid., fig. 51.
4) Mysliwiec, Kuraszkiewicz, Saqqara-Abusir 2000, op. cit.
Z. Godziejewski, "Conservation work in the funerary chapel of Meref-nebef', PAM X, Reports 1998 (1999), 97-100.

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