Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (11.1999(2000))

WEST SAQQARA

EGYPT

court covered with a stratum of aeolian
sand of considerable depth, inclined west-
wards. At some point, intensive flooding
and downslope movement of the accumu-
lated material caused the destruction of the
western wall of Meref-nebefs mastaba,
which was of a retaining character for the
entire superstructure filling over the roof
of the chapel. This wall, built of tafl bricks
in 90%, fell to the west, down into the
lower court in front of the vizier's chapel,
covering the underlying deposits.12)
IV. BRICK PLATFORM.
An enigmatic structure was discovered in
Area I/I, just on the eastern border of the
excavated area. It is a large mudbrick plat-
form extending for over 10.5 m longitudi-
nally and 8.5 m latitudinally. On the
north it is bounded by a wall of small tafl-
bricks, its surface rising at an angle of 5°
toward the east. Though the bricks in the
platform (dark-gray)13 mudbricks of a size
32-34 x 15.5-16 x 9-5-10 cm, with red
and brown potsherd inclusions) resemble
those used in the building of Chapel 5
(being only slightly thicker), the eastern
cross-section under the platform proves
that the said platform must date to much
later times (cf. Fig. 3). One observes layers
of debris separated by a thin mud floor,
reflecting the phase of destruction of the
Old Kingdom structures, and overlying

them a thick (over 1 m) layer of almost
pure aeolian sand immediately under the
platform (cf. Fig. 3: 3,8).
The layering above the platform exem-
plifies a similar situation (Fig. 4). A more
than 1.5 m thick layer of wind-blown sand
separates it from an upper layer consisting
of yellow sand with large quantities of
white limestone blocks and laminae of
limestone powder (cf. Fig. 4: 3-4). This
layer most probably resulted from stone
robbing and cutting at the site, most
probably in the Ptolemaic period or later.
The supposed reuse of Old Kingdom
bricks (the tafl bricks in the ramp-like
wall may also have been reused), as well as
the occurrence of Old Kingdom pottery
sherds (including a rim of a Sixth Dynasty
Medum-bowl found in the mortar)l4) does
not help with the dating of the platform,
beside constituting an obvious terminus,
post quem.15) One may suppose, however,
that the thick layer of wind-blown sand
under the platform reflects hundreds of
years of accumulation at least.
V. PTOLEMAIC
AND ROMAN NECROPOLIS
After a long period of aeolian-sand accu-
mulation, reflecting the abandonment of
the site, it again became a burial ground,
possibly as early as in the Late Period,l6)
but with most of the burials dating to

12> Cf. K. Mysliwiec, PAM VIII, Reports 1997, op. cit, 107; id., PAM X, Reports 1998, op. cit., 82; Z. Szafranski, PAM X,
Reports 1998, op. cit., 93, 95, fig. 2; E. Mycielska-Dowgiallo, B. Woronko, PAM X, Reports 1998, op. cit., fig. 8 and p. 111.
' ^ According to K. Mysliwiec, this shaft could possibly date from an earlier period and was merely reused for Meref-nebef
(incorporated into his mastaba), cf id., PAM X, Reports 1998, op. cit., 84.
14) I owe this observation to Anna Wodzinska.
15) Similar dating problems occurred in Trial Pit 4, located some 50 m southeast of the main area. It was excavated in
October 1999 to a depth of about 0.5 m in order to verify the results of a geophysical survey. A mudbrick wall, visible in
computer plotting and initially interpreted as a wall surrounding a possible Persian shaft (judging from the square plan)
turned out to be built of Old Kingdom bricks.
16) Szafranski, PAM X, Reports 1998, op. cit., 96, n.

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