Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (17.2005(2007))

SAQQARA

EGYPT

SQUARES 2002 AND 2102

By decision of the Permanent Committee
part of the large mud-brick platform
extending westwards from the enclosure
wall of the Netjerykhet pyramid was
dismantled during this campaign in order
to enable a study of the Old Kingdom
structures lying below it. The dismantled
section (in square 2102) was 8 m long N-S
and 6 m wide E-W. In the north, it finished
on a wall, 0.75 m high and 0.32 m thick,
built of ta'/Z-bricks, and running E-W,
almost in line with the pyramid axis [Figs 5-
6, 7]. The eastern edge runs parallel to the
west enclosure wall of the pyramid, 4.10 m
away from its westernmost projections.
The stratigraphy of this area reveals
a vertical sequence of three layers found
below the mud-brick platform: a) pure
sand leveling the surface; b) dakka con-
sisting of limestone chips, desert pebbles,
stone and mud-brick fragments with a great
deal of Old Kingdom (mainly late Old
Kingdom) pottery; c) remains of Old
Kingdom structures.
Only the western half of this section, 3 m
E-W by 8 m N-S, was excavated through the
three strata in this campaign. In the eastern
half, exploration reached the surface of the
dakka and will be continued next year.
The mud brick used in the construction
of the platform comes apparently in two
sizes: a) smaller, but more numerous, dark
grey/black bricks ("clay" bricks) with
varying dimensions around 30 x 15 x 7 cm;
and b) larger, but less numerous bricks
corresponding in size (an average of 36 x 18
x 10 cm) to those from the mastaba of Shaft
51, which neighbors with the platform on

the north, at a deeper level.7 The bricks
were laid longitudinally on their largest
face, in parallel rows extending N-S. The
surface of the platform and the bottom face
of the bricks were coated with a thin layer of
mortar which also filled the spaces between
the bricks. This mortar was made of
material corresponding to the two brick
fabrics: either black clay of quite
homogeneous, rather fattish structure, or
yellowish material with many inclusions,
e.g. sand, tiny pebbles and bits of pottery
{tafl-bricks). A thin layer of black mud (no
more than 1 cm) was applied to the surface
of the platform in a regular coat. The
irregular but quite thick layer of clay found
between the bottom face of the bricks and
the sand surface was significantly mixed
with sand, meaning that mud had been
spread on the surface of the sand for better
adhesion of the bricks.
The sand layer below the platform is
very thick in the southern part of the
excavated section, and almost nonexistent in
the north. This means that the wall
bordering the platform on the north was
erected directly on the highest point of the
dakka, guaranteeing the stability of the
wall. At the sector's southern edge, and
particularly in the middle of this area, the
thickness of the sand layer reached and even
exceeded 1 m.
The layer below the dakka revealed
a complicated sequence of Old Kingdom
structures. The oldest and most important
element that dictated further development
of the site was a rock-hewn structure
apparently from the first half of the Second

7 For Shaft 51: Mysliwiec, Kuraszkiewicz et al., Merefnebef, op. cit., PI. II (square 2002); K. Mysliwiec, "West Saqqara
Excavations, 2001", PAM XIII. Reports 2001 (2002), 135-142. For the structure and size of the bricks used in the tomb
of Merefnebef: Mysliwiec, Kuraszkiewicz et ah, Merefnebef, op. cit., 41 and 54.

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