DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.26359#0113
Beata Piqtek
or Inepemhat, “The Overseer of the Gate of the
Pyramid of Teti and Merikara”.49 On the north-
em side of the Teti pyramid is located the tomb
of Gemenemhat/Gemni, as well as of “The
Overseer of the Gate of Pyramid of Teti and
Merikara”. As K. DAOUD suggests that In-
structions ofMerikare inform about intensive
colonisation in the vicinity of the Teti pyramid
during the mle of the 9/10th dynasty, and locali-
sation of the settlement should be strictly related
to the cemetery location.50 No doubt, many
questions and problems could be resolved dur-
ing a systematic field search of the area adjacent
to the Merikara pyramid.
10-llth dynasty On the basis of the archaeo-
logical material, we can say that in this period
intensive activity could be observed, particularly
in the eastem side of the necropolis. The titles of
many of the people buried there are related to
the funeral complex of king Teti. Located there
is a large group of shaft tombs, which clearly
make it a homogeneous cemetery (pls. 21,22) .51
Located also there are tombs No number 8-9,
17,74,91,98,112-4, 117, 124,127, 130,135,
148, 153, 155, 158, 276 and the collective
tombs of Kareneni, Nefersemdenet and
Hereshefnekhet and Shema as well as
Ipisenebes. They were cut in the area near the
South gate of the later ptolomaic Anubieion and
along the walls or inside the structure of the
anonymous stone mastaba of the 3rd dynasty.
A group of the large false doors of the 10th dy-
nasty creates, along the West wall of the above
mentioned mastaba, a long row of chapels above
the shaft tombs.52
12th dynasty Likewise, from this period we
know of burials, which confirm the existence of
the Teti funerary cult. In the northem part of the
cemetery, in the street between the temenos wall
of the Teti pyramid and mastaba of Kagemni,
mastabas of Hetep and Ihi (pl. 19) were added
at the extreme of earlier tombs.53 The previous
49 Kair,CG 57212 (JE 38557) andCG 57211 (JE 38552):
QULBELL, Excavations 1906-7, op. cit., pp. 20-4, pls.
12-3,15,19.
50 DAOUD, op. cit., p. 306.
51 FIRTH, GUNN, op. cit., p. 4; GIDDY, op. cit., p. 2.
52 QUIBELL, Excavations 1906-7, passim.
period continues to the East of the Teti pyramid.
This seems to be confirmed by numerous shaft
tombs of the 12th dynasty in the eastem part and
two yet unpublished mastabas of Sahutheripi
and Sekusekhet in the North-East part of the
necropolis.54
Perspectives of the researches
The cemetery, which at first made a 5th dy-
nasty necropolis continuation, gradually devel-
oped from the West through the North and East-
wards. Numerous tombs were build without in-
termption till the reign of Amenemhat I. Their
owners’ status and rank have been connected
with the name of Teti as well as Merikara since
the Heracleopolitan period. Most likely, further
researches could also confirm the existence of
such tombs during the later periods.
Unfortunately, for the present, despite the
N. KANAWATI excavations in the North and
North-Westparts of the cemetery, which are still
continuing, as well as the H.S. SMITH works in
the Anubieion area, most of this site is less well
known. At the moment, if the excavation of the
whole cemetery area is impossible, other kinds
of researches and studies are very important. It
considers both, many of the discovered mastabas,
even those well known, which need full publica-
tion and also immense loose archaeological ma-
terial of the First Intermediate Period scattered
in many museums and store rooms, which is par-
ticularly interesting for the author. Only a part of
the material has been published.
There are false doors in a great number. Con-
sidering their form, they clearly carry on the 6th
dynasty pattems, but on the other hand they make
a homogenous group, which can be easily sepa-
rated. (In many cases the Upper Egypt funerary
stelae refer to their form.) In general we can dis-
tinguish two types: larger ones with a high quality
of workmanship, longer inscriptions, precisely
53 FIRTH, GUNN, op. cit., p. 3; F. GOMAÀ, Die Be-
siedlung Ägyptens während des Mittleren Reiches.
Unter Ägypten und die angrenzenden Gebiete, vol.
2, TAVO 66, Wiesbaden 1986, pp. 24-6.
54 GIDDY, op. cit., pp. 2-3.
110
or Inepemhat, “The Overseer of the Gate of the
Pyramid of Teti and Merikara”.49 On the north-
em side of the Teti pyramid is located the tomb
of Gemenemhat/Gemni, as well as of “The
Overseer of the Gate of Pyramid of Teti and
Merikara”. As K. DAOUD suggests that In-
structions ofMerikare inform about intensive
colonisation in the vicinity of the Teti pyramid
during the mle of the 9/10th dynasty, and locali-
sation of the settlement should be strictly related
to the cemetery location.50 No doubt, many
questions and problems could be resolved dur-
ing a systematic field search of the area adjacent
to the Merikara pyramid.
10-llth dynasty On the basis of the archaeo-
logical material, we can say that in this period
intensive activity could be observed, particularly
in the eastem side of the necropolis. The titles of
many of the people buried there are related to
the funeral complex of king Teti. Located there
is a large group of shaft tombs, which clearly
make it a homogeneous cemetery (pls. 21,22) .51
Located also there are tombs No number 8-9,
17,74,91,98,112-4, 117, 124,127, 130,135,
148, 153, 155, 158, 276 and the collective
tombs of Kareneni, Nefersemdenet and
Hereshefnekhet and Shema as well as
Ipisenebes. They were cut in the area near the
South gate of the later ptolomaic Anubieion and
along the walls or inside the structure of the
anonymous stone mastaba of the 3rd dynasty.
A group of the large false doors of the 10th dy-
nasty creates, along the West wall of the above
mentioned mastaba, a long row of chapels above
the shaft tombs.52
12th dynasty Likewise, from this period we
know of burials, which confirm the existence of
the Teti funerary cult. In the northem part of the
cemetery, in the street between the temenos wall
of the Teti pyramid and mastaba of Kagemni,
mastabas of Hetep and Ihi (pl. 19) were added
at the extreme of earlier tombs.53 The previous
49 Kair,CG 57212 (JE 38557) andCG 57211 (JE 38552):
QULBELL, Excavations 1906-7, op. cit., pp. 20-4, pls.
12-3,15,19.
50 DAOUD, op. cit., p. 306.
51 FIRTH, GUNN, op. cit., p. 4; GIDDY, op. cit., p. 2.
52 QUIBELL, Excavations 1906-7, passim.
period continues to the East of the Teti pyramid.
This seems to be confirmed by numerous shaft
tombs of the 12th dynasty in the eastem part and
two yet unpublished mastabas of Sahutheripi
and Sekusekhet in the North-East part of the
necropolis.54
Perspectives of the researches
The cemetery, which at first made a 5th dy-
nasty necropolis continuation, gradually devel-
oped from the West through the North and East-
wards. Numerous tombs were build without in-
termption till the reign of Amenemhat I. Their
owners’ status and rank have been connected
with the name of Teti as well as Merikara since
the Heracleopolitan period. Most likely, further
researches could also confirm the existence of
such tombs during the later periods.
Unfortunately, for the present, despite the
N. KANAWATI excavations in the North and
North-Westparts of the cemetery, which are still
continuing, as well as the H.S. SMITH works in
the Anubieion area, most of this site is less well
known. At the moment, if the excavation of the
whole cemetery area is impossible, other kinds
of researches and studies are very important. It
considers both, many of the discovered mastabas,
even those well known, which need full publica-
tion and also immense loose archaeological ma-
terial of the First Intermediate Period scattered
in many museums and store rooms, which is par-
ticularly interesting for the author. Only a part of
the material has been published.
There are false doors in a great number. Con-
sidering their form, they clearly carry on the 6th
dynasty pattems, but on the other hand they make
a homogenous group, which can be easily sepa-
rated. (In many cases the Upper Egypt funerary
stelae refer to their form.) In general we can dis-
tinguish two types: larger ones with a high quality
of workmanship, longer inscriptions, precisely
53 FIRTH, GUNN, op. cit., p. 3; F. GOMAÀ, Die Be-
siedlung Ägyptens während des Mittleren Reiches.
Unter Ägypten und die angrenzenden Gebiete, vol.
2, TAVO 66, Wiesbaden 1986, pp. 24-6.
54 GIDDY, op. cit., pp. 2-3.
110