DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.41333#0047
Eva-Maria Engel
Minister
Tombs of the 1st Dynasty at Abydos and Saqqara:
Different Types or Variations on a Theme?*
1. Introduction
In 1937 Walter B. EMERY excavated tomb
S 3357 at Saqqara-North. He identified it as the tomb
of the first ruler of the 1st dynasty. King Aha, and
proposed that all kings of that dynasty had been bur-
ied at this site. Since the tombs of these rulers had
only 40 years previously been located at Umm el-
Qa' ab / Abydos by PETRIE, EMERY’s publication
triggered a debate on the burial place of the first pha-
raohs of Egypt which has not ended yet.
At Umm el-Qa’ab, Emile AMELINEAU and
William M.F. PETRIE had, at the turn of the cen-
tury, excavated ten mud-brick structures. Inscribed
stelae and other finds helped to attribute the build-
ings to the seven kings and one queen of the 1st
dynasty and two to kings of the Ilnd dynasty. Noth-
ing was preserved of the superstructures, while the
substructures which were built from mud-brick in
huge pits sunk in the sandy desert ground remained
more or less intact.
At Saqqara, EMERY uncovered over the years
more than 20 impressive mud-brick mastabas with
elaborate niches on all sides. The superstructures were
not always well preserved but could be determined
in one case (S 3507) as being at least 2.5 m high.1
The substructures, on the other hand, were sunk into
the local limestone. They are composed of parts cut
out of the limestone and additions in mud-brick. The
tombs were attributed to different owners again with
* I would like to thank Gunter DREYER and Jochem KAHL
for many helpful discussions in preparing this paper and
Jana JONES for correcting my English.
1 W.B. EMERY, Great Tombs of the First Dynasty III, Exca-
vations at Saqqara, London 1958 (hereinafter referred to
as: Great Tombs III), p. 76.
~ E.g. EMERY, Great Tombs of the First Dynasty II, Excava-
tions at Saqqara, Oxford 1954 (hereinafter referred to as:
Great Tombs II), pp. 1-4; B.J. KEMP, The Egyptian Is'
Dynasty Royal Cemetery, Antiquity 41 (1967), p. 23.
’ H. RICKE, Bemerkungen z.ur cigyptischen Baukunst des
Alten Reichs II, BeitrageBf 5, Kairo 1950 (hereinafter re-
ferred to as: Bemerkungen II), p. 13.
the aid of inscribed material, in these cases mostly
seal impressions and inscribed stone vessels. But
EMERY had to face the problem that on one hand
he had far too many burials for the kings of the
1st dynasty and on the other hand that no burial could
be attributed to King Semerkhet. Therefore, he ex-
plained that the largest tombs had to be those of the
kings, while the smaller ones were those of queens
and other members of the royal family or important
members of the court and that the missing tomb had
not been discovered yet.
Other Egyptologists followed in giving explana-
tions for the archaeological findings at both sites. The
main hypotheses were the following:
1. Pro Abydos, contra Saqqara
The kings were buried at Umm el-Qa’ ab, officials
and members of the royal family at Saqqara and other
places.2
2. Pro Saqqara and Abydos
The kings were buried at Saqqara, the buildings at
Umm el-Qa'ab are cenotaphs.3The additional
mastabas at Saqqara are the second and the third
tombs of the kings or belong to the queens.4
3. Pro Abydos and Saqqara
The kings were buried at Umm el-Qa’ab, the
mastabas at Saqqara are cenotaphs.5
4 E.g. EMERY, Great Tombs II. pp. 1-4.
5 H.W. MULLER, Gedanken zur Entstehung, Inteipretation
und Rekonstruktion altester dgyptischer Monumen-
talarchitektur, in: Agypten - Dauer und Wandel, SDAIK18,
Mainz 1985, pp. 7ff.; D. ARNOLD, Lexikon der cigyptischen
Baukunst, Diisseldorf, Zurich 21997 (hereinafter referred to
as: Lexikon), p. 220 (s.f. Saqqara): “Wohl eher Graber hoher
Beamter, einige bestenfalls konigliche Kenotaphe.”;
R. GUNDLACH, Der Pharao und sein Staat. Die Grund-
legung der cigyptischen Konigsideologie im 4. und 3.
Jahrtausend, Darmstadt 1998 (hereinafter referred to as:
Pharao und sein Staat), p. 121: “Ich veimute nun, daB die
Zweiteilung des Grabbezirks in Korpergrab und Statuengrab,
41
Minister
Tombs of the 1st Dynasty at Abydos and Saqqara:
Different Types or Variations on a Theme?*
1. Introduction
In 1937 Walter B. EMERY excavated tomb
S 3357 at Saqqara-North. He identified it as the tomb
of the first ruler of the 1st dynasty. King Aha, and
proposed that all kings of that dynasty had been bur-
ied at this site. Since the tombs of these rulers had
only 40 years previously been located at Umm el-
Qa' ab / Abydos by PETRIE, EMERY’s publication
triggered a debate on the burial place of the first pha-
raohs of Egypt which has not ended yet.
At Umm el-Qa’ab, Emile AMELINEAU and
William M.F. PETRIE had, at the turn of the cen-
tury, excavated ten mud-brick structures. Inscribed
stelae and other finds helped to attribute the build-
ings to the seven kings and one queen of the 1st
dynasty and two to kings of the Ilnd dynasty. Noth-
ing was preserved of the superstructures, while the
substructures which were built from mud-brick in
huge pits sunk in the sandy desert ground remained
more or less intact.
At Saqqara, EMERY uncovered over the years
more than 20 impressive mud-brick mastabas with
elaborate niches on all sides. The superstructures were
not always well preserved but could be determined
in one case (S 3507) as being at least 2.5 m high.1
The substructures, on the other hand, were sunk into
the local limestone. They are composed of parts cut
out of the limestone and additions in mud-brick. The
tombs were attributed to different owners again with
* I would like to thank Gunter DREYER and Jochem KAHL
for many helpful discussions in preparing this paper and
Jana JONES for correcting my English.
1 W.B. EMERY, Great Tombs of the First Dynasty III, Exca-
vations at Saqqara, London 1958 (hereinafter referred to
as: Great Tombs III), p. 76.
~ E.g. EMERY, Great Tombs of the First Dynasty II, Excava-
tions at Saqqara, Oxford 1954 (hereinafter referred to as:
Great Tombs II), pp. 1-4; B.J. KEMP, The Egyptian Is'
Dynasty Royal Cemetery, Antiquity 41 (1967), p. 23.
’ H. RICKE, Bemerkungen z.ur cigyptischen Baukunst des
Alten Reichs II, BeitrageBf 5, Kairo 1950 (hereinafter re-
ferred to as: Bemerkungen II), p. 13.
the aid of inscribed material, in these cases mostly
seal impressions and inscribed stone vessels. But
EMERY had to face the problem that on one hand
he had far too many burials for the kings of the
1st dynasty and on the other hand that no burial could
be attributed to King Semerkhet. Therefore, he ex-
plained that the largest tombs had to be those of the
kings, while the smaller ones were those of queens
and other members of the royal family or important
members of the court and that the missing tomb had
not been discovered yet.
Other Egyptologists followed in giving explana-
tions for the archaeological findings at both sites. The
main hypotheses were the following:
1. Pro Abydos, contra Saqqara
The kings were buried at Umm el-Qa’ ab, officials
and members of the royal family at Saqqara and other
places.2
2. Pro Saqqara and Abydos
The kings were buried at Saqqara, the buildings at
Umm el-Qa'ab are cenotaphs.3The additional
mastabas at Saqqara are the second and the third
tombs of the kings or belong to the queens.4
3. Pro Abydos and Saqqara
The kings were buried at Umm el-Qa’ab, the
mastabas at Saqqara are cenotaphs.5
4 E.g. EMERY, Great Tombs II. pp. 1-4.
5 H.W. MULLER, Gedanken zur Entstehung, Inteipretation
und Rekonstruktion altester dgyptischer Monumen-
talarchitektur, in: Agypten - Dauer und Wandel, SDAIK18,
Mainz 1985, pp. 7ff.; D. ARNOLD, Lexikon der cigyptischen
Baukunst, Diisseldorf, Zurich 21997 (hereinafter referred to
as: Lexikon), p. 220 (s.f. Saqqara): “Wohl eher Graber hoher
Beamter, einige bestenfalls konigliche Kenotaphe.”;
R. GUNDLACH, Der Pharao und sein Staat. Die Grund-
legung der cigyptischen Konigsideologie im 4. und 3.
Jahrtausend, Darmstadt 1998 (hereinafter referred to as:
Pharao und sein Staat), p. 121: “Ich veimute nun, daB die
Zweiteilung des Grabbezirks in Korpergrab und Statuengrab,
41