DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.41333#0072
Zoltdn Horvath
itself is densely occupied by tombs ranging from Early
Dynastic to Roman times, since it retained its status as
the main entrance of the cemetery throughout the entire
history of ancient Egypt.16 The pyramid field occupies
the large protruding cliff on the northern side of the con-
tinuously used route of the Abusir Wadi. This location
implies that both principles (visibility and accessibility)
operated at the same time.
Orientation. Instead of Heliopolis, the presence or vi-
cinity of another cult-district could contribute to the nomi-
nation of Abusir to the status of a royal cemetery. In
fact, one must bear in mind that Pyramid Texts spell
445 denotes two localities, namely r-sSw andpdw(-s)
as areas sacred to Sokar, the latter often identified with
the Abusir“lake”.17 An inscription on a statue base which
defines Menkaure as one ‘ 'beloved of Sokar”,18 the pres-
ence of the Early Dynastic to the early Old Kingdom
tombs south of Giza19 and much more informative New
Kingdom material concerning the topic supports
EDWARD’S suspicion that the extrasepulchral
shabti depots (which had already been detected by
PETRIE himself in some cases), which show re-
markable similarity to depos unearthed at Abydos
(cult-district of Osiris) as well as in the Serapeum
area, may indicate the close vicinity of another sig-
OLA 82, Leuven 1998, pp. 1135-42; JEFFREYS, TAVARES,
The Historic Landscape of Early Dynastic Memphis,
MDAIK 50 (1994), pp. 143-73; GIDDY, Memphis and
Saqqara, p. 194.
16 It may well be supported in the future by current Polish
excavations under the direction of K. MYSLIWIEC be-
hind the Netjerikhet-complex, right at the edge of the wadi.
(K. MYSLIWIEC, Excavations 1997, PAM IX (1998),
pp. 90-99; IDEM, New faces of Sakkara. Recent discov-
eries in West Sakkara, Warsaw 1999).
17 Ro-setau as an extensive area south to the Sphinx of Giza:
Ch.M. ZIVIE, Giza au deuxieme millenaire, BdE 70, Caire
1976. pp. 218-219; I.E.S. EDWARDS, The Shetayet of
Rosetau. in: L.H. LESKO (ed.), Egyptological Studies in
Honor of Richard A. Parker, Hannover, London 1986
(hereinafter referred to as: Shetayet of Rosetau), pp. 28-
29. Pedju-she taken to be identical with modern Abusir in
VERNER, Abusir, p. 64; ZIBELIUS, Siedlungen, pp. 87ff.;
C. GRAINDORGE-HEREIL, Le Dieu Sokar a Thebes au
Nouvel Empire, I. Textes, Gottinger Orientforschungen
28,1, Wiesbaden 1994. pp. 34ff.
18 Egyptian Art in the Age of the Pyramids, New York 1999,
p. 277 n. 1; B. BEGELSBACHER-FISCHER, Untersuchungen
zur Gotterwelt des Alten Reiches im Spiegel der
Privatgrdber der TV. und V. Dynastie, OBO 37, Gottingen
1981,P-187.
nificant cult installation, possibly that of Sokar.20
Without doubt, the ribbon development of Mem-
phis constitutes another point of reference if the mat-
ter of orientation is to be taken seriously. The recon-
struction of the Ramesside Memphis incorporating
distinctive cult-districts helps us to imagine a similar
rendering of that particular landscape even in the Old
Kingdom times, since not only inb(w)-hd but Pth
rsy inb—f Nt mhtt inb=s and Hwt-Hrw nbt nht21
can be attested among the toponims of such an early
phase of Egyptian history, respectively. A setting, re-
sembling the inner organisation of New Kingdom
Thebes with a water route for communicational pur-
poses, finds its way to several references in the Abusir
archive, especially where navigational festivals of
mortuary character (the festival of Min, Sokar, the
Hathor-/v7t/ and that of the sacred emblems etc) are
mentioned.22
Before leaving the problem of orientation, I would
like to render a few words on the so-called “Abusir
diagonal” first observed by VERNER. Professor
VERNER claimed that the northwestern comers of
the pyramids of Sahure, Noferirkare and Noferefre
(this latter king was provided with a lit and not a true
pyramid)23 constitute an axis pointing towards
Heliopolis proper.24 To date it was impossible to rec-
19 For the early dynastic cemetery in the vicinity of the so-
called ‘Covington-tomb" see more in G..T. MARTIN,
“Covington's Tomb” and Related Early Monuments at
Giza, in: C. BERGER, B. MATHIEU (eds.). Etudes sur
VAncien Empire et la necropole de Saqqara dediees
d Jean-Philippe Lauer II, Orientalia Monspeliena IX,
Montpellier 1997, pp. 279-288.
20 EDWARDS, Shetayet of Rosetau, pp. 28ff.
21 Not identical with Hwt-Hrw nbt nht rsyt which can be
attested exclusively from the New Kingdom on.
22 The solarised festival of Sokar is well attested in the
Abusir-archive P. POSENER-KRIEGER, J.L. de CENTVAL,
Hieratic Papyri in the British Museum. 5"‘ Series: The
Abu Sir Papyri, London 1968 (hereinafter referred to as:
Hieratic Papyri), pis. 13-14. Further information about
the procession could be gained from the dedicatory in-
scription of Niuserre's sun temple at Abu Ghurob:
W. HELCK, Die “Weihinschriff ’ aus dem Taltempel des
Sonnenheiligtums des Konigs Neuserre bei Abu Gurob,
SAK 5 (1977), p. 59, pi. II. The festival of the Hathor-
falcon (bikty. POSENER-KRIEGER, de CENIVAL, Hier-
atic Papyri, pi. 19; the festival of Min: ibidem, pi. 82.
23 VERNER, Abusir, p. 139; G. CALLENDER, Report from
Abusir 1997/98, BACE 9 (1998), p. 19.
24 VERNER, Abusir, p. 135.
66
itself is densely occupied by tombs ranging from Early
Dynastic to Roman times, since it retained its status as
the main entrance of the cemetery throughout the entire
history of ancient Egypt.16 The pyramid field occupies
the large protruding cliff on the northern side of the con-
tinuously used route of the Abusir Wadi. This location
implies that both principles (visibility and accessibility)
operated at the same time.
Orientation. Instead of Heliopolis, the presence or vi-
cinity of another cult-district could contribute to the nomi-
nation of Abusir to the status of a royal cemetery. In
fact, one must bear in mind that Pyramid Texts spell
445 denotes two localities, namely r-sSw andpdw(-s)
as areas sacred to Sokar, the latter often identified with
the Abusir“lake”.17 An inscription on a statue base which
defines Menkaure as one ‘ 'beloved of Sokar”,18 the pres-
ence of the Early Dynastic to the early Old Kingdom
tombs south of Giza19 and much more informative New
Kingdom material concerning the topic supports
EDWARD’S suspicion that the extrasepulchral
shabti depots (which had already been detected by
PETRIE himself in some cases), which show re-
markable similarity to depos unearthed at Abydos
(cult-district of Osiris) as well as in the Serapeum
area, may indicate the close vicinity of another sig-
OLA 82, Leuven 1998, pp. 1135-42; JEFFREYS, TAVARES,
The Historic Landscape of Early Dynastic Memphis,
MDAIK 50 (1994), pp. 143-73; GIDDY, Memphis and
Saqqara, p. 194.
16 It may well be supported in the future by current Polish
excavations under the direction of K. MYSLIWIEC be-
hind the Netjerikhet-complex, right at the edge of the wadi.
(K. MYSLIWIEC, Excavations 1997, PAM IX (1998),
pp. 90-99; IDEM, New faces of Sakkara. Recent discov-
eries in West Sakkara, Warsaw 1999).
17 Ro-setau as an extensive area south to the Sphinx of Giza:
Ch.M. ZIVIE, Giza au deuxieme millenaire, BdE 70, Caire
1976. pp. 218-219; I.E.S. EDWARDS, The Shetayet of
Rosetau. in: L.H. LESKO (ed.), Egyptological Studies in
Honor of Richard A. Parker, Hannover, London 1986
(hereinafter referred to as: Shetayet of Rosetau), pp. 28-
29. Pedju-she taken to be identical with modern Abusir in
VERNER, Abusir, p. 64; ZIBELIUS, Siedlungen, pp. 87ff.;
C. GRAINDORGE-HEREIL, Le Dieu Sokar a Thebes au
Nouvel Empire, I. Textes, Gottinger Orientforschungen
28,1, Wiesbaden 1994. pp. 34ff.
18 Egyptian Art in the Age of the Pyramids, New York 1999,
p. 277 n. 1; B. BEGELSBACHER-FISCHER, Untersuchungen
zur Gotterwelt des Alten Reiches im Spiegel der
Privatgrdber der TV. und V. Dynastie, OBO 37, Gottingen
1981,P-187.
nificant cult installation, possibly that of Sokar.20
Without doubt, the ribbon development of Mem-
phis constitutes another point of reference if the mat-
ter of orientation is to be taken seriously. The recon-
struction of the Ramesside Memphis incorporating
distinctive cult-districts helps us to imagine a similar
rendering of that particular landscape even in the Old
Kingdom times, since not only inb(w)-hd but Pth
rsy inb—f Nt mhtt inb=s and Hwt-Hrw nbt nht21
can be attested among the toponims of such an early
phase of Egyptian history, respectively. A setting, re-
sembling the inner organisation of New Kingdom
Thebes with a water route for communicational pur-
poses, finds its way to several references in the Abusir
archive, especially where navigational festivals of
mortuary character (the festival of Min, Sokar, the
Hathor-/v7t/ and that of the sacred emblems etc) are
mentioned.22
Before leaving the problem of orientation, I would
like to render a few words on the so-called “Abusir
diagonal” first observed by VERNER. Professor
VERNER claimed that the northwestern comers of
the pyramids of Sahure, Noferirkare and Noferefre
(this latter king was provided with a lit and not a true
pyramid)23 constitute an axis pointing towards
Heliopolis proper.24 To date it was impossible to rec-
19 For the early dynastic cemetery in the vicinity of the so-
called ‘Covington-tomb" see more in G..T. MARTIN,
“Covington's Tomb” and Related Early Monuments at
Giza, in: C. BERGER, B. MATHIEU (eds.). Etudes sur
VAncien Empire et la necropole de Saqqara dediees
d Jean-Philippe Lauer II, Orientalia Monspeliena IX,
Montpellier 1997, pp. 279-288.
20 EDWARDS, Shetayet of Rosetau, pp. 28ff.
21 Not identical with Hwt-Hrw nbt nht rsyt which can be
attested exclusively from the New Kingdom on.
22 The solarised festival of Sokar is well attested in the
Abusir-archive P. POSENER-KRIEGER, J.L. de CENTVAL,
Hieratic Papyri in the British Museum. 5"‘ Series: The
Abu Sir Papyri, London 1968 (hereinafter referred to as:
Hieratic Papyri), pis. 13-14. Further information about
the procession could be gained from the dedicatory in-
scription of Niuserre's sun temple at Abu Ghurob:
W. HELCK, Die “Weihinschriff ’ aus dem Taltempel des
Sonnenheiligtums des Konigs Neuserre bei Abu Gurob,
SAK 5 (1977), p. 59, pi. II. The festival of the Hathor-
falcon (bikty. POSENER-KRIEGER, de CENIVAL, Hier-
atic Papyri, pi. 19; the festival of Min: ibidem, pi. 82.
23 VERNER, Abusir, p. 139; G. CALLENDER, Report from
Abusir 1997/98, BACE 9 (1998), p. 19.
24 VERNER, Abusir, p. 135.
66