Reisner, George Andrew: The development of the Egyptian tomb down to the accession of Cheops (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Univ. Pr. [u.a.], 1936)

9°

GRAVES SUBSIDIARY TO THE ROYAL TOMBS OF DYNASTY I AT ABYDOS

is definitely E-W. Following the general arrangement, I count the n square graves as
parallel to the main tomb:
N 12. E-W . . i-6 m. i-3 m. 1/1-23 2-o8 sq. m.
N i-n. Square . 1-3 m. 1-3 m. 1/1 1-69 sq. m.
Total: 12 parallel graves; 1 E-W and 11 square.
Group d: on west, northern half of west side; 6 N-S large graves; joined to c at NW corner but
unfinished on south. The northern grave is smallest and the 3 southern are the largest.
The mean of all is:
W1-6. 6 N-S. . 2-05 m. 1-35 m. 1/1-52 277 sq.m.
The most important persons are obviously in d and a, and the least important in the square graves
of group c (north). The order of importance of the groups is: d, a, b, c. The order by numbers of
graves is b (15) graves, c (11), a (8), and d (6). By position the determination is difficult. If the chapel
were on the east or south, then the important groups are a and b, but if on the west, then a and d.
The cemetery still presents the square and oblong forms of Zer and Zet, but the square graves are
here the smallest in the cemetery instead of next to the largest. The square all have the proportion 1/1,
while the oblong graves range from 1/1-23 to 1/1*88. Except for the square graves which are together
in group c, the proportions of the other graves vary according to size, the smaller graves having
necessarily smaller proportions than the large, as the graves in the same trench have the same width.

MERNEITH. TABLES I AND II. ORIENTATION AND PARALLELISM

Square graves
N-S and parallel .
E-W parallel
Totals .

a b c
11
15
8 .. 1
8 15

d Total
11 graves
6 21 graves
9 graves
6 41 graves

I reckon the 11 square graves as parallel to the main tomb, making a total of 41 parallel graves. Curiously,
the subsidiary graves of the valley cemetery of Merneith present an entirely different principle of
orientation.

g. Merneith: Cemetery of the Valley Shrine
The subsidiary graves of the Valley Shrine of Merneith are also in a hollow rectangle. The graves
were obviously made separately, one at a time. They are all orientated N-S so that the graves on the
east and west are parallel to the shrine, while those on the north and south are at right angles. This
is the result of the usual N-S orientation of independent graves of the period. The rectangle is incom-
plete or was incompletely preserved and the map shows no graves on the west.
Merneith. Valley cemetery:
Group a: on south; 25 N-S graves; the 4 eastern have thicker walls and are slightly larger:

N-S
E-W
Prop.
Area
S i. N-S (largest grave) .
1-4 m.
0-84 m.
i/i-66
1-18 sq. m
Medium grave
it m.
o-6 m.
1/1-82
o-66 sq. m
Smallest grave. N-S
0-9 m.
0-52 m.
j/i-75
0-46 sq. m