DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49512#0145
GRAVES SUBSIDIARY TO THE ROYAL TOMBS OF DYNASTY I AT ABYDOS 113
than that of Queen Merneith at Abydos, having 52 graves of a total floor area of 149-36 sq. m., as against
41 graves with an area of 88-24 scl- m- The main tomb is of type I B (1). The Giza subsidiary cemetery
not only contains more graves but the graves are of larger average size:
Size 3-4
Size 2-3
Size 1-2
Total
graves sq. m.
graves sq. m.
graves sq. m.
graves
sq. m.
Merneith, Upper Cem..
. .
29 68-73
12 19-51
4i
88-24
Giza V
16 50-17
36 99-19
52
149-36
The 16 graves of 3-4 sq. m. are distributed unequally in all 4 groups—1 on the south, 4 on the east,
5 on the north, and 6 on the west. The separation of the graves on the south, east, and north seems,
however, to distinguish the graves on those sides as more important than the cheaper trench graves
on the west. If the owner of Giza V was a queen, as Petrie supposes, these graves must belong to the
persons attached to her entourage, probably chamberlains, stewards, and some male servants, with
a large body of female attendants and servants. By size and position the grave E 1 (south end of E side)
was that of the most important person, perhaps the chief male official (chamberlain or steward).
The upper cemetery of Merneith, which is probably of the time of Wedymuw or a little later, is
also in a hollow rectangle, but the graves are entirely trench graves and the continuity is broken on the
western side, between the middle of the west side and the western end of the southern side (a).
Counting the square graves as parallel to the main tomb, the principle of parallelism is carried out as
in the cemetery of Giza V, and the valley cemeteries of Zer and Zet. The subsidiary graves of Merneith
contained of course her personal retinue as assumed for Giza V. None of the graves is over 3 sq. m. in
floor area. The 8 largest, over 2-6 sq. m., lie, 5 in d (W), 1 in a, and 2 in b (E). The western row contains
5 of the largest graves and seems marked as containing important persons of one class (stewards?).
The southern row has 1 of the largest graves (S 2) and row b has 2 (E 9 and 12). I surmise that these
two groups present members of two separate household services. The northern group c consists of
11 small square graves and 1 (No. 12 on west) slightly larger. In these were laid the least important of
the queen’s household.
The valley cemetery of Queen Merneith is a hollow rectangle, but quite irregular in form. The
graves, all less than 2 sq. m., were made one by one without close adherence to general lines and the
rows are crooked, especially on north and south. On the south end of the E row, 8 graves with thicker
walls are marked out as of special construction. The most southern grave, E 1, is the largest in the
cemetery but is only 1-92 sq. m. The greater part of the graves (64 in number) are less than 1 sq. m.
It appears that the persons in this cemetery were quite unimportant. The manner in which the
cemetery was built up indicates that it may have been a long time in formation. The conclusion which
I would favour is that the graves are those of funerary priests, as was probable in the valley cemetery
of Zer and Zet.
The first tomb of a king to be made with the subsidiary graves in a hollow rectangle was that of
Wedymuw. The rectangle extends continuously in 3 rows along the northern side, and along the
eastern side, where it is interrupted by the stairway. It continues along the southern side, where 2 or 3
rows of very large graves seem to have been planned to leave a passage from the south along the eastern
side of a great tomb (a queen?) at the SW corner. On the west there are 2 large single tombs and a
row of 4 at right angles to the main tomb. This cemetery exceeds those of Zer and Zet in the number
of large tombs (25) and in their total floor area (m sq. m.), but the number of small graves is less
than in the other 2—109 as compared with 299 and 145 of a total area of 201 sq. m. as compared with
Q
than that of Queen Merneith at Abydos, having 52 graves of a total floor area of 149-36 sq. m., as against
41 graves with an area of 88-24 scl- m- The main tomb is of type I B (1). The Giza subsidiary cemetery
not only contains more graves but the graves are of larger average size:
Size 3-4
Size 2-3
Size 1-2
Total
graves sq. m.
graves sq. m.
graves sq. m.
graves
sq. m.
Merneith, Upper Cem..
. .
29 68-73
12 19-51
4i
88-24
Giza V
16 50-17
36 99-19
52
149-36
The 16 graves of 3-4 sq. m. are distributed unequally in all 4 groups—1 on the south, 4 on the east,
5 on the north, and 6 on the west. The separation of the graves on the south, east, and north seems,
however, to distinguish the graves on those sides as more important than the cheaper trench graves
on the west. If the owner of Giza V was a queen, as Petrie supposes, these graves must belong to the
persons attached to her entourage, probably chamberlains, stewards, and some male servants, with
a large body of female attendants and servants. By size and position the grave E 1 (south end of E side)
was that of the most important person, perhaps the chief male official (chamberlain or steward).
The upper cemetery of Merneith, which is probably of the time of Wedymuw or a little later, is
also in a hollow rectangle, but the graves are entirely trench graves and the continuity is broken on the
western side, between the middle of the west side and the western end of the southern side (a).
Counting the square graves as parallel to the main tomb, the principle of parallelism is carried out as
in the cemetery of Giza V, and the valley cemeteries of Zer and Zet. The subsidiary graves of Merneith
contained of course her personal retinue as assumed for Giza V. None of the graves is over 3 sq. m. in
floor area. The 8 largest, over 2-6 sq. m., lie, 5 in d (W), 1 in a, and 2 in b (E). The western row contains
5 of the largest graves and seems marked as containing important persons of one class (stewards?).
The southern row has 1 of the largest graves (S 2) and row b has 2 (E 9 and 12). I surmise that these
two groups present members of two separate household services. The northern group c consists of
11 small square graves and 1 (No. 12 on west) slightly larger. In these were laid the least important of
the queen’s household.
The valley cemetery of Queen Merneith is a hollow rectangle, but quite irregular in form. The
graves, all less than 2 sq. m., were made one by one without close adherence to general lines and the
rows are crooked, especially on north and south. On the south end of the E row, 8 graves with thicker
walls are marked out as of special construction. The most southern grave, E 1, is the largest in the
cemetery but is only 1-92 sq. m. The greater part of the graves (64 in number) are less than 1 sq. m.
It appears that the persons in this cemetery were quite unimportant. The manner in which the
cemetery was built up indicates that it may have been a long time in formation. The conclusion which
I would favour is that the graves are those of funerary priests, as was probable in the valley cemetery
of Zer and Zet.
The first tomb of a king to be made with the subsidiary graves in a hollow rectangle was that of
Wedymuw. The rectangle extends continuously in 3 rows along the northern side, and along the
eastern side, where it is interrupted by the stairway. It continues along the southern side, where 2 or 3
rows of very large graves seem to have been planned to leave a passage from the south along the eastern
side of a great tomb (a queen?) at the SW corner. On the west there are 2 large single tombs and a
row of 4 at right angles to the main tomb. This cemetery exceeds those of Zer and Zet in the number
of large tombs (25) and in their total floor area (m sq. m.), but the number of small graves is less
than in the other 2—109 as compared with 299 and 145 of a total area of 201 sq. m. as compared with
Q