DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49512#0146
114
GRAVES SUBSIDIARY TO THE ROYAL TOMBS OF DYNASTY I AT ABYDOS
571 and 305 sq. m. for Zer and Zet. The great harem ladies appear to be in the southern graves,
S 1 to S 13 with the great stairway tomb S 1 dominating the whole group. The large tombs S 2 and 3
and the large compartment tomb S 13 seem by their position to be those of harem officials (keepers).
It may be that the whole group a (13 graves) constitutes the personal court of the great queen buried
in S 1.
Group Wedymuw b (east side) with a total of 40 graves begins in contact with the east end of
group a, with 6 large graves, followed by 10 of medium size, 4 in W row and 6 in M row. M row is
then completed with 9 small squarish graves. E row begins on the south with 9 medium graves and is
followed by 6 small square graves. Thus group Wedymuw b (E) seems to have some similarity to the
important groups Zer g and Zet g + f. That is, Wedymuw E 1-6 seems to represent Zer g W row 1-6
and Zet g 1-5, 13; Wedymuw 7-16, with Zer g W row 7-17 and Zet g 6-11. The remaining 24 graves
of Wedymuw b would then represent approximately the groups Zer g M and E rows and Zet f.
The northern group Wedymuw c is very complex. The largest grave is N 46, which is a compartment
grave (4-0 sq. m.) which crosses M and N rows, and the next is N 55 (3'74 sq. m.), the 6th grave
in the N row. The S row has 19 larger graves, E-W or square graves, and 5 small N-S graves. M row
has 10 larger graves, Nos. 36-45, 12 medium graves, and 6 small N-S graves. The N row crossed
by N 46, and containing the large graves N 55 and N 79, contains 1 medium grave (N 54) and 27 small
N-S graves. This group has no clear similarity to the other groups in Zer and Zet, but must contain
the same ranks as represented by Zer a, c-f, and h, and Zet a, c, d, and e.
Wedymuw group d has some resemblance to Zer b and Zet b in that the graves are at right angles
to the main tomb, whereas the other large graves seem to be parallel. It consists of 4 large graves
(4-14, 3-86, 3-63, and 3-33 sq. m.). The size of these graves (of which 1 is a compartment grave)
indicates persons of higher rank than Zer b and Zet b and the numbers are much smaller (21, 10, and 4).
On the whole I think it is apparent that the grouping of the subsidiary graves of Wedymuw with all
its differences from the grouping of Zer and Zet represents something like the same classes of persons
as the groups of Zet at any rate, and that the whole cemetery is dominated by household groupings.
The subsidiary cemetery of Az-ib is of the hollow rectangle type but is of irregular form.
Group b (E), a single row of graves, runs from south to north nearly parallel to Zet e (19 compart-
ments), and at the northern end adjoins a crooked row running westwards (10 graves). Adjoining E 12
an inner single row (straight) runs west (13 graves) (d). Adjoining the west end of d a straight single
row runs south (10 graves) (e). On the south a disconnected single row runs east and west (14 graves)
(a). The prevailing orientation is at right angles to the main tomb. The graves are all comparatively
small—5 of 2-3 sq. m., 30 of 1-2 sq. m., and 29 of less than 1 sq. m. There are two large compartments,
E 17 (group b) and N 1 (c 1), which appear to have been unused. The largest graves of Wedymuw
are about 16% of the total number of graves (134). Taking 16% of the 64 graves of Az-ib and counting
the resulting 10 largest graves of Az-ib as large graves, the 10 largest would be, omitting the 2 suspected
compartments;
a 14 .
a7 .
(c 1 .
a 12 .
(b 17
2-8 sq. m.
2-62 sq. m.
2-6 sq. m.)
2-38 sq. m.
2-16 sq. m.)
a 10, 11, 13 . . 1-96 sq. m.
d 2 . . . 1-92 sq. m.
b 10 . . . i-8 sq. m.
c 6 . . .i-6 sq. m.
d 9 . . . 1-56 sq. m.
Of these 10, omitting c 1 and b 17, 6 are in a (14, 7, 12, 10, 11, 13), 2 in d (2 and 9), 1 each in b (10),
c (6). Thus it is group a which is marked as the most important group which should contain the
GRAVES SUBSIDIARY TO THE ROYAL TOMBS OF DYNASTY I AT ABYDOS
571 and 305 sq. m. for Zer and Zet. The great harem ladies appear to be in the southern graves,
S 1 to S 13 with the great stairway tomb S 1 dominating the whole group. The large tombs S 2 and 3
and the large compartment tomb S 13 seem by their position to be those of harem officials (keepers).
It may be that the whole group a (13 graves) constitutes the personal court of the great queen buried
in S 1.
Group Wedymuw b (east side) with a total of 40 graves begins in contact with the east end of
group a, with 6 large graves, followed by 10 of medium size, 4 in W row and 6 in M row. M row is
then completed with 9 small squarish graves. E row begins on the south with 9 medium graves and is
followed by 6 small square graves. Thus group Wedymuw b (E) seems to have some similarity to the
important groups Zer g and Zet g + f. That is, Wedymuw E 1-6 seems to represent Zer g W row 1-6
and Zet g 1-5, 13; Wedymuw 7-16, with Zer g W row 7-17 and Zet g 6-11. The remaining 24 graves
of Wedymuw b would then represent approximately the groups Zer g M and E rows and Zet f.
The northern group Wedymuw c is very complex. The largest grave is N 46, which is a compartment
grave (4-0 sq. m.) which crosses M and N rows, and the next is N 55 (3'74 sq. m.), the 6th grave
in the N row. The S row has 19 larger graves, E-W or square graves, and 5 small N-S graves. M row
has 10 larger graves, Nos. 36-45, 12 medium graves, and 6 small N-S graves. The N row crossed
by N 46, and containing the large graves N 55 and N 79, contains 1 medium grave (N 54) and 27 small
N-S graves. This group has no clear similarity to the other groups in Zer and Zet, but must contain
the same ranks as represented by Zer a, c-f, and h, and Zet a, c, d, and e.
Wedymuw group d has some resemblance to Zer b and Zet b in that the graves are at right angles
to the main tomb, whereas the other large graves seem to be parallel. It consists of 4 large graves
(4-14, 3-86, 3-63, and 3-33 sq. m.). The size of these graves (of which 1 is a compartment grave)
indicates persons of higher rank than Zer b and Zet b and the numbers are much smaller (21, 10, and 4).
On the whole I think it is apparent that the grouping of the subsidiary graves of Wedymuw with all
its differences from the grouping of Zer and Zet represents something like the same classes of persons
as the groups of Zet at any rate, and that the whole cemetery is dominated by household groupings.
The subsidiary cemetery of Az-ib is of the hollow rectangle type but is of irregular form.
Group b (E), a single row of graves, runs from south to north nearly parallel to Zet e (19 compart-
ments), and at the northern end adjoins a crooked row running westwards (10 graves). Adjoining E 12
an inner single row (straight) runs west (13 graves) (d). Adjoining the west end of d a straight single
row runs south (10 graves) (e). On the south a disconnected single row runs east and west (14 graves)
(a). The prevailing orientation is at right angles to the main tomb. The graves are all comparatively
small—5 of 2-3 sq. m., 30 of 1-2 sq. m., and 29 of less than 1 sq. m. There are two large compartments,
E 17 (group b) and N 1 (c 1), which appear to have been unused. The largest graves of Wedymuw
are about 16% of the total number of graves (134). Taking 16% of the 64 graves of Az-ib and counting
the resulting 10 largest graves of Az-ib as large graves, the 10 largest would be, omitting the 2 suspected
compartments;
a 14 .
a7 .
(c 1 .
a 12 .
(b 17
2-8 sq. m.
2-62 sq. m.
2-6 sq. m.)
2-38 sq. m.
2-16 sq. m.)
a 10, 11, 13 . . 1-96 sq. m.
d 2 . . . 1-92 sq. m.
b 10 . . . i-8 sq. m.
c 6 . . .i-6 sq. m.
d 9 . . . 1-56 sq. m.
Of these 10, omitting c 1 and b 17, 6 are in a (14, 7, 12, 10, 11, 13), 2 in d (2 and 9), 1 each in b (10),
c (6). Thus it is group a which is marked as the most important group which should contain the