DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49512#0429
TOPOGRAPHY OF THE OLD KINGDOM CEMETERY AT SAQQARAH 393
pyramid. There appears to be one modified cruciform chapel, and the offering-room found by Barsanti north-west of
the pyramid of Unas was partly cut in the rock and roofed with a c.b. vault.
Another point of interest is the significantly small number of members of the royal family buried in known tombs.
There are five queens, nine princesses, and five princes. A queen Nuwb-nebty is buried in the mastaba No. 64 = D 18.
Another, Queen Meresankh, was the owner of No. 82 = D 5. I have suggested below that the close relation between
the mastaba of this lady and the tombs of three princes, Ra-m-ka, Ka-m-thenent, and Isesy-ankh, makes it likely that
she was their mother. As two of the princes seem to be sons of Isesy, it is probable that Meresankh was a wife of Isesy.
Two other queens, Ipuwt and Khuwit, were wives of Tety and are buried in pyramids north-east of his tomb. Another
queen named Khuwit is buried in the mastaba No. 70 — D 14 in the northern cemetery. Of the princesses, two belonged
to the family of Zoser, Hetep-her-nebty and Yentkaes, and were buried inside the enclosure of the Step Pyramid. The
Princess Sehefener is the only person of royal birth known from the Archaic Cemetery, but the exact position of her
mastaba is uncertain. A Princess Hemet-ra was the owner of a small tomb (D 65) built against the east face of the mastaba
of Akhet-hetep and Ptah-hetep. She is perhaps a daughter of Tety. A princess named Hekenuw-nebty is probably the
owner of QS 909. Four other ladies with the title of princess were all apparently buried in the tombs of their husbands
in the Tety Cemetery. These are Seshseshet called Sheshyt, the wife of Nefer-seshem-ptah; a woman with the same
two names who was a wife of Ptahshepses (tomb north of Kagemni); the wife of Kagemni, Khet-nebty called Seshseshet;
and the wife of Mereruwka, Hor-watet-khet also called Seshseshet. A woman named Seshseshet, either a wife or daughter
of the king, is shown in the reliefs of the Tety pyramid temple. The wife of Ptahshepses (No. 48 = C 1), who was
probably a daughter of Weserkaf and named Ma’at-kha, was perhaps not buried in the mastaba of her husband as there
is no offering-niche in her name. In addition to the three princes mentioned above who were all buried in the strip of
mastabas north of the enclosure wall of the Step Pyramid, there are two other princes with tombs in the area east of that
pyramid. One, Sethuw (D 46), has a mastaba south of the temple of Weserkaf and may be related to that king. The
other, Seshat-seshem-nefer, is of uncertain provenance.
In the central strip of the northern cemetery, west of the path to Abusir, the owners of nine mastabas closely grouped
together bore the title of High Priest of Memphis. The title of vizier is rare in the northern cemetery, only four persons
being thus designated. There are sixteen viziers in all, from the entire cemetery. The majority of persons buried in the
group east of the Step Pyramid are connected with the funerary cult of Weserkaf, and this was apparently the cemetery
belonging to the pyramid of that king. Many of the owners of the mastabas in the strip north of the Step Pyramid are
associated with the reign of King Isesy. It is interesting to note the large number of ladies who have the title of rht
nswt whereas their husbands are not thus distinguished.
It adds a human side to the survey, as well as bearing valuable evidence for the date of their tombs, to examine the
men who occur in the reliefs of the pyramid temples of Dyn. V and VI. Among the groups of courtiers bowing before the
king or carrying a haunch of beef or live birds in the ritual of the funerary service, a number of persons can be identified.
The earliest reliefs known from a pyramid temple are those of Weserkaf. These are not yet published, but
Mr. Quibell has allowed me to examine the pieces. Two names of private persons occur.
(1) smr Ny-ka-ankh: man squatting in respectful attitude.
(2) smr Khnum-hetep: squatting in similar attitude; probably the owner of D 49 who was a priest of Weserkaf and
shd web of his sun temple.
The list of courtiers represented in the Sahura reliefs is as follows. I have not included a few broken names of doubtful
reading. The references are to the plates in Volume II of Borchardt’s Das Grabdenkmal des Kbnigs Saihu-ref. Queen’s
name: [Nefe]r[t]-[ha]-nebty: pl. 48.
Princes:
(1) Nswt bit Neferirkara: pls. 17, 32, 33, 34, 47.
(2) si nswt smsw Priest of Min, Neter-ren-ra: pls. 32, 33, 48; on pl. 49 as hry hb n tf.
(3) si nswt n ht f, Neb-ankh-ra: pl. 49.
(4) si nswt n ht f, Hor-em-saf: pl. 49.
Private persons:
(1) wftpty, Wer-bauw-ba: pl. 17.
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pyramid. There appears to be one modified cruciform chapel, and the offering-room found by Barsanti north-west of
the pyramid of Unas was partly cut in the rock and roofed with a c.b. vault.
Another point of interest is the significantly small number of members of the royal family buried in known tombs.
There are five queens, nine princesses, and five princes. A queen Nuwb-nebty is buried in the mastaba No. 64 = D 18.
Another, Queen Meresankh, was the owner of No. 82 = D 5. I have suggested below that the close relation between
the mastaba of this lady and the tombs of three princes, Ra-m-ka, Ka-m-thenent, and Isesy-ankh, makes it likely that
she was their mother. As two of the princes seem to be sons of Isesy, it is probable that Meresankh was a wife of Isesy.
Two other queens, Ipuwt and Khuwit, were wives of Tety and are buried in pyramids north-east of his tomb. Another
queen named Khuwit is buried in the mastaba No. 70 — D 14 in the northern cemetery. Of the princesses, two belonged
to the family of Zoser, Hetep-her-nebty and Yentkaes, and were buried inside the enclosure of the Step Pyramid. The
Princess Sehefener is the only person of royal birth known from the Archaic Cemetery, but the exact position of her
mastaba is uncertain. A Princess Hemet-ra was the owner of a small tomb (D 65) built against the east face of the mastaba
of Akhet-hetep and Ptah-hetep. She is perhaps a daughter of Tety. A princess named Hekenuw-nebty is probably the
owner of QS 909. Four other ladies with the title of princess were all apparently buried in the tombs of their husbands
in the Tety Cemetery. These are Seshseshet called Sheshyt, the wife of Nefer-seshem-ptah; a woman with the same
two names who was a wife of Ptahshepses (tomb north of Kagemni); the wife of Kagemni, Khet-nebty called Seshseshet;
and the wife of Mereruwka, Hor-watet-khet also called Seshseshet. A woman named Seshseshet, either a wife or daughter
of the king, is shown in the reliefs of the Tety pyramid temple. The wife of Ptahshepses (No. 48 = C 1), who was
probably a daughter of Weserkaf and named Ma’at-kha, was perhaps not buried in the mastaba of her husband as there
is no offering-niche in her name. In addition to the three princes mentioned above who were all buried in the strip of
mastabas north of the enclosure wall of the Step Pyramid, there are two other princes with tombs in the area east of that
pyramid. One, Sethuw (D 46), has a mastaba south of the temple of Weserkaf and may be related to that king. The
other, Seshat-seshem-nefer, is of uncertain provenance.
In the central strip of the northern cemetery, west of the path to Abusir, the owners of nine mastabas closely grouped
together bore the title of High Priest of Memphis. The title of vizier is rare in the northern cemetery, only four persons
being thus designated. There are sixteen viziers in all, from the entire cemetery. The majority of persons buried in the
group east of the Step Pyramid are connected with the funerary cult of Weserkaf, and this was apparently the cemetery
belonging to the pyramid of that king. Many of the owners of the mastabas in the strip north of the Step Pyramid are
associated with the reign of King Isesy. It is interesting to note the large number of ladies who have the title of rht
nswt whereas their husbands are not thus distinguished.
It adds a human side to the survey, as well as bearing valuable evidence for the date of their tombs, to examine the
men who occur in the reliefs of the pyramid temples of Dyn. V and VI. Among the groups of courtiers bowing before the
king or carrying a haunch of beef or live birds in the ritual of the funerary service, a number of persons can be identified.
The earliest reliefs known from a pyramid temple are those of Weserkaf. These are not yet published, but
Mr. Quibell has allowed me to examine the pieces. Two names of private persons occur.
(1) smr Ny-ka-ankh: man squatting in respectful attitude.
(2) smr Khnum-hetep: squatting in similar attitude; probably the owner of D 49 who was a priest of Weserkaf and
shd web of his sun temple.
The list of courtiers represented in the Sahura reliefs is as follows. I have not included a few broken names of doubtful
reading. The references are to the plates in Volume II of Borchardt’s Das Grabdenkmal des Kbnigs Saihu-ref. Queen’s
name: [Nefe]r[t]-[ha]-nebty: pl. 48.
Princes:
(1) Nswt bit Neferirkara: pls. 17, 32, 33, 34, 47.
(2) si nswt smsw Priest of Min, Neter-ren-ra: pls. 32, 33, 48; on pl. 49 as hry hb n tf.
(3) si nswt n ht f, Neb-ankh-ra: pl. 49.
(4) si nswt n ht f, Hor-em-saf: pl. 49.
Private persons:
(1) wftpty, Wer-bauw-ba: pl. 17.
3E