Search results

1

Saqqara 2012 and 2015: inscriptions

100%

Kuraszkiewicz K. O.

Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean

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2016

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vol. 25

255-263

EN

Numerous fragments of decorated limestone blocks attributed to the funerary chapel of the God’s Sealer Ikhi/Mery were found during the 2012 and 2015 seasons of Polish excavations in Saqqara. A theoretical reconstruction of the tomb facade is proposed based on the finds and some peculiarities of the decoration are discussed.

2

Child Burials at Saqqara: Ptolemaic Necropolis West of the Step Pyramid

100%

Radomska M.

Études et Travaux (Institut des Cultures Méditerranéennes et Orientales de l’Académie Polonaise des Sciences)

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2016

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vol. 29

169–202

EN

The author analyzes the child burials from the Ptolemaic necropolis to the west of the Djeser pyramid in Saqqara. Issues of whether there was a separated child cemetery there in the Ptolemaic period and/or whether the burial practices with regard to children were different from those practiced for adults are discussed. To achieve these goals, the presence and location of possible clusters of child graves at the site as well as type of graves, burial practices and funerary equipment connected with sub-adults interments are examined.

3

Unknown Ancient Funerary Structures Discovered in West Saqqara (Egypt) Using Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR)

100%

Welc F., Mieszkowski R.

Études et Travaux (Institut des Cultures Méditerranéennes et Orientales de l’Académie Polonaise des Sciences)

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2015

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issue 28

201–215

EN

The ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey conducted in the south-eastern part of the Polish archaeological concession in West Saqqara confirmed the high usability of the GPR method in non-invasive prospecting of desert archaeological sites. The survey has allowed to confirm the location of one and the discovery of two so far unknown funerary structures characterized by significantly large dimensions. Analysis of the reflection profiles allow to conclude that these anomalies are generated by rock-hewn burial shafts. Only one of these tombs can be dated with high confidence to the end of the Old Kingdom. Precise determination of the chronology of the two other structures is not possible without archaeological verification.

4

The Tomb of Ikhi/Mery in Saqqara and Royal Expeditions during the Sixth Dynasty

88%

Kuraszkiewicz K. O.

Études et Travaux (Institut des Cultures Méditerranéennes et Orientales de l’Académie Polonaise des Sciences)

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2014

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issue 27

201–216

EN

New data concerning an Old Kingdom official responsible for foreign expeditions are analysed in the paper. Textual evidence found in 2012 in the tomb of Ikhi/Mery in Saqqara provides a basis for more precise dating of the professional activity of the tomb owner, but also gives an insight into some aspects of functioning of the bureaucracy during the late Old Kingdom. Last but not least the architecture of the tomb, that is unusual in many respects, is discussed.

5

Pottery from an Early Old Kingdom Terrace Quarry in West Saqqara (Egypt)

88%

Rzeuska T. I.

Études et Travaux (Institut des Cultures Méditerranéennes et Orientales de l’Académie Polonaise des Sciences)

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2014

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issue 27

323–355

EN

The joint Polish-Egyptian archaeological mission (Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology in Cairo) working in Saqqara, west of the funerary complex of Netjerykhet discovered an Early Old Kingdom quarries system. The pottery presented in this article is the first such large assemblage dated to the Early Dynastic and early Old Kingdom periods (Third to Fourth Dynasty) found in the area investigated by the mission. Importantly, it provides valuable evidence of events which had occurred before the emergence of the Lower Necropolis in the late Old Kingdom.

6

A rediscovered wooden statue of the overseer of the two granaries Ihy – Cairo, Egyptian Museum, JE 100373: An archaeological and conservation study

88%

Seyr P., Medhat A. E. R.

Pražské egyptologické studie (Prague Egyptological Studies)

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2021

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issue 26

79-106

EN

This paper discusses the wooden statue JE 100373, which was recently re discovered in the basement of the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Based on the statue’s stylistic analysis and its identification in the unpublished excavation report MSS Gunn XXII, we re identify it as part of the statue ensemble of the overseer of the two granaries Ihy, found in a cache within a Ptolemaic tomb at Saqqara. As a result, the investigation proves the provenience of the statue from Cyril M. Firth’s excavations south of the Step Pyramid complex in 1926. Com bining conservation science and traditional Egyptological approaches, the paper finally provides evidence for the continuity of the manufacture of large sized high quality wooden statuary by residential workshops until the final years of Pepy II or slightly later.

7

Generał Ichi – egipski podróżnik z epoki budowniczych piramid

75%

Kuraszkiewicz K. O.

Afryka

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2016

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issue 43

155-172

EN

Contacts of the pharaonic civilisation with the neighbouring areas were frequent and intense. Much less regular were expeditions to more distant lands, and an important destination of such travels was the land of Punt. The Egyptian expeditions to Punt in the Pyramid Age (Old Kingdom, ca. 2543-2120 BC) are discussed and new evidence from Polish archaeological research in Egypt is presented, concerning a high-ranked official responsible for foreign expeditions. The evidence suggests that a previously unknown expedition to Punt may have been organised during the late Old Kingdom.

8

Some newly uncovered blocks from the tomb of Rashepses at Saqqara

75%

El-Tayeb H.

Pražské egyptologické studie (Prague Egyptological Studies)

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2017

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issue 19

124-134

EN

The tomb of the Vizier, Rashepses, located in Saqqara to the north of Netjerykhet’s pyramid complex, belongs among the large and complex mastabas of the late Fifth Dynasty. The paper presents some of the decorated blocks which were uncovered during the exploration of the tomb by the Egyptian mission. These blocks include architectural components with the inscribed titles and name of the tomb owner, a fragment of a scene of the tomb owner at the offering table and a fragment of scenes showing the netting of birds and gathering papyrus.

9

The rock‑cut tomb of Penmes at Saqqara

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Waziri M., Youssef M. M., El‑Seaidy M.

Pražské egyptologické studie (Prague Egyptological Studies)

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2023

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issue 30

37-54

EN

The rock -cut tomb of Penmes is located on the so -called Bubasteion cemetery at Saqqara, a site which has been explored by the Egyptian mission of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities headed by Dr. Mostafa Waziri, Secretary General of the SCA. The tomb was found during the end of the second excavation season in 2019. The article describes the architecture of the tomb, which contained some decorated elements such as a window slab and a false door, as well as finds including wooden statues. In addition, inscriptions provide us with evidence on the tomb owner and the members of his family that can be confronted with the preliminary results of the investigation of human remains found in the tomb.

10

The Pyramid of Queen Setibhor at South Saqqara

75%

Megahed M., Vymazalová H.

Études et Travaux (Institut des Cultures Méditerranéennes et Orientales de l’Académie Polonaise des Sciences)

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2022

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issue 35

103-117

EN

This paper aims to present the preliminary results of the 2021 season of the Djedkare Project mission (DJP), which is dedicated to the exploration and documentation of Djedkare’s royal cemetery at south Saqqara. The main focus of the article is the queen’s pyramid, situated to the north-east of the king’s pyramid and to the north of his funerary temple. The 2018 exploration of the area between the king’s temple and the queen’s pyramid not only revealed the name of the owner, Setibhor, but it also confirmed that the two pyramid complexes were not architecturally connected, as previously presumed, and that further work is needed to clarify the plan of the queen’s monument. In 2021, the investigations focused on the pyramid of the queen; its substructure had never been entered and documented in the modern period. Cleaning the substructure resulted in a detailed documentation of its inner rooms. It used to be accessed through a descending and horizontal corridor and it comprised a burial chamber and a so-called serdab. The innovated layout of Setibhor’s pyramid substructure apparently inspired later queens, who continued to follow this pattern in their monuments during the Sixth Dynasty.

11

Drilling for powder. Enigmatic limestone fragments explained

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Ćwiek A.

Pražské egyptologické studie (Prague Egyptological Studies)

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2017

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issue 19

90-94

EN

Limestone blocks with traces of drilling operations, found at several sites in the Memphite necropolis, are still mysterious artefacts. Experiments made by Jean-Philippe Lauer using a hand-drill with a crescent-shaped flint point proved that the holes in these stones were made by this tool. The purpose of these stones, however, remains unexplained. They have been variously interpreted as devices for levering stones during building operations, traces of apprentices’ work before drilling stone vases, or stones underlying unidentified objects that were being drilled through. At the area of the Polish excavations west of the Step Pyramid at Saqqara, numerous drilled limestone fragments were found dispersed around the site of the Old Kingdom necropolis, as well as forming a large deposit in a courtyard of one of the Sixth Dynasty tombs. Many of these pieces bear traces of being drilled on opposite sides, and the holes are spaced irregularly but very close together, covering and piercing virtually the entire stone. The location, number and characteristics of the fragments strongly suggest their purpose. It seems that the aim was to obtain limestone powder in a quick and expedient way. Large amounts of pulverised limestone were used extensively for plastering and whitewashing the tombs and in ritual practises. The end of the Sixth Dynasty was a period of a special need to restore the ritual purity of the offering places by whitewashing.

12

Mastaba S3038 at Saqqara: a new perspective on old data

75%

Ormeling M.

Pražské egyptologické studie (Prague Egyptological Studies)

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2019

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issue 23

106-124

EN

In 1937 Walter Bryan Emery excavated tomb S3038 at Saqqara and discovered some astonishing new construction features inside. The tomb had a stepped core over the burial chamber, which was built over with two successive platforms, accessible from the outside. The construction showed a succession of stages, defined as changes in design. The shape of the core made Emery think that this tomb was a precursor of the later step pyramids. This hypothesis did not find much support. A re-evaluation from a construction perspective of all available data, including the unpublished field notes of the excavator, leads to different conclusions. Each successive stage was purposefully constructed to fulfil a role in the mortuary practices. In other words, the construction elements were part of a singular and preconceived design. Based on the premise of practices reflected in the construction of this unique tomb, it is also possible to reflect on the design of other tombs of the First Dynasty at Saqqara.

13

51%

Megahed M.

Pražské egyptologické studie (Prague Egyptological Studies)

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2019

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issue 22

68-80

EN

The pyramid complex of King Djedkare in South Saqqara is a key monument for our understanding of the history of the late Fifth and early Sixth Dynasties and of the social and religious transformations of that period. Despite its exploration in the 1940s and 1950s, neither the architecture of this monument nor its relief decoration and other finds have been fully documented and published. The current mission working in Djedkare’s pyramid complex therefore has three main aims to fulfil: 1. to document its preserved architecture in detail and provide a precise plan of the funerary temple; 2. to consolidate the badly damaged parts of the substructure of the king’s pyramid; 3. to document and catalogue the relief fragments collected in the funerary temple both by the previous and the current missions, and then to analyse the decorative program of the monument. A large part of the king’s funerary temple has been documented since 2010, revealing many details which were not or could not be noticed by the earlier explorers. The monument included the usual parts of a funerary temple but also some buildings which cannot be found in other Old Kingdom royal complexes. These include above all the two massifs situated in the eastern part, or an enigmatic building, today entirely gone, which was constructed in the southern part of the precinct. In 2018, the mission uncovered the northern part of the king’s precinct, which had not been explored previously and which revealed a high number of secondary burials from later periods of Egyptian history. Underneath these later layers, the remains of the architecture were documented belonging to the king’s monuments as well as to a smaller pyramid complex of his queen, which is neighbouring the king’s monument in the north. The mission not only uncovered and documented the southern part of the queen’s precinct including its entrance but also succeeded in finding the name and title of the owner of this unusual (and until that time anonymous) complex, the king’s wife, Setibhor.

CS

Pyramidový komplex panovníka Džedkarea v jižní Sakkáře je klíčovým monumentem pro porozumění historického vývoje pozdní 5. a rané 6. dynastie, stejně jako společenských a náboženských změn, které v té době probíhaly. Přestože byl zkoumán ve 40. a 50. letech 20. století, jeho architektura ani zbytky reliéfní výzdoby nebyly dosud nikdy zcela zdokumentovány ani publikovány. Současná archeologická expedice zkoumající Džedkareův pyramidový komplex si proto klade tři hlavní cíle: 1. podrobně zdokumentovat dochované části architektury a pořídit přesný plán zádušního chrámu; 2. konsolidovat a restaurovat poničené části substruktury královy pyramidy; 3. zdokumentovat a katalogizovat fragmenty reliéfní výzdoby shromážděné v zádušním chrámu dřívějšími výkopci i současnou expedicí, analyzovat výzdobný program památky. Od roku 2010 se podařilo dokončit dokumentaci velké části králova zádušního chrámu, a to včetně řady detailů, jež dřívější archeologové neodhalili. Chrám zahrnoval nejen obvyklé součásti, ale také stavby, které v jiných královských komplexech Staré říše nenajdeme. Především jsou to dva tzv. masivy ve východní části chrámu a rovněž enigmatická budova, dnes zcela zničená, jež kdysi stála v jižní části okrsku. Roku 2018 expedice odkryla severní část králova okrsku. Nikdy dříve nebyla zkoumána a nacházelo se zde velké množství sekundárních pohřbů z pozdějších období egyptských dějin. Po odstranění těchto pozdějších vrstev byly zdokumentovány dochované části architektury patřící jak k chrámu krále, tak i k menšímu okrsku jeho královny (ten s ním sousedí na severu). Expedice zde odkryla a zdokumentovala jižní část královnina zádušního chrámu včetně jeho vstupu. Navíc se zde podařilo nalézt jméno a tituly majitelky tohoto nezvyklého a do nynějška anonymního komplexu. Byla jí královská manželka Setibhor.

19

Newly uncovered relief fragments of Queen Setibhor: A queenly decorative theme with unusual features

51%

Vymazalová H.

Pražské egyptologické studie (Prague Egyptological Studies)

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2021

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issue 26

107-125

EN

The work that has recently been carried out at Djedkare’s royal cemetery at South Saqqara has brought to light new evidence from the pyramid complex of Queen Setibhor, the wife of King Djedkare. Located to the north east of the king’s pyramid, this monument is of particular interest for its unusual architectural fea tures. The newly uncovered evidence makes it possible to bring the discussion on this extraordinary queen slightly further, focusing not only on the monument’s architecture but also on the remains of its decorative programme. This article presents some of the newly uncovered relief fragments from the queen’s pyramid complex. The reliefs, which very likely come from the portico, belonged to a decorative theme showing the queen, whose figure is not preserved, with her female attendants and female offering bearers. Other similar depictions are attested in smaller fragments from other parts of the queen’s monument. Parallels to this de piction can be found in other monuments of Old Kingdom queens, indicating that such a decorative theme was one of the usual queenly decorative programmes. The relief fragments also provide new evidence on the titles and epithets of Queen Setibhor, above which a winged solar disc with two uraei was carved. This evidence further underlines the exceptional role played by Queen Setibhor in the late Fifth Dynasty.

Refine search results

Saqqara 2012 and 2015: inscriptions

Child Burials at Saqqara: Ptolemaic Necropolis West of the Step Pyramid

Unknown Ancient Funerary Structures Discovered in West Saqqara (Egypt) Using Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR)

The Tomb of Ikhi/Mery in Saqqara and Royal Expeditions during the Sixth Dynasty

Pottery from an Early Old Kingdom Terrace Quarry in West Saqqara (Egypt)

A rediscovered wooden statue of the overseer of the two granaries Ihy – Cairo, Egyptian Museum, JE 100373: An archaeological and conservation study

Generał Ichi – egipski podróżnik z epoki budowniczych piramid

Some newly uncovered blocks from the tomb of Rashepses at Saqqara

The rock‑cut tomb of Penmes at Saqqara

The Pyramid of Queen Setibhor at South Saqqara

Drilling for powder. Enigmatic limestone fragments explained

Mastaba S3038 at Saqqara: a new perspective on old data

Selected secondary burials as evidence of later activities at the tomb of Khuwy at South Saqqara

A report on the excavation of the Supreme Councilof Antiquities in the sacred animal necropolis at the Bubasteion in Saqqara

Saqqara 2012: the pottery

Menihy and his family: New evidence for the tjenenet sanctuary

Wpływ wody na egipską architekturę grobową: przypadek grobowców prywatnych z czasów Starego Państwa

Džedkareův pyramidový komplex: nové doklady o konci 5. dynastie

Newly uncovered relief fragments of Queen Setibhor: A queenly decorative theme with unusual features