abydos, umm el-qa’ab to el-adaima

8/12/2019 Abydos, Umm el-Qaab To el-Adaima

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Abydos, Umm el-Qaab To el- Adaima (Archaeology of Ancient Egypt)

Abydos, Umm el-Qaab

The Predynastic/Early Dynastic royal cemetery at Umm el-Qaab is located

about 1 !"m from culti#ated land in the lo$ desert (%&'11 , *1'!! E) To theeast is a large $adi ending near the ancient settlement at Abydos "no$n as+om es- ultan, ne t to the great funerary enclosures of the 1st and %nd.ynastiesThe cemetery seems to have developed from north to south andconsists of three parts! /redynastic 0emetery U in the north" 0emetery 2 $ith royal tombs of .ynasty 3 and the early 1st .ynasty in themiddle# the tomb comple es of si "ings and one 4ueen of the 1st .ynasty and t$o"ings of the %nd .ynasty in the southThe cemeteries $ere first e ca#ated by E Amelineau in 156!-5 7linders/etrie continued the e ca#ation of 0emetery 2 and the later comple es in1566-1633 ome parts of the cemetery $ere in#estigated again in 1611-1%by E /eet and E a#ille ince 168* the 9erman :nstitute of Archaeology(.A:) has been ree amining the entire cemetery To date, parts of 0emeteryU, 0emetery 2 and the comple es of .en (.e$en) and Qaa ha#e been re-e ca#ated, and more limited in#estigations ha#e been conducted at thesubsidiary tombs of .;er and the comple es of .;et (ou#re) and


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/hiladelphia (Uni#ersity ?useum) The artifacts found by the 9erman missionare stored at Abydos

0emetery U

0emetery U co#ers an area of circa 133 %33m on a slightly ele#ated plateaubet$een 0emetery 2 and the he"a-reshu hill ($here /etrie found e$+ingdom sha$abtis inscribed $ith this name) Amelineau reports e ca#atingcirca 1!3-&3 gra#es of different types here (in four daysB) *% small gra#es$ere e ca#ated by /eet in 1611 2oth e ca#ators published only a fe$ details$ithout a general plan

Durin% the clearance of the desert surface by the DA& , about C33 gra#epits and hundreds of small empty offering pits ( e$ +ingdom and later) $eremapped 2y 166* about 1%3 tombs had been e ca#ated, mostly in the centraland southern part but a fe$ at the north$estern edge 0eramics are those ofthe /redynastic ( agada) culture of Upper Egypt, $hich $ere first describedand classified by /etrie and later re#ised in agada culture sub-periods by


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$i%ure ( Umm el-Qaab, Abydos, )emeteries U and * +! " Although robbed and perhaps partly e ca#ated earlier, Tomb U-; stillcontained much funerary e4uipment, including many i#ory and bone artifacts,about 1!3 small labels $ith short inscriptions, large amounts of different "inds

of Egyptian pottery, and more than %33 imported ($ine) ;ars, probably from/alestine :n the burial chamber there $ere traces of a $ooden shrine on thefloor, and in the northeastern corner a complete croo"-style scepter of i#ory$as found, lea#ing no doubt that the o$ner of the tomb $as a ruler

The small labels, incised $ith numbers or one to four hieroglyphic signs,sho$ $riting $as at a de#eloped stage :n all li"elihood, the numbers indicatesiFes of pieces of cloth and the signs presumably gi#e the pro#enance of

different goods At least some of the inscriptions are readable ($ith phonetic#alues), mentioning administrati#e institutions, royal (agricultural) estates, or
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localities such as 2uto and 2ubastis in the .elta ?any of the


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together $ith the ro$s of subsidiary chambers (21&) should in fact beascribed to +ing Aha $hereas the groups of double chambers $ere mostli"ely those of his predecessorsI armer (218D15), +a (28D6) and perhaps, as/etrie had suggested, another "ing, Jo (21D%) .uring the e ca#ations by the.A:, +aisers reassessment $as fully confirmed and the tombs de#elopmentbecame much clearerThe relati#e se4uence of the double chamber tombs is clearly demonstratedby their siFes and positions (follo$ing the general north-south de#elopment)E#idence of inscribed pots from 21D% and 28 indicates that these t$o tombsbelonged to (+ings) :r;-Kor (/etries Jo) and +a cattered seal impressionsand different artifacts $ith inscriptions found around 218D15 are e#idence thatthis tomb belonged to armer These "ings $ere the last rulers of .ynasty 3

The inscribed material found nearby, as $ell as the similarities of constructionand siFe of the large chambers (circa 8 ! C !m, and * &m deep), lea#e nodoubt that the $hole comple of chambers belongs to Aha it seems, ho$e#er,to ha#e been built in three stages

&n *!4/!5/! there are traces of lar%e 6ooden shrines Jelati#ely fe$ tombgoods $ere found in 21! and 216, $hich had been robbed and $ere later set

on fire Kuman remains $ere collected around the subsidiary chambers of21& ?ost of the bones $ere of young males about t$enty years of age, $homust ha#e been "illed $hen the "ing $as buried ear the long easternmostchamber, bones of at least se#en young lions $ere found2C3, a large pit similar in siFe to 213D1!D16 but $ithout a mudbric" lining, $asdisco#ered in 165! Although there $ere remains of a $ooden roofconstruction, the tomb $as found empty and $ithout any e#idence of use

According to its siFe and its position bet$een the comple es of AhaancL .;er,2C3 may be ascribed to Athotis :, the ephemeral successor of Aha

The little comple of four small chambers (2!3) to the south of 2C3 $asprobably intended for the subsidiary burials 2C3 $as probably regarded asnot suitable, and the "ing (and his $ifeH) $ere buried in the southernchambers of 2!3, $here there are traces of $ooden coffins

Tomb comple es of the 1st-%nd .ynasties

The se#en tomb comple es of +ings .;er, .;et, .en, Ad;ib, mer"het andQaa, and Queen ?eret- eith of the 1st .ynasty, generally ha#e the same


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plan This consists of a large burial chamber surrounded by storerooms andmany subsidiary burial chambers for ser#ants (men, $omen, d$ar#es) anddogs

The burial chambers all contained a large $ooden shrine The earliest "no$nuse of stone on a large scale is seen in the burial chamber of .ens tomb,$here the floor $as originally pa#ed $ith slabs of red and blac" granite 7romthe time of .en there is a staircase leading into this chamber, $hich $asbloc"ed off after the burial :n the earlier tombs the storerooms are inside theburial chamber (.;er, .;et) in the later tombs they are attached to the $alls onthe outside or #ery close to it (.en)

$rom D er to Den, the subsidiary burial chambers are arranged in separatero$s around the royal burial chamber only in the comple es of mer"het andQaa are they attached to it The largest of these tomb comple es, belongingto .;er, contained o#er %33 subsidiary chambers E cept for one high official(of Qaa), the subsidiary burials seem to be those of persons of lo$er ran" (allin $ooden coffins) :n all probability they $ere "illed to ser#e the "ing in hisafterlife, but this custom ceased at the end of the 1st .ynasty The t$o %nd.ynasty tombs here, belonging to +ings /eribsen and +hase"hem$y,

contained no subsidiary burialso remains of superstructures ha#e been found, but it is li"ely that the royalburial chambers $ere co#ered by a mound of sand

At each tomb comple there $ere t$o large stelae $ith the o$ners nameThe most famous one, the stela of .;et, $as found by Amelineau and is no$in the >ou#re There $ere also small stelae for the occupants of the subsidiarychambers, including those of the dogs (.en) one of these stelae, ho$e#er,$ere found in situ

Apart from an arm $ith bracelets made of precious stones, $hich $as foundha#ing been hidden by robbers behind the staircase in .;ers tomb, and t$ofragmentary s"eletons in +hase"hem$ys tomb, no other remains of the royalburials $ere disco#ered ome of the subsidiary burials and storerooms,ho$e#er, $ere found more or less undisturbed

1hase7hem6ys lar%e tomb has the ne$ feature of a limestone-lined burialchamber, built belo$ the floor le#el This tomb has a completely different


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design from the other royal tombs at this site, and is similar to the gallerytombs of the %nd .ynasty at a44ara $ith an increased number ofstorerooms:mportant e#idence of $riting has been found in the tomb of Qaa ealimpressions of Ketepse"hem$y, the first "ing of the %nd .ynasty, indicate thathe completed QaaMs burial and there $as no brea" bet$een the dynasties:mpressions of another seal found here, probably used by the administrationof the cemetery, lists the names of all the "ings buried at Umm el-Qaab, fromarmer to Qaa About thirty i#ory labels $ith inscriptions referring todeli#eries of oil $ere also found near this tomb

Umm el-Qaab as a cult center

*e%innin% in the 8iddle 1in%dom, the site gained ne$ importance becauseof its association $ith the cult of =siris, $ho $as belie#ed to ha#e been buriedhere :t thus became the most sacred site in Egypt, and during the e$+ingdom and >ate period thousands of pilgrims left large amounts of offeringpots, mostly small bo$ls called 4a Nab in Arabic (hence the modern name ofUmm el-Qaab) Amelineau estimated a total of about eight million potsThere is evidence that the tombs $ere already e ca#ated during the 1%th.ynasty, probably in order to identify the burial place of =siris :n QaaMs tomb,some ?iddle +ingdom pots $ere found on the floor of the burial chamber, anda staircase had been built o#er the remaining lo$er part of the portcullis :n.ens tomb the entrance to the burial chamber is also partly restored in large(unburned) mudbric"s, and the $hole staircase sho$s traces of a secondary$hite$ash The con#ersion of .;ers tomb into a cenotaph of =siris may ha#eta"en place at the same time A bier for =siris ($ith an erased inscription) $asfound in this tomb by Amelineau


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$i%ure Tomb of 1in% Qaa, Umm el-Qaab, Abydos

el-Adaima

The /redynastic site of el-Adaima is situated on the $est ban" of the ile,about 5"m south of Esna (%!'1C , *%'*! E) :t includes a #ery plunderedcemetery and a settlement consisting of artifacts scattered o#er the surfacefor about 1"m along the edge of culti#ated land The $hole site co#ers aboutC3ha

The site $as disco#ered at the beginning of the century by Kenri de ?organ,$ho e ca#ated a part of the settlement and the plundered tombs ?ost of theassociated finds are no$ in the 2roo"lyn ?useum :n 168* 7ernand .ebono,$or"ing for the 7rench :nstitute of Archaeology in 0airo, e ca#ated thirty badlyplundered tombs in an area of the cemetery $hich, by 1655, had beendestroyed by e tending the land under culti#ation

E9cavations of 6hat remained of the site 6ere be%un in ! . , under thedirection of 2eatri ?idant-Jeynes for the 7rench :nstitute A surface
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collection $as first conducted, follo$ed by se#eral field seasons ofe ca#ation This re#ealed a comple de#elopment of the settlement, $hichgradually shifted in location from the desert to the #alley during the course ofthe /redynastic and Early .ynastic periods (fourth and early third millennia20)The settlement is di#ided to the north and south by a large east-$estdepression $hich has been identified as a clay 4uarry, but its date remainsun"no$n =n the northern side, terraces of gra#el and silt sho$ e#idence ofmuch disturbance by illicit digging for organic remains of the ancientsettlement (sebba"h), used by local farmers for fertiliFer The southern sideconsists of a thic" layer of sand, $hich slopes do$n to the south

E9cavations in the northern part of the site re#ealed occupation features of trenches and holes $hich $ere cut into the gra#el terrace The trenches,perpendicular or parallel to each other, $ere arranged in three areas $hich$ere associated $ith 8* mud holes The diameter of these holes #aried from1* to 1C!cm (a#eraging circa C!cm) they #aried from % to 16cm in depth(a#eraging circa 5cm) The trenches are probably the remains of reed fencesplastered $ith mud and occasionally reinforced $ith $ooden posts, as foundat other /redynastic sites ?ore enigmatic are the holes, $hich could

sometimes be interpreted as postholes, but most of them are too large andnot deep enough for postholes/aleobotanical material $as reco#ered by flotation from the filling of the holes,including seeds of $heat (Triticum monococcum) and barley (Kordeumsati#um) E#idence for t$o "inds of acti#ities is found hereI storage of grain,and poundingDgrinding grain The ab-sence of large grinding stones at the siteand the presence of an elongated, rod-shaped, granite hammerstone in oneof these holes suggest the latter function

2ased on the potsherds found in the filling of the trenches and holes, thesestructures date to the earlyDmiddle /redynastic period (end of agada : to themiddle of agada ::) The #ery mi ed material on the surface is later, ho$e#er,but ne#er later than the 1st .ynasty

The e9cavation in the southern part of the site re#ealed the e istence of anundisturbed domestic area of special interest 7eatures such as hearths,storage ;ars and large grinding stones of granite and limestone contrast $ithbadly eroded d$ellings, the remains of $hich consisted of consolidated sand


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mi ed $ith sherds umerous postholes and small $ooden posts suggestlight houses of timbers and reed At least t$o occupational phases ha#e beenidentified There is also e#idence here of four ne$born infants, a s"ull of ayoung adult and fi#e animal s"eletons =ne of the ne$born remains $asassociated $ith a small pot and a ile shell (Etheria elliptica), $hich $asprobably used as a spoon The s"ull of the young adult had been deposited$ith offerings of animal bones (Keadless s"eletons ha#e been found buriedin the cemetery at el-Adaima, and the buried s"ull may be ritually connectedto such burial practices ) The s"eletons of four dogs and one pig $ere foundin pits $hich had been dug in the completely #irgin soil apart from the othersettlement remains&n the cemetery , 1*3 gra#es ha#e been e ca#ated out of an estimated 1,!33

e#enteen of the e ca#ated burials $ere intact, but others $ere completelydestroyed ?ost of the burials, ho$e#er, had been disturbed during/redynastic times and some obser#ations about the human remains and thefunerary offerings $ere possible)oncernin% mortuary practices, t$o "inds of burials can be distinguishedIsingle burials (5%) and multiple burials (%1) The single burials included those$ith gra#e goods (up to thirty #essels), and those $ithout (t$o undisturbedburials) The multiple burials included double burials (t$o out of se#enteen

$ere intact) and burials $ith three s"eletons (three, all disturbed) =ne burialcontained fi#e s"eletons associated $ith a large hearth this burial had beenbadly plundered, so that the hearth ashes $ere mi ed $ith bro"en humanbones A fe$ cases of infectious disease ha#e been identified from the humanremains, $hich is an interesting occurrence in this pre-urban periodThe multi-component character of the site of el-Adaima, $ith itsfunctionally specific acti#ity areas and domestic units, ma"es it an importantsite for data on Egyptian prehistory, the paleoen#ironment and subsistencestrategies

abydos, umm el-qa’ab to el-adaima

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