ORIENTALIA LOVANIENSIA

ANALECTA
204

UNDER THE POTTERS TREE

Studies on Ancient Egypt
Presented to Janine Bourriau
on the Occasion of her 70th Birthday

edited by

DAVID ASTON, BETTINA BADER, CARLA GALLORINI,

PAUL NICHOLSON and SARAH BUCKINGHAM

UITGEVERIJ PEETERS en DEPARTEMENT OOSTERSE STUDIES

LEUVEN PARIS WALPOLE, MA
2011

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CONTENTS

EDITORIAL FOREWORD .

XI

H.S. SMITH Janine A Teachers Tribute

XIII

P.G. FRENCH Janine A Husbands View

XV

Elham Ahmed EL-TAWEIL, Mahmoud Mohamed EL-SHAFEI, Mohamed

ALI ABD EL-HAKIEM, Mohamed Naguib REDA, Nermeen Shaaban ABAYAZEED, Shaimaa Rasheed SALEM, and Sherif Mohamed
ABD EL-MONAEM Mother of the Ceramicists
Umm El Fakharyien A Students Tribute . . . . . .

XIX

TABULA GRATULATORIA .

XXI

JANINES BIBLIOGRAPHY .

XXV

Sally-Ann ASHTON
Ancient Egyptian Hair-Combs in the Fitzwilliam Museum
Cambridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

19

David ASTON
t prt wty. The Saqqara Embalmers Caches Reconsidered;
Typology and Chronology . . . . . . . . . . . .

45

Marie-Pierre AUBRY, Christian DUPUIS, Holeil GHALY, Christopher

KING, Robert KNOX, William A. BERGGREN, Christina KARLSHAUSEN
and Members of the TIGA Project
Geological Setting of the Theban Necropolis: Implications for
the Preservation of the West Bank Monuments . . . . .

81

ARTICLES IN HONOUR OF JANINE BOURRIAU

Susan J. ALLEN
Fish Dishes at Dahshur .

Bettina BADER
Vessels in Ceramics and Stone: The Problem of the Chicken
and the Egg? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

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VI

CONTENTS

Donald M. BAILEY
Wine Containers: Aswan Flasks . . . . . . . . . . 173
Pascale BALLET
Les ateliers hellnistiques de Bouto (Tell el-Farain) et le
dcor surpeint (Overpainted) . . . . . . . . . . 189
Daphna BEN-TOR
Political Implications of New Kingdom Scarabs in Palestine
during the Reigns of Tuthmosis III and Ramesses II . . . . 201
Elizabeth BETTLES, with a contribution by Olaf E. KAPER
The Divine Potters of Kellis . . . . . . . .

. 215

Charles BONNET
La Nubie face la puissance gyptienne

. 253

Rosalie DAVID
Ancient Egyptian Medicine: An Appraisal Based on Scientic
Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Catherine DEFERNEZ
Four Bes Vases from Tell el-Herr (North-Sinai): Analytical
Description and Correlation with the Goldsmiths Art of
Achaemenid Tradition . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
Jacobus VAN DIJK
The Date of the Gebel Barkal Stela of Seti I .

. 325

Aidan DODSON
Two Mummy-Masks from the Dawn of the New Kingdom

. 333

Amanda DUNSMORE
A Wedgwood Canopic Vase in the National Gallery of Victoria . 349
Dina A. FALTINGS
Did the Ancient Egyptians have Bottle Brushes? Some Considerations about Milk Bottles in the Old Kingdom . . . . 355
Carla GALLORINI
A Cypriote Sherd from Kahun in Context .

. 397

Alison L. GASCOIGNE and Gillian PYKE

Nebi Samwil-Type Jars in Medieval Egypt: Characterisation
of an Imported Ceramic Vessel . . . . . . . . . . 417

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VII

CONTENTS

M. Cristina GUIDOTTI
Quelques curiosits typologiques de la cramique dAntinoopolis

433

Yvonne M. HARPUR
Earthenware Vessels in Old Kingdom Two-dimensional Art:
Their Manufacture and Direct Use by Minor Human Figures . 441
Rita HARTMANN
Ritzmarken auf Brotformen aus der frhdynastischen Siedlung
von Tell el-Farain/Buto . . . . . . . . . . . . 469
Ulrich HARTUNG
Eine elfenbeinerne Gefdarstellung aus dem prdynastischen
Friedhof U in Abydos/Umm el-Qaab . . . . . . . . 483
Colin A. HOPE
Possible Mid-18th Dynasty Examples of Blue-Painted Pottery
from the Egypt Exploration Societys Excavations at Memphis 495
Salima IKRAM
A Ceramic Divinity for a Divine Ceramicist .

. 513

Helen JACQUET-GORDON
Miniature Pots . . .

. 521

W. Raymond JOHNSON
A Ptah-Sokar Barque Procession from Memphis .

. 531

Peter LACOVARA
A Nubian Model Soldier and the Costume of a Kerma Warrior
Anthony LEAHY
Necho in Late Period Personal Names

541

. 547

Mara J. LPEZ GRANDE

Field Notes from Dra Abu el-Naga on the First Intermediate
Period/Early Middle Kingdom Pottery . . . . . . . . 575
Sylvie MARCHAND
La transposition cramique dans lgypte Ancienne .

. 603

Geoffrey T. MARTIN
The Dormition of Princess Meketaten .

. 633

Aurlia MASSON
Jarres au dcor polychrome du Muse Pouchkine: manifestations
originales de la tendance archasante des 25e-26e dynasties? . 645

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VIII

CONTENTS

Marleen DE MEYER, Stefanie VEREECKEN, Bart VANTHUYNE, Stan

HENDRICKX, Lies OP DE BEECK and Harco WILLEMS
The Early Old Kingdom at Nuwayrat in the 16th Upper
Egyptian Nome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 679
Paul T. NICHOLSON
Im not the saggar-maker, Im the saggar-makers mate:
Saggar Making and Bottom Knocking in Stoke-on-Trent as a
Guide to Early Saggar Technology . . . . . . . . . 703
Hans-ke NORDSTRM
The Signicance of Pottery Fabrics .

. 723

Lies OP DE BEECK and Stefanie VEREECKEN

Pottery from Sidmant and Haraga in the Royal Museums of Art
and History, Brussels . . . . . . . . . . . . . 731
Mary OWNBY
Through the Looking Glass: The Integration of Scientic,
Ceramic, and Archaeological Information . . . . . . . 751
Stephen QUIRKE
Petries 1889 Photographs of Lahun .

. 769

Maarten J. RAVEN
Desheret Bowls and Canopic Jars

. 795

. 809

Pamela ROSE and Gillian PYKE

Snakes and Udders: Ceramic Oddities from Qasr Ibrim

Teodozja I. RZEUSKA, with an Appendix by K.O. KURASZKIEWICZ

An Offering of a Beer Jar or a Beer Jar as an Offering? The
Case of a Late Old Kingdom Beer Jar with an Inscription from
West Saqqara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 829
Margaret SERPICO, with an Appendix by Ben STERN
The Contents of Jars in Hatshepsuts Foundation Deposit at Deir
el-Bahri and their Signicance for Trade . . . . . . . . 843
Karin N. SOWADA
An Egyptian Imitation of an Imported Two-Handled Jar from
the Levant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 885

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IX

CONTENTS

Kate SPENCE, with a drawing by Will SCHENCK

Air, Comfort and Status: Interpreting the Domestic Features of
Soul Houses from Rifa . . . . . . . . . . . . 895
Sally SWAIN
A New Interpretation of Two C-Ware Vessels from
el Mahasna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 915
Pierre TALLET
Deux nouvelles stles rupestres sur le plateau de Srabit
el-Khadim (Sud-Sina) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 933
Ana TAVARES and Sabine LAEMMEL
Some Post-Old Kingdom Pottery from Giza .

. 949

Ren VAN WALSEM

Scenes of the Production of Pottery in Old Kingdom Elite
Tombs of the Memphite Area. A Quantitative Analysis . . . 977
Helen WHITEHOUSE
Egyptian Blue and White: A Ceramic Enigma of the Early
19th Century AD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1001
Anna WODZINSKA
Pottery and Chronology. Preliminary Remarks on Ceramic
Material from Tell el-Retaba . . . . . . . . . . . 1015

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THE EARLY OLD KINGDOM AT NUWAYRAT IN THE

16TH UPPER EGYPTIAN NOME
Marleen DE MEYER, Stefanie VEREECKEN, Bart VANTHUYNE,
Stan HENDRICKX, Lies OP DE BEECK and Harco WILLEMS

When, after a period of hibernation of almost ten years, the Dayr

al-Barsha project was reactivated in 2002, we had to begin from scratch.
For one thing, we had hardly any basis in ceramic analysis. If we have
nonetheless succeeded in advancing in this domain, this is due to no
mean extent to the efforts of Janine; and of course Peter French. Under
the rather trying conditions of the first campaigns, they made great
efforts to familiarize us with modern methods and techniques of pottery
analysis. And still, they sometimes join our team, offering a kind of
master classes to our ceramicists. The following pages are a token of
friendship and gratitude to both of them.
Nuwayrat is a little known necropolis in the 16th Upper Egyptian
Nome (the Oryx Nome), located 8 kilometres north of Bani asan on the
east bank of the Nile.1 Two different types of tombs are encountered at
the site: rock tombs that are arranged in two long rows above one another
and that consist of small rock-cut chapels with one or more shafts in
them (pl. 1); and on the foothills below these rock tombs burials underneath a circular superstructure consisting of rough limestone boulders
(pl. 3).2
Whilst at Bani asan in 19021904, Garstang also devoted some of his
time to Nuwayrat.3 He excavated about one hundred tombs there, not
1
D. KESSLER, Historische Topographie der Region zwischen Mallawi und Samalut,
Tbinger Atlas des Vorderen Orients, Beihefte 30 (Wiesbaden, 1981), 64 and map 1.
2
D. KESSLER, Historische Topographie, 190-99; H. WILLEMS, Les Textes des Sarcophages et la dmocratie. lments dune histoire culturelle du Moyen Empire gyptien. Quatre
confrences prsentes lcole Pratique des Hautes tudes, Section des Sciences Religieuses, mai 2006 (Paris, 2008), 18-19 and pl. I.
3
J. GARSTANG, Burial Customs of Ancient Egypt as Illustrated by Tombs of the Middle
Kingdom. A Report of Excavations Made in the Necropolis of Beni Hassan During 1902
34 (London, 1907), 15, 26-30 and pl. II; J. GARSTANG, Excavations at Beni-Hasan in
Upper Egypt (Second Season), Man: A Monthly Record of Anthropological Science 4
(1904b), 97-99, 97; B. PORTER and R. MOSS, Topographical Bibliography of Ancient
Hieroglyphic Texts, Reliefs and Paintings, vol. IV, Lower and Middle Egypt (Oxford,
1934), 163.

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M. DE MEYER ET AL

specifying whether this number covers only rock tombs or also the burials
underneath stone circles. He separates the rock tombs into two groups:
a small southern group which he dates to the 3rd Dynasty or even
earlier (pl. 4),4 and a large northern group which he dates to the
IVth Dynasty or thereabouts, his plan suggesting a date in III and
IV Dyns..5 For the circular graves he indicates a date in the 3rd Dynasty.
Unfortunately, none of these excavations has ever been published,
and next to nothing is known about the funerary equipment from these
tombs. Garstang based his dating of the rock tombs on the small size and
simple architectural construction of the chapels and shafts, and on the
fact that the interments in the earliest rock tombs at the site were in oval
pottery vessels.6 These pottery coffins were closed off with a domed lid,
underneath which the deceased was placed in a heavily contracted position. This type of burial is very similar to those encountered underneath
the circle graves that are located in front of the rock tombs on the foothills.7
Kessler8 contends the early dating of the rock tombs by Garstang and
claims that Nuwayrat has all the characteristics of a typical later Old
Kingdom rock necropolis in Middle Egypt, comparing it in particular to
the Old Kingdom rock tombs at Dayr al-Barsha and al-Shaykh Sa{id.9 In
addition Kessler states that on the surface at Nuwayrat pottery dating to
the 4th to 6th Dynasties is spread out, without, however, providing any
concrete examples of the pottery he refers to. During the 2006 campaign
of the K.U.Leuven mission to Dayr al-Barsha, a site walk was carried out
at Nuwayrat in order to investigate this problem.
1. Rock tombs
The rock tombs are strung along the hill in a horizontal layer that
clearly follows one stratum of limestone, with a few tombs clustered in
a second layer above (pl. 1). Kessler10 already noted a chronological
4

J. GARSTANG, Burial Customs, pl. II.

J. GARSTANG, Burial Customs, 15 and pl. II.
6
J. GARSTANG, Burial Customs, 26-28; fig. 15-16.
7
J. GARSTANG, Burial Customs, 27.
8
D. KESSLER, Historische Topographie, 192.
9
For the Old Kingdom rock tombs at al-Shaykh Sa{id, see N. DE G. DAVIES, The Rock
Tombs of Sheikh Sad (London, 1901). For the Old Kingdom rock tombs at Dayr
al-Barsha, see M. DE MEYER, Old Kingdom Rock Tombs at Dayr al-Barsha. Archaeological and Textual Evidence of their Use and Reuse in Zones 4 and 7 (Doctoral dissertation Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 2008).
5

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681

north-south development of the necropolis. The northernmost tombs are

very small in size and the available floor space is almost entirely taken
up by the burial shaft. Further towards the south, the tomb chapels grow
larger with an entrance in the north and a room that extends to the south,
creating an L-shaped ground plan.11 Occasionally this plan is doubled,
resulting in an east-west corridor that leads to two rooms each holding
their own shafts.12 In the western wall near the shafts a simple false door
is sometimes carved into the rock, and one of the larger tombs even bears
remains of painted decoration.13
Kesslers dating of these rock tombs in the late Old Kingdom is for a
large part based on a comparison to the rock tombs at Dayr al-Barsha
and al-Shaykh Sa{id.14 However, the architectural differences outweigh
the similarities between the tombs in these three necropoleis. The
L-shaped ground plan of Nuwayrat is not found at Dayr al-Barsha, where
the entrance is generally located in the centre of the faade. The entrance
door to the rock tombs at Nuwayrat is very wide, resulting in an almost
square opening (pl. 2), which is not the case at the other two sites. None
of the rock tombs at Nuwayrat shows traces of rock-cut statues, which
are in evidence at the other sites even in a number of tombs that do not
belong to persons of the highest layers of the provincial administration.
However, the biggest difference can be observed in the shaft construction. Since the subterranean layout of the tombs at al-Shaykh Sa{id is not
known, we compare only to Dayr al-Barsha. The shafts there that are
dated to the 6th Dynasty based on funerary equipment and ceramics, all
follow a similar pattern. They are square in ground plan (about 1 1m),
and at a depth of on average 3 to 4 m but sometimes deeper a burial
chamber is situated either in the eastern or the western shaft wall, always
with an extension to the south. While no sections or ground plans of the
subterranean parts of the tombs of Nuwayrat have ever been published,
personal observation confirms that this layout is not found there. Instead
the shafts are very shallow (ca. 2 m deep or less) and lead to a burial
chamber, which according to Kessler15 is situated to the west when visible. In this way the burial chamber is located closely underneath the
simple false door that is sometimes present in the western wall of the
10
11
12
13
14
15

D.
D.
D.
D.
D.
D.

KESSLER,
KESSLER,
KESSLER,
KESSLER,
KESSLER,
KESSLER,

93820_AstonEtal_CS4ME_33.indd 681

Historische
Historische
Historische
Historische
Historische
Historische

Topographie, 192.
Topographie, 193, fig. 4-6.
Topographie, 194, fig. 7.
Topographie, 367, pl. V.1.
Topographie, 192.
Topographie, 193.

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M. DE MEYER ET AL

tomb chapel. This type of shallow shaft construction rather reminds one
of the earliest rock tombs at Giza (reign of Khafra-Menkaura)16 and is
not observed at Dayr al-Barsha.
To compare the rock tombs of Nuwayrat to those at Dayr al-Barsha
and al-Shaykh Sa{id is valid in so far as all three sites have a large
number of rock tombs, but the details of the architecture are clearly different and therefore the dating of Nuwayrat should not be based on such
a comparison. An interesting observation is that the rock tombs at
Nuwayrat do not seem to form a continuous row, but that in some
instances a void occurs in between clusters of tombs. These clusters of
rock tombs seem to relate to the clusters of rock circle tombs lower on
the hill. These likewise show gaps in between grouped tombs. While no
detailed map of the necropolis exists to visualise this, perhaps the rock
tombs and the circle tombs form meaningful clusters together.
2. Rock circle tombs
On the slope of the hill, below the rock tombs, numerous circles made
of larger and smaller boulders can be seen (pl. 3). They occur over the
same distance as the rock tombs and in the southern part of the site, they
even continue beyond, all in all over a length of close to 1 km. The width
of the area with rock circles varies rather strongly, between about 50 and
100 m. All of the stone circles are beyond any doubt the result of human
activity and many are surrounded by potsherds and fragments of human
bone. No worked stones have been observed and all of the blocks must
have been picked up in the immediate vicinity, on the hill slope towards
the tombs. Although stone circles are present all over the area, they are not
evenly dispersed. This seems unrelated to the particularities of the rugged
landscape because the circles are present both on the ridges and in the gullies between them. The burials tend to be concentrated in clusters. Usually
there is a central grave around which several more burials are arranged.
Sometimes twin burials occur, where the coffins are buried closely together
within the stone circle. Individual rock circle burials are also noted.
The centre of the rock circles generally consists of a rectangular, circular, or oval, open area in which a pottery coffin or pot burial was
16
P. JNOSI, Giza in der 4. Dynastie. Die Baugeschichte und Belegung einer Nekropole
des Alten Reiches. 1. Die Mastabas der Kernfriedhfe und die Felsgrber. sterreichische
Akademie der Wissenschaften, Denkschriften der Gesamtakademie 30 (Vienna, 2005),
326.

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683

located (pl. 5). Most have been disturbed and this must be due to plundering in antiquity and/or unsystematic excavation by Garstang. There is
also clear evidence for recent disturbance in this area, probably linked to
land reclamation projects at the desert edge in the immediate vicinity of
the rock circle tombs. Only in some instances a partial stone cover remains.
Several fragmented pottery coffins are exposed and these are oblongshaped, whereas Garstang found similar coffins in the nearby rock tombs.
These coffins were intended to hold contracted burials. No fragments of
pottery coffin lids have so far been observed among the rock circles,
though they may have existed because fragments of pottery coffins have
been noticed with a groove on top of the rim, perhaps intended for keeping a lid in position. Garstang also recorded pot burials near the southern
rock tombs where the body lay under a large inverted pottery vessel
which covered or contained them.17 Inverted pot burials were seen elsewhere at the site as well (see pl. 6). Pottery coffin and pot burials are
common in the 3rd and 4th Dynasties,18 although pot burials remain in
use until the late Old Kingdom.19
Sherds from pottery coffins are the most frequently encountered class
of ceramic across the terrain. There are fragments of large vats, many of
which have a restricted upper section. Such large vats are well known for
the Old Kingdom and were used for brewing.20 Two types of rims have
been distinguished,21 although a more profound investigation will most
probably show that more variation existed. The first type has a rounded
or sub-rounded lip rim and consists of a separate coil of clay added to
the vessel. Parallels occur frequently during the early Old Kingdom.22
17

J. GARSTANG, Burial Customs, 27-28.

J. GARSTANG, Tombs of the Third Egyptian Dynasty at Reqaqnah and Bet Khallaf
(London, 1904), 51-57; T.E. PEET and W.L.S. LOAT, The Cemeteries of Abydos, Egypt
Exploration Fund Memoir 35 (London, 1913), 20-22; A.M. DONADONI ROVERI, I sarcofagi Egizi dalle origini alla fine dellAntico Regno (Rome, 1969), 31-40; S. HENDRICKX,
La ncropole de lEst Adama. Position chronologique et parrallles, Archo-Nil 8
(1998), 105-128; E. CRUBZY, T. JANIN and B. MIDANT-REYNES, Adama II. Le ncropole
prdynastique (Cairo, 2002); L. COTELLE-MICHEL, Les sarcophages en terre cuite en
Egypte et en Nubie: de lpoque prdynastique lpoque romaine (Dijon, 2004), 57-59,
212-229.
19
S.J. SEIDLMAYER, Grberfelder aus dem bergang vom Alten zum Mittleren Reich.
Studien zur Archologie der Ersten Zwischenzeit, Studien zur Archologie und Geschichte
Altgyptens 1 (Heidelberg, 1990).
20
D. FALTINGS, Die Keramik der Lebensmittelproduktion im Alten Reich. Ikonographie und Archologie eines Gebrauchsartikels, Studien zur Archologie und Geschichte
Altgyptens 14 (Heidelberg, 1998), 191-199.
21
D. FALTINGS, Die Keramik der Lebensmittelproduktion, 198-199.
22
E.g. D. FALTINGS, Die Keramik der Lebensmittelproduktion, Abb. 14a. 3-5, 14b. 8-9.
18

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M. DE MEYER ET AL

The second type of rim continues the contour of the vessel but is separated from it by an incised line and a flat top. It is equally well known
for the Old Kingdom.23 As a variation of the latter type, the outer contour
of the rim is, in a number of cases, slightly convex.24 Some of the vats
were spouted, for which again many parallels can be found in the early
Old Kingdom.25
An identical situation is found in zone 8 at Dayr al-Barsha, over an
even larger area. Excavation and survey in the spring of 2009-2010 has
shown that at that site stone circle burials in jars, reed baskets, and small
wooden coffins also occur. Funerary goods are very limited and consist
mainly of pottery. In some burials remains of textile wrappings are preserved. Preliminary excavation results also indicate that besides adults,
many children were buried in the rock circle cemetery.
Besides the cemeteries at Nuwayrat and Dayr al-Barsha, hardly any
parallels are known. In Upper Egypt, only a small 2nd Dynasty cemetery
at al-Kab can be mentioned.26 A possible variant can be found at Naja
al-Dayr where similar pottery coffins have been found in pit burials which
were frequently surrounded and covered with rough stones.27
3. Pottery
In total 17 pottery fragments were analyzed, described and drawn on
the spot.28 The numbering of the pottery fragments refers to the different
locations where they were collected: numbers beginning with N1 were
scattered in between the northernmost rock circle tombs, those beginning
with N2 were found a little bit further south on the hill in front of the
entrances of the central rock tombs (see pl. 1).
23

E.g. D. FALTINGS, Die Keramik der Lebensmittelproduktion, Abb. 14a. 2; 6-7.

E.g. D. FALTINGS, Die Keramik der Lebensmittelproduktion, Abb. 14b. 12.
25
D. FALTINGS, Die Keramik der Lebensmittelproduktion, Abb. 15.
26
S. HENDRICKX, D. HUYGE and E. WARMENBOL, Un cimetire particulier de la deuxime dynastie Elkab, Archo-Nil 12 (2002), 47-54.
27
A.C. MACE, The Early Dynastic Cemeteries of Naga-ed-Dr II. University of California Publications, Egyptian Archaeology 3 (Leipzig, 1909); G.A. REISNER, A Provincial
Cemetery of the Pyramid Age: Naga-ed-Dr III, University of California Publications
Egyptian Archaeology 6 (Berkeley, 1932). Larger rock circle tombs are known from
Upper Egypt, at for example al-Kab and Hierakonpolis, but these are made of slabs of
sandstone and are of far more recent date: I. RALSTON, Exploring the Secret of the
Gebel, Nekhen News 14 (2002), 19-20, 19-20; G. PYKE, Ceramic Evidence from the
Tumulus Cemetery, Nekhen News 14 (2002), 20-21.
28
We express our gratitude to inspector asan Mamud Abd al-Ghanni for facilitating this work.
24

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685

Type: Bowl with inner ledge rim and flat base (fig. 1)
Six fragments of bowls with inner ledge rim and flat base were found.
This type of bowl already appears during the Early Dynastic Period,29 and
remains popular in pottery assemblages, both in funerary and settlement
contexts, from both Upper and Lower Egypt.30 The typo-chronological evo29
W.M.F. PETRIE, Medum (London, 1892), pl. XLVI, L 26 a-b; Naqada, tomb 26, date
unknown: E.J. BAUMGARTEL, Petries Naqada Excavation: a Supplement (London, 1970),
pl. XI0; Ballas, tomb 208, Naqada III: W.M.F. PETRIE, Koptos (London, 1896), pl. V; the
tomb of Khasekhemui at Abydos: E.-M. ENGEL, Abydos. Umm el-Qaab, Grab des
Chasechemui, Bulletin de Liaison du Groupe International dEtude de la Cramique
Egyptienne 21 (Cairo, 2000), 50-58, 28, Abb. 8.
30
Tall al-Far{in-Buto, 2nd-3rd Dyn.: U. HARTUNG, P. BALLET, F. BGUIN,
J.D. BOURRIAU, D. DIXNEUF, A. VON DEN DRIESCH, P. FRENCH, R. HARTMANN, T. HERBICH,
C. KITAGAWA, P. KOPP, G. LECUYOT, M.-D. NENNA, A. SCHMITT, G. SENOL, A. SENOL,
Tell el-Farain-Buto, Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archologischen Instituts Abteilung
Kairo 63 (2007), 69-166, Abb. 11.2-3; Elephantine, 2nd-3rd Dyn.: W. KAISER, F. ARNOLD,
M. BOMMAS, T. HIKADE, F. HOFFMAN, H. JARITZ, P. KOPP, W. NIEDERBERGER, J.-P. PTZNICK, B. VON PILGRIM, C. VON PILGRIM, D. RAUE, T.I. RZEUSKA, S. SCHATEN, A. SEILER,
L. STALDER and M. ZIERMANN, Stadt und Tempel von Elephantine 25./26./27. Grabungsbericht, Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archologischen Instituts Abteilung Kairo 55
(1999), 173-190, 180, Abb. 37.6, Abb. 39.5-7; al-Kab, 3rd Dyn. mastaba (unpublished);
3rd Dyn.: S. HENDRICKX and M. EYCKERMAN, The 1955 Excavation of an Early Old
Kingdom Storage Site at Elkab, in: W. CLAES, H. DE MEULENAERE and S. HENDRICKX
(eds.), Elkab and Beyond. Studies in Honour of Luc Limme, Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta 191 (Leuven-Paris-Walpole, 2009), 1-30, no. 8, fig. 18, 3rd Dyn. (?): L. OP DE
BEECK, with the collaboration of F. DEPUYDT, L. MOELANTS and F. ROLOUX, Early Old
Kingdom Pottery from Excavations to the North of the Great Enclosure Wall at Elkab,
in: W. CLAES, H. DE MEULENAERE and S. HENDRICKX (eds.), Elkab and Beyond: Studies
in Honour of Luc Limme, Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta 191 (Leuven, 2009), 49-74,
fig. 4.5; 4th Dyn.(?): J.E. QUIBELL, El Kab, British School of Archaeology in Egypt 3
(London, 1898), pl. XII.27/34/37/39; Saqqara, 3rd-4th Dyn.: T.I. RZEUSKA, West Saqqara
2001, The Pottery, Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean 13 (2002), fig. 1, K.0152/5; al-arif, 4th Dyn.: A. EGGEBRECHT, Frhe Keramik aus El-arif, Mitteilungen des
Deutschen Archologischen Instituts Abteilung Kairo 30 (1974), 171-188, 178, Tf. 51a;
Maidum, early 4th Dyn.: W.M.F. PETRIE, Medum, pl. XXXI.25; Dahshur, early 4th Dyn:
R. STADELMANN, N. ALEXANIAN, Die Friedhfe des Alten und Mittleren Reiches in
Dahschur, Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archologischen Instituts Abteilung Kairo 54
(1998), 293-317, 300, Abb. 3.15; 307, Abb. 6.3/8; Saqqara, 3rd Dyn.: J.E. QUIBELL, The
Tomb of Hesy. Excavations at Saqqara (1911-12) (Cairo, 1913), pl. XXVII.21; Halwan:
C.E. KHLER, Helwan I. Excavations in the Early Dynastic Cemetery Season 1997/98.
Studien zur Archologie und Geschichte Altgyptens 24 (Heidelberg, 2005), pl. 24.10-13;
Giza, 4th Dyn.: K. KROMER, Siedlungsfunde aus dem Frhen Alten Reich in Giseh. sterreichische Ausgrabungen 1971-1975, sterreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften,
Denkschriften der Gesamtakademie 136 (Vienna, 1978), Taf. 23.1; G.A. REISNER, A History of the Giza Necropolis II (Cambridge, 1955), 84, fig. 75, no. 69; early 4th Dyn.:
A. WODZINSKA, Preliminary Ceramic Report, in: M. LEHNER and W. WETTERSTROM
(eds.), Giza Reports, The Giza Plateau Mapping Project Volume 1: Project History, Survey, Ceramics, and Main Street and Gallery III. 4 Operations (Boston, 2007), 279-324,
297, fig. 11.30; Abu Rawwash, 4th Dyn.: S. MARCHAND and M. BAUD, La Cramique
Miniature dAbu Rawash, Bulletin de lInstitut Franais dArchologie Orientale 96

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lution of the bowl with inner ledge rim is well know from material analyzed
at Elephantine where the internal rim seems to broaden over time, as the
vessel becomes shallower.31 From the 4th Dynasty on, a tendency to a more
open and flaring shape can be observed at several sites.32
The Nuwayrat bowls with inner ledge rim are all made in a Nile C
fabric according to the Vienna system,33 and wherever the flat base is
preserved, typical scraping marks are clearly observable on the outside.
The vessels show no further surface treatment, except for a layer of selfslip on both inside and outside. Despite the fact that only a few examples
were analysed, there seems to be a large (Rx around 17cm) and a smaller
sub-type (Rx around 12cm). The shape of N1/1, N1/4 and N2/1 is very
similar to the ones found at Elephantine in Bauschicht VIII.1,34 although
the latter are much larger in size. Exactly the same shape as that of N1/1
is also attested at the nearby site of Dayr al-Barsha (M427/1), where it
was discovered during the 2002 survey in the area of the rock circle
tombs in Zone 8.35 Bowl N1/7 leans more towards the older shapes of
Elephantine as it is deeper and has a smaller inner ledge.36 One example,
(1996), 255-286, 278, n. 53, fig. 8, no. 20-21; Tall El-Fara{in / Buto, 3th-4th Dyn.: T. VON
DER WAY, K. SCHMIDT, E.C. KHLER, Tell el Farin Buto, Mitteilungen des Deutschen
Archologischen Instituts Abteilung Kairo 45 (1989), Abb. 9.2; Sadd al-Kaffara, early
4th Dyn.: G. DREYER and H. JARITZ, Die Arbeiterunterknfte am Sadd el-Kafara, in:
Der Sadd el-Kafara: die lteste Talsperre der Welt, Leichtweiss-Institut fr Wasserbau
der Technischen Universitt (Braunschweig, 1983), Abb. 7.a.
31
W. KAISER, F. ARNOLD, et al., Stadt und Tempel von Elephantine 25./26./27.
Grabungsbericht, 173-190, 183: tieferer Ansatz der Innenleiste.
32
Dahshur: D. FALTINGS, Die Keramik aus den Grabungen an der nrdlichen Pyramide des Snofru in Dahschur. Arbeitsbericht ber die Kampagnen 1983-1986, Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archologischen Instituts Abteilung Kairo 45 (1989), 133-154, 138,
Abb. 3b; Abu Rawwash: S. MARCHAND and M. BAUD, La Cramique Miniature dAbu
Rawash, 278, fig. 8; Giza: G.A. REISNER, A History of the Giza Necropolis II, fig. 115;
A. WODZINSKA, Preliminary Ceramic Report, 279-324, 304, fig. 11 (30 CD32A),
K. KROMER, Siedlungsfunde aus dem Frhen Alten Reich in Giseh, Tf. 23.1,5; al-Shaykh
Sa{id: H. WILLEMS, S. VEREECKEN, L. KUIJPER, B. VANTHUYNE, E. MARINOVA, V. LINSEELE, G. VERSTRAETEN, S. HENDRICKX, M. EYKERMAN, A. VAN DEN BROECK, W. VAN
NEER, J. BOURRIAU, P. FRENCH, CHR. PEETERS, V. DE LAET, S. MORTIER, Z. DE KOONING,
An Industrial Site at al-Shaykh-Sa{id/Wadi Zabayda gypten & Levante 19 (2009) 310-311,
fig. 10. Sadd al-Kaffara, early 4th Dyn.: G. DREYER and H. JARITZ, Die Arbeiterunterknfte am Sadd el-Kafara, Abb. 7 (a).
33
H.-. NORDSTRM and J. BOURRIAU, Ceramic Technology: Clays and Fabrics, in:
DO. ARNOLD and J. BOURRIAU (eds.), An Introduction to Ancient Egyptian Pottery, Sonderschrift des Deutschen Archologischen Instituts Abteilung Kairo 17 (Mainz, 1993), 173-174.
34
W. KAISER, F. ARNOLD, et al., Stadt und Tempel von Elephantine 25./26./27.
Grabungsbericht, 173-190, Abb. 39.5-7.
35
L. OP DE BEECK and S. HENDRICKX, Deir al-Barsha Pottery Survey, Bulletin de
lInstitut Franais dArchologie Orientale (In press).
36
W. KAISER, F. ARNOLD, et al., Stadt und Tempel von Elephantine 25./26./27.
Grabungsbericht, Abb. 37.3.

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N1/8, stands out because of its particular shape, as the inner ledge is
much larger than on the ones mentioned before. All this taken together
makes a date in the late 3rd to early 4th Dynasty very plausible. A later
date can be ruled out as the examples from the mid 4th Dynasty from
al-Shaykh Sa{id37 and Giza38 are characterised by a more flaring and
shallow shape.
Diagnostic

Fabric

Rx

R-Ledge

Surf. Treat.

N1/1

Nile C

18

5,6

1,4

Self-slip

N1/4

Nile C

12,5

3,8

0,8

Self-slip

N1/7

Nile C

12

5,5

0,7

Self-slip

N1/8

Nile C

17

4,5

1,2

Self-slip

N2/1

Nile C

16,5

5,2

Self-slip

Type: Beer jar (fig. 2)

Two examples were found of beer jars with a so-called Kragenhals,
formed by a ledge on the outside of the rim. This type is well-known
from the site of Elephantine where it appears from the late 2nd Dynasty
onwards, into the beginning of the 4th Dynasty, with its floruit clearly
during the 3rd Dynasty,39 which is confirmed by many parallels all over
the country.40 Several examples were also found in the mastabas of the
3rd and 4th Dynasties at Saqqara.41

37

W. WILLEMS et al., An Industrial Site at al-Shaykh-Sa{id/Wadi Zabayda, gypten &

Levante 19 (2009), 310-311, fig. 10.
38
A. WODZINSKA, Preliminary Ceramic Report, 297, fig. 11.30.
39
W. KAISER, F. ARNOLD, et al., Stadt und Tempel von Elephantine 25./26./27.
Grabungsbericht, 181, Abb. 37.8, 38.3.
40
Al-Kab, 3rd Dyn. unpublished; Abydos: W.M.F. PETRIE, Abydos II, Egypt Exploration Fund Memoir 24 (London, 1903), pl. XLIII, 80; Qaw, 3rd Dyn.: G. BRUNTON, Qau
and Badari I, British School of Archaeology in Egypt 44 (London, 1927), pl. XXIV,
68F3-4; Bayt Khallaf, 3rd Dyn.: J. GARSTANG, Mahsna and Bt Khallf, Egyptian
Research Account 7 (London, 1902), pl. XXI, 29; Maidum, 3rd Dyn.: W.M.F. PETRIE,
E. MACKAY and G.A. WAINWRIGHT, Meydum and Memphis III, British School of Archaeology in Egypt 18 (London, 1910), pl. XXXVI, 63; Dahshur, 4th Dyn.: D. FALTINGS, Die
Keramik aus den Grabungen an der nrdlichen Pyramide des Snofru in Dahschur, 133154, 138, Abb. 3b, R. STADELMANN and N. ALEXANIAN, Die Friedhfe des Alten und
Mittleren Reiches in Dahschur, 293-317, 300, Abb. 3.11; 307, Abb. 6.11-17. For an
overview on the typology of beer jars see also D. FALTINGS, Die Keramik der Lebensmittelproduktion im Alten Reich, 221, Abb. 16.10, 11, 14, 18, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46.
41
H. GHALY, Ein Friedhof von Ziegelmastabas des Alten Reiches am Unasaufweg in
Saqqara, Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archologischen Instituts Abteilung Kairo 50
(1994), 57-69, 66, Abb. 5; T.I. RZEUSKA, West Saqqara 2000, The Pottery, Polish
Archaeology in the Mediterranean 12 (2001), 138-147, 39, fig. 1.1-3.

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M. DE MEYER ET AL

The two beer jar fragments found at Nuwayrat are both made in a Nile
C fabric and have a thin layer of self slip, caused by the shaping and
finishing of the vessels with wet hands. A row of fingerprints is still
clearly visible on the inside of N1/2. The rim diameter of the jars lies
around 10 cm, which seems to be a regular size for this type of vessel.42
Diagnostic

Fabric

Rx

Sx

R-Ledge

Surf. Treat.

N1/3

Nile C

7,6

14,2

2,5

self-slip

N1/2

Nile C

10

5,8

15

2,5

self-slip

Type: Maidum bowl (fig. 3)

Six fragments could be determined as coming from Maidum bowls,
and although no parts of the bases are preserved, different subtypes can
be recognized according to the shaping of the shoulder (rounded or carinated), the height and the different position of the rim and shoulder
(Rx<Sx or Rx=Sx).
N1/6, N2/5 and N2/4 are all fairly deep Maidum bowls with a welldeveloped neck and the maximum diameter located on the shoulder. The
combination of these features rather points to an Early Old Kingdom
date,43 which is confirmed by parallels from different sites such as Tall
al-Far{in44, al-Kab45 and Elephantine,46 dating to the late 2nd, 3rd and
4th Dynasties. Similar shapes were also found at Dayr al-Barsha47 scattered around the stone circle tombs.
N1/8 and N1/9 on the other hand, represent a later tradition of Maidum
bowls as the shallow shape in combination with the sharp shoulder is a
typical feature of 4th and 5th Dynasty bowls.48 The round-shouldered
bowl N1/5 with its maximum diameter on the shoulder and the outwards
recurved rim is a subtype that already appears in the early Old Kingdom
but remains popular until the end of it.49
42
W. KAISER, F. ARNOLD, et al., Stadt und Tempel von Elephantine 25./26./27.
Grabungsbericht, Abb. 36.7, 37.8, 38.3.
43
L. OP DE BEECK, Possibilities and Restrictions for the Use of Maidum-Bowls as
Chronological Indicators, Cahiers de la Cramique gyptienne 7 (2004), 239-280, 270.
44
U. HARTUNG et al. Tell el-Farain-Buto Abb. 11.8 and 11.9: 2nd-3rd Dyn.
45
L. OP DE BEECK, Possibilities and Restrictions, 248, Fig. 3.15, 25, 16, 22-23;
S. HENDRICKX and S. M. EYCKERMAN, The 1955 Excavation of an Early Old Kingdom
Storage Site at Elkab, fig. 16: 3rd-4th Dyn.
46
W. KAISER, F. ARNOLD, et al., Stadt und Tempel von Elephantine 25./26./27.
Grabungsbericht, Abb. 39.1-2: late 3rd Dyn.
47
L. OP DE BEECK, Restrictions of the Use of Maidum-Bowls as Chronological Indicators, Chronique dgypte 75 (2000), 7, fig. 1.
48
L. OP DE BEECK, Possibilities and Restrictions, 270.
49
L. OP DE BEECK, Possibilities and Restrictions, 267-268: type B3b1.

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689

The presence of both the early and the transition to a later Old Kingdom tradition of Maidum bowl shapes confirms the dating of the pottery
into the late 3rd-early 4th Dynasty.50
Diagnostic

Fabric

Rx

Sx

Surf. Treat.

N1/5

Marl A1

20,6

4,5

22

polished in
& out

red slip in
& out

N1/6

Nile B1

16

17

polished in
& out

red slip in
& out

N1/8

Nile B1

21,6

3,6

22

polished in
& out

red slip in
& out

N1/9

Nile B1

22,6

3,5

23,6

polished in
& out

red slip in
& out

N2/4

Marl A1

15

6,6

17

polished in
& out

red slip in
& out

N2/5

Nile B1

14,5

5,7

17,2

polished in
& out

red slip in
& out

Type: storage jar with pronounced rim (fig. 4)

Storage jars in Marl A1 are represented in the Nuwayrat survey assemblage by two rim sherds. Both fragments are just large enough to show
an angled transition from body to neck, which is very characteristic for
the Old Kingdom. The rim is in both cases pronounced, but the one on
N2/2 has a more triangular shape while the rim of N2/3 is finished in a
more rounded way. Both jars were carefully smoothed and there are no
traces of use observable on the rim, which could indicate that these were
made for a funerary purpose only.
This type of storage jar is also part of the traditional pottery corpus of the
Old Kingdom and is found on many sites throughout the country, in funerary
contexts as well as in settlement sites. The fact that this type of jar does not
seem to evolve much during the Old Kingdom, makes it difficult to use it for
exact dating, but the angled transition from body to neck does not appear in
the late Old Kingdom. In Elephantine for example, this type of storage jar
already appears in the earliest layers and is still present in the corpora of the
4th Dynasty.51 The same shape as N2/3 was also discovered at Tall al-Far{inButo,52 where it can be dated to the late 2nd-3rd Dynasty.
50
For more on the use of Maidum bowls as chronological indicators and parallels from
other sites, see L. OP DE BEECK, Possibilities and Restrictions.
51
W. KAISER, F. ARNOLD, et al., Stadt und Tempel von Elephantine 25./26./27.
Grabungsbericht, Abb. 36.6, Abb. 40.5.
52
U. HARTUNG et al., Tell el-Farain-Buto, Abb. 12.3.

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M. DE MEYER ET AL

Diagnostic

Fabric

Rx

Neck

Surf. Treat

N2/2

Marl A1

6,3

10

Not used,
smoothed

Self-slip?

N2/3

Marl A1

9,2

4,2

10

Not used,
smoothed

Self-slip?

4. Conclusion
The pottery we sampled clearly dates to the 3rd Dynasty to early 4th
Dynasty. This largely confirms Garstangs early dating for the cemetery,
as against Kesslers proposal for a date in the 5th and 6th Dynasties. Our
sample is admittedly small, but during our visits to the site we never
encountered 5th to 6th Dynasty pottery anywhere, except in one location
to be mentioned below. On the whole, the material is very homogeneous.
Of course, the amount of potsherds here described in detail is far too small
to detect possible chronological trends within the 3rd-4th Dynasty time
frame. Such a trend is however likely, as it was shown that the size and
complexity of the rock tomb chapels evolves from a very small and simple
model in the north of the site to a far larger model with different chambers,
sometimes decorated with false doors and painting, in the central part. No
pottery was sampled in the southern half of the site in 2006. Its southernmost extremity was, in fact, not even reached then. However, during a visit
in 2009, this part was briefly inspected. As was shown below, Garstang
considers these tombs the earliest of the whole site, apparently predominantly based on the presence of very simple burials under inverted pots
there. Although the burial with a pottery coffin he illustrates in his fig. 15
must be of early Old Kingdom date, there is no apparent reason why it
should be earlier than the other tombs at the site. In fact, the rock tombs
here in many cases look more recent, with rectangular chapel rooms with
axially located entrance doors. Also some Maidum sherds seen here are of
later Old Kingdom date.53 Moreover, pot burials such as were found here
by Garstang, in fact continue until as late as the late Old Kingdom.54 This
suggests that some 3rd-4th Dynasty burials may be deposited here, but that
this part of the site remained in use until later in the Old Kingdom. There
is no reason to assign any of the burials to as early as the 2nd Dynasty, as
Garstang seems to do.
53
Since we had no permission to pick up sherds for analysis, and our visit was only
brief, we are unable to provide any more detailed description of this material.
54
S.J. SEIDLMAYER, Grberfelder, 148.

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The similarities of the ceramic corpus and the distribution pattern of

both rock tombs and stone circle tombs suggest strongly that both tomb
types are contemporary. This in turn renders it likely that a social ranking is present in this cemetery: some dead were buried in rock-cut tombs,
others in (much simpler) rock circle tombs. Although the two tomb types
have much in common in terms of funerary equipment, it seems as
though one part of the community had a very simple kind of funerary
culture, while at least some owners of the rock tombs had a degree of
familiarity with developing customs in the residence. This is borne out
by the presence of false doors and occasionally decoration here. It is
tempting to explain this diversity in terms of a rural community of which
the elite adopted a more sophisticated kind of funerary apparel, whereas
the burial of the rest of the population displays the characteristics of a
folk culture.
It has been shown that this folk culture, of which the rock circle tombs
are the hallmark, also occurs at Dayr al-Barsha. Interestingly, at the latter
site no contemporary rock chapels are present, perhaps suggesting the
presence of a settlement with less access to the funerary culture of the
residence. Stated otherwise, the Dayr al-Barsha cemetery might reflect a
normal rural settlement in Middle Egypt, while the one in Nuwayrat
would exemplify a community with emergent supraregional connections.
Although one can, on present evidence, only speculate about what may
have motivated such connections, some suggestions can be made.
It is clear that direct involvement of the royal court with the region
where Nuwayrat is located, became very strong in the course of the
3rd Dynasty, because a miniature pyramid was established precisely at
Zawiyat al-Mayyitin, ten kilometres further north, in the later 3rd Dynasty.55
While it is still unclear what the purpose of these 3rd Dynasty miniature
55
See H. WILLEMS et al., An Industrial Site at al-Shaykh-Sa{id/Wadi Zabayda, 18,
for the date and references to further literature. S.H. AUFRRE, Lorigine de lalbtre la
1re dynastie daprs les inscriptions des vases provenant des galeries de la pyramide
degrs, Bulletin de lInstitut Franais dArchologie Orientale 103 (2003), 1-15 has
argued that Zawiyat al-Mayyitin already occupied a privileged place since the 1st Dynasty,
when it would have become a key provider of calcite alabaster to the court. However, both
the dating and interpretation of the ink jottings on stone vases found under the Djoser
pyramid, on which Aufrre bases his interpretations, are incorrect (see I. REGULSKI, Second
Dynasty Ink Inscriptions from Saqqara paralleled in the Abydos Material from the Royal
Museums of Art and History (RMAH) in Brussels, in: S. HENDRICKX, R.F. FRIEDMAN and
K.M. CIAOWICZ (eds.), Egypt at its Origins. Studies in Memory of Barbara Adams, Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta 138 (Leuven, 2004), 949-970). Nevertheless it remains a not
unlikely possibility that the importance of Zawiyat al-Mayyitin rested to no mean extent
on the availability of good quality calcite alabaster there.

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M. DE MEYER ET AL

pyramids was, it stands to reason that they were royal cult places. The
only miniature pyramid for which a context is known is the one at Elephantine. As Seidlmayer56 has shown, this pyramid belonged to a royal
domain from the time of king Huni, of the later 3rd Dynasty. It is not
unlikely that the pyramid in Zawiyat al-Mayyitin had a similar function,
and therefore that there was a royal domain here.
A short while later, the list of royal domains in the so-called Valley
Temple of the rhomboidal pyramid of Snofru lists five such institutions
in the 16th Upper Egyptian nome.57 It is important to note that no other
nome in Egypt at this time is associated with so many royal domains.
One of the five may well have existed at Zawiyat al-Mayyitin. Another
domain in the region was named Menat-Snofru. There can be little doubt
that the place name Menat-Khufu, which designated a settlement in the
same nome, belongs to the same domain which was reinstated (and given
a new name) under Khufu. Kessler has argued that this domain lay south
of Bani asan, in front of the mouth of the wadi where the Speos Artemidos is located. During his investigations in the area, Kessler noticed a
number of tombs here that are of the same type as the rock tombs of
Nuwayrat, and he suggested that these tombs belonged to the elite of the
domain of Menat-Khufu.58 If this interpretation is correct, there is some
likelihood that the similarly fashioned rock tombs at Nuwayrat also
belong to the elite of a royal domain. This also enables us to attain
greater specificity on the nature of the social differentiation at the site.
To round off this study we will try to place the Nuwayrat tombs in
wider perspective. In the current literature on early Old Kingdom architecture, Middle Egypt constitutes a blank spot. In this regard the miniature pyramid at Zawiyat al-Mayyitin stands out in splendid isolation. We
now begin to see that this pyramid fits into a wider picture. But more
evidence can be added.
Recent study of the Dayr al-Barsha project in al-Shaykh Sa{id has led
to the discovery of an early 4th Dynasty stone working site that, in terms
of material culture, has close similarities with the late 3rd Dynasty royal
domain at Elephantine.59 This was probably a royal domain created for
56
S.J. SEIDLMAYER, Town and State in the early Old Kingdom. A View from Elephantine, in: J. SPENCER (ed.), Aspects of Early Egypt (London, 1996), 119.
57
A. FAKHRY, The Monuments of Sneferu at Dahshur. The Valley Temple I. The Temple Reliefs (Cairo, 1961), 39-42.
58
D. KESSLER, Historische Topographie, 197-198.
59
H. WILLEMS et al., An Industrial Site at al-Shaykh-Sa{id/Wadi Zabayda gypten &
Levante 19 (2009), 293-331.

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the production of calcite alabaster. It seems that this new domain was
instated during the reign of king Khufu. Arguably, the well known calcite alabaster quarries at Hatnub, where the first inscriptional evidence
dates back to the same king, also formed part of a royal domain.60
Ten kilometres north of al-Shaykh Sa{id, in Dayr Abu Hinnis, our team
in 2009 discovered a small cemetery of which the most important tomb
was a small trapezoid mastaba orientated North-South, containing two
tomb shafts, and having one or two offering niches in the eastern faade.
It clearly follows the model of the large mastabas at Giza. Even though
nothing is known about the owner, this observation suggests he must
have been a member of an early Old Kingdom rural elite with connections to the national residence. The possibility that a royal domain existed
nearby cannot be proved, but is not unlikely either.
Some 20 km North of Zawiyat al-Mayyitin, and 2 km south of Tihna
al-Jabal, are the Fraser tombs. Ny-ka-ankh, the owner of the two most
lavishly decorated tombs at the site, held the titles of chief priest in the
temple of Hathor of Ra-inet and supervisor of a domain. His tomb dates
to the very beginning of the 5th Dynasty, but it is possible to link other
tombs at the site to his father and grandfather. Like Ny-ka-ankh, they
were also the owners of large, rock-cut mastabas clearly inspired by the
mastabas constructed around that time at Giza. It is moreover possible
that some of the mastabas at the site are of even earlier date. There is no
proof that these ancestors of Ny-ka-ankh were already in charge of royal
domains, but considering that such a domain was clearly there early in
the 5th Dynasty, this possibility should not be ruled out either.61 The
Fraser tombs are somewhat later than those discussed before, but it
should be noted that the town of Ra-inet, to which they belong, has not
yet been localized. According to Kessler, the town was not identical with
Tihna, but rather with Nazlat al-Shurafa, some kilometres further south.
Even though this site has been ravaged already in Antiquity by quarry
activity, there is still evidence for Old Kingdom tombs.62
60

See for a more extensive argumentation H. WILLEMS et al., An Industrial Site at

al-Shaykh-Sa{id/Wadi Zabayda, 325.
61
The date of the Tihna tombs is much debated. Our interpretation rests upon a study
to be published elsewhere H. WILLEMS, Zum sozialen Hintergrund der Bestimmungen des
Ny-k-{n bei Tihna al-Jabal, in: H.-W. FISCHER-ELFERT (ed.), Festschrift Detlef Franke
(in press).
62
D. KESSLER, Historische Topographie, 225-252. Kessler tends to date these tombs
much later in the Old Kingdom, but this is based on his acceptance of Goedickes late
dating of the Fraser tombs. For the inadequacy of this see H. WILLEMS, Zum sozialen
Hintergrund.

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M. DE MEYER ET AL

There is no need to stress the patchy nature of the evidence, but the
least that can be said is that Middle Egypt is no longer a blank spot
on the map of early Old Kingdom Egypt. It can be argued that more
or less regularly spaced sites that were probably (linked to) royal
domains existed: Nazlat al-Shurafa - Zawiyat al-Mayyitin - Bani
asan south - Dayr Abu Hinnis - al-Shaykh Said - Hatnub. In between
there were sites like Dayr al-Barsha, where, judging from the funerary
culture, no clear interference from the residence is apparent. Our reinvestigation of Nuwayrat, which will be intensified in the coming
years, thus not only helps to settle the debate of its date, but also
enables us to explain the social differentiation apparent in the tombs
there.
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Abbreviations
Rx:
Sx:
Mx:
H:
R-Ledge:
Surf. Treat.:

93820_AstonEtal_CS4ME_33.indd 697

rim diameter
diameter on the shoulder
maximum diameter
height
distance from rim to ledge
surface treatment

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M. DE MEYER ET AL

Fig. 1. Bowl with inner ledge rim and flat base. Scale 1:4.

Fig. 2. Beer jar. Scale 1:4.

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699

Fig. 3. Maidum bowl. Scale 1:4.

Fig. 4. Storage jar with pronounced rim. Scale 1:4.

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M. DE MEYER ET AL

Pl. 1. General view of the northern part of the necropolis of Nuwayrat

showing the double row of rock tombs (Photo MDM). The material from
N2 is located in a gully with debris from the rock tombs above.

Pl. 2. One of the rock tombs at Nuwayrat, showing the almost square
entrance door, and the onset of a shaft in the southern part of the small
tomb chapel. (Photo MDM).

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701

Pl. 3. The northern rock tombs and rock circle graves (photo SH).

Pl. 4. The southern rock tombs (photo SH).

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M. DE MEYER ET AL

Pl. 5. Oblong pottery coffin (photo BVT).

Pl. 6. Remains of an inverted pot burial (photo BVT).

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