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 the
east 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
.ynasties
The cemetery seems to have developed from north to south and
consists of three parts
! /redynastic 0emetery U in the north1
" 0emetery 2 $ith royal tombs of .ynasty 3 and the early 1st .ynasty in the
middle1
# the tomb comple-es of si- "ings and one 4ueen of the 1st .ynasty and t$o
"ings of the %nd .ynasty in the south
The 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 in
1566-1633 ,ome parts of the cemetery $ere in#estigated again in 1611-1%
by E/eet and E)a#ille ,ince 168* the 9erman :nstitute of Archaeology
(.A:) has been ree-amining the entire cemetery To date, parts of 0emetery
U, 0emetery 2 and the comple-es of .en (.e$en) and Qaa ha#e been re-
e-ca#ated, and more limited in#estigations ha#e been conducted at the
subsidiary tombs of .;er and the comple-es of .;et (<ad;) and
+hase"hem$y The comple- of .en is being reconstructed
$rom the very be%innin%, these tombs ha#e been plundered many times
and most of the 1st .ynasty tombs sho$ traces of immense fires The finds
from the early e-ca#ations $ere in part sold (by Amelineau) and distributed to
many collections The most important ones are in 2erlin, 2russels, 0airo,
0hateaudun, 0hicago (=riental :nstitute), >ondon (Uni#ersity 0ollege, 2ritish
?useum), )e$ @or" (?etropolitan ?useum), =-ford, /aris (>ou#re) and
/hiladelphia (Uni#ersity ?useum) The artifacts found by the 9erman mission
are stored at Abydos
0emetery U
0emetery U co#ers an area of circa 133-%33m on a slightly ele#ated plateau
bet$een 0emetery 2 and the Ahe"a-reshuA hill ($here /etrie found )e$
+ingdom sha$abtis inscribed $ith this name) Amelineau reports e-ca#ating
circa 1!3-&3 gra#es of different types here (in four daysB)1 *% small gra#es
$ere e-ca#ated by /eet in 1611 2oth e-ca#ators published only a fe$ details
$ithout a general plan
Durin% the clearance of the desert surface by the DA&, about C33 gra#e
pits and hundreds of small empty offering pits ()e$ +ingdom and later) $ere
mapped 2y 166* about 1%3 tombs had been e-ca#ated, mostly in the central
and southern part but a fe$ at the north$estern edge 0eramics are those of
the /redynastic ()agada) culture of Upper Egypt, $hich $ere first described
and classified by /etrie and later re#ised in )agada culture sub-periods by
<erner +aiser
:n )agada :-::a times 0emetery U seems to ha#e been fairly undifferentiated,
although there are a fe$ some$hat rich burials Thus far the )agada ::b-c
sub-period is underrepresented (there are almost no .-class pots), but in
)agada ::d% the cemetery had ob#iously de#eloped into an elite one, $ith
large tombs $hich $ere probably those of chieftains (and their "in) The
multiple-chamber tombs ()agada :::a) and the larger single-chamber tombs
()agada :::a-:::bD.ynasty 3) belonged, in all li"elihood, to a se4uence of rulers
succeeded by the "ings of .ynasty 3, $ho $ere buried in 0emetery 2
'f particular importance is the lar%e tomb, U-;, disco#ered in 1655
According to calibrated radiocarbon samples, it dates to circa 1!3 years
before +ing Aha (beginning of the 1st .ynasty) The tomb is di#ided into
t$el#e chambers and measures 61E8*m
$i%ure ( Umm el-Qaab, Abydos, )emeteries U and * +!,,"-
Although robbed and perhaps partly e-ca#ated earlier, Tomb U-; still
contained 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 the
floor, 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 $as at a de#eloped stage :n all li"elihood, the numbers indicate
siFes of pieces of cloth and the signs presumably gi#e the pro#enance of
different goods At least some of the inscriptions are readable ($ith phonetic
#alues), mentioning administrati#e institutions, royal (agricultural) estates, or
localities such as 2uto and 2ubastis in the .elta ?any of the <-class pots
are also AinscribedA $ith one or t$o large signs in blac" in" The most fre4uent
sign is a scorpion, sometimes together $ith a plant This is li"ely to be read as
the A(agricultural) estate of ,corpionA 2ecause of the high fre4uency of pots
$ith this toponym, it can probably be concluded that a "ing named ,corpion
$as buried in the tomb
0emetery 2
0emetery 2 is the location of three double- chamber tombs of .ynasty 3
(21D%, 28D6, 218D 15) and t$o tomb comple-es of the early 1st .ynasty
(213D1!D16G1&, 2C3D!3) The area to the north$est of these tombs is still
co#ered by debris and has ne#er been cleared
$i%ure . &nscribed labels from Tomb U-/, Umm el-Qaab, Abydos +"!-0
Petries attribution of the tombs to 1in%s 2orus 3o +*l/"-, +a (28),
)armer(H) (2:=), ,ma(H) (21!) and Aha(H) (216) $as $idely accepted until
+aiser re-e-amined the information in /etries report ,ince a +ing A,maA
ne#er e-isted, +aiser concluded that the three large chambers (2:=D1!D16)
together $ith the ro$s of subsidiary chambers (21&) should in fact be
ascribed to +ing Aha1 $hereas the groups of double chambers $ere most
li"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 $as fully confirmed and the tombs de#elopment
became much clearer
The relati#e se4uence of the double chamber tombs is clearly demonstrated
by their siFes and positions (follo$ing the general north-south de#elopment)
E#idence of inscribed pots from 21D% and 28 indicates that these t$o tombs
belonged to (+ings) :r;-Kor (/etries Jo) and +a ,cattered seal impressions
and different artifacts $ith inscriptions found around 218D15 are e#idence that
this tomb belonged to )armer These "ings $ere the last rulers of .ynasty 3
The inscribed material found nearby, as $ell as the similarities of construction
and siFe of the large chambers (circa 8!EC!m, and *&m deep), lea#e no
doubt 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$ tomb
goods $ere found in 21! and 216, $hich had been robbed and $ere later set
on fire Kuman remains $ere collected around the subsidiary chambers of
21& ?ost of the bones $ere of young males about t$enty years of age, $ho
must ha#e been "illed $hen the "ing $as buried )ear the long easternmost
chamber, bones of at least se#en young lions $ere found
2C3, a large pit similar in siFe to 213D1!D16 but $ithout a mudbric" lining, $as
disco#ered in 165! Although there $ere remains of a $ooden roof
construction, 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 $as
probably intended for the subsidiary burials 2C3 $as probably regarded as
not suitable, and the "ing (and his $ifeH) $ere buried in the southern
chambers 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 and
Qaa, and Queen ?eret-)eith of the 1st .ynasty, generally ha#e the same
plan This consists of a large burial chamber surrounded by storerooms and
many subsidiary burial chambers for ser#ants (men, $omen, d$ar#es) and
dogs
The burial chambers all contained a large $ooden shrine The earliest "no$n
use 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 7rom
the time of .en there is a staircase leading into this chamber, $hich $as
bloc"ed off after the burial :n the earlier tombs the storerooms are inside the
burial chamber (.;er, .;et)1 in the later tombs they are attached to the $alls on
the outside or #ery close to it (.en)
$rom D/er to Den, the subsidiary burial chambers are arranged in separate
ro$s around the royal burial chamber1 only in the comple-es of ,mer"het and
Qaa are they attached to it The largest of these tomb comple-es, belonging
to .;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" (all
in $ooden coffins) :n all probability they $ere "illed to ser#e the "ing in his
afterlife, but this custom ceased at the end of the 1st .ynasty The t$o %nd
.ynasty tombs here, belonging to +ings /eribsen and +hase"hem$y,
contained no subsidiary burials
)o remains of superstructures ha#e been found, but it is li"ely that the royal
burial chambers $ere co#ered by a mound of sand
At each tomb comple- there $ere t$o large stelae $ith the o$ners name
The most famous one, the stela of .;et, $as found by Amelineau and is no$
in the >ou#re There $ere also small stelae for the occupants of the subsidiary
chambers, including those of the dogs (.en) )one of these stelae, ho$e#er,
$ere found in situ
Apart from an arm $ith bracelets made of precious stones, $hich $as found
ha#ing been hidden by robbers behind the staircase in .;ers tomb, and t$o
fragmentary s"eletons in +hase"hem$ys tomb, no other remains of the royal
burials $ere disco#ered ,ome of the subsidiary burials and storerooms,
ho$e#er, $ere found more or less undisturbed
1hase7hem6ys lar%e tomb has the ne$ feature of a limestone-lined burial
chamber, built belo$ the floor le#el This tomb has a completely different
design from the other royal tombs at this site, and is similar to the gallery
tombs of the %nd .ynasty at ,a44ara $ith an increased number of
storerooms
:mportant e#idence of $riting has been found in the tomb of Qaa ,eal
impressions of Ketepse"hem$y, the first "ing of the %nd .ynasty, indicate that
he completed QaaMs burial and there $as no brea" bet$een the dynasties
:mpressions of another seal found here, probably used by the administration
of the cemetery, lists the names of all the "ings buried at Umm el-Qaab, from
)armer to Qaa About thirty i#ory labels $ith inscriptions referring to
deli#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 because
of its association $ith the cult of =siris, $ho $as belie#ed to ha#e been buried
here :t thus became the most sacred site in Egypt, and during the )e$
+ingdom and >ate period thousands of pilgrims left large amounts of offering
pots, mostly small bo$ls called 4a Nab in Arabic (hence the modern name of
Umm el-Qaab) Amelineau estimated a total of about eight million pots
There 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 $ere found on the floor of the burial chamber, and
a staircase had been built o#er the remaining lo$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#e
ta"en place at the same time A bier for =siris ($ith an erased inscription) $as
found in this tomb by Amelineau
$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 plundered
cemetery and a settlement consisting of artifacts scattered o#er the surface
for about 1"m along the edge of culti#ated land The $hole site co#ers about
C3ha
The site $as disco#ered at the beginning of the century by Kenri de ?organ,
$ho e-ca#ated a part of the settlement and the plundered tombs ?ost of the
associated finds are no$ in the 2roo"lyn ?useum :n 168* 7ernand .ebono,
$or"ing for the 7rench :nstitute of Archaeology in 0airo, e-ca#ated thirty badly
plundered tombs in an area of the cemetery $hich, by 1655, had been
destroyed by e-tending the land under culti#ation
E9cavations of 6hat remained of the site 6ere be%un in !,.,, under the
direction of 2eatri- ?idant-Jeynes for the 7rench :nstitute A surface
collection $as first conducted, follo$ed by se#eral field seasons of
e-ca#ation This re#ealed a comple- de#elopment of the settlement, $hich
gradually shifted in location from the desert to the #alley during the course of
the /redynastic and Early .ynastic periods (fourth and early third millennia
20)
The settlement is di#ided to the north and south by a large east-$est
depression $hich has been identified as a clay 4uarry, but its date remains
un"no$n =n the northern side, terraces of gra#el and silt sho$ e#idence of
much disturbance by illicit digging for organic remains of the ancient
settlement (sebba"h), used by local farmers for fertiliFer The southern side
consists 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 from
1* to 1C!cm (a#eraging circa C!cm)1 they #aried from % to 16cm in depth
(a#eraging circa 5cm) The trenches are probably the remains of reed fences
plastered $ith mud and occasionally reinforced $ith $ooden posts, as found
at other /redynastic sites ?ore enigmatic are the holes, $hich could
sometimes be interpreted as postholes, but most of them are too large and
not deep enough for postholes
/aleobotanical material $as reco#ered by flotation from the filling of the holes,
including seeds of $heat (Triticum monococcum) and barley (Kordeum
sati#um) E#idence for t$o "inds of acti#ities is found hereI storage of grain,
and poundingDgrinding grain The ab-sence of large grinding stones at the site
and the presence of an elongated, rod-shaped, granite hammerstone in one
of these holes suggest the latter function
2ased on the potsherds found in the filling of the trenches and holes, these
structures date to the earlyDmiddle /redynastic period (end of )agada : to the
middle 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 an
undisturbed domestic area of special interest 7eatures such as hearths,
storage ;ars and large grinding stones of granite and limestone contrast $ith
badly eroded d$ellings, the remains of $hich consisted of consolidated sand
mi-ed $ith sherds )umerous postholes and small $ooden posts suggest
light houses of timbers and reed At least t$o occupational phases ha#e been
identified There is also e#idence here of four ne$born infants, a s"ull of a
young adult and fi#e animal s"eletons =ne of the ne$born remains $as
associated $ith a small pot and a )ile shell (Etheria elliptica), $hich $as
probably 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 buried
in the cemetery at el-Adaima, and the buried s"ull may be ritually connected
to such burial practices) The s"eletons of four dogs and one pig $ere found
in pits $hich had been dug in the completely #irgin soil apart from the other
settlement 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 $ere completely
destroyed ?ost of the burials, ho$e#er, had been disturbed during
/redynastic times and some obser#ations about the human remains and the
funerary offerings $ere possible
)oncernin% mortuary practices, t$o "inds of burials can be distinguishedI
single burials (5%) and multiple burials (%1) The single burials included those
$ith gra#e goods (up to thirty #essels), and those $ithout (t$o undisturbed
burials) The multiple burials included double burials (t$o out of se#enteen
$ere intact) and burials $ith three s"eletons (three, all disturbed) =ne burial
contained fi#e s"eletons associated $ith a large hearth1 this burial had been
badly plundered, so that the hearth ashes $ere mi-ed $ith bro"en human
bones A fe$ cases of infectious disease ha#e been identified from the human
remains, $hich is an interesting occurrence in this pre-urban period
The multi-component character of the site of el-Adaima, $ith its
functionally specific acti#ity areas and domestic units, ma"es it an important
site for data on Egyptian prehistory, the paleoen#ironment and subsistence
strategies <ith a contemporaneous cemetery and settlement, comparisons of
the different data can be made E#en though it is partially disturbed, the site
offers information of special rele#ance to those interested in to$n planning,
daily life and mortuary practices The stone tool industry and the ceramics
also pro#ide samples for comparison $ith other late prehistoric sites in Egypt
and abroad