mastabas of the old kingdom @ saqqara The tomb of Irukaptah at Saqqara, also called Khenu
mastabas of the old kingdom @ saqqara The tomb of Irukaptah at Saqqara, also called Khenu
This is part of a group of eleven burials which are located
immediately to the south of the causeway leading to the pyramid of Unas,
discovered and searched in 1940 by Abd el-salam Mohammed Hussein. Its
owner was an official of intermediate official rank – as was his
neighbours. His main title was appropriately that of an employee of the
butcher’s shop, in the service of the king. It is the scenes of the
butcher’s shop which were worthy of the famous nickname given to the
tomb, that of “tomb of the butchers”.
Although
listed under “mastabas”, this is actually a tomb; mastabas were
provided with a major structure above the ground surface. The area of
Saqqara contains a great many mastabas.
The chapel of the tomb is
small, but remarkable, on the one hand because it is dug entirely into
the cliff, on the other hand because it includes a set of fourteen statues in variable degrees of finish, of which some – exceptional for the Old Kingdom – preserved their polychromic colour.
DATING OF THE TOMB AND POLITICAL CONTEXT
A large range of dates, extending from the 5th Dynasty to the
First Intermediate Period, has been proposed for this tomb, but in her
work dedicated to the monument, Ann McFarlane proposes the end of the 5th Dynasty, the reign of Menkauhor or Djedkare,
before the reign of Unas and the edification of his causeway. It would
thus be contemporary with the mastaba of Ty and slightly later than the
mastaba of Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep (which maybe served as a model for
Irukaptah).
The 5th Dynasty lasted about 150 years (about 2500 to 2350 B.C.).
This had the following nine sovereigns: Userkaf, Sahure,
Neferirkare-Kakai, Shepseskare, Neferefre, Nyuserre Ini, Menkauhor,
Djedkare Isesi and Unas. This was a period of deep changes, with notably
the highest position opening to men not belonging to the royal
family and the progressive transformation of the country in a
bureaucratic state. Towards the middle of the period, this
would tend to decentralise itself, with nomarches (provincial governors)
who would reside in their nomes and not close to the royal Residence.
The
kings of the beginning of the 5th Dynasty were buried at Abusir, the
indirect consequence of the construction in this area, by Userkaf, of
his solar temple. From Sahure to Nyuserre, they built their complex of
pyramids, which lead to the construction close by of several cemeteries
intended for the members of the royal family, for courtiers and high
commissioners. A vivid example is provided by the discovery on the site,
in 2012, of the royal princess’s tomb, Sheretnebty – associated with
those of high commissioners. However, many dignitaries of the 5th
Dynasty were buried, by choice or obligation, in Giza or Saqqara.
The burial of Menkauhor, successor of Nyuserre, has not yet been discovered, but is not in Abusir.
Djedkare then Unas abandoned Abusir and returned to being buried in Saqqara.
On the religious theme, the prominent idea of the time was the emergence of the cult of Osiris
– at the latest from the reign of Nyuserre about 2430 B.C. – whose
importance was going to increase. It changed, in a drastic way, not only
the fate of the king, but also that of his subjects, who had to pass in
front of the courthouse of the Great God. It was Osiris who was now the
guarantor of survival after post-mortem and not the sovereign.
According to Mathieu “the sudden appearance of Osiris and
the extraordinary distribution of his worship in the whole of the
Egyptian territory supposes the existence of a decision emanating from a
central and very powerful strength”. At the same time, the control
of Ma’at (the ruler of justice permitting the balance of the world), up
to here in the king’s hands, passed to Osiris.
At the same time as the emergence of Osiris is the exceptional development of the worship of Re,
which is shown by the new structures which are the solar temples, the
two gods being perceived as complementary: Re – diurnal – solar / Osiris
– nocturnal – lunar. This idea would be resumed, much later, by the
Ramesside theologians.
TOMB OWNER AND HIS FAMILY
Irukaptah is the name when written correctly, as on the false door in
the image to the left, but it is also found written as , which omits
the “a” by using only , giving his name as “Irukptah”.
He was also called Khenu on the false door.
He carried the following titles:
• “Royal wab-priest”
• “Royal acquaintance”
• “Imakhu” (honoured or revered one)
• “the honoured one before Ptah, south of his wall”
• “the honoured one before the great god”
His
essential functions are appropriate to the creation of libations and
activity in the butcher’s shop, whose understanding is not obvious, and
which are given by the title “the libationer and butcher of the king’s
meal”, and also “the libationer and butcher of the palace”.
These titles are unusual. They appear at the same time as the major
administrative titles already mentioned, which open the bureaucracy to
new sectors of the society; they must also be linked to the number of
important tombs of the cemetery of Unas belonging to royal butchers.
As
with all the characters having their burial at the south of the
causeway of Unas, Irukaptah was not a senior official of the state, but
belonged to a group of men who held functions appropriate to the sovereign’s personal service.
The two women who accompany Irukaptah in his chapel are presumably his wives, but their names are not mentioned.
Two
children are represented, both bearing the name of Ptahshepses , but
one is designated merely as “his son” and the other as “his eldest son”.
It is probable that it is about two sons having the same name, rather
than only one character.
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE TOMB COMPLEX
Location of the tomb and general aspect
The causeway of Unas measures about 750m in length. It joins this
king’s pyramid to his mortuary temple, situated in the valley, very
close to the Nile . Nowadays the river flows more to the east and this
mortuary temple is surrounded (and covered in part) with sand. Within
about 200m of the pyramid, about twenty tombs or mastabas – most being
anonymous – had been constructed in the previous decades along the
course of the causeway, nearly all according to a model which is found
in the 5th and 6th Dynasty, with a chapel forming a corridor oriented
north-south, whose entry is at the north. All were more or less
destroyed, or covered at the time of the construction of the causeway.
They are now located to the south of the causeway and can be divided
into a west group and two groups to the east. They are situated on two
different levels. In the upper group, is the tomb of Neferherenptah
(so-called “tomb of the birds”) which will be added to Osirisnet shortly
One of the smallest tombs and maybe the oldest one (it dates from the
beginning of the reign of Niuserre), is the mastaba of Nefer and Kahai,
the largest is the one of Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep (so-called “tomb of
the two brothers”).
The tomb of Irukaptah is located in the west group, 9.5m under the
level of the Unas causeway and 10.5m from its south side . It can be
reached by the modern staircase which runs alongside the causeway The
tomb was dug at the base of a small cliff in stratified limestone which
overhangs it by 17m and the tomb also includes a courtyard. It is one of
the largest of the group (13.45m from north to south) and it differs
from all others by its exceptional interior statues, carved directly
into the rock. On the other hand, the themes of the decoration are
limited and banal for the era on the site of Saqqara (similar ones can
be found, for example, in the famous mastaba of Ty).
Five funerary shafts open up in the floor of the chapel, destined for Irukaptah and members of his family.
The Courtyard
The entry wall, which is at the north, was
constructed entirely from well-dressed limestone blocks. It is unknown
what its exact width was originally, or its height. In the area on
either side of the entrance, the width of the wall is 0.80m in the west
(right side) and of at least 1.15m on the left side.
The opening in the facade measures 0.55m in
width, 1.40m in height, with a depth of 0.85m and also includes a small
recess of 20cm deep.
The actual courtyard is nearly oblong, measuring 3.90m in length,
with a width of 1.75m on the north side and 1.60m on the south side. It
seems that it was never decorated.-The east and west walls of the
courtyard are broken in the northern part and presently have a height of
1.20m. but the southern parts, cut entirely in the rock, are fully
preserved to the original height of 2.35m. On the other side of the east
wall, the tombs were deliberately buried again by the Service of
Antiquities.-The west wall, which is common with the courtyard of the
tomb of a person named Akhethetep, itself joined with that of Niankhre
Entry into the chapel
The south wall, where the entry into the chapel is located, is
carved entirely in the face of the cliff. The entry opens up in its
middle. The width is 0.70m, the depth 0.75m, with a height which narrows
from 2m on the outside to 1.96m at the interior. Above the entry, all
the facade is blocked by a lintel of 0.35m in height. In the passageway
of the entrance, a structural scroll, probably with the owner’s name,
had been placed at the ceiling, but it has now disappeared.-The chamber
is currently entered by descending two steps, but this was not the
original system. It can be clearly seen in view cm-16-01, that the
opening widens (to 1.05m) at the level of the first step.
THE CHAPEL
One enters into the long chamber (the chapel) of which the ground,
which was originally covered with sand , has been paved with cement
slabs by the Service of Antiquities . The ceiling is flat with a general
height of 2.35m which at the north (the entry end) rises to 2.42m at
the north-east corner. It bears the traces of the marks of chisels with
which it had been carved, because it didn’t receive a filler or coating
-The axis of the chapel is at an angle of 5° with that of the courtyard.
The east wall has a length of 13.55m, the west wall is 20cm less. The
entry (north) wall has a width of 2.25m and the wall at the rear (the
south wall) measures 2.15m.- Despite the overall quality of the rock,
some cracks existed from the beginning, others have widened over time.
Some had been filled using a rather coarse pinkish plaster .
The south wall, as well as the end parts of the east and west walls, are
very rough and unfinished. The south was, however, smeared then covered
with a fine layer of plaster but was never decorated.
The decoration was achieved in raised relief on the north wall and to a
length of 10m on the east wall, up to the opening of a small annexe (a
serdab, which will be returned to later). Elsewhere, the decoration is
just painted, without sculpture work. The text is reduced to the strict
minimum, with the names and titles of the deceased, and a formula of
invocatory offerings type (“hetep di nesu”). Contrary to other tombs,
here there are found no legends or commentaries in the representations;
there is not even a “placard” including a list of offerings
The great originality of the chapel lies in
its 14 statues built directly into the walls, some incomplete, which
occupy as many niches. These are located: 2 on the north wall, 8 on the
east wall, and 6 on the west wall. If all those which had been started
had been finished, it would be 19 statues that would have decorated this
tomb, a considerable number for a private individual of the rank of
Irukaptah. Other notable features include: the exceptional degree of
conservation of the colours, which exists nowhere else, because statues
built directly into an always more or less stratified limestone, survive
badly over time. The more better preserved than these are in the
mastaba of Idu, in Giza
NORTH WALL
The wall measures only 2.25m in width, with the entry, on the
west side, being nearly half the width. Because of the off-centred
entry, only the east part of this wall is decorated (which is on the
right when facing it). The decorated area measures 1.13m wide and
although the wall is approximately 2.4m in height, the full height is
not decorated, there is an undecorated 0.25m dado area at the bottom.
The upper area has been divided in two registers with furniture and the
preparation of two beds. The lower area is occupied by two statues.
Between these two areas is an irregular height text band, the left side
of which is lost, but the right-hand side includes the tomb owner’s
title and name “The one who makes libation, the butcher of the meal of the palace, Irukaptah”.
The upper area
This includes two superimposed registers, the one at the top
being 32cm in height and the one below being 22 to 24cm. Both show some
men making beds and furnishings. The colours, outlines and detail are
poorly preserved, and it is possible that the left part of the registers
had not even been decorated.
The two beds and furnishings
The two registers present the same aspect: each bed is covered with a
white mattress; the head, which is on the right, being higher than the
feet. Each bed has a canopy whose flat roof is sustained by five posts
(apparently on both sides). The bottom of the posts have the shape of a
bull’s paw. The wood is painted black and striped with yellow – On the
top register, two men are close to the bed. Like all of the others
characters, they wear a plain loincloth and a short wig. The man
standing at the side of the bed, holds a headrest in his left hand and a
fly-swatter in the other. The second man, standing at the foot of the
bed, also holds his fly-swatter in his right hand, whilst in the other
he clutches a stick. Behind him, badly preserved, is a low table.
• On the register below, there are five men who are represented, reduced
in stature because of the small height of the register. Two men stand
at the side of the bed . The first, leans forward, levelling the
mattress; the one who stands behind him holds a fly-swatter and a
headrest (however, there is already one represented on the bed). On the
left, can be seen two men who carry what appears to be an armchair with a
high backrest . Behind them advances another man who holds in one hand a
pitcher at the end of a rope, and of the other he holds a bag placed
over his shoulder.
Even though the creating of a bed is represented regularly in the
joinery scenes, this is not the case with the arrangement of a bed and a
mattress. At the end of the 5th Dynasty, the ends of the posts will be
seen in the shape of lion’s paws replacing those of paws of the bull and
the characters will kneel on the mattress to level it better.
The band of text
Between these two upper registers and the statues below, as
already mentioned, is a band of text, which extends the one situated at
the same height on the east wall. As also already stated: “The one who
makes libation, the butcher of the meal of the palace, Irukaptah”. The
hieroglyphs are incised but only those establishing the title have been
painted.
The lower area
This area contains two statues which are placed in niches. They
form counterparts of the eight on the east wall, with which they share
several features.
The niches
On the north wall (as on the east wall) the niches are 0.25m
above the ground level and occupy the bottom two-thirds of the wall.
They each measure 0.44m in width, with a height of 1.35m. They are
separated by a pillar of 0.14m in width. Neither of these two statues
are as well preserved as those on the adjoining east wall. They have
been dressed with plaster, then painted in light blue-grey, but this
colour is extensively lost. The pillars between the niches on the east
wall, which was painted in clear grey, only includes the name of
Irukaptah and his titles, in the form of a vertical text whose
hieroglyphs are incised and painted. On the area between those of this
north wall, there seems to be a lack of decoration, but at the top is a
trace of black paint which suggests that the text may have only been
painted.
The statues
Although only two of the ten statues appear on this north wall, it
is worth making the following comments here, so that they can easily be
compared with the other eight.
Nine statues out of the ten in this
group represent Irukaptah, the one which is furthest south on the east
wall may not be of him. It was not completely finished in raised relief
or even painted , although the statue was outlined in black paint. The
text pillar before it (to the left) was not even drafted. All the
other statues were carved directly in high relief into the rock of the
wall, were then smoothed, plastered in a cream colour and finally
painted. All show the deceased clothed in a rigid loincloth, standing
upright, the two feet joined, the two arms hang at the side of the
body, each fist tightened on a folded piece of cloth. He is covered
with a short wig, that doesn’t reach the shoulders, and wears a large
necklace around the neck. The face is squared, the eyes round, the nose
is straight and thick, with sometimes a moustache. The shoulders are
large, sometimes nipples appear on the chest, the arms and the legs are
tubular with a muscle structure and a skeleton discreetly indicated.
The loincloths are of two types. The first is entirely white, with a
frontal fold and a the ties are outlines in red. The second is half
white and half yellow, with a belt formed of rectangles of a green very
clearly separated by a white and blue motif in zigzag and a blue
buckle; a yellow tab goes back up on the abdomen while two red buckles,
whose extremity is fringed, falls down each side of four decorative
pearl rows .
On the whole, the statues are well preserved, notably at the level of the colours, but none are completely intact.
EAST WALL
This wall, which measures 13.55m in length, can be divided into
three sections: the north part, from the entry wall until the end of
the row of statues, a middle section consisting of scenes in the marshes
and a south part extending for the rest of the wall until the south
wall.
North section
This area of the wall consists a series of statue niches, a
continuation of the two on the north wall. The statue niches, average
1.35m in height, are approx. 25cm above the floor level (an undecorated
dado area) slightly less at the south end. A top register, with an
average height of 55cm, is separated from the niches by a band of
inscription in colourful text approx. 18cm in height. The lower, niche
area, will be dealt with first.
To the left of the first statue niche
A column of 30 to 33cm in width, originally on a grey
background, is divided in four registers whose heights vary from 26 to
30cm. The bottom of this area is about 50cm above the floor level. Register 1 (upper) : Two butchers are occupied slaughtering an ox.
The lower three registers include offering bearers advancing towards the statues. Register 2: This includes two
men. The first holds in his right hand a rope attached to a small jar
and with his other he balances a ewer and a basin on his left shoulder,
all of the objects destined for the ritual libations of course. His
friend who follows him also holds a small jar with his right hand and
balances a tray with four loaves on his shoulder. Register 3: The first character
holds in his left hand a censer in front of his face and raises the lid
between his thumb and forefinger of his right hand, incense grains can
clearly be seen; the man behind brings a length of folded cloth. Register 4: Two men, the first
of which looks towards the man behind, carry between them a table with a
single support. On this are two loaves, a trussed duck and a bunch of
grapes.
The statues
In total there are eight (numbered left to right). Details of the
general features have already be given in the description of the north
wall.
Statues 2 and 6 have well-preserved faces, as does 4 which however shows
a definite unbalance of the position of the eyes . Statue 5 was
probably the better preserved of all, but alas a modern pillager pulled
most of the face off him. The 7th statue shows a fairly well-preserved
face but too large in comparison to the body; what makes it different is
that the above the niche are faint red lines under the horizontal text
which runs above all of the niches -. These red lines are partially
carved forming an outline of a cavetto cornice, similar to those above
the statue niches of the west wall. The eighth statue, the final one, is
incomplete- and the craftsman drew in black the contours of a
preparatory body. It is likely that this eighth statue had been added at
a later time. Indeed, it can be seen that the vertical inscription is
absent from the pillar which separates this niche from the one of statue
7 (whereas all others have an inscription) and the fact that the
activities in the marshes, represented on the right, don’t occupy the
space correctly because they seem short of space at their left section.
The columns of inscription
Between the niches are vertical inscriptions with the name and
titles of the tomb owner. These are on six of the seven pillars
separating the statue niches on the east wall, the south-most pillar has
no inscription. As already stated, no inscription is found on the
pillar between the two statues on the north wall, although there is a
trace of black paint at the top.
Starting between niches 1 and 2 is
the first text: “The libationer at the king’s meal, the honoured one
before Ptah, south of his wall, the wab-priest of the king, Irukaptah”.
Next: “The
libationer and butcher of the palace, the honoured one before Ptah,
south of his wall, the butcher of the king’s meal, Irukaptah”.
Between
3 and 4: “The libationer and butcher of the king’s meal, the honoured
one before the great god, the wab-priest of the king, Irukaptah”.
Next: “The
libationer and butcher of the palace, the acquaintance of the king, the
honoured one before the great god, the wab-priest of the king,
Irukaptah”.
Then: “The libationer and butcher of the king’s
meal, the honoured one before the great god, the wab-priest of the king,
the acquaintance of the king, Irukaptah”.
Finally, between niches 6 and 7: “The
libationer and butcher of the palace, the honoured one before the great
god, the butcher of the king’s meal, the acquaintance of the king,
Irukaptah”.
The long horizontal inscription
Here is the longest inscription in the tomb. This single line of
text begins at the right extremity of the wall (the south end), above
the statues which were drawn in red and below the scenes of boats. It
is interrupted by the middle area of the wall which is dedicated to the
activities in the marshes, and restarts above the niches of the
statues, ending over the statues on the north wall. It was created in
beautiful incised hieroglyphs, whose polychrome colours well withstood
millennia, as the magnificent blue cobalt colour in the image opposite
shows. On the north entry wall, as has been seen, at the same level, is
a short more crudely executed inscription
The text, east wall,
south section: “An offering which the king gives and Anubis, foremost
of the divine booth, lord of the sacred land, who is on his hill, who
is in the embalming place (gives), that he may travel well on the
beautiful roads upon which the honoured (ones) travel.”.
East wall,
north section: “An offering which the king gives and which Anubis, who
is on his hill, who is in the embalming place, lord of the sacred land
(gives) ; an offering which Osiris, Lord of Busiris, foremost of the
divine booth gives, that he be buried in the necropolis in the western
desert having reached a good old age, the honoured one before the great
god.”
North wall: “The libationer and butcher of the palace, Irukaptah.”
The upper register
This extends approximately 5.4m along the wall. At the extreme left,
close to the corner with the north wall, is found Irukaptah seated in
front of the food offerings. This scene extends for about 1.5m, with a
height of 0.53m To the right of it are scenes from the butcher shop and
some men bringing meat offering to Irukaptah
The owner and the offerings
In the left hand, Irukaptah holds, by the stem, a lotus flower which
he holds in front of his nose in order to breathe perfume from it. As
already seen in many other monuments, it is about a symbol of rebirth,
but it was rare for men at this period. It is however found in two
almost contemporary mastabas, the one of Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep –
which is also under the Unas causeway, and the one of Iymery- which is
at Giza – The scene showing Niankhkhnum breathing the lotus is located
in good place, in the impressive hallway which leads into the part of
the burial carved into the cliff – Irukaptah could not fail to see it
and it is quite possible that it served as a model for him.
In front of Irukaptah’s face, can be read the following, inscribed in
black: “The libationer and butcher of the palace, Irukaptah”.
Irukaptah
Irukaptah sits above the four small registers which have already been
described and separated from them by the horizontal inscription. He is
seated on a low chair of which only the rear leg, in the shape of a
bull’s leg, is represented. He sits on a white cushion resting on the
chair, with a large papyrus umbel, being part of the seat structure,
protruding at the rear. He wears the short trapezoidal beard, a
moustache and a shoulder length wig. The representation underwent an
alteration at the level of the loincloth: the addition (in paint only)
is a stiff triangular front to the kilt, inevitably shortening the right
arm
The offerings
The provisions and drinks are distributed in two sub-registres in
front of Irukaptah, the bottom one measures 31cm in height, the top one
is slightly less, only 23cm and less in length at the right to leave
space for the top of the leg of ox presented by an assistant – The
diversity of the representations should be noted: none of the small
tables or pedestals are identical with each other, neither do they carry
the same objects. It should be noted, on the small black table, with
yellow edges, at top left, the three ewers blue, golden and red, are
associated with their basins of the same colour. Whilst, underneath is a
wide red vase with a spout, and a beer vessel. In front of the owner’s
knees is a carinated (ridged) stone bowl carefully sealed by a lid. At
the extremity of the bottom register are three identical vases placed on
a low table, separated by lotus flowers. The conical breads constitute
the most abundant offering of the group. The monopodale table at bottom
left is made in basketwork and supports two large conical breads. The
red table to its right, is wider and made of wood, holds a large basket
which is artistically filled with fruits (figs, grape, pomegranates) and
a loaf of white bread – In fact, it seems that the artist wanted to
represent two baskets, one behind the other one.
Scenes of butchery
This occupies a length of 3.75m and a height of 0.51m. The
first four butchers (located immediately to the right of the offerings)
walk towards Irukaptah. They are part of twelve participants, engaged in
the slaughter of four oxen, although they are actually porters of parts
of the animals; it is their job to present the cuts of meat. These four
men have a normal sized loincloth/kilt. However, the others who are
working on the oxen, are all clothed in a short loincloth, which are
open at the front (and with the belts tied in a loop at the back) to
facilitate easy movement, this exposes their genitalia. They give the
impression of making a great effort, one foot or a knee on the animal,
the arms stretched out to facilitate the cutting. Some stand on their
toes (a unique representation according to Vandier). The animals have a
white coat speckled with black or brown.
The four butchers working on the first two animals have, in the
back of their belt, a stone to sharpen their knife – The knives have a
handle and a black blade (most probably of flint) and are, strangely,
held with the left hand. Two characters are kneeling next to the two
beasts located in the middle – and present, at the height of the face, a
widely open vase intended to collect the victim’s blood (one ignores
what it was used for). Between two animals, stands a butcher who
sharpens his blade – Unlike the others, he wears a wig which covers his
ear, possibly indicating that he was the supervisor. The ox on the left
has already undergone the removal of its two front legs, an exceptionnal
representation – The animal’s rear leg is being skinned by the only
butcher seen to be holding his knife in his right hand, whilst the leg
is held by his assistant
On the left, four characters have the responsibility of carrying meat
towards the offerings destined for Irukaptah – Three of them head
towards the offerings, whilst the fourth is turned towards the actual
butchers. It is probably him who has passed the cuts of meat held by the
porters. Meanwhile, he holds a net in his right hand, whilst with his
left hand he holds a leg of meat on his shoulder -The porter closest to
the offerings presents two-handed a leg. The next one who follows him
holds another one on his shoulder whilst with his other hand he holds a
rod on which is skewered a duck. The third brings cuts of meat: ribs in
the right hand and a thigh with the bone in the left (the central bone
can be seen surrounded with muscles).
EAST WALL – continued
Middle section
This panel, which measures 1.70m in height and an average width
of 1.35m, is dedicated to scenes which take place entirely in the
marshes, a theme whose frequency increases at the end of the 5th and
beginning of 6th Dynasty (maybe inspired by the room of “the seasons” in
the solar temple of Niuserre). This area is divided into two registers
of equal height, the lower one is further divided into three
sub-registers. It appears obvious that the left-hand side has been
truncated by the addition at a later date of the final statue -This
panel has only been painted and contains no relief work. Its quality of
execution is average in the lower part and certainly worse in the scene
at the top. The preservation of the colours is mediocre, essentially
reduced to just the red of the skin of the men
Upper register
Irukaptah, standing on the deck of his papyrus boat, is hunting the
birds of the marshes with the help of a throwing stick. The whole of the
representation is extremely coarse and amounts to contours in black on
the base plaster. The deceased’s silhouette is badly proportioned,
notably his left arm and leg are much wider than the right, also the
drawing of the face is certainly mis-proportionate. He is certainly
taller than the other characters of the same scene, but on the other
side he is the same height as the butchers. His shoulder-length wig does
not cover his ear. In his right hand he holds a throwing stick, badly
sketched, and with the other he holds two fledglings whose squawkings
act as a decoy.
In front of him stands a woman, relatively tall, probably his wife, who
also holds a fowl by the wings. The sketch of a boy, undoubtedly one of
his sons, completes the scene towards the front of the boat. At the
rear, a boatman seems to make a strange gesture, possibly because the
artist forgot to draw the long punting pole – which can be seen in the
similar hunting scene in the tomb of Nyankhnefertem also at Saqqara.
To the left of this boat, turned in the opposite direction, is a second
craft carrying a man who seems ready to throw a harpoon, but the
representation is greatly damaged and incomplete. The absence of papyrus
undergrowth should be noted, usually present in this type of scene.It
is almost certain that this scene had been added in a hurry after a
modification of the initial decorative program.
Lower register
This is divided into three sub-registers whose height varies from 27 to 30cm, on a blue-grey background.
Upper sub-register : cattle wading through the water
Facing towards the entry, it shows some drovers on papyrus
boats supervising a herd of cattle which cross a stretch of water. This
theme is essentially met between the reigns of Neuserre and Pepy I, most
frequently in association with hunting scenes of birds and fishing, as
it is the case here.
Five horned adult cattle, possibly accompanied
by a calf in front of them, have their heads well out of the water. On
each of the two boats which follow them are three men. At the front of
the first craft, the man kneels resting on his heels and holds a stick
in his hand with which he advances the herd. The middle boatman who is
behind him (just like the middle man on the second boat) points his
finger forwards, maybe at a crocodile who approaches, since the artist
drew one of them under the boats, as a reminder of the permanent danger
which the animal represents – perhaps to circumvent it magically. One
can wonder why a boat isn’t in front of the herd, to guide them (as in
the mastaba of Ty) : perhaps this part of the scene has disappeared.
Middle sub-register : capture of birds in a net
The net, hexagonal as always, is represented closed, full of fowl
which are difficult to recognise. The supervisor of the hunt is standing
with his back to the net, behind some stems of stylised papyrus, turned
toward the haulers, to which he gives the signal to close the trap,
with his outstretched arms, whilst spreading between his hands is a
piece of white material. The haulers are five in number and don’t seem
to make great efforts whilst pulling on the rope to close the net. How
this net capturing function worked is not entirely clear, although an
on-line article exists on “Fishing, Hunting and Fowling”.
Two elements are unusual here: the first man is represented in an
attitude different of that of his companions, and the supervisor’s
figure is also unusual: standing behind his men, wearing a pointed kilt
which indicates his rank, his right hand rests on his left shoulder.
Bottom sub-register : dragnet scene
The Egyptian artist shows, as usual, the last moment of the
fishing, the one where ten men are divided into two equal groups on
either side of an overseer, who stands in the middle. They pull the net
on to the bank. Several of the hauliers can be seen to wear just a belt
(no kilt), the second from the left has a shoulder strap and the man in
front of him wears a short open kilt. The river (or channel of water)
where the action is located, is represented with some fish under the
men, who are here represented smaller than those of the middle
sub-register. Their attitudes are surprisingly static, whereas in other
tombs one finds the men in very various attitudes, making great efforts.
Between the two groups stands the overseer, displayed as partially bald
with a pot-belly, wearing a knee-length pointed kilt and leaning on a
staff -A better preserved example is in the mastaba of Mehu – which is
also near the Unas pyramid.
South section
The decorated portion stops to the left (north) of the opening of
the serdab. The end of the wall (right of the serdab) has only been
roughly cut , just like the south extremity of the west wall. The
description of this section of the wall will be divided into four
parts: the owner seated in front of the offerings, the scenes of
navigation, the preparatory drawings for two more statues and finally
what is at opening of the serdab and the wall to the right of it. The
text which separates the upper area (the offerings) from the scenes of
navigation and the statues has already been dealt with.
Irukaptah and the offerings
The scene is almost a symmetrical mirror image of the one of
the north side, of which it appears to be an extension. It measures
3.65m in length, with left side, containing the offerings, being again
divided into two sub-registers with a total height of 0.46 to 0.49m. At
the right extremity, where Irukaptah is seated, it has a total height of
0.70m. The difference is due to the band of text, which does extend
this far.
Irukaptah, and only him, is seated above the entry of the
serdab. This part of the scene is hardly visible, but with the overlay
in the image opposite it becomes more legible. Again, as in the north
version of the scene, only the rear leg of the seat is represented, but
it is this time formed with a lion paw. This time there is a monopodal
table placed in front of him with three items on it.
The offerings had been created with great detail and preserved with
brightness in their colours. The same elements are present as those
previously described in the version at the north end of the wall, also,
rather than producing a list of them, it is better to admire them in the
image below and in detail in the following images
cm-115, cm-117 and cm-119.
Scenes of navigation
Four registers, each 30-39cm in height, occupy a bluish-grey
panel of 1.50m in width. Each consists of two boats. Their hulls are in
the typical shape of the river boats of the Old Kingdom. The number of
these scenes reveals the importance of the boats in the life of ancient Egyptians,
a theme which will last during the centuries and which, in the Old
Kingdom, would especially be developed during the 5th and the beginning
of 6th Dynasty. This is how they are found, also in four registers, in
the contemporary burials of Ptahhotep and Ty.
Registers 1 and 2
On the two registers at the top, four vessels are shown moving
southwards propelled by the wind, which blows from the Mediterranean
Sea. The second boat (left) of the first register is papyriform with the
bow and the stern bound by lashings at each end of the hull.
Apart
from this, the four boats look much alike, both in the rigging, the
general structure and the crew A double posted mast is located towards
the front of the boats. A cabin/shelter is located at the rear with a
roof strong enough to support one or more crew, in this case probably
the navigational sailor who controls the two ropes secured to each end
of the upper yardarm.At the front of each boat stands the pilot,
holding a long staff in his hand, charged with guiding the craft and
notably to avoid the sandbars. His orders are passed to the two
helmsmen at the rear and the rowers, by the character who has his arms
outstretched. On one of the boats of the second register he holds a
short stick with his right hand, but he is absent on the first boat of
the first register . At the stern of each of the four boats, under the
awning, stand two helmsmen who steer the boat with long-handled oars.
Irukaptah, although he is not named, is positioned between the cabin
and the mast, facing forwards. In three instances he wears a
shoulder-length wig, but in the second boat of the top register he
wears a short wig exposing his ear. Also, in one occurence only, he
holds a staff in his left hand. Three times out of four, a man who
wears a pointed loincloth like the one worn by the tomb owner, stands
in front of him, a hand on his shoulder as a sign of respect. It can
been seen (although with difficulty) that the rowers (between 8 and 10)
are at rest, their oars (more numerous than the men) being above the
water.
Register 3
Less in height than the two preceding registers, it shows two
vessels that head north, borne by the current of the river and by the
efforts of the rowers who are this time turned towards the stern and
seated above the deck level. The bow of the boat on the right has the
shape of an animals head (a hedgehog?). This time, there are two pilots
standing at the front of each boat. Irukaptah (or his statue) is found,
clothed again in a loincloth with a triangular front kilt and holding a
long staff in front of him, under an awning at the front of the
deck-house. Again, as in the boats above, standing amongst the rowers, a
man stands with his arms outstretched. Once more, at the stern under
the awning, stand two helmsmen who steer the boat with long-handled
oars. In the leading boat, towards the rear, a member of the crew leans
over the side of the boat holding an object which to some degree looks
like a bird.
Register 4
This is very badly preserved. It includes two barges of
transportation whose deck is almost completely occupied by a large
cabin. These vessels face south, just like the sailing boats in the two
top registers. The crew is much reduced: two pilots in the first boat
(right) and one in the other, there are still two helmsmen at the rear.
How they proceed against the current, without sails or oarsmen, is
uncertain. It is difficult to recognise what is being transported by
these boats, although still distinguishable are some jars, some heaps of
grains and what looks like rolls of cloth.
Preparatory drawings of statues
Between the scenes of navigation and the serdab, is found,
preserved incompletely, the red painted sketches of two statues which
would have been the same size as those next to the entry. A third head
overlaps the leftmost one. This indicates the hesitation and uncertainty
of the draftsman in trying to fill the space. Several instances also
reveal their efforts to centre the statues in the future niches.
The opening of the serdab and the wall to the right of it
The entry was created 30cm above the level of the floor and measures
0.65m wide and 1.15m in height at the north side and 1.05m at the
south; the entry depth being 30cm. It had originally been sealed by a
mud brick wall, of which a great number were strewn on the ground at
the time of the discovery of the tomb.
It opens up into an
uninscribed chamber, in the shape of a parallelogram, having the
following average dimensions: The east and west walls being 1.65m
north-south (the rear wall being displaced 35cm to the south), 1.10m
east-west and 1.10m in height. Inside, the entry is positioned slightly
north of centre.
As already seen in the description, above this opening is found a seated representation of Irukaptah.
South-most section of the wall
To the right of the serdab opening, the wall had only been roughly
cut. This area includes at 2.0m to the south of the opening and 1.0m
above the ground, a roughly cut horizontal narrow ledge, measuring
approximately 0.85m long by 0.1m deep by 0.15m thick . It’s function
remains unknown.
SOUTH WALL
This has already been described at the beginning of page 2, but following is worth repeating here.
Although
the southern ends of the east and west wall show no signs of never
having been smoothed and remain roughly cut, although some large cracks
were filled. The south wall, which still shows evidence of several
cracks, was smeared then covered with a fine layer of plaster, but was
never decorated. This wall is roughly square in shape, measuring about
2.30m in height and width.
WEST WALL
This includes, towards the south end, a stela false door, then,
after a recess, four statues in the north area and the sketches of
three others. There is no painted area except the inside of the false
door.
The false door
This is located to the right of the roughly hewn area, which extends
1.95m from the south wall . This is created as a monolithic limestone
structure, whose base is 18cm above the level of the floor. It measures
0.76m wide and 2.20m in height. It is edged at the sides and top with
torus moulding, 6cm wide. The top is surmounted by an Egyptian cavelto
cornice (65cm wide by 19cm high). It is very unusual to find a cavetto
cornice and torus moulding on a false door with only a single pair of
jambs.
Inside the torus moulding, at the centre of the lower
section, is the narrow central niche with a decorated pair of jambs on
either side supporting a lintel, above which is an upper panel and an
upper lintel. The internal surfaces are covered with a thin filler of
plaster and are decorated. The central inset niche has retained signs
of red and black paint to imitate granite.
The door is in an
unfinished state: leaves which should have decorated the cavetto
cornice have not been created, although some guide lines are still
visible.
The upper lintel
This carries a text painted in black, the only non-incised text on
the false door: “The acquaintance of the king, the honoured one before
the great god, Khenu”.
The upper panel
This measures 45cm wide by 40cm high. To right and left is a
recessed area of 10cm width. The background of the whole area includes
traces of red and black paint, showing that it had been painted in
imitation of granite. At the top of the panel is a line of text: “The
libationer and butcher of the palace, the acquaintance of the king,
lrukaptah”.
The
image is of the tomb owner seated in front of an offering table. He
wears a shoulder-length wig, his left arm is folded on his chest, with
the right arm stretched toward the offerings. He is seated on a low
seat, with no backrest or cushion, at the back is the usual papyrus
umbel. As with the other seats in the tomb, there is no front leg
visible, the rear one being in the shape of a bull’s leg. In front is a
monopodal table, on which are twelve upright half loaves of bread,
stylised as to have the inner part of each loaf facing each other,
except the outer two portions have the inner part facing outwards, a
rare fact, but it can be found, for example, on one offering tables of
Khnumhotep (the so-called tomb of the two brothers). Under the table, to
the right, is a low rectangular table, on top of which is a basin, a
ewer and a jar of beer. To the left is a traditional enumeration: “A
thousand (pieces) of alabaster, a thousand (pieces) of cloth, bread,
(crocks of) beer, cakes, waterfowl, cattle”.
The lower lintel
This carries, in incised and painted hieroglyphs: “The acquaintance
of the king, the libationer and butcher of the king’s meal, Khenu”.
The two jambs
These, which could also be called doorposts, each measures
1.10m by 0.25m, whilst the central opening, between them, measures 15cm
wide. It is surmounted by a roller drum carrying the name: “Irukaptah”.
Each doorpost carries two small vertical lines of text and a horizontal
one beneath, this last giving, together, the two versions of the
owner’s name.
Right jamb
Text: “The libationer and butcher of the palace, the wab-priest of the king, the honoured one, Irukaptah”.
Underneath, almost occupying half of the total height, is a
representation of the standing image of the deceased wearing a short
wig, a necklace and a pointed kilt. With his right hand, he grasps a
staff whilst with his left hand he holds a folded piece of cloth. In
front of his legs is a quite small representation of a naked boy who
holds one-handed the staff of the deceased; he is designated as: “His son, Ptahshepses”.
Left jamb
Text: “The acquaintance of the king, the libationer and butcher, the honoured one before the great god, Khenu”.
Beneath, is found a mirror image of the deceased, except for the wig,
which this time descends down to his shoulders. Here a small naked boy
also holds on to his father’s staff. He is identified this time as “His eldest son, Ptahshepses”.
Because this person is taller than the one on the right jamb and the
use of “eldest” with his identification, makes it likely that Irukaptah
had two sons each bearing the same name.
Beneath each doorpost are two dado bands separated by black
horizontal lines. The upper bands at each side are 3cm in height, with
the one on the right retaining traces of red paint, the lower ones are
non-painted and 4cm in height.
The recess
Immediately to the right of the false door, a recess of 1.90m
wide by 0.55m deep had been cut into the wall, of which it occupies the
whole height. Its function is unknown, but a similar one is also found
in Akhethotep, the tomb adjacent to that of Irukaptah.
The statues
The four niches have been reasonably cut into the surface, 45cm
above ground level. Each measures about 1.62m in height and 0.62m in
width. They are separated by 42cm wide pillars. All had meant to be
completed with decoration including an Egyptian coving as well as jambs,
but work had been abandoned long before it was finished. However, the
outer coving and jambs are present on the first (left) and the jamb on
the left side of the second.
Each niche contains a statue in human size, representing three
men and a woman, supposedly these are three of Irukaptah and one of his
wife. The mediocre quality of the rock required the use of filler to
repair the faults. Remains of a pale pink filler shows that the statues
were intended to be painted, but it is uncertain if the colours had
begun to be applied.
All characters stand with their feet together.
The three men have the arms hanging at the side of their body, whilst
the woman has the right arm folded on her chest, with the hand at the
height of the breast.
Here, more than on the opposite wall, can be
seen the stages of creation of these statues, since the preparatory work
was in red paint, then passing on to chisel work to create more and
more detail.
North end of the wall, to the right of the statues
This area had been dressed with a layer of pink plaster, which has
nearly disappeared completely. Where it remains, it shows the red lines
which were to guide the craftsmen to carve three other statue niches .
These lines also underline the other decoration which had not been
achieved, as seen in the upper part of the coving of the fourth statue
of those just described .
THE SUBTERRANEAN COMPLEX
Five square-mouthed funerary shafts open up in
the ground at the bottom of the east wall. All were found empty and
uninscribed, as were also the burial chambers which they lead to.
Shaft 1 (see jh-s1) This is positioned immediately south of the
unfinished statue and 5cm from the east wall. Its square opening is
roughly 1.3m wide, with a total depth of 3.45m. At the top it has 20cm
wide and 53cm deep ledges along the north and west walls. At the bottom
there is no funerary chamber.–
Shaft 2 (see jh-s2) This is located
67cm. south of shaft 1 and 20cm. from the east wall. The square section
shaft is 1.05m wide at the top but widens over 10cm at the bottom. It
has a maximum depth of 4.70m. The bottom floor slopes sharply to the
west. On the west wall is an opening 70cm high and a step down of 25cm.
This opening leads to a small burial chamber, which also has a sloping
floor and ceiling at the same angle as the shaft floor. The chamber
measures 1.15m east-west, 2.20m north-south and 1.0m in height.Shaft 3
(see jh-s3) This one is located 20cm from the east wall and directly in
front of the serdab. Again with a square shaft, it is 1.30m wide with a
depth of 4.92m. Again the width expands towards the bottom. This time
the bottom of the shaft is horizontal. At the base is the access to a
chamber, 1.20m high, which opens up for the full width of the west
wall. This is the main burial chamber, which was sealed by a limestone
and mud brick wall after the funeral ceremony, some of which still
remains in position. The chamber measures 3.05m north-south by 2.25m
east-west and 1.20m in height, the north wall running in line with that
of the shaft, thus the chamber extends southwards. The south and west
walls were totally unfinished and the south end of the ceiling slopes
downwards. No remains of the deceased were found.—Shaft
4 (see jh-s4) Measuring 1.06m north-south, 1.10m east-west and 5.40m
in depth, it is 57cm south of the previous shaft. Its eastern side is
15cm under the east wall of the chapel chamber. As it descends its
dimensions change, measuring at the base: 1.00m north-south, 1.12m
east-west for the north wall and 1.27m for the south wall. A 94cm high
opening is located in the east wall, 46cm above the bottom of the
shaft, to the full width of this east wall. This gives access to an
extremely small zone which doesn’t deserve the name of funeral chamber,
as it actually faces in an easterly direction. The chamber measures,
on average, 1.55m north-south by 1.00m east-west.It has a sloping
ceiling which reduces the chambers height to 61cm at its eastern side.
Again the north wall runs in line with that of the shaft.—Shaft
5 (see jh-s5) Located in the south-east corner of the chamber, the
mouth of the shaft undercuts the two walls by 10cm. It measures 1.10m
north-south and an average of 1.04m east-west. The bottom of the shaft
slopes down towards the west, with a maximum depth of 4.85m. The bottom
of the west wall has an entry 80cm in height leading to a very
irregular burial chamber, which is also very roughly cut. The floor
follows the slope of the bottom of the shaft, although the ceiling is
horizontally level, giving a maximum height of 1.00m at its west side.
Its dimensions are roughly 2.20m north-south by 1.00m east-west.
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