UAB researchers reveal new secrets found at the tomb of Imephor, high priest of Ancient Egypt
The rescue dig conducted by a UAB research team in Saqqara has shed light on a series of new remains from the necropolis of Kom el-Khamaseen. This has led scientists to be able to form an initial proposal of what the tomb of High Priest of Memphis Imephor looked like over 4000 years ago. More than 400 stone blocks were identified, probably pertaining to two mastaba tombs or funerary constructions, 50 of which contained important inscriptions and reliefs related to the high priest. In Imephor’s burial temple, scientists discovered a fully intact foundation deposit which would have been placed at the foundations of the building to provide divine protection of the body. These discoveries will allow scientists to delve deeper into the details of the site and the historical period in which it was in use.
In spring 2021, researchers from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt conducted a systematic excavation of the Pharaonic necropolis of Kom el-Khamaseen, as part of an archaeological rescue mission to prevent any more plundering of the site, which had already occurred on numerous occasions. Located in the archaeological area of Saqqara, Kom el-Khamaseen was the burial site of historical figures from the Old Kingdom and First Intermediate Period in Egyptian history (2400-2050 BCE). The best known burial site is that of Imephor Impy Nikauptah, the High Priest of Ptah, the main divinity of Memphis, capital of the country at that time.
The results obtained in the archaeological dig were presented at the UAB Auditorium by Josep Cervelló, lecturer in Egyptology at the Department of Antiquity and Middle Ages Studies and director of the Institute for Ancient Middle Eastern Studies, as well as director of the dig campaign. The results were presented in an event which was presided by UAB Rector Javier Lafuente.
Two mastabas and a set of burial rites
The archaeological dig allowed scientists to recover 435 limestone blocks, 50 of which contained important fragments of inscriptions and reliefs. These blocks would have formed part of the two funeral buildings, most probably two mastabas, measuring some 10 metres in length and 3 metres tall, and one of which would have been where Imephor had been buried. They also made a discovery qualified as extraordinary by the researchers themselves: a fully intact foundation deposit, formed by 60 small ceramic pots, 2 alabaster plates and 5 stone grinders, which would have been placed at the foundations of the building to provide eternal protection of the body.
Limestone and granite blocks: an initial proposal for a reconstruction
Archaeologists were able to document from Imephor’s mastaba the cuts into which the foundations and first row of walls were placed. Additionally, among the limestone blocks recovered, they found a group of blocks which would have been used for the gable roof construction and walls of what was the underground funeral chamber of Imephor. Inscribed with his name and titles and other texts used in burial rites of that period, such as a list of sacred oils, they were pulled out of their original location by modern looters and then dragged over and abandoned at the northern part of the site. Now, in addition to the documentation of other blocks from the same building which were sold illegally in antiquity markets and then partially recovered and documented, researchers have been able to formulate an initial proposal for the reconstruction of the full funerary chamber of this high priest.
“This reconstruction will go hand in hand with that of the mastaba and its foundation deposit, so that we can have a fairly good idea of what the Imephor’s original tomb looked like as a whole”, Josep Cervelló explained.
At the same site, archaeologists recovered some 100 granite blocks which could have been used to build the sarcophagus or architectonic elements, such as lintels or reveals, and that looters had reduced to fragments with the aim of stealing and selling the pieces illegally, although no artefacts have yet been detected in any of the antiquity markets.
“Granite is a construction material used exclusively for royalty and people of the royal court, which gives us an idea of this individual’s capacity of acquiring wealth even in the First Intermediate Period, and of his status within the Memphite court at that time”, Josep Cervelló pointed out.
The discoveries will provide researchers with the ability to delve deeper into discovering more about the site and the historical period in which is was in use. “It may aid us in understanding the reasons why some members of the Memphite court were buried far away in the desert, coinciding with the appearance of the first political crisis of the Egyptian state”, Cervelló mentioned. Moreover, it will allow them to project and prepare next year’s campaign in which they will complete the documentation and excavation phases.
The unknown occupant of the second mastaba
The second mastaba identified in this campaign housed the tomb of an individual from the Old Kingdom, as interpreted by the series of inscriptions and reliefs recovered at the site. “We cannot give this individual, however, a name, although the inscriptions contain many names”, Cervelló points out. Some of the recovered fragments that may be from this second tomb are of high quality and form part of well-known funerary scenes, such as noblemen hunting and fishing in marshes.
Evidence of Kom el-Khamaseen as a place of passage and services
Kom el-Khamaseen was a location in use during the Middle Kingdom, not anymore as a necropolis but rather as a place of passage where one could acquire provisions. In fact, in the rescue mission several fragments of large amphoras used to store water were found, and all were of the typology of those characteristically used in the Middle Kingdom (2050-1750 BCE). Moreover, in some of the large limestone blocks covering the exterior of these two mastabas, one can see that the blocks were cut by different people, with greater or lesser expertise, with hieroglyphs in a more cursive or hieratic style, many of which reproduced the typical given names of the Middle Kingdom or even from earlier and posterior periods. According to archaeologists, they were possibly the names of travellers who frequented the desert in those times and passed by the same place to rest in the shade of the buildings and store up on water before continuing their travels.
The rescue mission in Saqqara conducted by the UAB research team included the financial support of many people who contributed to making this project possible with donations through the UAB’s micro crowdfunding platform.
The Kom el-Khamaseen Project, Spanish-Egyptian Mission in South-West Saqqara, is organised by the IEPOA-UAB and the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt, and includes the support of the Spanish Ministry for Culture and Sports, and the Ministry for Science, Innovation and Universities, as well as the Catalan Institute of Classical Archaeology (ICAC), the Palarq Foundation and the firm Image Tours.