Saqqara - a history hidden in stones

Nauka w Polsce

The titles of functions performed in the state, facts of everyday life, descriptions of ceremonies - this is the type of information that can be found on the stones used by ancient Egyptians to decorate their tombs and estates. Such inscriptions are one of the basic sources of knowledge in research. Dr Kamil Omar Kuraszkiewicz from Warsaw University Institute of Archaeology discussed the finds of the Polish archaeological mission in recent years during a conference "Poles on the Nile".

Sakkara is located south of Cairo and west of Memphis. It is the oldest part of the ancient cemetery in Memphis, the capital of Egypt in the times of the Old Kingdom. The best known object in Sakkara is the pyramid of Djosser, the founder of the 3rd Dynasty (27th century B.C.). Polish archaeologists are working in the western part of the complex.

"In our part of the metropolis in Sakkara, we are dealing with graves from two periods - the Old Kingdom (Lower Cemetery) and the 2,000 years younger burials in the Upper Cemetery. All this in the shadow of Djosser's pyramid" - Dr Kamil Kuraszkiewicz explained. The Lower Cemetery consists of mastabas and rock tombs belonging to officials who lived at the close of the Old Kingdom, including Merefnebef and Nianchnefertum.

Dr Kuraszkiewicz noted that the archaeologists are constantly reminded of the presence of Djosser, as they frequently find tiles from the interior of his tomb complex. In 1999 and last year, archaeologists found stone steles with his name inscribed in them. Their function is still unknown - maybe they marked the boundaries of the complex. Kuraszkiewicz noted that one thing was certain - that at one point they stopped being needed and were re-used as building material.

The archaeologist explained that approximately 400 years after Djosser's death, a private cemetery operated on the western wall of the complex. It was the burial site of middle-ranking officials. They are mainly brick mastabas decorated with lime architectural elements, primarily blind gates as well as sacrificial tables and pools. Most of the tomb constructions above surface are preserved poorly or not at all. This has meant that many of the lime elements of the tombs have been moved, which affects the identification of the tomb's owner.

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