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The Cemeteries of F/I in the Strata
d/2 (H) and d/1 (G/4),
late 12th Dynasty and early 13th Dynasty
by Robert Schiestl |
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The Cemetery of Stratum d/1:
In the following stratum d/1 (= G/4, early 13th Dynasty)
a large new building was constructed in the area of the
old settlement: a palatial residence, consisting of different
elements with at least two separate living quarters (pic.
1 and
pic. 2).
The architecture of this monumental building, the "palace",
is purely Egyptian. This large structure was erected on
top of some of the older tombs which had been built close
to the settlement in str. d/2. In the area of the cemetery
to the south a garden was laid out. (pic.
3). |
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Soon, however, this garden was used again
as a cemetery. The new tombs respected the older tombs.
The layout of this necropolis, the so called "Palace
Necropolis" of Tell el-Dabca, is basically
different from the older cemetery of str. d/2. The tombs
were arranged in more or less parallel rows, parts of
four of such rows have been excavated.
The average tomb was constructed with more effort and
on a larger scale than in the previous stratum. Pit tombs,
box like children’s tombs and small chamber tombs
were no longer being built. This was the cemetery of an
elite, however, the exact relationship between the people
buried there and the "palace" to the north remains
unclear. Particularly large are those tombs constructed
immediately south of the palace, in row 2: the tombs l/19
Nr. 6, Nr. 1, m/19-Nr. 22, m/18/19-Nr. 12, m/18-Nr. 3
(pic.
4) and m/18-Nr. 2, as well as the tomb excavated in the southwestern
corner of the cemetery, p/21-Nr. 1.
While donkey burials in the entrance pits of tombs had
been the exception in the previous stratum, they now are
a regular feature, often combined with burials of goat
and sheep.
Some tombs still have remains of their superstructures,
as, however, only the lowest foundation layers are preserved
a reconstruction of the original shape remains speculative.
A reconstruction, (pic.
5).
based on well preserved structures of the Middle Kingdom,
such as the cenotaphs at Abydos excavated under the direction
of David O’Connor, shows the superstructures with
a barrel vaulted roof. The superstructures thus have a
similar shape as the inside of the chambers, which continue
to be roofed with a barrel vault.
A "flight" through the cemetery (movie)
gives an impression how this cemetery could have originally
looked. The design of the superstructures could, however,
have been different:
A possible alternative is similar to the shape of Egyptian
sarcophagi. (pic.
6). |
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Compared to the people buried in the cemetery
of stratum d/2 there are much less children and slightly
less women - this cemetery served primarily for the burial
of grown
up men.
Many chambers showed traces of coffins (all organic materials,
such as wood, had decomposed due to dampness of the soil),
as well as fragments of limestone which probably were
parts of smashed sarcophagi.
The tombs of this stratum were equipped with particularly
wealthy goods, however, they also had been plundered to
a particularly high degree. The pottery from the tombs
consisted mainly of dishes of rough Nile clay (Nile C)
and drinking cups made of finer clay (Nile B 1-2) (pic.
7). The shape of the bottles for beer and water has
changed markedly - they have a short straight neck, the
lip at the rim is round on the outside and concave on
the inside. The share of Syro-palestinian imported pottery
has increased and is now roughly 24 %.
Most frequent shapes are the Canaanite storage jars (pic.
8). While in the area of the palace gardens Minoan
Kamares ware was found, no Aegean pottery was found in
any of the tombs.
A piece of jewelry, however, in the shape of a golden
pendant depicting two antithetical dogs (pic.
9), is iconographically linked to the Aegean. This
pendant was found in the tomb p/17-Nr. 14 in the south
of the cemetery (pic.
10 and pic.
11). Many beads of semi precious stones such as amethyst,
agate, carnelian and garnet (pic.
12), ) most likely from Egyptian sources and of Egyptian
manufacture, were found in various tombs. |
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The frequently found weapons continue to
be exclusively Levantine types, for example a luxury dagger
with gold applications (pic.
13). |
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A ring with a broken scarab of amethyst
(pic.
14) shows a partial title and name: The title was
reconstructed by M. Bietak as "ruler of the foreign
lands" and by G. Martin as "ruler of Retenw".
The name is alternatively read as Sobekemhat or Disobekemhat.
What functions the people buried in this necropolis originally
held we do not know. The effort invested in the tomb equipment
and tomb goods indicates a rise in prosperity. The people
operated very successfully at this intersection of the
Levant and Egypt, and, as their tomb equipment shows,
had access to both markets.
In the superstructures traces of pottery, which had been
deposited there as offerings, remained. The material can
be separated into two groups: On the one hand, shapes
such as tall offering stands, which were used for the
presentation of offerings, on the other hand, remains
of offerings themselves, such as beer jars and cups. As
many of these shapes morphologically can be dated later
than stratum d/1, they indicate that the providing for
the dead continued for a relatively long period. |
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Bibliography:
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Bietak M.
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| Der Friedhof in einem Palastgarten aus der Zeit
des späten mittleren Reiches und andere Grabungsergebnisse
aus dem östlichen Nildelta. Tell el-Dabca
1984-1987, Ägypten und Levante 2, 1991, 47-75. |
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Eigner D.
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| A Palace of the Early 13th Dynasty at Tell el-Dabca,
in: BIETAK, M. (Hrsg.), Haus und Palast im Alten
Ägypten, Untersuchungen der Zweigstelle Kairo
14, Denkschriften der Gesamtakademie der Österreichischen
Akademie der Wissenschaften 14, Wien 1985, 73-80. |
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Schiestl R.
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| Some Links Between a Late Middle Kingdom Cemetery
at Tell el-Dabca and Syria-Palestine:
The Necropolis of F/I, Strata d/2 and d/1 (= H and
G/4), in: M. BIETAK (Hrsg.), The Middle Bronze Age
in the Levant. Proceedings of an International Conference
on MB IIA Ceramic Material in Vienna, 24th –26th
of January 2001, Contributions to the Chronology
of the Eastern Mediterranean 3, Denkschriften der
Gesamtakademie 26, Wien 2002, 329-352. |
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| Eine archäologische Notiz: Eine neue Parallele
zum Anhänger aus Tell el-Dabca aus
dem Petrie Museum, University College London, Ägypten
und Levante 10, 2000, 127-128. |
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Three Pendants: Tell el-Dabcca, Aigina and a new silver pendant from the Petrie Museum, in: J. L. Fitton (Hrsg.),The Aigina Treasure. Aegean Bronze Age jewellery and a mystery revisited, London 2009, 51-58. |
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