Overview of the Saqqara area. After M. Lehner - The Complete Pyramids
In the New Kingdom, the capital was no longer MenNefer (Gr: Memphis) but Waset (Gr: Thebes). The general administration had moved to there but those who had a hand in governing Upper Egypt still lived and worked with MenNefer as a base and were buried at Saqqara.
Just south of the Unas Pyramid, some depressions in the ground were discovered as late as in 1975. Investigations revealed the tomb of Horemheb, general under Tutankhamen at the end of Dynasty 18. Close to it by a few meters, the tomb of Maya,the treasurer of Tutankhamen and his wife Meryt was found. In front of this one, the tomb of Ramose, also contemporary with Horemheb and a high dignitary, was buried. Between the toms of Maya and Horemheb, is the tomb of Tia and Tia, which were not contemporary but lived only a generation or so later.
Horemheb
The tomb at Saqqara was built by Horemheb before he ascended the throne after Tutankhamon´s death. When he was King, he had a second one constructed in the Walley of the Kings and that is where his resting place was made. It is located a little to the south of Unas´ causeway and was constructed in three phases, probably reflecting the rise of Horemheb´s power. It had a length of no less than 49.5 meters and looked more like a separate mortuary temple than a tomb.
This tomb is made as a small pyramid built of brick and covered with limestone slabs. During its construction many mastabas from the 5th and 6th Dynasties were demolished and the building material was reused for the tomb of Horemheb. Even the Djoser Complex was utilized in this way. The main layout is like a mortuary temple with two courtyards. Here is first a forecourt with a pylon which is more than 7 meter high, through which you enter into a colonnaded courtyard.
The court. Photo: www.egyptarchive.co.uk
The wall decorations here are mostly gone but a few scenes remains to be seen and some are nowadays restored. One of them is a lively depiction of daily life in a military camp, full of details. Some of the pictures are only scetches and were never hewn out in relief. Also unfinished statues were found. Maybe the work stopped when Horemheb ascended the throne after the death of Ay who only reigned a few years after Tutankhamun.
From this court a shaft leads down into the burial chamber, 28 meters below. This is a vast system of chambers and shafts, which in the end was only used for Horemheb´s wifes. The first one we don´t have a name for, it might be Amenia but the second one is MutNodjmet.
Next is a big square room for the statue and two side rooms for storage. Here are statues of Horemheb and Yinepu. The statue room was built in brick and the walls were painted white. During the time of Ramesses II, this room was used as a cult room for the deified Horemheb as he was considered the founder of the Ramesside dynasty. Horemheb had no son of his own, but he decided that he would be succeeded by a highranking military by name of Paramessu. This Paramessu changed his name to Ramesses I and became the founder of the 19th Dynasty.
After the statue room you come to the second courtyard, although somewhat smaller but with columns like the ones in the outer court. Here are relifes preserved at least up to a height of 2.25 meters. Many of the reliefs depict a triumfatory Horemheb, bringing rows of prisoners - asiatic, libyans, nubians - before Tutankhamun. These are reliefs with a high level of artistry, with a composition which is quite dramatic and realistic, and masterly executed in both raised and sunk relief. Besides the military scenes, there are scenes depicting the burial ritual, complete with offerings, butchering of bulls and professional weepers. Some regards the reliefs as being influenced of the Amarna art, here we see draped garments, wigs changing, and finely furnished rooms.
Relief from the tomb of Horemheb. Note the details. Photo: www.egyptarchive.co.uk
At the western end of the second courtyard you enter into the offering room which was the central place for the cult of Horemheb, with two chapels on either side. On the roof of this chamber was originally a pyramidion but it is now lost.
The reliefs in this tomb have provided egyptologists with great amounts of information on the period, especially the military doings of Horemheb. The tomb is very well restored but is generally not open for visitors.
The tomb of Maya and Merit
Statues of Maya and Merit. Photo copyright Uniersity of LeidenThis tomb was not discovered until 1987, though two sitting statues, more than lifesize, of Maya and his wife Meryt had been in the Rijksmuseum van Ouden in Leiden since 1828 withthe Anastasi collection. This led to the museum starting excavations on the site in 1975. It is situated only a few meters from Horemheb´s tomb and is constructed in the same manner.
Maya was Overseer of the Treasury and Overseer of Works during the reign of Tutankhamun, and was responsible for his burial. This means also that it was Maya who helped to restore the worship of Amun after the short rule of the heretic AkhenAten. He also had new statues made for the many shrines around Egypt and was active at the same time as Horemheb who gave him the responsibility to oversee his building projects at Karnak. He died around year 9 of Horemheb’s reign, his wife Meryt had predeceased him. They had two daughters and no son, so the funeral was led by Maya’s half-brother Nahuher.
The tomb is located east-west and you enter through a broad pylon where there are big reliefs of Maya on either side. Inside is a first court with columns. The ground is of brick and there are only columns, formed as bunches of papyrus, on the west side. Then comes a room for statues, which leads to the second court of coulmns, here they run around the court. At the western end of the structure, is the main cult room with a chapel on either side. Here no reliefs have survived.
Most of the reliefs have been destroyed, both by ancient tomb robbers and by modern (19th century)stone hunters, blocks from the inner courtyard were used at the Monstery of Jeremiah. The few reliefs which remain are mostly of religious character. There are funeral processions and worship of HetHert in her cow aspect. But there is also the story of Maya´s career,like a well preserved depiction of offering bearers. The subterranean level with the tomb chambers had however all their decorations there but damaged. It shows the couple Maya and Merit worswhipping the gods.
The Tomb of Ramose
Also Ramose was a contemporary of Horemheb and held the title Troop commander and Deputy of the Army. His tomb, which is almost destroyed, lies behind the one of Tia and Tia´s. It was from this one that the excavators found an entrance to the tomb of Maya and Merit. A stela of Ramose which has been in the Berlin museum since the early 1800´s, brought there by art robbers, is thought to have come from here. Originaly the tomb consisted of an outer court, thereafter an inner court with a shaft to the lower gallery. Behind the inner court was an offering hall with side chapels. The tomb was robbed already in antiquity and it was rediscovered and excavated in 1986.
Ramose is mentioned in the tomb of Horemheb, depicted behind his chair. Possibly he was an assistant of Horemheb. His funeral rites were performed by his brother Tjay, so it´s likely that Ramose had no sons. There are speculations about his origin but nothing is clear.
The Tomb of Tia and Tia
This is the tomb of two individuals with the same name, although husband and wife. Tia the woman was sister of Ramesses II and Tia the man was Overseer of the Treasury under same King so they are later than Horemheb but only by a little more than a generation. It was discovered by the EES Leiden team in 1982 and is located between the tombs of Horemheb and Maya, and behind Ramose. There is a courtyard which is paved, a bigh pylon portal leads you into a court with colums. In the west wall of this courtyard is the entrance, a deep shaft, to the burial chambers below. A dor in same wall leads into a room with the remains of two columns. Behind this is a cult chapel where the rests of a big stela was found. Both these rooms swere destroyed already in antiquity but there are still reliefs of the Royal family. At the south wall of the anteroom there is an Apis chapel, wehre once a statue of the bull stood. Here are many animal reliefs, painted in the style of the Old Kingdom. Behind the offering room was a false, small pyramid buld, which in 1722 was brought over to Englad. It was published in scientific journals of that time, but regrettably it has been lost.
The pyramid tomb of the Tia´s. Photo: www.egyptarchive.co.uk
There are several other New Kingdom tombs found in the area. They will be covered in another article.
