Tomb Semerkhet

tomb stela of semerkhet.



calcite dish. royal tomb u , semerkhet, @ abydos, egypt. 1st dynasty. petrie museum of egyptian archaeology, london



map of semerkhet s tomb in umm el-qa ab.

semerkhet s burial site excavated in 1899 archaeologist , egyptologist sir william matthew flinders petrie @ abydos , known tomb u . while excavating, petrie found no stairways did @ necropolis of den , adjib. found ramp, 4 metres wide , leading straight main chamber. ramp starts around ten metres east outside tomb , has base slope of 12°. inside tomb ramp shows irregular graduations. petrie confused small number of clay seals. 17 seals found. archaeologists , egyptologists, complete arrangement of burial site looks builders pressed time. when petrie freed ramp sand, found complete ramp thickly covered in aromatic oil, still gave off scent. beside ramp several wooden , hand-made baskets , earthen jars found. these dated ramesside era. scholars think semerkhet s tomb re-opened , restored when ramesside priests , kings saw tomb of king djer ritual burial of osiris s head. findings inside main chamber included precious objects such inlays , fragments of furniture (especially pedestals), copper-made armatures , jewelry made of ebony, amethyst , turquoise. vessels originating levant found. once contained bescha oil, of great value egyptians. outside tomb, close entrance, damaged tomb stela made of black granite displaying semerkhet s serekh name excavated.

the burial chamber measures 29.2 × 20.8 metres , of simple construction. petrie found king s mastaba once covered whole of subsidiary tombs. royal burial formed unit 67 subsidiary tombs. egyptologists such walter bryan emery , toby wilkinson see architectural development proof royal family , household killed willingly when royal family head had died. wilkinson goes further , thinks semerkhet, godlike king, tried demonstrate power on death , life of servants , family members in afterlife. tradition of burying family , court of king when died abandoned @ time of king qaa, 1 of last rulers of 1st dynasty. tombs of 2nd dynasty founder hotepsekhemwy onward have no subsidiary tombs.