Giza_East_Field

Giza East Field

Giza East Field

Ancient cemetery in Egypt


The East Field is located to the east of the Great Pyramid of Giza and contains cemetery G 7000. This cemetery was a burial place for some of the family members of Khufu. The cemetery also includes mastabas from tenants and priests of the pyramids dated to the 5th and 6th Dynasty.[1]

Mastabas to the east of the pyramid of Khufu.
Map of the East Field in Giza

The East Field consists of the three Queen's pyramids and a number of mastabas labeled Cemetery G 7000. George Andrew Reisner constructed a timeline for the construction of the East Field. The first two Queen's Pyramids, G 1a and G 1b, were likely started in year 15–17 of Khufu's reign. Queen's pyramids were usually constructed to the south of the king's pyramid, but in this instance a quarry was located to the south and the construction of the smaller pyramids was relocated to the east of the main pyramid complex. The earliest part of the cemetery consisted of 12 mastabas which were built as double mastabas. They were laid out in three rows of four tombs:

The construction of these tombs has been dated to approximately years 17–24 of the reign of Khufu. This core was then completed to create a nucleus of eight twin-mastabas by the construction of:

The rest of the eastern field was built around this group of eight twin mastabas. Of these, the great mastaba G 7510 of the prince and vizier Ankhhaf stands out due to its size. The construction of several other mastabas can be dated to the time of Khafre. G 7530–7540, the tomb of Meresankh III, contains quarry inscriptions dating to year 13 of that king. Mastaba G 7050, belonging to Nefertkau I, was built during the reign of Khafre as well. Further additions date to the end of the 4th, 5th and 6th dynasty and even later.[2]:70–74

Queen's pyramids

Pyramid G 1a was at first thought to belong to Queen Meritites I but Lehner has shown that the pyramid belonged to Hetepheres I instead. All three pyramids have a square base measuring about 45–49 m on a side. The angle of inclination is about 51° 50‘ for all three.[3]

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Shaft tomb:

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Cemetery G 7000

Nucleus of Cemetery G 7000

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The later additions to the cemetery:

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See also


References

  1. Porter, Bertha and Moss, Rosalind L. B., Topographical Bibliography of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts, Reliefs, and Paintings. Volume III. Memphis. Part I. Abû Rawâsh to Abûṣîr. 2nd edition, revised and augmented by Jaromír Málek, The Clarendon Press, Oxford 1974. PDF from The Giza Archives, 29,5 MB Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  2. Reisner, George Andrew, A History of the Giza Necropolis Volume I. Harvard University Press, Cambridge 1942, pp 70–74, 238–239, 318. PDF from The Giza Archives, 249 MB Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  3. Verner, Miroslav, The Pyramids. The Mystery, Culture, and Science of Egypt's Great Monuments. Atlantic, London, 2001, ISBN 0-8021-3935-3, pp. 210–212, 462.
  4. Simpson, William Kelly, Giza Mastabas Vol.3:The Mastabas of Kawab, Khafkhufu I and II. Boston: Museum of Fine Arts, 1978, ISBN 0-87846-120-5, pp 9–20.PDF from The Giza Archives, 58 MB
  5. Smith, William Stevenson, Inscriptional Evidence for the History of the Fourth Dynasty. Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Volume XI, University of Chicago Press, Chicago No. 2, April 1952, pp 119–120, 128, Fig. 7–8. PDF from The Giza Archives, 2,53 MB Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  6. Dunham, Dows, Bulletin of the Museum of Fine Arts. Volume XXX, Boston 1932, S. 90.
  7. Dunham, Dows, The Late Egyptian Gallery Rearranged. Bulletin of the Museum of Fine Arts, Volume XXIX, No. 172, Boston 1931, S. 26. PDF from The Giza Archives, 338 KB Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  • The Giza Archives Website maintained by the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Quote: "This website is a comprehensive resource for research on Giza. It contains photographs and other documentation from the original Harvard University – Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition (1904 to 1947), from recent MFA fieldwork, and from other expeditions, museums, and universities around the world.".

29.9782°N 31.1374°E / 29.9782; 31.1374


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