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Home , Anubis, Dahshur, Duat, Necropolis, Tomb

beneath the

Mountain-of-AnubisAncient ’s First Hidden Royal b y josef wegner r e n g e W f e s o J

www.museum.upenn.edu/expedition 15 The subterranean tomb of Senwosret III is located at the base of the Mountain-of-.

ncient peoples throughout the had sophisti- cated understandings of their landscape. Specific ele- ments, such as mountains, were often identified as A having divine meaning. These were used to conceptual- ize the links between humans and the forces that governed creation and their destiny. Recent work at South Abydos has revealed that the subterranean tomb of Senwosret III was built at the foot of a prominent, pyramidal peak in the cliffs of Abydos. Named the Mountain-of-Anubis by the , this sacred mountain formed the conceptual anchor of Senwosret III’s mortuary complex, Enduring-Are-the-Places-of- Khakaure-True-of-Voice-in-Abydos. The design of the tomb and the way in which it relates to this mountain peak provide important clues for understanding Middle Kingdom ideas about the royal . r e n g e W f e s o J

16 volume 48, number 2 expedition chest. Despite these, and other ingenious devices, its conceal- ment ultimately failed, and ancient tomb robbers plundered the tomb. Although a number of fea- tures of this tomb can be traced to earlier Middle Kingdom royal , its architecture more closely parallels the design of later New Kingdom royal in the in Thebes. For example, the paral- lel well-shaft chambers in its outer section may represent a symbolic association with the idea of the sun’s descent into the realm of . Both the shaft chamber and the curvilinear design and changing axis of the tomb’s inner elements also occur in the 18th Dynasty tombs in This isometric drawing of the tomb of Senwosret III shows its subterranean relationship to the limestone the Valley of the Kings (ca. cliffs above. The tomb’s interior is built around a centrally positioned chamber in which the royal sarcophagus was hidden. The outer part of the tomb (before the burial chamber) has a predominantly lin- 1500–1300 BCE). ear design that descends to a tremendous depth and terminates in two deep, paired, shaft-like cham- The design of Senwosret III’s bers. The inner half of the tomb (after the burial chamber) has a curving configuration that swings in a tomb suggests an architectural great arc to face toward the eastern horizon. Like all known royal tombs dating to the Middle Kingdom, this one has no decoration on its interior. During this period, royalty probably used funerary texts written expression of a particular form on or on the burial equipment such as the . of ancient Egyptian royal funer- ary literature called the . This text first appears as painted decoration on the walls of royal THE INNOVATIVE DESIGN OF A HIDDEN burial chambers during the early 18th Dynasty in the Valley of ROYAL TOMB the Kings. The actual ancient Egyptian name of the text—The- Book-of-the-Hidden-Chamber—reveals its primary focus as a The tomb of Senwosret III is a magnificent example of ancient netherworld guide through the 12 of the night Egyptian royal mortuary architecture and a truly remarkable (Egyptian , or netherworld) that allowed the to engineering achievement. Hewn into the limestone bedrock merge with Osiris and the sun-god Re in a hidden chamber 30 m (100 feet) below the desert surface, this mammoth tomb located at the midpoint of the sun’s nightly journey. This mys- extends below ground for 180 m, with its inner half lying tical union permitted an eternal rebirth on the eastern horizon beneath the limestone cliffs. The majority of its interior archi- of . tecture was laboriously lined with finely dressed limestone and With its centrally positioned burial chamber, hidden sar- red quartzite masonry. cophagus, and other features, Senwosret III’s tomb seems to An important aspect of the tomb’s architecture is its reflect the idea of this netherworld passage, perhaps making it emphasis on concealment and protection. Its builders pre- the earliest example of a royal Amduat-tomb. At the very least, vented access to the royal burial chamber by plugging the this tomb was a purposefully hidden royal burial place, the entrance corridor with 14 blocks, the largest weighing first such in Egyptian history and a critical developmental link about 215 tons. The quartzite lining of the burial chamber also between the earlier tradition and the famous tombs r e n

g hid the location of Senwosret III’s sarcophagus and canopic of Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. e W f e s o J

www.museum.upenn.edu/expedition 17 THE DISCOVERY OF THE This ancient seal has helped us understand the constella- MOUNTAIN-OF-ANUBIS tion of features found in the mortuary complex of Senwosret III. In 1994, when first starting work at South Abydos, I had Among ’s rich pantheon the most familiar and already noticed that the tomb’s natural setting possessed recognizable is the jackal god Anubis, best known for his unique physical qualities. While the cliffs that frame the wider role as the god of mummification. Funerary scenes often show desert area of Abydos look different from various perspectives, Anubis preparing the body of the deceased for its passage to the area chosen for Senwosret III’s tomb—the base of the the netherworld. Seen in a form called Anubis-who-is-upon- highest, most prominent part of the cliffs—blocks all of the his-mountain, we also know Anubis as protector, adjacent cliffs from view. This imparts the visual impression of perhaps best illustrated in the Valley of the Kings during the a freestanding, natural, pyramid-shaped mountain, the perfect New Kingdom (ca. 1550–1050 BCE) when necropolis seals substitute for the traditional built pyramid. Senwosret III’s bore the image of Anubis dominating Egypt’s traditional architects positioned his tomb to make use of this mountain peak, and they built his tomb underground, beneath it. With the discovery of the official necropolis seal impres- sions in the tomb enclosure we can identify the Mountain-of- Anubis as the divine name for this mountain. More widely, Mountain-of-Anubis also referred to the tomb enclosure of Senwosret III. Anubis, therefore, was manifest here both in his role as protector of the royal burial place—Anubis-who-is- upon-his-mountain—and in the form of the actual mountain which sat above the royal tomb!

THE PROCESSIONAL ENTRANCE TO THE Royal necropolis seals from the Valley of the Kings (New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty) include Anubis as protective god. UNDERGROUND TOMB

When Arthur Weigall discovered the tomb of Senwosret III in enemies. These enemies were the “9-bows” who symbolized 1902 he had hundreds of men excavate through approximately chaotic forces that might threaten the integrity of royal 12 m (40 feet) of desert sand to find bedrock and locate its and the ’ afterlife. entrance. One visitor in 1903 described the resulting pit In 2004 in the tomb enclosure of Senwosret III, we discov- through the loose desert sand as the “devil’s punch bowl.” To ered a series of clay seal impressions closely related to the prevent the sides of the pit from collapsing, Weigall and later necropolis seals from the Valley of the Kings. These impressions Charles Currelly erected unmortared brick retaining walls. were produced from a single seal inscribed with the figure of When our work on the tomb began in 2004 we opened a Anubis, reclining upon a . Below the shrine is the hiero- larger area than Weigall had, allowing us to secure the excava- glyphic symbol for mountain, in English, Mountain-of-Anubis. tion’s boundaries well beyond the tomb’s entrance. While doing so, we removed many of the loose bricks from the earlier dig and discovered a major architectural feature that had been previously missed—a beautiful brick staircase with wide shal- low steps descending from the desert surface down to the tomb’s entrance. This staircase confirms that the tomb was intentionally built without a superstructure and that it was meant to be hid- . After the tomb was sealed, both it and its staircase would have rapidly become cloaked by the windswept sand of the low desert or even intentionally filled in. Its gentle, shallow steps also suggest that it was probably designed to be used ceremo- nially, perhaps in a religious procession that culminated inside r e n

The necropolis seal from the funerary enclosure of Senwosret III is the tomb, such as the burial rites of Senwosret III. g e

inscribed with Mountain-of-Anubis. W f e s o J

18 volume 48, number 2 expedition Josef Wegner ww w .m use um.up e nn.e du/expedition sand ofthedesert. descend throughtheloose whitewash,allow itto plastered withgypsum 20 entrance was discovered in descending tothetomb A processional staircase 04. Walls oneitherside, 19 Oneost EgyptianPharaoh, pharaohs possessed only a sin- Twoby Senwosret III’sTombs treasurer, Ikhernofret, might provide a clue. gle tomb, leaving little doubt as to where they Dating to Year 19 of Senwosret III’s reign, this object discusses were buried. But Senwosret III belongs to a a royal commission to completely renovate the temple of small group of pharaohs who built multiple Osiris at Abydos. Since the main phase of construction of the tombs. How were his different tombs used pyramid had already been completed by this date, it is Mand where was he actually buried? possible that Senwosret III’s personal interest in the cult of Like all of his predecessors in the 12th Dynasty, Senwosret Osiris—which may have intensified over time—led him to III built a pyramid complex in northern Egypt, at Dahshur, build his tomb and mortuary complex at Abydos. Another just south of Memphis. Senwosret III’s pyramid is considered stela erected by Nebipusenwosret, one of his officials, at by many Egyptologists to be his logical burial place. In con- Abydos after the pharaoh’s death was intended to “witness the trast, his second tomb, the mortuary complex at South divine beauty of king Khakaure-Senwosret.” Does this imply Abydos, is generally considered to be a royal —a that Senwosret III’s final resting place was indeed Abydos? symbolic tomb associating him with Osiris. Although many questions remain, we hope that continued explorations at Dahshur and South Abydos will provide fur- ther perspective on why this pharaoh built two tombs—a tra- ditional pyramid and an innovative subterranean tomb—and in which it now appears probable he was buried.

Senwosret III built his pyramid at Dahshur.

Since 1990 the pyramid at Dahshur has been the focus of excavations by the Egyptian Department of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Met’s expedition has revealed a large and complex site with burials of royal women and nearby tombs of high officials from the reign of Senwosret III. The pharaoh’s tomb beneath the pyramid, however, appears to be entirely unused, contrasting dramatically with the extensive tech- niques used inside the tomb at Abydos to protect the royal sar- cophagus. Our recent investigations provide strong evidence that Senwosret III was buried beneath the Mountain-of-Anubis rather than at Dahshur. Why did this pharaoh build two tombs, and why might he

have chosen to be buried at Abydos? An inscribed stela up r e n g e W f e s o J

The stela of Nebipusenwosret from Abydos (now in the ) was dedicated to the memory of Senwosret III.

20 volume 48, number 2 expedition Josef Wegner e t inc (w dar taining ar con- all bowls, of different types astounding concentration of discarded water andan jars side wasadense deposit of Piled out- ture anddiscovered entirely something unforeseen. In 2004we excavated thissimpletwo-room struc- entrance. 12.3 m)standinginalow hollow just outside theenclosure’s tomb.ranean thesubter- thecompletion andclosingately of following inside dummy orrazed buried mastabas(S7andS8)immedi- were thesestructures purposefully mostof however, types, different contained Thisenclosure of buildings originally sure. the 5-mhig he F A o ntered thetomb enclosure. rit ld he eeaseilbre sue eoeadiy,thevolume of beforehere isused burner aspecial adeity), ritually purify or or fumigatebefore people materials purify they ritually One structure that survived was a small building (7.6x wasasmall thatsurvived One structure ense burning seen hereense burning suggests thatthisbuilding wasused d ual purificationhousestoodattheentrancetotombenclosure. the incense offering found in ancient Egyptian temples incense found offering inancient Egyptian r r s e up A c sdeo un nes ei.In to contrast thestan- incense burnt resin. esidue of o p RITUAL PURIFICATION HOUSE mes fr h o r al fSenwosret III’s T-shaped tomb enclo- of walls t f or the existence of royal funerary ceremonies royal funerary or theexistence of o m the ab oveground features found within as a Se s e t w w Small cupswere usedtoburnincenseinsidetheritual purificationhouse. ion ceremony. Such purification rites were rites Such required purification for those ion ceremony. c srylmrur eeois Could thisindicate that ceremonies. uch as royal mortuary ntering a sacred space and/or performing religious rituals, asacredntering religious space and/or performing e ith a limestone base—the apparent focus of a ritual purifica- aritual ith alimestone base—theapparent focus of nwosret here buried at IIIwasactually Abydos? This type of building was known to building the ancient wasknown Egyptians of This type found a 1-m high brick bench brick adjacent to nichefound a1-mhigh a small per-wabet “os fprfcto”.Inside itsinner room purification”). of (“house www .m use um.up e nn.e d u/expedition 21 Leuven: DepartmentOrientalistiek,2005. ar Egyptian Section. Egyptian Curator andanAssociate Civilizations intheMuseum’s in P f the ful first c Top, thetomb entrancewas re-excavated Middle,the in2004–2005. Timelines:inHonour Bietak StudiesofManfred Senwosret III.” Wegner, Josef.“OldandNewExcavationsattheAbydeneComplex of For Fur jose was pl we andhow alsohopeto when determine thetomb seasons, mat that thelar r thetomb. of discovering considerable errors inthe1903sketch plan tecture, theinterior archi- andplanof complete survey aphotographic we were able to Nevertheless, debris. with itfilled ing mostof leav- properly notbeen interior had excavated in1902–1903, wasthatthetomb anticipated, Ihad which immediate reality, One ing photography andarchitectural planningdifficult. thetomb injust over acentury. of glimpse we were rewarded thefirst with 2005, OnDecember 26, 2005. 5months in2004and overvated theentrance thecourse of Using asmany as200men we re-exca- by sandy avast bowl. sand. thesite underburied 15mof gradually therelentless while winds thetomb’sfilling entrance, m to left theentrance Senwosretthey III’s tomb open to theele- FundWhen Exploration ended itswork in1903, theEgypt W Anubis lated logs.Bottom, afallen granitestoneblocks theinsideoftomb. Angela Schwab, Czer 22 o l otebra hme n nytoohrros we expect chamber toily andonlytwo theburial other rooms, egner, Josef,andMuhammedA.Abuel-Yazid. “The c r ns h te ad ie fthepiteventually collapsed, Thesteep sandy sides of ents. hit Since the extent of the earlier excavation theearlier waslimited prima- Since theextent of mak- Heat were andhumidity oppressive inside thetomb, When wein1994thetomb’s arrived wasmarked location al ny, Hein,HermannHunger, Irmgaard DagmarMelman,and vdneo t rgnlueadcnet.In coming useandcontents. itsoriginal of evidence erial hamber insidethetombisalimestone roomwitharoofofsimu l f n’ eateto Near Languages and Eastern enn’s of Department volume 48, number 2 expedition number volume 48, e und ther Reading : t c l o Necropolis SealoftheSenwosretIIITomb atAbydos.”In w tur t v o e e isit. mb andb e, gely unexcavated portions of the tomb will provide thetomb will unexcavatedgely of portions g r e ne t d KMT r ansforming itinfutureansforming years into amonument b Orientalia LovaniensiaAnalecta r REOPENING THETOMB y ancie is A 6-2 (1995):59-71. e ss g nt r oc in ther o b e bers as we systematically excavatebers aswe systematically P r o est f essor of Egyptian Archaeology Egyptian of essor o r to fitsmagnificent of ation , edited byErnst 149, pp.399-415. Mountain-of- -

Josef Wegner