SOUTH ABYDOS on Egypt's SecondC ^ _________J TIntermediate — i________ J* Period The tomb of Woseribre Seneb-Kay (foreground) and seven other contemporary Second Intermediate Period tombs lie near the necropolis of the Mountain-of-Anubis at South Abydos. Photograph by Josef Wegner. Josef Wegner xcavations at the site of Abydos during 2013-2015 The ongoing investigation of the Second Intermediate Pe­ have revealed a previously unknown royal necropolis riod necropolis by the Penn Museum, University of Pennsylva­ dating to Egypt’s late Second Intermediate Period (ca. nia, now spans three field seasons. At the present time we have 1650-1600 b .c .e .) and contemporary with the early-middle specifically identified one of these kings, the hitherto unknown Hyksos Period. This discovery has opened a new window pharaoh, Woseribre Seneb-Kay (opening photograph). Seneb- into political dynamics during one of the most obscure eras Kay’s tomb is the earliest within a larger tomb cluster. His dec­ of pharaonic Egypt. The late Second Intermediate Period, the orated burial chamber provides crucial evidence on the chro­ final stage of the Middle Bronze Age in Egypt, was associated nology of the necropolis. In addition to the tomb of Seneb-Kay with the decline of the Middle Kingdom state system and the work to-date has examined seven other tombs, all closely the emergence of a fragmentary political situation in which comparable in architecture and scale to that of Seneb-Kay. All Egypt was ultimately dominated by two rival kingdoms, the of the eight currently-known tombs were plundered in ancient Thebans (Dynasties 16-17) in Upper Egypt, and the Hyksos times. However, fragmentary remains of burial goods, as well (Dynasty 15) in the Nile Delta. The historical events that as the cohesive nature of the necropolis in terms of architec­ ended this era are comparatively well documented: the wars ture and use of the landscape, indicates these were all royal of the Theban kings Kamose and Ahmose that culminated in burials. Human remains from five of these tombs show a pat­ the expulsion of the Hyksos, ca. 1550 b . c .e ., and establish­ tern of single interments of mature males. Two nearly com­ ment of the New Kingdom. However, the nature of Egypt’s plete bodies, including that of king Seneb-Kay, have provided evolving political and territorial organization during the the rare opportunity for examination of the physical remains Hyksos Period remains an issue of great debate in Egyptian of Upper Egyptian rulers of the Second Intermediate Period. archaeology. This newly identified royal necropolis offers new Who were these eight kings? Why were they buried at Abydos? light on society and politics in Upper Egypt contemporary Attempting to answer these fundamental questions is helping with the early Hyksos Period and prior to the ascendancy of to shed new light on the political situation of Egypt during the the Theban 17th Dynasty. Hyksos Period. 68 NEAR EASTERN ARCHAEOLOGY 78:2 (2015) Figure 1 (top left). Map of greater Abydos showing location of the Senwosret III complex and the Mountain of Anubis: location of the newly identified Second Intermediate Period royal necropolis. Figure 2 (top right). The mortuary complex of Senwosret III (12,h Dynasty) at South Abydos, and associated structures. Figure 3 (below). The Second Intermediate Period tombs and adjacent 13th Dynasty tombs S9 and S10. Plans by Josef Wegner. The Second neath a symmetrical promi­ Intermediate Royal nence in the cliffs that visually Cemetery resembles a natural pyramid. The Second Intermediate Pe­ Excavation of structures asso­ riod necropolis is located at ciated with the Senwosret III South Abydos, an area of low tomb enclosure has produced desert terrain that is bordered extensive deposits of clay seal­ by the Nile floodplain and ings produced by stamp seals high desert cliffs (fig. 1). Prior with the hieroglyphic desig­ to the Second Intermediate nation Mountain-of-Anubis. Period, this part of the land­ The mountain peak that rises scape of Abydos had been behind the tomb site appears developed during the Middle to have been ascribed to the Kingdom with the construc­ canine deity Anubis. The des­ tion of a series of royal mor­ ignation Mountain-of-Anubis tuary complexes belonging was applied as a form of insti­ to kings of the 12th and 13th tutional necropolis seal. Dynasties. Excavations, on­ Subsequent to the reign of going since the 1990s, have Sensosret III, two kings of the exposed an expansive mortu­ 13th Dynasty built additional ary complex, anciently named tombs on the northwestern Enduring-are-the-Places-of- side of the tomb enclosure. Khakaure-true-of-voice-in-Aby­ Briefly examined in 1 POI­ dos, belonging to the 12th Dy­ ROT by the British excavator nasty king Senwosret III (ca. Arthur Weigall, these struc­ 1880-1840 b.c.e.). This state- tures, tombs “S9” and “S10,” initiated funerary complex have massive stone-built includes a subterranean tomb substructures, variants of the within a T-shaped enclosure architectural format that pre­ at the base of the high desert dominated in the late Middle cliffs, an associated mortuary Kingdom pyramids in the temple, as well as an extensive Memphite region. The sub­ urban site, the town of Wah-Sut, with accompanying industrial terranean burial compartments appear to have originally been and agricultural zones (fig. 2). The tomb of Senwosret III sits be­ capped by now-destroyed superstructures, probably pyramidal NEAR EASTERN ARCHAEOLOGY 78:2 (2015) 69 in form. In 2014 the discov­ The Second Intermediate ery of a royal funerary stela Period tombs employ a pre­ associated with tomb S10 es­ dominantly linear design con­ tablished ownership to one of sisting of a walled entrance the Sobekhotep kings of the ramp that leads to a succes­ 13th Dynasty (here identified sion of two or three subterra­ as Sobekhotep ‘N’). Further nean chambers. The orienta­ evidence that emerged in tion is from Nile downstream 2014-2015 takes the form of to Nile upstream (true west to fragments of the painted ce­ east) with the tomb entrances dar coffin of this same king facing generally towards the Sobekhotep, reused in the cultic area of the Osiris tem­ tomb of king Seneb-Kay. The ple and sacred processional coffin was decorated with a route at North Abydos. The specific group of Coffin Texts tombs range in overall length Figure 4a-b. The architecture and scale of the Second Intermediate tombs is that demonstrate that his quite uniform. Variation occurs in the number of chambers and format of the between 7 and 17 meters, reign falls within the middle- burial chamber, typically a slab-lined crypt, as in CS8 (above). Other variants in although the inner cham­ late 13th Dynasty (Wegner burial chamber architecture include the use of monolithic chambers and the block construction in the tomb of Seneb-Kay, CS9 (below). Photographs by Josef Wegner. bers (excluding the entrance and Cahail 2015). The set of ramps) place the tombs more evidence now available sug­ cohesively in the 6-12 meter gests the probability that range. Construction is of gyp- Sobekhotep N, the builder sum-plastered mud brick with of Tomb S10, can be identi­ stone fittings (fig. 4a-b). fied as Sobekhotep IV of the The tombs are constructed middle 13th Dynasty while in trenches cut into the desert the nearby Tomb S9 belongs subsurface and typically de­ to his brother and immediate scend to a depth of 3-5 meters predecessor, Neferhotep I. below the elevation of the en­ The recently discovered trance. The architecture adapts Second Intermediate Period to this shallow mode of con­ royal necropolis represents struction. The first (highest el­ an addition to the preexisting evated) chamber in most cases area of the 13th Dynasty tombs takes the form of a wood-beam (fig. 3). The known tombs roofed chamber with a flat cluster in an area of just 40 by roof intended not to protrude 60 meters positioned directly above the desert surface. Mov­ north of tomb S10 and flanked ing inwards the chambers step on the east by the enclosure sequentially deeper and the wall of tomb S9. Vestiges of a architecture shifts to the use of series of enclosure walls sug­ brick vaults. In most examples gest the Second Intermediate the burial chamber is mud Period tombs were situated brick with an internal stone with respect to still-standing slab lining and surmounted enclosure walls dating to the by a barrel-vaulted roof (fig. 13th Dynasty. The tombs have 5). Variants include the use been numbered in sequence of a single-chamber interior of excavation with the prefix (tombs CS6 and CS11), and ‘CS’ for ‘Cemetery S.’ They in­ two of the tombs use mono­ clude the tomb of Woseribre lithic stone burial chambers in­ Seneb-Kay (CS9) positioned stead of slab lining (tombs CS6 very close to the front of tomb S10 (Sobekhotep). Slightly further and CS10). The only example to employ a stone-block construction to the north is the main cluster comprised of seven anonymous for the burial chamber is that of Seneb-Kay (CS9), a tomb which in tombs of similar design: CS4 through 8; CS10 and CS11. Ad­ other respects closely resembles the rest of the group (fig. 6). None ditionally, there are three shafts (CS12-CS14) that appear to be of the eight tombs preserves evidence of any superstructure. associated with tomb CS10, the largest and deepest of the Second Although the juxtaposition of this Second Intermediate Period Intermediate Period tombs. necropolis to the earlier Middle Kingdom tombs is suggestive of 70 NEAR EASTERN ARCHAEOLOGY 78:2 (2015) a pattern of incremental growth of an evolving royal necropolis, ing would necessitate a major work force with central oversight the mode in which the Second Intermediate Period tombs relate over a long time frame.