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52-608: Saqqara contains the oldest complete stone building complex known in history, the Pyramid of Djoser, built during the Third Dynasty . Another sixteen Egyptian kings built pyramids at Saqqara, which are now in various states of preservation. High officials added private funeral monuments to this necropolis during the entire Pharaonic period . It remained an important complex for non-royal burials and cult ceremonies for more than 3000 years, well into Ptolemaic and Roman times. North of

104-551: A 30-foot-deep (9 meter) burial shaft containing five limestone sarcophagi, four wooden coffins with human mummies, and an array of other artifacts. Among them were 365 faience ushabti and a small wooden obelisk about 40 centimeters tall that had been painted with depictions of Horus , Isis and Nepthys . In September 2020, a 36-foot (11-meter) deep burial shaft revealed almost 30 sarcophagi that had remained completely sealed since their interment. On 3 October 2020, Khalid el-Anany, Egypt's tourism and antiquities minister announced

156-502: A 4,000-year-old tomb near Egypt's Saqqara Necropolis . Archaeologists confirmed that the tomb belonged to an influential person named Khuwy, who lived in Egypt during the 5th Dynasty . "The L-shaped Khuwy tomb starts with a small corridor heading downwards into an antechamber and from there a larger chamber with painted reliefs depicting the tomb owner seated at an offerings table", reported Megahed. Some paintings maintained their brightness over

208-554: A 4,300-year-old mummy to a man named Hekashepes covered with gold, in addition to finds date back to the 5th and 6th dynasties, such as a priest inspector named Khnumdjedef, secret keeper called Meri and a judge and writer named Fetek. In April 2024, a rock-cut tomb dating back to the Second Dynasty was uncovered in Saqqara by a team of Japanese and Egyptian archaeologists. The tomb contained artifacts from various periods, spanning over

260-463: A cartouche containing a form of the sign for "ka," with just enough room for the sign for "Neb." Nebka's reign length is given as eighteen years by both Manetho and the Turin Canon, though these sources write over 2,300 and 1,400 years after his lifetime, so their accuracy is uncertain. In contrast to Djoser, both Sanakht and Nebka are attested in considerably few relics for a ruler of nearly two decades;

312-525: A century and the first cache to be discovered by a solely Egyptian mission. The coffins were stacked on top of each other and arranged in two rows about three feet below the sandy surface. The first coffin's head was partially exposed in the sand, which led to the cache's discovery. Two of the coffins belonged to children, a rare occurrence in archeology. Mostafa Waziri , secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, explained that one could identify

364-505: A century. Some scholars have proposed a southern origin for the Third Dynasty. Petrie believed the dynasty originated from Sudan based on iconographic evidence, but Keita argued southern Egypt is equally likely. The pharaohs of the Third Dynasty ruled for approximately 75 years. Due to recent archaeological findings in Abydos revealing that Djoser was the one who buried Khasekhemwy ,

416-584: A different location for their pyramids . During the second half of the Old Kingdom , under the Fifth and Sixth Dynasties, Saqqara was again the royal burial ground. The Fifth and Sixth Dynasty pyramids are not built wholly of massive stone blocks, but instead with a core consisting of rubble. Consequently, they are less well preserved than the world-famous pyramids built by the Fourth Dynasty kings at Giza . Unas ,

468-431: A funerary chapel decorated with multi-colored reliefs, which was uncovered in 1997. as well as the tomb of courtier Nyankhnefertem uncovered in 2003. The expedition also explored two necropoles. Archaeologists revealed several dozen graves of noblemen from the period of the 6th Dynasty , dating to the 24th–21st century BC, and 500 graves of indigent people dating approximately to the 6th century BC – 1st century AD. Most of

520-528: A king assigned nineteen years by Manetho, find almost no support given the unfinished state of his tomb, the Buried Pyramid . It is believed that Khaba possibly built the Layer Pyramid at Zawyet el'Aryan ; the pyramid is far smaller than it was intended to be, but it is not known whether this is due to natural erosion or because it, like Sekhemkhet's own tomb, was never completed to begin with. In any case,

572-526: A local Berber tribe called the Beni Saqqar, despite the fact that a tribe of this name is not documented anywhere. Medieval authors also refer to the village as Ard as-Sadr ( Arabic : ارض السدر , lit.   'land of the buckthorn'). The earliest burials of nobles can be traced back to the First Dynasty , at the northern side of the Saqqara plateau. During this time, the royal burial ground

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624-430: A long time in the tomb. Mainly made of white limestone bricks, the tomb had a tunnel entrance generally typical for pyramids. Archaeologists say that there might be a connection between Khuwy and pharaoh because the mausoleum was found near the pyramid of Egyptian Pharaoh Djedkare Isesi , who ruled during that time. In October 2019, a cache of 30 coffins with mummies was discovered, at the time Egypt's largest in more than

676-496: A partly damaged wooden coffin . The last time a similar mask was found was in 1939. The eyes were covered with obsidian , calcite , and black hued gemstone possibly onyx . "The finding of this mask could be called a sensation. Very few masks of precious metal have been preserved to the present day, because the tombs of most Ancient Egyptian dignitaries were looted in ancient times." said Hussein. In September 2018, several dozen cache of mummies dating 2,000 years back were found by

728-647: A team of Polish archaeologists led by Kamil Kuraszkiewicz from the Faculty of Oriental Studies of the University of Warsaw . The Polish-Egyptian expedition works under the auspices of the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology University of Warsaw . Investigations were carried out for over two decades in the area to the west of the Djoser Pyramid. The most important discoveries include the tomb of vizier Merefnebef with

780-400: A team of archaeologists led by Zahi Hawass found the funerary temple of Naert or Narat and three warehouses made of bricks attached to the southeastern side for storage of temple provisions, offerings and tools. Researchers also revealed that Narat's name was engraved on a fallen obelisk near the main entrance. Previously unknown to researchers, Naert was a wife of Teti , the first king of

832-505: The 26th Dynasty . In November 2020, archaeologists unearthed more than 100 delicately painted wooden coffins dating to the 26th Dynasty and 40 statues of the local goddess Ptah Soker. Other artifacts discovered include funeral masks, canopic jars and 1,000 ceramic amulets. “This discovery is very important because it proves that Saqqara was the main burial of the 26th Dynasty ,” said Zahi Hawass , an Egyptologist and Egypt's former Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs. In January 2021,

884-576: The Fifth Dynasty , and his wife, four children and mother. The tomb is about 33 feet (10 meters) long by 10 feet (3.0 meters) wide and has five burial shafts and a basement. It contains more than fifty sculptures, and is painted with scenes of the family, wine and pottery making, musical performances, sailing, hunting, and furniture making. On 13 April 2019, an expedition led by a member of the Czech Institute of Egyptology , Mohamed Megahed, discovered

936-743: The Fourth , Fifth and Sixth . The capital during the period of the Old Kingdom was at Memphis . After the turbulent last years of the Second Dynasty , which might have included civil war, Egypt came under the rule of Djoser , marking the beginning of the Third Dynasty. Both the Turin King List and the Abydos King List record five kings, while the Saqqara Tablet only records four, and Manetho records nine, many of whom did not exist or are simply

988-503: The Late Period , the Ptolemaic period , and the 18th Dynasty . Among the findings were remains of an adult with a colored mask and a small child, in addition to two terracotta statues depicting Isis and Harpocrates . Third Dynasty of Egypt The Third Dynasty of ancient Egypt ( Dynasty III ) is the first dynasty of the Old Kingdom . Other dynasties of the Old Kingdom include

1040-583: The Pyramid of Unas and added an inscription to its south face to commemorate the restoration. He enlarged the Serapeum , the burial site of the mummified Apis bulls , and was later buried in the catacombs. The Serapeum, containing one undisturbed interment of an Apis bull and the tomb of Khaemweset, were rediscovered by the French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette in 1851. During the periods after

1092-630: The Book of the Dead were also painted onto the surface of other coffins. Also found in the shafts were wooden funerary masks, board games, a shrine dedicated to god of the dead Anubis , bird-shaped artifacts and a bronze axe. A limestone stelae dated to the reign of Ramesses II was found in one of the shafts, depicting the overseer of the king's military chariot Kha-Ptah and his wife Mwt-em-wia worshipping Osiris and sitting with six of their children. Also in January 2021,

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1144-505: The Late Period more than 2,500 years ago, in addition to a 9-meter-long papyrus scroll which could be a depiction of a chapter of the Book of the Dead . In May 2022, the discovery of the nearly 4,300-year-old tomb of an ancient Egyptian high-ranked person who handled royal, sealed documents of pharaoh was announced. According to University of Warsaw ’s Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology ,

1196-583: The New Kingdom, when several cities in the Delta served as capital of Egypt, Saqqara remained in use as a burial ground for nobles. Moreover, the area became an important destination for pilgrims to a number of cult centres. Activities sprang up around the Serapeum, and extensive underground galleries were cut into the rock as burial sites for large numbers of mummified ibises, baboons, cats, dogs, and falcons. Saqqara and

1248-589: The Polish-Egyptian expedition also focuses on the interpretation of the so-called Dry Moat, a vast trench hewn around the Djoser Pyramid. The most recent discoveries confirm the hypothesis that the Dry Moat was a model of the pharaoh's journey to the netherworld, a road the deceased ruler had to follow to attain eternal life. In November 2018, an Egyptian archaeological mission located seven ancient Egyptian tombs at

1300-699: The Saqqara site lies the Abusir pyramid complex, and to its south lies the Dahshur pyramid complex, which together with the Giza Pyramid complex to the far north comprise the Pyramid Fields of Memphis , or the Memphite Necropolis , which was designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979. Some scholars believe that the name Saqqara is not derived from the ancient Egyptian funerary deity, Sokar , but from

1352-490: The Third Dynasty, before Huni, but this is by no means definitively known or even overwhelmingly supported among Egyptologists.) Some authorities believe that Imhotep lived into the reign of the Pharaoh Huni. Little is known for certain of Sekhemkhet , but his reign is considered to have been only six or seven years, according to the Turin Canon and Palermo Stone , respectively. Attempts to equate Sekhemkhet with Tosertasis ,

1404-407: The Turin Canon gives a reign of only six years to an unnamed immediate predecessor of Huni . Toby Wilkinson suggests that this number fits Sanakht (whom he identifies concretely with Nebka), given the sparsity of archaeological evidence for him, but it could also be the reign length of Khaba or even Qahedjet , kings whose identities are uncertain. (Wilkinson places Nebka as the penultimate king of

1456-414: The ancient necropolis of Saqqara. Three of the tombs were used for cats, some dating back to the Fifth and Sixth Dynasties, while one of four other sarcophagi was unsealed. Among the dozens of cat mummies were 100 wooden and gilded statues of cats and one in bronze dedicated to the cat goddess Bastet, and funerary items dating back to the 12th Dynasty . Another of the seven tombs belongs to Khufu-Imhat,

1508-404: The bodies were poorly preserved and all organic materials, including the wooden caskets, had decayed. The tombs discovered most recently (in 2018) form part of the younger, so-called Upper Necropolis. Most of the mummies we discovered last season were very modest, they were only subjected to basic embalming treatments, wrapped in bandages and placed directly in pits dug in the sand The research of

1560-464: The burial site next to the sacred temple of Anubis . It is thought that the mummified animals, mostly dogs, were intended to pass on the prayers of their owners to their deities. In July 2018, German-Egyptian researchers’ team head by Ramadan Badry Hussein of the University of Tübingen reported the discovery of an extremely rare gilded burial mask that probably dates from the Saite-Persian period in

1612-482: The cliffs of the Bubasteion (a sanctuary dedicated to Bastet ). Taweret, Aperia's wife, may have been an important lady in her own right as she is the only New Kingdom woman identified to date to have been buried in a set of three coffins. Their son Huy was buried in year 10 of Akhenaten or even later. Also mentioned in the tomb are Aperel’s sons Seny, an official, and Hatiay, a priest. According to Strouhal, Aperel

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1664-591: The country, and kings built their funerary complexes elsewhere. Few private monuments from this period have been found at Saqqara. During the New Kingdom , Memphis was an important administrative and military centre, being the capital after the Amarna Period. From the Eighteenth Dynasty onward, many high officials built tombs at Saqqara. While still a general, Horemheb built a large tomb here, although he later

1716-496: The discovery of at least 59 sealed sarcophagi with mummies more than 2,600 years old. Archaeologists also revealed the 20 statues of Ptah-Soker and a carved 35-centimeter tall bronze statue of god Nefertem . On 19 October 2020, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced the discovery of gilded, wooden statues and more than 80 coffins in three burial shafts. Officials believed the coffins contain senior officials and priests from

1768-485: The duration of Khaba's reign is uncertain; a few Egyptologists believe Khaba was identical to Huni, but if Khaba is the same person as the Ramesside names Hudjeta II and Sednes , he could have reigned for six years. Aperel Aperel (sometimes written as Aperia ) was a vizier of ancient Egypt , who served during the reigns of the 18th-dynasty kings Amenhotep III and Akhenaten . Besides being vizier, Aperel

1820-456: The earliest surviving pyramids , the Step Pyramid . Nebka's identification with Sanakht is uncertain; though many Egyptologists continue to support the theory that the two kings were one and the same man, opposition exists because this opinion rests on a single fragmentary clay seal discovered in 1903 by John Garstang . Though damaged, the seal displays the serekh of Sanakht, together with

1872-495: The elaborately decorated tomb belonged to a man named Mehtjetju who served as a priest and an inspector of the royal property. Kamil O. Kuraszkiewicz, expedition director stated that Mehtjetju most likely lived at about the same time, at some point during the reigns of the first three rulers of the Sixth Dynasty : Teti , Userkare and Pepy I . In January 2023, Zahi Hawass announced the discovery of four tombs at Saqqara including

1924-639: The entrance to Khasekhemwy 's tomb at Abydos, which demonstrates that it was Djoser, rather than Sanakht, who buried and succeeded Khasekhemwy , who was the final king of the Second Dynasty. The Turin King List scribe wrote Djoser's name in red ink, which indicates the Ancient Egyptians' recognition of this king's historical importance in their culture. In any case, Djoser is the best known king of this dynasty, for commissioning his vizier Imhotep to build

1976-448: The last king of the Second Dynasty , it is now widely believed that Djoser is the founder of the Third Dynasty, as the direct successor of Khasekhemwy and the one responsible for finishing his tomb. These findings contradict earlier writings, like Wilkinson 1999, which proposed that Nebka / Sanakht was the founder of the dynasty. However, the two were not very far apart temporally; they may have been brothers, along with Sekhemkhet , as

2028-524: The last ruler of the Fifth Dynasty, was the first king to adorn the chambers in his pyramid with Pyramid Texts . During the Old Kingdom, it was customary for courtiers to be buried in mastaba tombs close to the pyramid of their king. Thus, clusters of private tombs were formed in Saqqara around the pyramid complexes of Unas and Teti . From the Middle Kingdom onward, Memphis was no longer the capital of

2080-478: The monumental enclosure wall around the Step Pyramid complex. Djoser's funerary complex, built by the royal architect Imhotep , further comprises a large number of dummy buildings and a secondary mastaba (the so-called 'Southern Tomb'). French architect and Egyptologist Jean-Philippe Lauer spent the greater part of his life excavating and restoring Djoser's funerary complex. Nearly all Fourth Dynasty kings chose

2132-457: The mummy's gender by the shape of the hands on the coffin, open hands being female and hands balled into fists being male. The colors of the coffin inscriptions---made from limestone, red oak, turquoise, and other natural stones mixed with eggwhites—stayed intact, and the mixture of egg yolk and candle wax spread over the coffins to make them shine was still visible, making this a unique find. On April 28, 2020, archeologists announced they had found

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2184-418: The nebty name Nebka. Dating the Third Dynasty is similarly challenging. Shaw gives the dates as being approximately from 2686 to 2613 BC. The Turin King List suggests a total of 75 years for the third dynasty. Baines and Malek have placed the third dynasty as spanning the years 2650–2575 BC, while Dodson and Hilton date the dynasty to 2584–2520 BC. It is not uncommon for these estimates to differ by more than

2236-542: The overseer of buildings in the royal palace. Also in November 2018, a collection of rare mummified scarab beetles was unearthed in two sarcophagi, one of which was decorated with paintings of large black beetles. Also in November 2018, the Egyptian government announced the discovery at Saqqara of a previously unknown 4,400-year-old tomb. It belongs to Wahtye , a high-ranking priest who served under King Neferirkare Kakai during

2288-614: The same king under multiple names. The archaeological evidence shows that Khasekhemwy , the last ruler of the Second Dynasty, was succeeded by Djoser, who at the time was only attested by his presumed Horus name Netjerikhet. Djoser's successor was Sekhemkhet , who had the Nebty name Djeserty. The last king of the dynasty is Huni, who may be the same person as Qahedjet or, less likely, Khaba . There are three remaining Horus names of known 3rd dynasty kings: Sanakht, Khaba, and perhaps Qahedjet. One of these three, by far most likely Sanakht, went by

2340-460: The sixth dynasty. In November 2021, archeologists from Cairo University discovered several tombs, including that of Batah-M-Woya, chief treasurer during the reign of Ramesses II , and of a military leader named Hor Mohib. In March 2022, five 4000-year-old tombs belonging to senior officials from the Old Kingdom and First Intermediary Period were discovered. On 30 May 2022, 250 sarcophagi and 150 statuettes were displayed at Saqqara, dated back to

2392-579: The sons of Khasekhemwy and his favoured consort Nimaathap . While Manetho names Necherophes, and the Turin King List names Nebka (a.k.a. Sanakht), as the first pharaoh of the Third Dynasty, many contemporary Egyptologists believe Djoser was the first king of this dynasty, pointing out the order in which some predecessors of Khufu are mentioned in the Papyrus Westcar suggests that Nebka should be placed between Djoser and Huni, and not before Djoser. More importantly, seals naming Djoser were found at

2444-434: The surrounding areas of Abusir and Dahshur suffered damage by looters during the 2011 Egyptian protests . Store rooms were broken into, but the monuments were mostly unharmed. During routine excavations in 2011 at the dog catacomb in Saqqara necropolis, an excavation team led by Salima Ikram and an international team of researchers led by Paul Nicholson of Cardiff University uncovered almost eight million animal mummies at

2496-647: The titles compared with his brothers, and also that of Commander of Chariots also held by his father. He was a commander of horse, commander of chariots and scribe of recruits of the Lord of the Two Lands, was also buried in the tomb of his parents. At Saqqara, the Tomb of Aperel was discovered in 1987 by the French under supervision of Alain Zivie. The tomb is designated as I.1 and is located in

2548-476: The tourism and antiquities ministry announced the discovery of more than 50 wooden sarcophagi in 52 burial shafts which date back to the New Kingdom period, each around 30 to 40 feet deep, and a 13 ft-long papyrus that contains texts from Chapter 17 of the Book of the Dead . The papyrus scroll belonged to a man named Bu-Khaa-Af, whose name is written on it, on his sarcophagus, and on four ushabtis . Excerpts from

2600-415: Was also a commander of chariots. Aperel was pronounced "something like ' Abdiel ('Abdi-El) meaning "the servant of the god El " according to Alain Zivie. During the reign of Amenhotep III, Aperel married his wife Taweret. They had at least three sons: Seny, Hatiay and Huy. Seny was a steward and Hatiay was a priest of Nefertem . Huy, was apparently the oldest son and heir of Aperel. He holds most of

2652-517: Was at Abydos . The first royal burials at Saqqara, comprising underground galleries, date to the early Second Dynasty reigns of Hotepsekhemwy , Raneb and Nynetjer . This is followed by a hiatus, with Seth-Peribsen and Khasekhemwy , the last Second Dynasty king, both buried in Abydos. Khasekhemwy may nonetheless also have built a funerary monument at Saqqara consisting of a large rectangular enclosure, known as Gisr el-Mudir , although this enclosure could also belong to Nynetjer. It probably inspired

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2704-515: Was buried as pharaoh in the Valley of the Kings at Thebes. Other important tombs belong to the vizier Aperel , the vizier Neferronpet , the artist Thutmose , and the wet-nurse of Tutankhamun , Maia . Many monuments from earlier periods were still standing, but dilapidated by this period. Prince Khaemweset , son of Pharaoh Ramesses II , made repairs to buildings at Saqqara. Among other things, he restored

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