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An Intact Late Sixth-dynasty tomb from Qubbet el Hawa

Publication at Faculty of Arts |
2019

Abstract

During the 2016 season, the Spanish Mission to Qubbet el-Hawa had discovered what seemed to be a partially collapsed ceiling of a so-far unknown Old Kingdom tomb which had then been numbered QH22. In spring 2017, the decision was taken to continue the excavation and to document and study this new monument situated in the notrhern part of the necropolis.

These latter interventions allowed us to recognise that the execution of the tomb, though inexpensive, displays some unique features. Furthermore, that cultic space of the tomb has been, at some point, reused to inter three intrusive burials.

This means that the locals must have been, at some point, aware of the existence of the tomb. Nevertheless, the design of this funerary monument, as well as the fracture in its ceiling allowing the sand to cover the false door offering stone and access to the substructure, meant that the tomb did not arouse the interest of any potential tomb robbers.

The original burial was found intact. The pottery found in the burial chamber allows us to date this interment preliminarily to the late Old Kingdom.

This study represent the preliminary results of the works in this newly discovered tomb.