Abstract
The tomb of Kairsu (AC 33) is located north of the pyramid of Neferirkare, and thus lies in a part of the Abusir pyramid necropolis that has not yet been more thoroughly explored. The tomb is characterized by several very unusual features. Firstly, there is the extensive use of basalt blocks in the paving of the portico and the principal offering chapel. So far, this is the only evidence of such a practice in a non-royal tomb from the Old Kingdom period. The tomb was originally richly decorated with polychrome reliefs, as evidenced by fragments found in the tomb and its immediate surroundings. The owner of the tomb and other persons buried with him in the mastaba departed for the Afterlife equipped with standard burial equipment, which is relatively well preserved. One of the most significant discoveries made in the tomb during its exploration was the discovery of a granite statue of Kairsu placed directly in the burial chamber in front of his sarcophagus. This unique find thus confirmed the assumption that the ancient Egyptians placed statues not only in the above-ground parts of the tombs, but also in their underground. Kairsu's titles prove that he was a high-ranking official and priest. Among many others, Kairsu held the important office of overseer of all royal works as well as the director of the House of Life. There was a close connection between this institution, which was the centre of knowledge and wisdom in the Old Kingdom, and the god Khnum, of whom Kairsu was also a priest. The Houses of Life began to appear during the reign of Niuserre, a period associated with the incipient rise of the god of the dead, Osiris, and the changing religious paradigm of kingship.
For the time being, an unresolved question is whether the owner of tomb AC 33 of Abusir can be identified with the famous ancient Egyptian sage who, according to a much later tradition, was the author of the Loyalist Teaching, the Instructions of Kagemni and the Instructions of Kairsu, as well as the father of the vizier Kagemni of the early Sixth Dynasty.