Meir, Egypt

Mair ( مير Mair, Mair DMG, also Meir, talked about Mer; Greek Μοῖραι ) is a village in Middle Egypt (Egypt) in the province of Asyut on the west bank of the Nile 8 km west of the city of al - Qusiyya. The village lies on the caravan route from al - Qusiyya to Farafra leading 3 km north of the first route along wadis in the surrounding rock either via the ( monastery ) ad - Dair al - Muharraq and south of the tombs group E or in a westerly direction.

Approx. 5 km southwest of the village of Mair is the same necropolis of the Old and Middle Kingdom. This corpus of coffins indicate the further use in Greco- Roman times.

Background

Meir is the cemetery of nomarchs, mayor and priest from Qusae (also Cusae, ancient Egyptian QJS, today al - Qusiya, 14 Upper Egyptian nome ) and their family members and servants primarily the 6th and 12th dynasty. For former rock tombs were designed on the western edge of the cemetery, for the servants shaft tombs were created east of it. The reliefs in the tombs of the 12th Dynasty among the most significant representatives of flat art (especially the graves of B1 and B2).

At a length of about 1.5 km you will find five groups of graves before ( from north to south ): Group A ( tombs of the 6th - 11th Dynasty ), B ( tombs of the 12th dynasty ), C ( tombs of the late 12. dynasty ), D ( tombs of the 6th dynasty ) and E ( primarily tombs of the 6th dynasty ). Their subdivision was made by Blackman. Tombs of the New Kingdom is suspected on the east bank of the Nile. The oldest grave is considered that of the Ni -ankh - Pepy -Kem ( grave A1).

Qusae was a center of Hathorkults, as captured by the title of the priest buried here. However, to date neither the temples nor the city have been proven archaeologically.

History of Research

Aylward Manley Blackman describes the state of research in 1913. Despite guarding the necropolis was looted in the 19th century regularly demanded good were the wooden planks of the coffins, which are used in agriculture and for irrigation. Towards 1877, dug a certain Muhammad Schehīn on behalf of the Antiquities by coffins, some of which should come from the grave A4. The well-preserved coffins were sent to Cairo, burnt the rest. 1890 emphasized Émile Chassinat Although the importance of Meir, but it will not do anything to protect the graves. In the years 1892 - 1895 there is the first authorized excavations under the direction of Georges Daressy among others The excavations were probably mainly take place in the field of graves group A, among the many findings was the wooden statue of Ni -ankh - Pepy -Kem from his grave A1. In the years 1899 and 1900 cleaning work was carried out in the area of ​​Gäbergruppe B, Émile Chassinat, Georges and Jean Daressy Clédat copied inscriptions.

In 1910, the Asyuter Kaufmann Sayd Bey Khashabeh ( Chaschaba Bey ) a large-scale excavation license for the territory of Dairut to Dair al - Gandala, which included the area of Meir. The excavations found HERE FROM 1910 - 1914, under the chairmanship of Ahmed Kamal. Mainly been in groups B, D and E dug. Numerous individual finds were unearthed, a large part is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The annual preliminary reports published in the Annales du service de l' Égypte the antiquités, Volumes 11-15 (1911 - 1915).

In five Grabungskampagnien (1912-1914, 1921, 1949-1950 ) Aylward Manley Blackman examined on behalf of the Egypt Exploration Fund ( EDF ) or the later Egypt Exploration Society decorated the graves of the grave groups A to E. The decoration of the graves was in 6 volumes published. He also established the division of the groups of graves and the numbering of the graves.

Further cleaning and excavations took place in the first half of the 20th century: in 1918 the graves tombs group B were purified under the direction of Howard Carter, on behalf of the University of Alexandria digs here Sami Gabra in the 1940s.

In all of the results ( documentation of numerous individual finds and grave decoration) but it must be said that there has never been a topographic survey of the cemetery or even documentation. The finds are mostly without reference to their origin. Even the number of graves is unknown. Howard Carter documented eg the exposure of eleven tombs in the Necropolis Group B (see above), but of which only four are published.

The collapsed tombs (including the tombs group B) were secured from the Department of Antiquities with a roof. The graves A1 and A2 were equipped with electric lighting.

Representations in the tombs

Two tombs of the A group ( 6th dynasty ) and four tombs of the B group ( 12th Dynasty ) are accessible to the visitor. These tombs are among the most important of these necropolis.

Tombs of the Old Kingdom, A- group

The two tombs in the center of the A group form Pepi -ankh the double grave system of Ni -ankh - Pepy -Kem and his son. One enters the tombs by grave A2. These tombs group stylistically very different from those of the 12th dynasty is different. The reliefs are painted on a blue background colored actors are shown.

• Grave A2:. Grave of Pepi -ankh, Chancellor of the King of Lower Egypt, head of the prophet, the son of Ni -ankh - Pepy -Kem, time of Pepi II This complex grave complex consists of eight rooms, the entrance is on the south. In the first room after the entrance one finds representations of the grave Lord with retinue of gifts makers and numerous craft and agricultural scenes. The room is located in the north followed by undecorated. To the east is the Serdab, the chamber for the Ka - statue of the deceased. In the lower part there are about 250 illustrations of the grave gentleman with his titles. In the upper part we beholds ink drawings of the vessel crossing to the west bank of the Nile to the cleaning tent ( Westbound ), herds of cattle, furniture and food for the grave Lord. From the first room you reach another large, decorated hall, at the north side two undecorated rooms, one with the grave shaft, and on the west side of the passage to his father's grave ( grave A1) is located in the west. There are representations of boating, agricultural, fish and bird catching and crafts, the grave Lord in fish and bird -catching, the grave Lord when receiving gifts and the grave gentleman in a palanquin on the walls of this hall. In the northeast corner of this hall you succeeded to another room with representations of men in battles, the list of victims and grave Lord on the dining table or on receipt of gifts.
• Grave A1:. Grave of Ni -ankh - Pepy -Kem (also Ni -ankh - Pepy the blacks), Head of Upper Egypt, Chancellor of the King of Lower Egypt, chief of the prophets, the time of Pepi I. The entrance to the south is decorated and partially silted. You can reach this grave today by his son. The grave consists of a large entrance hall, in its rear part, there are three decorated with a portrait of Mr. grave pillar. Are located on the west side of the hall facade stelae and offering tables, the rear part of the hall is decorated with representations of the grave Lord and gifts charms, fish and bird-catching scenes. The at the rear of the subsequent three rooms are almost undecorated, in the western area two unfinished statue niches are visible.

Tombs of the Middle Kingdom, B- group

Among the most unusual representations in the tombs B1 and B2 counts the emaciated so-called affirmative shepherds with well-fed cattle. The interpretation is controversial; some authorities recognize herein the care of the grave Lord for Bedouins.

The graves are probably already collapsed in antiquity. So partly, only the lower parts of the painted bas-reliefs can be seen. Not in every case the work is completed, you can here study the work methods used.

• Grave B1: Senbi, nomarch, chief of the prophets, Chancellor of the King of Lower Egypt, Amenemhet I. This time grave consists of a large hall with a statue niche on the back wall, which are two pillars have been added in the reconstruction of the tomb. At the southern entrance wall of the grave Lord is represented in the desert hunting. On the south wall you can see the grave Lord before shepherds, butchers, offering bearers, priests, fighting bulls, men when skipping a bull and a cow calving. The back wall shows little decorations. The north wall shows the grave Lord a party with dancers and musicians, before gifts makers, wrestlers, fishing in the marshes and the bringing of birds and other agricultural displays. On the northern entrance wall remains of craft scenes are identifiable.
• Grave B2: Ukh - hotep, nomarch, Chancellor of the King of Lower Egypt, head of the Prophet of Hathor, time of Sesostris I. The grave consists of a large hall with two columns and a statue niche on the back wall. At the southern entrance wall can be seen two men with donkeys on the (left ) south wall of the grave Lord in the wilderness hunting, lists of victims, offering bearers and shepherds. On the rear panel you can see the grave Lord and his wife at a fixed, bullfighting and the bringer of gifts scenes in the niche of the grave gentleman, his wife and the bringer of gifts are presented. At the ( right ) north wall are of grave gentleman with wife before offering bearers, pastors, musicians, presented before the papyrus harvesting, catching birds and boat building. At the northern entrance wall of the grave gentleman and his wife are shown before servants.
• Grave B3: Senbi, son of Ukh - hotep, Prince, Head of the prophets, time of Sesostris I to Amenemhat II This grave consists of a large entrance hall with four pillars and a subsequent sarcophagus hall. There are only a few places decorated: On the south wall you will find the stele his sister Mersi and on the back wall the labeled door to the next hall.
• Grave B4: Ukh - hotep, nomarch, head of the Prophet of Hathor, time of Amenemhet II This grave consists of a large pillarless hall, the statue niche by two extending into the walls of the room gets a sort of shrine to the back wall. In the northwest of the hall you reach another hall. All the walls of the tomb are decorated: the southern entrance wall contains the remains of craft representations. On the south wall you can see the grave Lord with family in fish and bird catching and men when fishing with the seine. The southern rear panel carries a list of 59 nomarchs that represent well (fictitious ) ancestors of the grave Lord. The shrine in front of the niche carries slaughtering and bringer of gifts scenes; the niche itself inscriptions and a painted false door. The north wall shows the grave Lord before musicians and scenes of herding, matching and counting of cattle. On the northern entrance wall remains of a hunting scene are visible. The rear hall mainly displays the grave Lord and his wife, priest, victim support, during the slaughter of men, cooks and men with trays of food. The rear panel contains the false door Tele.

Finds

From coffins and Kanopenkästen and Kanopenkrügen apart, obvious no other objects are (more) found in the graves. An exception is the grave A1 of Ni -ankh - Pepy -Kem, in which one at the end of the 19th century two wooden statutes of the grave master and servant statuettes (Egyptian Museum CG 60, 236-254 ) and model boats (Egyptian Museum CG 4880-4893 ) has been found.

In numerous discoveries that took place mostly from the excavations under Ahmed Kamal and his predecessors, the origin is unknown. To this end, mostly belong coffins, statues, stelae, offering tables, a wooden pallet with the name of Pharaoh Merikare (10th dynasty ) and another model boat.