The pyramid complex of Nubkheperre Intef

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E G Y P T I A N A R C H A E O L O G Y

The pyramid complex of Nubkheperre Intef

In spring 2001 the G e r m a n Institute of Archaeology, Cairo started excavations in a new area of Dra Abu el-Naga, Western Thebes. D a n i e l P o l z reports on the first three seasons' work, which

have resulted in the discovery of a long-lost royal t o m b of the Seventeenth Dynasty.

In 1859 Samuel Birch, then Assistant Keeper

of the D e p a r t m e n t of A n t i q u i t i e s at t h e

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tnents preserved f r o m ancient Egypt and n o w partially on display in the British M u seum. T h e papyrus dates to the sixteenth regnal year of Ramesses IX (c. 1115 B C ) and contains a meticulous account of a g o v e r n m e n t a l i n s p e c t i o n of s o m e royal and

n o n r o y a l t o m b s in the vast necropolis on the West Bank at T h e b e s . R e a c t i n g to r u m o u r s that up to ten royal t o m b s had recently b e e n r o b b e d , a c o m m i t t e e was f o r m e d to investigate the matter. Each of the ten allegedly p l u n d e r e d t o m b s is listed separately in the r e p o r t , w i t h s o m e entries a c c o m p a n i e d by detailed descriptions of the tomb's position in relation to well

k n o w n l a n d m a r k s o f t h e T h e b a n n e c r o p o l i s . Ever since Birch's translation was m a d e available, it has b e e n used in the search for those royal t o m b s o n the list w h i c h have n o t yet b e e n located, i n c l u d i n g the p y r a m i d t o m b of king N u b k h e p e r r e Intef of the S e v e n t e e n t h Dynasty (c. 1 6 4 5 1 5 5 0 B C ) . T h e para

graph in the text of the A b b o t t Papyrus describing this t o m b reads:

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The area of the new excavations at Dra Abu el-Naga. View looking west

The Abbott Papyrus (British Museum, EA 10221). The description of the inspection of the tomb of king Nubkheperre Intef (after Mbller, Hieratische Lesestiicke, Berlin 1909-1910)

' T h e p y r a m i d t o m b of king N u b k h e p e r r e , Son of R e , Intef Life, Prosperity, Health! It was f o u n d in the course of b e i n g broken into by the thieves w h o d u g a t u n n e l of t w o and o n e half cubits in its o u t e r wall and (a t u n n e l of) o n e cubit in the (transverse) hall of the t o m b of the deceased overseer of the o f f e r i n g b e a r e r s o f t h e t e m p l e o f A m u n (i.e.

Karnak), (called) Yuroy. It (i.e. the pyramid t o m b ) was u n i n j u r e d because the thieves did n o t k n o w h o w to reach it.'

M e n t i o n of the t o m b of Yuroy gave first A u g u s t e M a r i e t t e (in 1860) and later H e r b e r t W i n l o c k the idea that if it were possible to locate this private t o m b in t h e T h e b a n n e c r o p o l i s , t h e n t h e p y r a m i d t o m b of

N u b k h e p e r r e Intef should n o t be far away. I n d e e d , it appears that M a r i e t t e did in fact lo

c a t e t h e t o m b o f Y u r o y , although he left n o record of this discovery. His excavations in the n o r t h e r n part of Dra Abu e l N a g a also resulted in the discovery of t w o small o b elisks decorated w i t h the royal titulary of k i n g N u b k h e p e r r e I n t e f . U n f o r t u n a t e l y , s o m e t w e n t y years later, in an at

t e m p t by Gaston Maspero to transfer the obelisks to Cairo, t h e y w e r e lost in t h e N i l e . W h e n W i n l o c k r e t u r n e d to T h e b e s s o o n a f t e r t h e First

12 Originalveröffentlichung in: Egyptian Archaeology 22, 2003, S. 12-15

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The pyramid of Nubkheperre Intef with the enclosure wall. The white wall at the bottom is a modern retaining wall. (Photograph: Peter Windszus)

W o r l d War, h e t o o was able to locate and i d e n t i f y the t o m b o f Y u r o y ( T T 13 in D r a A b u e l - N a g a , n o w o p e n to t h e public as t h e ' T o m b of S h u r o y ' ) a n d c o n c l u d e d that t h e royal t o m b of N u b k h e p e r r e I n t e f m u s t be nearby. Interestingly, n e i t h e r W i n l o c k himself n o r any later excavator t r i e d to verify, by archaeological inves

t i g a t i o n s , t h e t h e o r y r e g a r d i n g t h e l o c a t i o n o f N u b k h e p e r r e ' s t o m b o n t h e basis of its d e s c r i p t i o n in t h e A b b o t t Papyrus.

T h i s u n r e s o l v e d p r o b l e m was t h e starting p o i n t f o r a n e w investigation c a r r i e d o u t by the G e r m a n Insti

t u t e of A r c h a e o l o g y (DAI) in t h e necropolis of D r a Abu e l N a g a w i t h i n t h e overall f r a m e w o r k of t h e D r a Abu e l N a g a P r o j e c t (for earlier reports o n t h e DAI w o r k see EA 7, pp. 6 8 ; EA 10, pp. 3 4 3 5 ; EA 14, pp.

3 6 ) . In S p r i n g 2 0 0 1 an a t t e m p t was m a d e to identify an area in the vicinity o f t h e t o m b o f Y u r o y w h i c h , in

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HHHHDBHBI^^^^^^^HHi^HHBIHI^^BI The mud-brick funerary chapel ofTeti

antiquity, m i g h t have b e e n suitable f o r the c o n s t r u c t i o n of a (presumably small) p y r a m i d . T h e area c h o s e n f o r a test excavation lay s o u t h w e s t o f t h e t o m b of Y u r o y / S h u r o y . T h e results w e r e i m m e d i a t e : the first test t r e n c h e s revealed the remains of a small, almost square, m u d b r i c k b u i l d i n g w h i c h proved to b e a p r i vate f u n e r a r y chapel. T h e i n n e r faces o f all t h r e e walls of t h e chapel b e a r t h e remains of m u r a l paintings a n d h i e r o g l y p h i c inscriptions, i n c l u d i n g t h e n a m e a n d ti

tles of the chapel's o w n e r , o n e T e t i , ' H e r e d i t a r y P r i n c e , C o u n t , Sealbearer(?) of the K i n g of L o w e r Egypt, Sole C o m p a n i o n , O v e r s e e r of the SealBearers'. O n the seg

m e n t of wall f l a n k i n g t h e left (south) side of a small n i c h e , w h i c h o c c u p i e s m u c h of t h e b a c k (west) wall of the chapel, are t h e remains of a large c a r t o u c h e . A l t h o u g h it is very faded, t h e r e is o n l y o n e possible r e c o n s t r u c t i o n of t h e i n s c r i p t i o n : N u b k h e p e r r e .

I m m e d i a t e l y to the n o r t h e a s t of Teti's chapel, e x cavations revealed a solid wall of m u d b r i c k s covered, o n b o t h faces, w i t h w h i t e l i m e plaster. Less t h a n t w o m e t r e s f r o m this wall, to t h e n o r t h e a s t again, r e m a i n s of a massive m u d b r i c k s t r u c t u r e w i t h steeply sloping o u t e r faces w e r e e x p o s e d . W e h a d at last f o u n d t h e

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The chapel ofTeti: the decorated north wall

The chapel ofTeti: the remains of the cartouche of Nubkheperre.

(Drawing: Ute Rummel)

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SECTION A-B

DRA' ABU EL-NAGA / N O R T H AREA H - P L A N

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Plan of the pyramid of Nubkheperre Intef and the surrounding area. (Survey/drawing: Pieler Collet)

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Three views of the head of a royal sandstone statue which was found in the burial shaft KOI.9 (Photographs: Peter Windszus)

enclosure wall and r u i n e d m u d - b r i c k pyramid of the f u n e r a r y c o m p l e x of N u b k h e p e r r e Intef.

After t w o f u r t h e r excavation seasons, in A u t u m n 2001 and in Spring 2002, an a t t e m p t can n o w be m a d e to reconstruct, at least partially, the architectural lay

o u t of t h e p y r a m i d c o m p l e x a n d its s u r r o u n d i n g structures. T h e m u d b r i c k pyramid was built against the steep slope of the hill and in an area w h i c h , even today, is characterised by h u g e natural boulders (see p l a n : ' A ' and ' B ' mark the position of the s e c t i o n ) . T h e pyramid was built over a preexisting shaft (K02.2) w h i c h , on the basis of p o t t e r y f o u n d in it, w o u l d a p pear to date to the m i d T h i r t e e n t h Dynasty, a few

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The chamber of the burial shaft KOI.9. (Photograph: Peter Windszus)

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generations earlier than the pyramid. A n o t h e r large shaft (KOI.9), w h i c h may have b e e n the royal burial shaft, is located outside the axis and south of the pyra

mid; it is approximately 7 m deep and opens into a h u g e c h a m b e r w i t h a recess cut i n t o the floor to ac

c o m m o d a t e the coffin. It is possible that it was here, in 1827, that the inhabitants of the nearby m o d e r n village of Dra Abu e l N a g a discovered the coffin of Intef, n o w o n display in the British M u s e u m . An i n tentionally defaced head of a lifesize royal sandstone statue, probably o n c e seated, was recovered f r o m the fill of the shaft. It is d o u b t f u l that this statue was o r i g i nally carved for N u b k h e p e r r e Intef himself, as the head's i c o n o g r a p h i c and stylistic features suggest an earlier dating. H o w e v e r , the statue may well have b e e n u s u r p e d by N u b k h e p e r r e and taken f r o m a n o t h e r site, such as the temple of N e b h e p e t r e M e n t u h o t e p at D e i r elBahri.

T h e pyramid was originally s u r r o u n d e d by an e n closure wall, remains of w h i c h stand o n the pyramid's n o r t h w e s t and s o u t h w e s t sides, w i t h large areas of the original w h i t e plaster on the inner and o u t e r faces still preserved. Fronting the pyramid, f u r t h e r d o w n the hill slope, is a large, almost square sandstone block w i t h three battered faces. Its shape and traces of w e a t h e r i n g on its u p p e r surface suggest that the block o n c e sup

p o r t e d o n e of the t w o obelisks discovered by Mariette.

T h e p y r a m i d c o m p l e x of N u b k h e p e r r e Intef is the first royal f u n e r a r y c o m p l e x of the S e v e n t e e n t h D y n a s t y d i s c o v e r e d u n d e r c o n t r o l l e d e x c a v a t i o n conditions. Its location, architectural characteristics and contents shed n e w light on the hitherto u n k n o w n b u r i als of the kings w h o ruled this part of Egypt d u r i n g the 'dark ages' of the S e c o n d I n t e r m e d i a t e P e r i o d .

• D a n i e l Polz is A s s o c i a t e D i r e c t o r o f t h e D A I a n d D i r e c t o r o f t h e D r a A b u e l N a g a P r o j e c t . T h e a u t h o r w i s h e s t o a c k n o w l e d g e t h e a d d i t i o n a l f i n a n c i a l s u p p o r t g e n e r o u s l y p r o v i d e d by Studiosus Reisen Miinchen GmbH, a n d Bill a n d N a n c y Petty ( D e n v e r , C o l o r a d o , U S A ) . Plan a n d p h o t o g r a p h s : © D A I .

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