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Excavation by W M Flinders Petrie at Der Rifeh in  Tomb of the two brothers, Khnum-Nakht and Nekht-Ankh  
Excavation
Petrie, with the British School of Archaeology, was excavating in Egypt in the Giza and Asyut to Sohag region. At the very end of 1906 they surveyed the area around the village of Rifeh and finally completed their activities on 02-April-1907.
 
The rock-tombs of Rifeh extend for a few hundred yards at about a third of the whole height of the cliffs. Those furthest north were occupied by Coptic burials. The cemetery of Rifeh is not absolutely dated by kings' names, except in the 18th and 19th dynasties. But by the style of its contents it largely belongs to the 12th dynasty and earlier.
 
Detailed Map of the Der Rifeh with the location of tombs

Map of the Der Rifeh, inclufding location of excavated tombsMap of the area from Asyut southward, including Der Rifeh

 

Tomb No.1, of Khnum-Nofer

Engraved inscription are on the north wall; on the west are the colossal figures of the man and his son, also a false door painted and traces of a scene of the deceased seated with inscription above it. On the south are traces of ships, and short phrases. The west side of the chamber is 389" by 458". The south-east corner is entirely cut away, owing to Roman quarrying. Also the whole floor has been lowered from about three to ten feet by quarrying.

 

Unfinished Tomb
 
Further south is a larger and unfinished tomb. It consists of a single hall, supported by six pillars, and with a pit in the middle. The original design was the pit central and four pillars around it - but it was enlarged by cutting further into the north side. Two additional pillars are unfinished, with large masses of flinty limestone left projecting un-worked. It's form shows that it was a tomb, and not merely a quarry.
 
The hall of this tomb would have required the excavation of some thousands of tonnes of rock been removed. The dimensions are, west of pillars 320", pillar 50", between pillars 300", pillar 65", in front of pillars 293", total E-W is 1028". Across, north of pillars 66" pillar 60", between 114", pillar 51", between 78", pillar 67", south of pillars 130", total N-S 586".

 

Tomb No.2, of Khnum-Aa containing the burials of Khnum-Nakht and Nekht-Ankh

The most important tomb is a large un-sculptured tomb of three chambers, with three burial pits. It's style indicates the 12th dynasty, but the only written information is an ink-written inscription of a re-use during Rameses III's reign (20th Dynasty).

The courtyard is 215" by 400"; the passage 101" by 171"; the hall 292" x 283" x 474" x 470".  The back chamber 204" x 203" x 208" x 210", the recess 46" x 62"; the side chamber 130" x 103" x 102", the recess 39" wide.

In this area a number of small tombs were found, plundered in antiquity. The tomb of Nekht-Ankh, son of Aa-Khnumu, was the found un-plundered. A descending slope led to a small chamber barely large enough to hold the funeral furniture, 80"  by 70" at the south-east back and only 50" in front. The heads of the coffins were toward the opening of the tomb. The finest coffin, Nekht-Ankh, was that next to the canopic box. It contained, lying on its side, the finely decorated body coffin of ha-prince Nekht-Ankh. The second coffin and body coffin are inferior, and are for Khnum-Nakht.

The canopic box was in the corner of the tomb; each side is similarly decorated. Inside it is divided to half-way up by cross boards of wood. Each compartment has a soft packing of fibre placed in it; and on that is a pottery canopic jar, painted yellow and inscribed. Each jar has a carved wooden head, all human, stuccoed and painted.
 
Upon the box stood a pan containing stalks and leaves. In front of it was a jar with similar stalks and leaves. Before that stood the two boats; the one for sailing up the Nile, with the men gathered to pull the rope raising the yard; the other with the mast laid down and the sweeps out for rowing down the Nile. With these stood the two female figures of servants carrying offerings. The whole of the funeral furniture and coffins are of the highest quality of this period.
12th Dynasty tomb equipment
At the beginning of the 12th Dynasty the elite/royal cemetery moved from Thebes to Lisht, which has a different kind of topography. The area didn't have adjacent cliffs and mastaba type tombs replaced rock tombs. However, in the area that the brothers were buried, the local tradition of rock cut tombs continued in the Middle Kingdom and it into the New Kingdom (Petrie excavated tombs dating until the 18th Dynasty at Rifeh). Rock-cut tombs are generally well preserved but are not typical of the period.

Written text has always been an important part of Egyptian burials. Canopic jars underwent changes in their form during the Middle Kingdom. At the beginning of the period jars with human heads are found. The jar stoppers are made of wood and the body of the jar is often made of clay; high quality examples may be made from limestone or calcite. A set of canopic jars (within a chest) is normal within an elite burial, but less common in the provinces.

Many refinements found in the elite cemeteries were later introduced in the provincial cemeteries. For example, coffins with a palace facade were found at a Lisht early in the period and only appeared later in the Middle Kingdom in provincial cemeteries - the same can be said of wooden models of solar boats.

The reign of Senusret III (ruled 1870-1831 BC), introduce change into all areas of life in Ancient Egypt. It seems that major reorganisation of the administration happened during this time, new titles appeared in the administration and some provincial cemeteries cease to exist, and other cemeteries continued but on a much smaller scale. The body of the dead person was now no longer placed on its left side, but laid on its back with its hands by its side. The disappearance of Coffin Texts and Wooden models is noticeable. Only a limited set of objects were specifically manufactured for burial, for example heart scarabs and mummiform figures. During the 13th Dynasty the palace facade disappeared from coffins. In Upper Egypt the number of columns was increased, some coffins at eight or nine columns on each long sight. In lower Egypt coffins with four columns of text on the alongside and religious texts in the space between are found.

It is clear that significant change to burial customs did not happen between Dynasties which makes it very difficult to date a burial, for example, the 12th or 13th Dynasty. It is even more difficult to determine where, within a Dynasty, where a burial can be placed.

From the quality of Nekht-Ankh's burial, the canopic jars, model boats, style of coffin and columns of text and the similar style of Khnum-Nakht's coffin, we could propose that they lived within the early part of the 12th Dynasty, possible before Senusret III's reign.
 

Main page of the The Two Brothers Khnum-Nakht and Nekht-Ankh.
 
Sources
Burial Customs in Ancient Egypt, Wolfram Grajetzki
Giza and Rifeh, Flinders Petrie

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