Some remarks on the dating of 12 Old Kingdom tombs at Giza

Abstract

This paper aims to confirm or revise the dating of a dozen Old Kingdom tombs in the Giza necropolis (precisely Western, G I-South, Eastern and Central Cemeteries), monuments whose chronology is still debated. The 12 mastabas here commented on are often dated to more or less extensive periods, which can sometimes spread over two dynasties. Moreover, when absolute dating is proposed, it is generally based on questionable elements and events with uncertain chronological positioning. The Egyptian chronology is still subject to perceptive bias and archaeological happenstance, new discoveries being liable to challenge previous dating. Thus, the present study draws up lists of criteria that give the opportunity to propose clear dating for each tomb. A wide range of evidence is taken into consideration: decoration (including palaeography), prosopography, anthroponymy, location in the cemeteries, architecture, tomb dimensions, furniture, etc. I believe that an overview of these various aspects is the only way to suggest precise dating for each tomb. Moreover, this paper shows that two main periods stand out during the whole of the Old Kingdom, periods covering one or two reigns. This conclusion is very interesting for the architectural and political history of the Old Kingdom; a conclusion we may come to through the distribution of the tombs in the cemeteries, their dimensions and decoration, etc.

Keywords

• egyptian chronology
• architecture
• iconography
• old kingdom
• mastaba
• giza