Umm el-Qa'ab: Encyclopedia - Umm el-Qa'ab

Umm el-Qa'ab

General view of area, showing littering of pots

Umm el-Qa'ab (or sometimes Umm el Ga'ab) is the necropolis of the Early Dynastic kings at Abydos, in Egypt. It's modern name means 'Mother of Pots', as the whole area is littered with the broken pot shards of offerings made in later times (see picture).

Umm el-Qa'ab - Pre-Dynastic Tombs

• U-j – Unknown noble but possibly Serket I from scorpian insignia

• B1/B2 – Iry-Hor

• B7/B8/B9 – Ka

Umm el-Qa'ab - First Dynasty Tombs

Known as Cemetery B, this area contains the tombs of the kings of the First dynasty of Egypt and the last 2 kings of the Second.

• B17/B18 – Narmer

• B10/B15/B19 – Aha

• 0 – Djer

• Z – Djet

• Y – Merneith

• T – Den

• X – Anedjib

• U – Semerkhet

• Q – Qa'a

Umm el-Qa'ab - Second Dynasty Tombs

The last 2 kings of the Second Dynasty returned to be buried near to their ancestors - they also revived the practice of building mud-brick funerary enclosures nearby.

• P – Peribsen

A seal found in this tomb contains the first full sentance written in hieroglyphs [1].

• V – Khasekhemwy

Khasekhemwy's tomb

This tomb was on a massive scale, with several interconnecting mud-brick chambers, and the actual burial chamber being constructed of dressed limestone blocks.

When exavated by Petrie, in 1901 it contained a sceptre made from sard and banded with gold, limestone vases with golden covers, and a ewer and basin of bronze.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Umm el-Qa'ab", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki