Tomb at Abusir South from a time of change belonging to Ankhires, inspector of hairdressers of the Great House (AS 98)

REPORTS PES XXI/2018 3 Tomb at Abusir South from a time of change belonging to Ankhires, inspector of hairdressers of the Great House (AS 98) Veronika Dulíková – Miroslav Bárta – Martin Odler – Marie Peterková Hlouchová – Zdeňka Sůvová A new tomb (AS 98; dimensions 24.00 × 17.20 m, figs. 1 and 2) belonging to Ankhires, an inspector of hairdressers of the Great House, was discovered by the Czech Institute of Egyptology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University at Abusir South during the autumn part of the 2016 mission.1 The excavation of the limestone mastaba proceeded along with the restoration and reconstruction works on the partially preserved decoration of Room 1 until autumn 2017. The tomb is located at a cemetery used from the late Third Dynasty onwards (fig. 3). The earliest structure there is a large mud brick mastaba built in the reign of King Huni (AS 54) (Bárta 2010). In its vicinity, a mastaba of the official Kaaper was built in the early Fifth Dynasty (AS 1) (Bárta 2001: 143–191) and several smaller tombs were erected in the latter half of the Fifth Dynasty (AS 76–78) (Dulíková et al. 2017). Ankhires’s afterlife mansion situated west of the mastaba AS 54 is preliminarily dated to the second half of the Fifth Dynasty (Nyuserre to Djedkare). Its owner witnessed important changes in Old Kingdom society and tomb architecture. Because this part of the landscape overlooks the Abusir wadi, the supposed entrance to the necropoleis at Abusir South and North Saqqara, this area was used for tomb building for several centuries. Fig. 1 View of the tomb of Ankhires from the north-east (photo M. Odler) 4 PES XXI/2018 TOmb fROm a TimE Of changE (aS 98) Fig. 2 Ground plan of Ankhires’s mastaba (drawing M. Odler, M. Peterková Hlouchová, L. Jirásková, A. Pastoreková, L. Vařeková) TOmb fROm a TimE Of changE (aS 98) PES XXI/2018 5 Tomb architecture Superstructure Before the start of the excavations, dislocated and eroded blocks of local limestone originally coming from the tomb masonry were identified on the desert surface. Some narrow blocks might have served as roofing blocks, but they were scarce. Although the upper parts of the structure were destroyed or damaged and eroded, the general ground plan is clear (fig. 2). The mastaba was damaged and looted and subsequently remained open to natural transformations for a long time. Hopefully, fragments of yet unprocessed pottery will point to a time period when the tomb was serving as a source of worked stone (if the tomb was not destroyed in a single event). The masonry blocks were found in several levels, as they were pulled and moved away from the tomb walls. A mud layer was observed under some of them, indicating that the fill in the chapel and Room 1 was deposited gradually. From the structural point of view, two main phases can be observed in Ankhires’s tomb. The older phase contained a chapel of the “traditional” style with an L-shaped ground plan and a single funerary cult stela – false door in its western wall. Serdab 1 was built north of it, with statues participating in the funerary cult. A burial shaft is also a part of this phase (see below). The sophisticated concept of the second phase is unconventional for the period, with a corridor chapel, Rooms 1 and 2 and Serdab 2 added to the original ground plan of the mastaba. The extension happened during the life of Ankhires, as it must have taken a considerable time to change the layout and finish the altered tomb ground plan. If a traditional L-shaped chapel in a tomb had been followed, an entrance would be found in front of the chapel. Fig. 3 The mastaba of Ankhires and its vicinity: anonymous Third Dynasty mastaba AS 54, tombs of Kaaper (AS 1), Iti (AS 10), Hetepi (AS 20), Kaaper Junior (AS 61), Kaisebi and Ptahwer (AS 76 and AS 76b), anonymous mastabas (AS 77, AS 78, AS 78b, AS 81, AS 88 and AS 91) and boat AS 80 (archive of CIE, processed by V. Brůna) 6 PES XXI/2018 TOmb fROm a TimE Of changE (aS 98) Rather untypically, a room/courtyard decorated with low relief was built east of the assumed original entrance. Designated as Room 1, it represents the most intriguing part of the tomb. The whole inner tomb space leads the visitor from the entrance in the north to the central point of the funerary cult in the tomb’s south-eastern part, the false door in the chapel. Inside the cultic rooms, the floor gradually rises up to the false door, as the visitor of the tomb is approaching the centre of the funerary cult. Accordingly, the tomb’s description will proceed from the entrance to the funerary chapel. Entrance and corridor chapel The tomb’s entrance is situated in the northern wall, 1.80 m west of the north-eastern corner, with a recessed door opening. Its orientation was probably due to the main access to the cemetery from the north-east, from the area of the former Lake of Abusir. The entrance façade is 2.46 m wide and 0.30 m deep. The cultic space of the tomb was accessible from the north (see above). The entrance was followed by a short corridor (2.22 × 0.60 m, after 1.16 m broadened to 0.98 m) and a corridor chapel (7.68 × 1.18 m).2 The fill of this area consisted of darker yellow sand mixed with fragments of pottery and limestone. Larger limestone blocks originating from the tomb masonry were also present. The walls of the entrance area and the corridor chapel were built from bigger limestone blocks joined by pink mortar.3 Several hieratic inscriptions in red colour were detected on the blocks of northern, western and eastern walls (see below). Two levels of mud floor were uncovered in the corridor chapel (fig. 4): the original one consisted of hard Nile mud, the second one was placed 7 cm higher on a level of darker sand with smaller fragments of pottery and limestone. White lines were exposed besides the walls of the corridor on both levels of the floor.4 In the western wall of the corridor chapel, the so-called northern niche was located 2.40 m south of the northern wall of the structure (fig. 5). This niche was part of the first phase of the mastaba built before the extension of the tomb to the east. No remains of the decoration or an inscription were observed, and it did not reach the floor: it was at a level of 0.76 m above the floor and was recessed 1.06 m to the west. Its preserved height was 1.80 m, but the top is missing. The width of the niche is 1.03 m, and the central recess is 0.28 m wide and 0.20 m deep. A similar pattern can be observed at Abusir e.g. in the tomb of the chief physician, Shepseskafankh (AS 39; Bárta 2015: 17 and fig. 5). During the clearing of the corridor chapel, two complete mud bricks (30 × 16 × 14 cm) and one half of another were found in its southern part, 5.40 m to the south of the northern wall (see fig. 4). The two complete mud bricks of north-south orientation were placed next to each other touching with their longer sides and as such attached to the western wall of the corridor chapel. The half mud brick adjoined the complete ones from the north. It is worth noticing that they were not situated directly on the floor level but 6 cm above it. The space between the floor and the lower side of the mud bricks was filled with darker sand. A deposit of miniature ceramic vessels (bowls and cups; 23.AS98.2017) was found scattered around the bricks. The single shaft of the tomb of Ankhires is located west of this structure. The possibility that the bricks represent the remains of a wall does not seem plausible since the top of one of them was covered with a layer of dark mud and no other bricks were found in the fill of the corridor chapel. The limestone wall bore no indications of mud coating. Therefore, it can be supposed that it might have been a simpler altar, the remains of a less formalised cultic place which can be connected to the main burial. Likewise, it can be an indirect piece of evidence that the shaft contained the burial of the tomb owner. Finding any parallels is fairly challenging. One rectangular and several circular offering tables were discovered in so-called Djedkare’s family cemetery Fig. 4 Two levels of mud floor in the corridor chapel with three mud bricks in the background, view from the north (photo M. Peterková Hlouchová) TOmb fROm a TimE Of changE (aS 98) PES XXI/2018 7 at Abusir Centre, but their structure slightly differs, with their masonry consisting of mud bricks, and their inner parts were filled with rubble (Verner – Callender 2002: 83 and Plate XIX Ff2). Several blocks of the walls bore hieratic inscriptions, builders’ marks or lines in red colour: four (Gr1/AS98/2017, Gr21–23/AS98/2017) were observed on the western wall and one (Gr2/AS98/2017) on the northern wall in front of the tomb extension. On the contrary, a single inscription (Gr30/AS98/2017) was found on the eastern wall, in the second row of blocks from the floor. It represented the nfr-sign (Gardiner’s Sign-list F35, cf. Gardiner 1927: 465) in brownish colour. Besides these in situ inscriptions, others were found on loose blocks from the fill of the corridor chapel (e.g. Gr11/AS98/2017). Room 2 The corridor chapel leads via an entrance passage (1.05 × × 0.52 m, max. height of 2.24 m) into an almost square antechamber, Room 2 (1.26 × 1.24 m). In the passage leading into this space, two white lines (width: ca. 5 cm) on both sides and black colour in between them appeared (fig. 6). Presumably, at least the second level of the floor was black flanked with white lines. Three walls of Room 2 were flat, while the eastern one had sloping masonry. Pottery, charcoal and animal bones were collected in the fill, with no apparent layering. From there, it was possible to proceed directly to Room 1 through a narrow passage (1.26 m long and 0.60 m wide). A modern steel door is now located in Room 2, closing Room 1 from the north for the purpose of protection. Fig. 5 Corridor chapel with a northern niche (photo M. Odler) Fig. 6 Remains of white and black pigments in the passage between the corridor chapel and Room 2 (photo M. Peterková Hlouchová) 8 PES XXI/2018 TOmb fROm a TimE Of changE (aS 98) Fig. 7 Room 1 decorated with polychrome reliefs (photo M. Frouz) Fig. 8 Three-dimensional model of Room 1, view of relief remains in the south-east corner and on the south wall from the north-west (photo V. Brůna) TOmb fROm a TimE Of changE (aS 98) PES XXI/2018 9 Room 1 Room 1 (4.95 × 2.40 m) was paved with irregular blocks of white limestone and mud plaster (figs. 7 and 8). South of the entrance to the chapel, a trace of a white stripe (width 7 cm) was preserved on the floor, possibly delineating the main cultic area in this space. The floor in a larger part of the room was covered with another mud layer with small fragments of wood and animal bones. Thus, the walking surface was not on the stone-paved floor of the room but above it, on the mud layer. Two almost square imprints in a distance of 1.65 m were preserved on both sides of the chapel’s entrance. They are the remains of pillars with a square section that probably supported the original roofing of (at least part of) the room. In the middle of both imprints there is a north-south running red line: a builders’ mark. The northern imprint (50 × 45 cm) survived in better condition. White and pink plaster was preserved in the middle, with fragments of wood on it. The southern imprint showed three more red lines and no traces of plaster. No worked fragment of stone pillars was found. It is thus possible that stone robbers took away the complete pillars. It remains a question whether the roof only reached from the chapel entrance to the pillars or covered whole Room 1. The architectonic feature of two pillars inside a room in Fifth Dynasty tombs occurred at nearby Saqqara in the tomb of Ty (Jánosi 2006: Abb. 81) and the tomb of Ptahhotep (Jánosi 2006: Abb. 85). Besides room decoration discussed below and the usual and ubiquitous ceramic fragments, charcoal and animal bones, the only other trace of a funerary cult in Room 1 was an incomplete and uninscribed white limestone offering basin (57/AS98/2016; dimensions: 23 × 15 × × 14 cm) found near the south-eastern inner corner of the room. It might have been originally located in the middle of the southern wall where wall decoration indicates the focus of funerary cult in the room. Some finds are probably connected to a period when the tomb of Ankhires became a stone quarry: a quartzite pounder with traces of copper (14/AS98/2016) and fragments of rope (11/AS98/2016, 37/AS98/2016), which served the looters as working tools and aids. Room 1 is the only part of the mastaba with preserved decoration in situ, with black dado (to a height of 1.30 m) and a yellow and a red stripe above it. From this level starts the decorated surface executed in low relief on white limestone, in at least three registers. Most of the reliefs were damaged in antiquity, however, and only two Fig. 9 Schematic description of the decoration in situ in Room 1 (drawing J. Malátková) 10 PES XXI/2018 TOmb fROm a TimE Of changE (aS 98) registers remain in situ. The western wall of the room inclines in the width of 4.44 m; it was probably planned as the original entrance to the tomb. The decoration in situ shows very few basic themes (fig. 9). The eastern wall features a small portion of what must have been originally an extensive scene with fishermen operating a large seine. The decoration has been preserved only at the south end of the wall on an area that is 42 cm long and 25 cm high. Three men wielding a seine with floaters are preserved, two facing south and one north. The lower part of the lowest register, preserved to a height of 14 cm, can be found on the southern wall. At its western end, the complete height of the lower register is preserved: 32 cm. Here also the second course of decoration survived (height 8 cm). The decoration can be divided into the eastern, central and western parts. The eastern part consists of two pairs of butchers. While the man on the right firmly holds a leg of the slaughtered ox, the one on the left holds the same leg with his left hand, cutting it off with a knife held in his right hand. The motif of butchers and oxen is repeated in the western part (fig. 4 in colour plates). The central part of the wall corresponds neatly and symmetrically with the serdab opening which starts directly above it, 1.40 m over the floor. The serdab slit was set in a rectangular frame, with the lowermost part preserved. The caption below it reads as follows: prt-xrw cnTr, “peret-kheru offering of meals and incense” (fig. 2 in colour plates). A combination of these determinatives after the invocation formula meant “meals” in general (Lapp 1986: 91); it was rather traditional, having occurred already e.g. in late Fourth or early Fifth Dynasty tomb of Vizier Seshathetep Heti (Junker 1934: 184, Abb. 28). The man to the right is proceeding eastwards, holding two strips of cloths in front of him. Three men to the left are proceeding towards the west. The centre of their movement is the serdab slit and a reference to an invocation offering below. Fig. 10 Scene from Ankhires’s house presumably depicting his relatives (42+44/AS98/2016) (photo M. Frouz, drawing E. Majerus) TOmb fROm a TimE Of changE (aS 98) PES XXI/2018 11 It has to be highlighted here that based on the study of Old Kingdom serdabs as collected by Katja Lehmann (2000), this is one of the very few examples of scenes where a serdab slit is incorporated in the composition of a wall in front of the serdab. Offering bearers in combination with the serdab aperture were more common if the false door was on the wall in front of the serdab (Lehmann 2000: 210). Another frequent motif on such walls (35 occurrences) is represented by offering scenes, but only in three cases, the existence of the serdab was indicated on the wall. An inscription “for the statue” can be found in the Fourth Dynasty tomb of Metjen (Lehmann 2000: 217). In the tomb of Ty, there is a serdab slit in his chapel flanked on both sides by two men, one Hm-kA with a caption “incense for Ty” (Wild 1966: Pl. CLXXII). The offering scene was repeated on two walls of the early Sixth Dynasty tomb of Sankhuptah, one of them with the serdab slit and an intentional lacuna in the offering list (Kanawati – Abder- -Raziq 1998: 58, Pl. 74). The decoration of Room 1 in the tomb of Ankhires featured this rather unusual aspect. The western wall with the entrance to the original chapel was occupied by the continuing motif of butchers binding oxen and cutting off their legs (height 40 cm). The second register comprised a procession of offering bearers, in the direction towards the chapel (preserved height 12–13 cm). In the north wall of Room 1 there was an entrance into Room 2, on the left side with a narrow triangular space filled with the depictions of piled offerings, on the right side containing at least two registers with a procession of offering cattle and other animals (e.g. antelopes). A rectangular depression was identified in the entrance to Room 1, probably a place for ritual cleansing before Fig. 11 Two men carrying bundles of papyrus plants (32/AS98/2016_a) (photo P. Košárek, drawing E. Majerus) 18 PES XXI/2018 TOmb fROm a TimE Of changE (aS 98) with the name and the most important title of Ankhires: “inspector of the hairdressers of the Great House” and the title “hairdresser of the Great House” (fig. 20). Substructure Shaft 1 A single shaft was found in the core of the mastaba, situated close to the north-western corner of Serdab 1. As this was the only shaft uncovered, it can be assumed that the tomb owner was buried at its bottom. The shaft was fairly deep: 11.75 m. Its almost square opening (2.09 × 2.39 m) grew narrower at a depth of ca. 3 m (fig. 21): by 22–28 cm at the northern and southern walls, by 36 cm at the eastern wall and by 40 cm at the western wall. Several constructional levels were identified in the shaft (fig. 23): the walls from the opening to a depth of 2.30 m were faced with irregular limestone blocks. Underneath, 0.60 m of the walls were cut from tafla and another 1 m down was once again faced with irregular limestone blocks. Below, a 3.80 m section of the shaft walls had mud brick casing. The rest (4.05 m) was cut in the limestone bedrock with alternating layers of yellow and grey limestone.9 The floor of the shaft was not flat; it was left unfinished, unsmoothed with deep cuts. A burial chamber (3.02 × 1.98 × 1.34 m; fig. 22) with north-south orientation was situated at the bottom of the shaft, in the western wall. The floor level of the burial apartment was 0.58 m below the shaft’s bottom. In its entrance there were two fallen limestone blocks which might originally have formed a blocking wall. The size of the tomb, its decoration and the depth of the shaft allow us Fig. 19 False door imprint on the floor of the funerary chapel and the reconstruction of the central niche (photo M. Frouz) Fig. 20 Hieratic inscriptions on the northern wall of Serdab 1 bearing mainly the name of Ankhires and the titles “hairdresser of Great House” and “inspector of the hairdressers of Great House” (photo M. Frouz) TOmb fROm a TimE Of changE (aS 98) PES XXI/2018 19 presence of the pellets and rodent bones indicates that the shaft must have been open for a certain period of time. It was possible to recognise remains of the original fill of the shaft which consisted of tafla later deposited to the west of the shaft opening. Moreover, complete ceramic vessels were uncovered in this area. It can be supposed that several objects found scattered in the fill of the chapel and in the area to the east of the chapel were originally part of the burial equipment, including e.g. a number of tubular faience beads (1/AS98/2016, 4/AS98/2016, 15/AS98/2016, 65/AS98/2017, 66/AS98/2017_a), a fragment of a faience pendant Fig. 21 Narrowing of Shaft 1 at a depth of ca. 3 m (photo M. Peterková Hlouchová) Fig. 22 Unfinished burial chamber in the western wall of Shaft 1, view from the south-east (photo M. Peterková Hlouchová) to suppose that a sarcophagus may have been intended for the burial of Ankhires, also as a status symbol.10 Never theless, as the burial chamber was unfinished with unsmoothed walls, no sarcophagus was ever placed there. By the northern, western and southern walls there was a bench, which was perhaps intended to be removed by the ancient builders. Therefore, the maximum dimensions of the floor (and the space for a burial) were 1.78 × 1.62 m. However, no remains of any burial pit were observed, indicating that its construction never started. Fragments of pottery, bones of small rodents, owl pellets and charcoal were collected in the shaft’s fill. The 20 PES XXI/2018 TOmb fROm a TimE Of changE (aS 98) or of a bead of a drop shape (66/AS98/2017_b), a worked flint blade (88/AS98/2017), or a copper needle (106/AS98/2017). Even for flint and copper objects, parallels can be found in the burial equipment of Fifth Dynasty tombs. The blades were present, for instance, at the bottom of Shaft 1 in mastaba D 24 at Giza.11 Needles also appear in Old Kingdom burial equipment (cf. Odler 2016: 195–196), including also the burial chamber of Kahotep, son of Ptahshepses, in the so-called Tomb of Princesses (AC 10).12 Tomb owner Personal name The name of the tomb owner, Ankhires, is reliably identified by several inscriptions in the mastaba – the false door, the relief decoration of the walls and of the original entrance into the tomb – as well as by graffiti on the masonry. The entry of the name in four hieroglyphs shows an alternation of last two signs: (cf. 26/AS98/2016_s, t) or (see e.g. the false door or the sceptre). Its meaning in Fig. 23 East-west section through Shaft 1 and its ground plan (drawing M. Peterková Hlouchová, L. Vařeková) TOmb fROm a TimE Of changE (aS 98) PES XXI/2018 21 translation is “May live her (i.e. a goddess) creator” (the transliteration of the name slightly varies: anx-ir.c in Ranke 1935: 63, no. 1; anx-ir(w)-s(j) in Gourdon 2007: [131] 5; anx-jr=c in Scheele-Schweitzer 2014: 293 [676]). Other pieces of evidence of this name come from the necropoleis in Saqqara and Giza. Seven other individuals called Ankhires are attested from the Old Kingdom, all dated to the Fifth Dynasty when the name occurred rather frequently (source: the Maat-base database): 1. A man named Ankhires buried in a stone-built mastaba at Saqqara (No. 15 = B 16; Mariette 1889: 109–110; Strudwick 1985: 71 [25]) is dated to the early Fifth Dynasty. This individual headed the department of royal works as imy-rA kAt nbt (nt) ncwt, “overseer of all works of the king” (Jones 2000: 262–263, no. 950). He also worked in the department of justice as imy-rA DADAt nwct nt wDa-mdw nb, “overseer of the royal jury of every judgment” (Jones 2000: 279, no. 1006) and besides that as aD-mr (n) zAb, “administrator of the king” (Jones 2000: 806, no. 2947). Moreover, he was employed in the palace and in the area of redistribution as xrp aH, “director of the ah-palace” (Jones 2000: 707, no. 2579) and Hry wDb(w) (m) Hwt-anx, “master of the largess in the House Mansion of Life” (Jones 2000: 604–605, no. 2215). Furthermore, he bore priestly and privy to the secret titles and epithets expressing the king’s favour. 2. Iteti Ankhires interred at Saqqara (D 63; Mariette 1889: 357–359; Strudwick 1985: 68 [21]) had titles very similar to the previous Ankhires. For example, he acted as imy-rA kAt (nt) ncwt, “overseer of works of the king” (Jones 2000: 262, no. 949) and imy-rA aH, “overseer of the ah-palace” (Jones 2000: 80, no. 347), like the previous individual. A family relation between these two men cannot be excluded. This person is dated to the late Fifth Dynasty. 3. Only the rank title cmr waty is preserved for another Ankhires buried at Saqqara (No. 81 = D 4; Mariette 1889: 182). He lived in the Fifth Dynasty. 4. A certain Ankhires is attested as an offering bearer in the wall relief decoration of the mastaba of Vizier Ptahhotep I who held the office in the late Fifth Dynasty (Hassan 1975: 27, 48, Pl. XLV). No title has survived. 5. Ankhires labelled as wdpw, “cupbearer” (Jones 2000: 406, no. 1494) occurs in the funerary chapel of Wehemka buried at Giza (D 117; Kayser 1964: 24–25, 44). This tomb is dated to the early Fifth Dynasty. 6. Another Ankhires buried together with his father Medunefer at Giza (G 4630; Curto 1963: 78–83, fig. 33) worked as zS pr-mDAt nTr, “scribe of the house of documents of the god (i.e. the king)” (Jones 2000: 849, no. 3103) and as a priest: cmA Inpw, “stolist of Anubis”, and xt Wr, “khet-attendant of the Great-One” (Jones 2000: 888, no. 3251, 755, no. 2752). He is attested also on the false door of his father in a dedication inscription (Curto 1963: fig. 32) and in the nearby tomb of his wife Nensedjerka (G 4631; Reisner 1942: 495–499, pls. 61–62). This individual lived in the mid-Fifth Dynasty or little latter. 7. The name Ankhires is to be found on a fragment of a statue of unknown provenance (probably coming from Saqqara or Abusir; Borchardt 1911: 183). The owner of the statue bore the titles cHD zS(w) (n) zAb, “inspector of scribes of the king” (Jones 2000: 814, no. 2978) and Hm-nTr Ra m Ct-ib-Ra, “hem-netjer-priest of Re in the sun temple of Neferirkare” (Jones 2000: 537, no. 2005). This man performed his functions in the mid-Fifth Dynasty or little latter. No other personal names of Ankhires’s family members, persons of his household or of his professional milieu are known, even though a relief depicting Ankhires’s wife embracing her husband (31/AS98/2016, fig. 14) has survived. She (or her daughter) probably appears on another relief fragment depicting a ride on a boat in papyrus marshland (20/AS98/2016, fig. 12). In both cases, the parts with the inscriptions are missing. Titles Ankhires’s titulary can be partly reconstructed based on the mastaba remains: ir Sn pr-aA, “hairdresser of the Great House” (Jones 2000: 310, no. 1132). The title appears within masons’ graffiti in Serdab 1. cHD ir(w) Sn pr-aA, “inspector of hairdressers of the Great House” (Jones 2000: 915, no. 3361). The title occurs within masons’ graffiti in Serdab 1, on a xrp-sceptre (82/ AS98/2017; fig. 16) and on fragments of relief decoration coming mainly from Room 1, for example in the scene from Ankhires’s house (42/AS98/2016; fig. 10). cHD ir(w) Sn ncwt, “inspector of the king’s hairdressers” (Jones 2000: 915, no. 3362). The title is to be found on fragments from the false door (6/AS98/2016_d, f, i, h; 10/AS98/2016_e; fig. 18). [cXkr] HAt nTr.f, “adorner of the brow of his god (i.e. the king)” (Jones 2000: 973–974, no. 3595). The possibility that the title could be connected with the addition [cXkr] HAt nTr.f [m kAt Sn], “adorner of the god’s brow in the works of the hair” (Jones 2000: 974, no. 3596) cannot be excluded. The title is attested on the door drum (19/AS98/2016; fig. 1 in colour plates) and on the architrave (22/AS98/2016_h; fig. 17 and fig. 7 in colour plates). It occurred with Fifth Dynasty individuals whose occupation was related to body care of the king. Besides hairdressers, it was held by barbers and manicurists (source: Maat-base database). iry nfr-HAt, “keeper of the headdress” (Jones 2000: 321–322, no. 1183). The title can be found on the architrave (22/AS98/2016_h; fig. 17). Its chronological distribution spans from the mid-Fifth Dynasty to the end of the Old Kingdom. In view of the fact that except for inspectors of hairdressers of the Great House, the title was borne by Viziers Washptah and Ptahshepses and by a high-ranking dignitary Ty, the “keeper of the headdress” could serve as an honorary marker. However, all connotations of the title have not been discerned yet (for more information, see Dulíková 2017: 66–67). Hm-nTr Ni-wcr-ra, “hem-netjer-priest of the king Nyuserre” (Jones 2000: 524, no. 1954). The title occurs on false door fragments (6/AS98/2016_d, g; fig. 18). Another person buried at Abusir bearing this title is the sun priest Neferinpu (AS 37; Bárta et al. 2014). ... aAt, “... great”. The part of a title was documented on a fragment from the architrave of the original entrance (22/AS98/2016_e, i; fig. 17 and fig. 6 in colour plates). 22 PES XXI/2018 TOmb fROm a TimE Of changE (aS 98) Epithets Apart from titles, several epithets also constituted Ankhires’s titulary; five of them were preserved. Two of them can be regarded as a form of “security clearance”, as they indicate that their holder was checked and was privy to the secret. This type of epithets started to appear in larger measure from the mid-Fifth Dynasty, alongside various additions specifying the sphere in which the given secret should be kept. Another Ankhires’s epithet was connected with the king’s favour, and the last two expressed the marking of the deceased in the funerary cult. Hry-cStA n nb.f, “privy to the secret of his lord” (Jones 2000: 628, no. 2298). The epithet is attested on a fragment of the architrave (22/AS98/2016; fig. 17 and fig. 6 in colour plates). It often occurred in the titulary of persons caring for the king’s body or the regalia. Hry-cStA n nb.f m kAt ir(w) Sn n pr-aA, “privy to the secret of his lord in the work of hairdressers of the Great House”. The previously unattested epithet is to be found on fragments from the false door (6/AS98/2016_a, b; fig. 18). mry nb.f, “beloved of his lord” (Jones 2000: 438–439, no. 1623). The epithet is attested on fragments of the architrave (22/AS98/2016_a, b; fig. 17 and fig. 6 in colour plates). It occurred rather frequently in the Fifth Dynasty. imAx(w), “revered” (Jones 2000: 11, no. 42). The epithet found on a fragment of the entrance drum (19/AS98/2016; fig. 17 and fig. 1 in colour plates) was connected with the netherworld existence of the deceased, frequently occurring in the Old Kingdom. [imA]x(w) xr nTr aA, “revered with the great god” (Jones 2000: 30, no. 142). The epithet occurring on a fragment (17/AS98/2016_b; fig. 17) was originally part of the architrave. Frequent evidence from the Fifth and Sixth Dynasties. irr ..., “who does...”. A partly preserved epithet is attested on the architrave (22/AS98/2016_b, k; fig. 17 and fig. 6 in colour plates). Social position A few chief factors including the tomb area, its architectural features, the decoration of the tomb, the burial arrangement and the titulary provide information about the social position of the tomb owner. Ankhires’s occupation in life can be reconstructed from the preserved titles, which testify to activities related to the care for the king (see above). It can be said with a certain hyperbole that Ankhires was responsible for the king’s head, since he cared for ruler’s hair and for the adornment of his head. One of his titles was connected with priestly rituals within the cult of King Nyuserre. The title “inspector of hairdressers of the Great House” was the principal one. It is the most frequent of Ankhires’s titles (see above) and the one he chose when stating a single title. Ankhires was Fig. 24 Hairdressers in senior positions attested in Giza: 1 Kaiemnefert (L 63), 2 Rakhefankh, 3 Nefer (G 8420) (photo © QuickBird, distributed by EURIMAGE S. p. A. [2012]; updated by V. Dulíková) 1 2 3 TOmb fROm a TimE Of changE (aS 98) PES XXI/2018 23 identified by this title in the three various forms: in his house in the world of the living (fig. 10), as the tomb owner (the graffito on the tomb wall, relief decoration) and as a spirit ka in the inscription on the statue (the sceptre, fig. 16). Although Ankhires did not hold offices connected with the administration of the land, both the area of his tomb and the quality of wall decoration reveal that as the “inspector of hairdressers of the Great House”, he was a relatively high- -ranking person of the then society (for more information, see Preliminary conclusions). Ankhires’s significant position was also confirmed by the second building phase during which his mastaba gained a rather big courtyard with two pillars supporting the roof and the second serdab. Several men had a titulary structure very similar to Ankhires’s. The same function, “inspector of hairdressers of the Great House”, was performed for example by Khabauptah, Nymaatptah and Manefer, buried at Saqqara North (Mariette 1889: 205, 294–295, 446–447; on hairdressers in the Old Kingdom generally, see Speidel 1990). Hairdressers in senior positions (i.e. imy-rA, cHD, xrp) are attested mainly at Saqqara, Abusir and Giza (see tab. 1, figs. 24 and 25). Just as a matter of interest, most frequent evidence of that profession comes from the Fifth Dynasty. Old Kingdom hairdressers are recorded not only in their own tombs and in dwellings of eternity of their contemporaries; they were also depicted among important persons in mortuary temples of royal pyramid complexes. This profession occurs on papyri and seals, i.e. sources originating in connection with kings’ mortuary cult (Neferirkare’s and Raneferef’s papyrus archives; Speidel Fig. 25 Hairdressers in senior positions found in Abusir-Saqqara area: 4 Ptahshepses (AC 8), 5 Pyramid of Neferirkare (Ankhmare), 6 Pyramid of Neferirkare (Kaires), 7 Pyramid of Neferirkare (…fa), 8 Pyramid of Raneferef (Wa…), 9 Ankhires (AS 98), 12 Ty (No. 60), 13 Ty Junior (No. 60) (photo © Quick Bird, distributed by EURIMAGE S. p. A. [2012]; updated by V. Brůna – V. Dulíková) 4 56 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 24 PES XXI/2018 TOmb fROm a TimE Of changE (aS 98) 1990; Posener-Kriéger – Verner – Vymazalová 2006). Altogether almost 70 individuals employed as hairdressers are attested for the Old Kingdom. The titulary of those who were hairdressers of the king or/and in the Great House testifies that most of them occupied posts in the king’s privacy: in the sphere of the king’s body care (cHD/xrp mHnk ncwt, “inspector/director of intimates of the king”) and personal adornment and regalia (imy-rA Xkrw ncwt, “overseers of the royal regalia”, iry nfr-HAt, “keeper of the headdress”, cXkr HAt nTr.f, “adorner of the brow of his god”), often together with titles connected to the privy of the secret (Hry-cStA n nb.f, “secretary of his lord”; Hry-cStA n ncwt, “secretary of the king”, Hry-cStA n pr-dwAt, “secretary of the House of Morning”), priestly titles connected with royal cults and epithets expressing the king’s favour (mry nb.f, “beloved of his lord”) (source: Maat-base database). There are a few exceptions of men who worked in administrative offices. For example, a king’s hairdresser, Rashepses, the son of Nyankhre, director of ah-palace, was employed as the king’s letter scribe of all sealed documents (which are) in the sun temple of Userkaf, in the nht-sanctuary of Hathor and in the pyramid “Pure are the Places of Userkaf” (Borchardt 1911: 48–49, Bl. 14). Another director of the king’s hairdressers, the dignitary Ty, headed two principal administrative departments: the organization of royal works and the royal documents. Moreover, he was involved in the management of the marginal zones, of vegetable and animal resources and of censing (Strudwick 1985: 158–159 [157]). The king’s hairdresser Rawer, who built a complex mastaba with 25 serdabs, is also worth noticing (Hassan 1932: 1–61). Apart from the titles mentioned above, his titulary comprised titles associated with royal ceremonies, e.g. wa (m) wr(w) Hb, “unique one of greatest of the festival”, and xrp SnDt, “director of the kilt”. Fifth Dynasty tombs with similar architecture Even though the Old Kingdom serves as a textbook example of a centralized society, with some exceptions, there are no two tombs with exactly the same architecture. Tomb building was certainly limited by some fundamental rules, but a creativity was expressed within those rules. Similar architectural elements to the tomb of Ankhires can be found elsewhere at the Memphite necropoleis (e.g. at Giza and Saqqara), but there is no identical tomb. As in the already mentioned cases of Ankhires’s name, titles and false door, parallels to the tomb disposition can be dated to the Fifth Dynasty. The existence of two serdabs, occurring only since the reign of Nyuserre (Lehmann 2000: 35–36), can be used as a particularly notable dating element. The original disposition of the L-shaped chapel and a serdab north of it have parallels, e.g. two rather small tombs at Giza: Sekhemka (G 1029; Lehmann 2000: Cat. No. G58; tomb area 60.69 m2) and Weri (G 2415; Lehmann 2000: Cat. No. G141; tomb area 46.59 m2). Two pillars were added to this disposition by Nefermesedjerkhufu (G 2240; Lehmann 2000: Cat. No. G124; tomb area 82.4 m2). Kanefer’s tomb features three rooms creating a corridor chapel in the eastern part of tomb, thus resembling the disposition of AS 98. The entrance to this chapel was in the north-eastern corner, but an access from Tab. 1 An overview of Fifth Dynasty hairdressers in senior positions of overseers, inspectors and directors name site type of tomb tomb code dynasty king reference @tp-kA(.i) Saqqara stone S 3509 mid 5 Neferirkare – Nyuserre Martin 1979: 4–16; Pl. 14 *y Saqqara stone No. 60 = D 22 mid 5 Nyuserre Wild 1966 *y Junior Saqqara stone No. 60 = D 22 mid 5 Nyuserre Epron – Daumas 1939: Pls. XVII, XIX, XXVII, XXXI, LX #a-bAw-PtH Saqqara stone No. 19 = D 42 mid 5 Nyuserre Mariette 1889: 294–295; Borchardt 1913: 124, pl. 58 PtH-Spcc Abusir stone AC 8 mid 5 Nyuserre Vachala 2004: 204–205 (57(A)+701) anx-ir.c Abusir stone AS 98 mid 5 Nyuserre Ra-xa.f-anx Giza rock-cut unnumbered mid 5 Speidel 1990: 10–13 [No. 6] Nfr Giza rock-cut G 8420 = Lepsius 99 mid 5 Hassan 1941: 200–218, Pls. 59–61 Ny-anx-Ra Saqqara rock-cut F 1 late 5 Nyuserre – Djedkare Mariette 1889: 431–432 anx-m-a-Ra Abusir – AC 2 late 5 Djedkare Posener-Kriéger – Cenival 1968: 62 (1, 19), 63 F KA(.i)-ir.c Abusir – AC 2 late 5 Djedkare Posener-Kriéger – Cenival 1968: 62 (8), 63 A ...fA Abusir – AC 2 late 5 Djedkare Posener-Kriéger – Cenival 1968: 72 A MA-nfr Saqqara stone H 2 = LS 17 late 5 Djedkare – Unis Mariette 1889: 446–447 Ny-mAat-PtH Saqqara stone No. 56 = D 24 late 5 Djedkare or later Mariette 1889: 250 Nfr-Hr-n-PtH Saqqara rock-cut unnumbered late 5 Nyuserre – Unis Altenmüller 1982 ^pcc Abusir – – late 5 Nyuserre – Unis Mostafa 1982: 103–110, Tafel XX KA(.i)-m-nfrt Giza rock-cut Lepsius 63 late 5 – early 6 Badawy 1976: 25–33, Figs. 25–30, Pls. 24–36 WA... Abusir – AC 3 late 5 – early 6 Posener-Kriéger – Verner – Vymazalová 2006: 59 D TOmb fROm a TimE Of changE (aS 98) PES XXI/2018 25 the east was enabled circumventing the entrance (G 2150; Lehmann 2000: Cat. No. G112; tomb area 302.4 m2). Likewise, the disposition of the superstructure with a chapel, a room with two pillars and a serdab south of it is almost identical in the tomb of Neferbauptah at Giza (G 6010); its serdab was located more to the south than Serdab 2 in Ankhires’s mastaba (Jánosi 2006: Abb. 67; tomb area 144.32 m2). This tomb with a slightly more complex ground plan than Ankhires’s tomb (two pillars were added to the entrance near the north-eastern corner) was built in two phases as well. Similar is also the disposition of the tomb of Seshemnefer III (G 5170) but with much more complex structure of the serdabs (Lehmann 2000: Cat. No. G208; tomb area 426.72 m2). Only this last tomb has a size comparable to the area Fig. 26 Tomb of Ankhires with structures AS 54, AS 100 and AS 102 from north-east (photo M. Odler) of Ankhires’s tomb, which could have been inspired by the tombs that had been built or were being built in Fifth Dynasty Giza. Its architecture is less complex than the mastaba of Vizier Ptahshepses (AC 8; see e.g. Krejčí 2009),13 but it can be counted among the largest tombs in Abusir South (see also below). Structures around the tomb of Ankhires: AS 99–AS 102 In order to establish the maximum dimensions of mastaba AS 98 and clarify its connections to the adjacent structures, trenches were opened north, east and west of Ankhires’s tomb (figs. 2, 26 and 27). The trenches demonstrated that it was built on a tafla hill with an uneven surface slanting towards the south. 26 PES XXI/2018 TOmb fROm a TimE Of changE (aS 98) The trench south-east of AS 98 uncovered that the original level of the surface south of the tomb was at a height of ca. 55.8 m a.s.l. Tomb AS 54 was built at this position in the Third Dynasty (Bárta 2010). Its western outer wall with three layers of outer floor was documented in the trench, at a distance of ca. 3.5 m from the tomb of Ankhires. At this original level of tafla, a small mud brick tomb AS 102 was built, with only its northernmost niche uncovered in the trench (tomb ground plan dimensions in the trench 2.00 × 0.55 m). Ankhires’s tomb significantly altered the landscape later, in the latter half of the Fifth Dynasty, raising the level of the hill in this part of necropolis. More than 2.5 m of debris and wind-blown sand was deposited on the surface of the tafla hill. Another structure, AS 100, was uncovered east of Ankhires’s mastaba. It is a mud brick feature, most probably built also in the Fifth Dynasty. It was built in three phases: the earliest is a loose heap of bricks on the north, stacked without any plaster (ground plan dimensions: 5.25 × × 1.50 m). This heap is overlapped by a rectangular platform, slightly reaching upwards in the south, built on clean yellow sand, with neatly laid courses of bricks, the utmost with five levels. The whole platform (7.50 × 1.25 m) was covered with very well preserved mud plaster. Remains of a rectangular structure consisting of one course of mud bricks were found on this plaster. In the south-eastern outer corner of AS 98 was built the third distinct phase: a narrow mud brick wall (1.40 × 0.50 m). The function or purpose of this structure cannot be explained for the present. It seems that AS 100 is somehow connected to the time of the construction of tomb AS 98. As the level of this platform (57.10–57.45 m a.s.l.) is similar to the tafla layer along the northern half of the eastern outer wall of AS 98 (57.13 m a.s.l.), it can be speculated that AS 100 could have supported a now lost structure possibly used during the construction of mastaba AS 98. AS 99, a low structure with a rectangular ground plan, was situated ca. 2 m north of AS 98, built of local limestone and mud bricks (6.00 × 0.75 m) and divided by a narrow passage (0.40 m) into two parts. This object might have been connected to the burial rites of Ankhires (similarly to AS 74, a structure north of the tomb of Neferinpu – Bárta et al. 2017). Uncovering of the whole structure is planned for one of the upcoming seasons. An original Fifth Dynasty mud floor level (ca. 57.6 m a.s.l.) was preserved north of the entrance to AS 98. As can be observed from the comparison with the original surface of the tafla hill, the floor of Ankhires’s tomb was ca. 2 m above the foundation of AS 54. The mud brick enclosure wall of AS 54 exceeded the level of the Fifth Dynasty floor only by ca. 10 mud brick courses. The rest of the wall continues below the Fifth Dynasty level. The scant ruins of another tomb, AS 101 (7 × 4 m), were located to the west of AS 98, in the side of the tafla hill (fig. 27). AS 101 was partly built of local limestone and mud bricks and partly cut into the tafla bedrock. A much eroded shaft contained fragments of a large ceramic vat or storage jar. The excavations did not continue due to the badly eroded and damaged sides of shaft. The view of hillside from west suggests that the hill was intentionally shaped by at least two terraces resembling steps. The third, uppermost step was the mastaba of Ankhires. Fig. 27 South-western corner of the tomb of Ankhires with structure AS 101 to west of it and steps cut into the tafla hill (photo M. Odler) TOmb fROm a TimE Of changE (aS 98) PES XXI/2018 27 Two triplets of coffins (67/AS98/2017, 68/AS98/2017, 69/AS98/2017 and 99/AS98/2017, 100/AS98/2017, 101/AS98/2017) from late Ptolemaic or early Roman Period were found north and east of the north-eastern outer wall (cf. Dulíková et al. 2018: 21–23). They were deposited there long after the tomb of Ankhires was abandoned and his funerary cult ceased. Archaeozoological finds from Ankhires’s mastaba and surrounding structures Fragments of animal bones and other archaeozoological material were excavated during the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Several finds (Eco1/AS98/2016, Eco2/AS98/2016, Eco9/AS98/2017) from the layers near the surface were excluded from the analysis owing to their expected later, i.e. almost recent date. Standard archaeozoological methods (e.g. Reitz – Wing 2008) were applied during the analysis. The zoological assemblage was examined in Abusir, mainly using osteological publications (Cohen – Serjeanston 1996; Osborn – Helmy 1980; Schmid 1972). Three methods were used for its quantification: the number of fragments, the weight of the fragments, and the minimum number of individuals (hereinafter MNI). In the case of microfauna (see below), only the MNI method was applied. The assemblage of animal bones excavated within the area of tomb AS 98 contained 366 finds related to human activities, with the total weight of 3461.1 g and the average weight of 9.5 g. In addition, the assemblage of microfauna originating in owl pellets was analysed from Shaft 1, Room 2 and Serdab 2. Corridor chapel The uncovering of the corridor chapel area (Eco27/ AS98/2017 and a bone artefact 118/AS98/2017) brought together 111 finds of animal bones weighing 1430.2 g in total and 12.9 g in average. As usual, the remains of cattle (Bos taurus) played the most important role with 22 examples coming from individuals of different age: adult, subadult and juvenile. Concerning the anatomical position of the finds, fragments of skulls, metapodials, phalanges (and other small limb elements), vertebrae, scapulae and radial bones were recorded in the assemblage. The second place was occupied by the remains of sheep/goats (Ovis/Capra) – 11 finds belonged to animals of different age (adult, subadult, juvenile). One find each of femur, humerus and lumbar vertebra were recorded, while the rest of the fragments came from the skulls. Six finds of pig (Sus domesticus) were documented: radius of an adult animal, lower jaw of a juvenile animal and 4 fragments of subadult animals (ulna, tibia, metapodium, skull). Other mammalian fragments were not determined: 20 finds of large ungulates (size of cattle), 16 of medium-sized mammals (size of sheep) and 17 of undetermined mammals. The category of large ungulates contained at least 6 fragments of ribs and the category of medium-sized mammals 15 fragments of ribs. Bird remains were represented by one piece of a duck (Anseriformes): a part of coracoideum belonging to an adult specimen. Fish – or more precisely catfish – remains were also found: 5 vertebrae of Siluriformes and 3 fin spines of Synodontis. Traces of cutting and working were recorded in 14 cases, including 5 finds of cattle, 4 of medium-sized mammals, 2 of sheep/goats, 2 of large ungulates and 1 example of a pig. Altogether 11 bones bore incisions, while 2 scapulae of cattle and 1 rib of a large ungulate were shaped as bone tools (see below). Two bones of cattle bore marks of gnawing, one caused by a dog and one by a rodent. No traces of burning were recorded. Room 2 Animal bones from Room 2 (Eco6/AS98/2016) included 43 finds with the total weight of 168.7 g and the average weight of 3.9 g. Except for one example (phalanx I) of adult cattle (Bos taurus) and 2 pieces of large ungulates (size of cattle), the dominant part of this assemblage was made up by a partial skeleton of a lamb (Ovis aries). This animal was a male that died at an age of 5 to 6 months. The remains of the skeleton contained 40 bones: 28 ribs, 3 neurocranium finds, 3 teeth, left and right lower jaws, left and right upper jaws, left and right femur, and left scapula. The skull had disintegrated into numerous small fragments; 6 of them bore dark stains caused probably by an embalming resin. Moreover, one of the ribs contained a healed fracture. No traces of cutting, burning or gnawing were recorded in this assemblage. Room 1 This assemblage (29/AS98/2016, 36/AS98/2016, Eco8/ AS98/2016) contained 40 finds of animal bones with the total weight of 365.1 g and the average weight of 9.1 g. Cattle (Bos taurus) was represented by 5 (+ 1 cf.) examples from an adult animal; parts of femur, humerus, metacarpus, scapula, lumbar vertebra and phalanx III were recorded. As for sheep/goats (Ovis/Capra), 5 pieces from an adult (humerus and tibia) and a juvenile (humerus, lower jaw, sacrum) were found in the room fill. Two bones (phalanx I and II) of an adult donkey (Equus asinus) and a fragment of lower canine of a subadult/adult male pig (Sus domesticus) were also documented. Other fragments of mammals were not determined: 1 find of a large ungulate, 9 of medium-sized mammals and 13 of undetermined mammals. Moreover, 1 fragment of an undetermined bird bone and 1 vertebra of a catfish (Siluriformes) were found there. Traces of cutting, mainly fine incisions, were recorded in 4 cases on bones of cattle, a sheep/goat, a medium-sized mammal and an undetermined mammal. No gnawing or burning was documented. Phalanx I of a donkey bore dark stains caused probably by an embalming resin. Serdab 2 Altogether, 13 finds of animal bones were analysed in the assemblage from Serdab 2 (Eco13/AS98/2017, Eco15/ AS98/2017), with the total weight of 130.0 g and the average weight of 10.0 g. In the case of cattle (Bos taurus), 4 pieces of adult animal were recorded: two carpals, phalanx II and a molar fragment. Other domestic ungulates were represented by bones of subadult specimens: pig femur (Sus domesticus) and sheep metatarsus (Ovis aries). The shoulder height of the sheep was around 51 cm, so the animal was quite small. Other mammalian bones remained i Dulíková et al., The tomb of Ankhires (AS 98) Fig. 1 Part of a drum (19/AS98/2016) which was originally situated below an architrave in the entrance to the main chapel in Ankhires’s mastaba. The drum is made of fine limestone, black dotted on richly orange base, while the hieroglyphs are of blue colour (photo M. Frouz) ii Dulíková et al., The tomb of Ankhires (AS 98) Fig. 2 Partly preserved serdab slit (the original edge of right side has not survived) and the caption prt-xrw cnTr (photo P. Košárek) iii Dulíková et al., The tomb of Ankhires (AS 98) Fig. 4 Motif of butchers and oxen on the southern wall of Room 1 (photo P. Košárek) Fig. 3 Block depicting four offering bearers (34/AS98/2016). The first man is carrying a chair, the second individual is holding a bent stick and a case, the third person is clutching a long receptacle and the last one dressed in a projecting kilt is walking in a gesture of veneration (photo P. Košárek) iv Dulíková et al., The tomb of Ankhires (AS 98) Fig. 5 Wooden left forearm (74/AS98/2017_a), remain of a wooden statue of Ankhires which was originally placed in Serdab 2 (photo P. Košárek) Fig. 6 Fragments of an architrave made of fine white limestone (22/AS98/2016_a, b, e, i, k). Neat hieroglyphic signs were executed in sunken relief with precise details (photo M. Frouz) v Dulíková et al., The tomb of Ankhires (AS 98) Fig. 7 Beginning of the text inscribed on an architrave which was originally embedded above the chapel entrance in the mastaba of Ankhires (22/AS98/2016_h). The inscription was divided into three horizontal registers. The first two lines bear offering formulas, whereas the third register contains Ankhires’s titles (photo M. Frouz) vi Dulíková et al., The tomb of Ankhires (AS 98) Fig. 8 (right column) Fragment of an offering scene with remains of polychromy showing various offerings in two registers (24/AS98/2016_b). The block was probably constituent of the wall decoration in the northwest corner of Room 1 in the mastaba of Ankhires (photo M. Frouz) Fig. 9 (left column, upper fig.) A tiny fragment (23/AS98/2016_a) which originally stood at the beginning of an offering list as its first item: mw zT “libation of water” (photo M. Frouz) Fig. 10 (left column, middle fig.) Piece of an offering list (26/AS98/2016_u) with small-sized hieroglyphs and a grid executed in lower relief with traces of colour. Remains of former decoration in Ankhires’s main funerary chapel (photo M. Frouz) Fig. 11 (left column, lower fig.) Tiny fragment (53/AS98/2016) of a scene from papyrus marshland with traces of green and ochre colours (photo P. Košárek)