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Giza South Field is located to the south of Khufu's pyramid and contains cemetery. In antiquity the desert fringe from Abû Rawash in the north to Dahshûr and beyond in the south was an extended cemetery, varying in depth, embracing also the sites now known as, Giza, Zâwyet el-‘Aryan, Abû Ghurâb, Abûsîr, and north and south Saqqâra.As the location selected by Khufu, Khafre' and Menkaure' for their mortuary complexes it is ineluctably associated with the rulers of the IVth Dyn., and with the royal family and officials of this and subsequent dynasties of the Old Kingdom who were interred in the associated mastaba-fields.

This cemetery included 39 mastabas or tombs of which 38 are noted on the map the sites lack an identifying number as the systematic numbering system was a later development. The cemetery is divided into four sections; section 1 consists of Covington's tomb which was excavated by Lorenzo Dow Covington (1862-1935) of the First Dynasty and two others, No2 & 3.

Section 2 consisted of tombs 4-10, 11, 15, 23, 27-28 and 32. Tomb No 11 is dated to the third Dynasty

Section 3 consisted of tombs 12-14, 18-19, 24, 26, 29-31 and 33-38

Section 4 contained Tombs 16 and 17 are shown north-west and east respectively of Section 3. Tombs 20-22 and 25 are south of Section 2. Tomb 39 is not marked and its location is unknown

Tombs 1-3 are situated on knolls, with extensive views over the surrounding landscape. The site of Tomb 11, one of the monuments singled out for special mention on the map, is not in such a favoured position. One wonders how many funerary monuments of the early periods were demolished by the architects and masons of Khufu and his successors, further north in the necropolis.

Tomb No 1: This mudbrick tomb, also called Mastaba T is best known under the name “Covington’s Tomb”. Covington’s excavation of it over two seasons (1902- 1903)

stepped in. Covington does not assign a precise date to the tomb in his report, but seems to favour the Ist Dyn.18 on the basis of a comparison of part of the east façade of the Gîza monument with the south chapel of a tomb excavated at Saqqâra by Manette and dated by him to that period. No inscriptions or sealings were found by Covington to corroborate his early date. Although Covington does not specify the Saqqâra tomb in question it is undoubtedly that of Kha'bausokar, to which Manette assigned a Ist Dyn. date.19 Later research has shown that it should be dated to Dyn. III,20 which is more in accord with the probable date of Covington’s mastaba, which architecturally fits better into the end of the IInd or the beginning of the IIIrd Dyn. His comparison was therefore apt. Covington’s laudable account gives the impression that his team fully excavated Tomb l.21 Flinders Petrie, who had a penchant for profitably re-clearing monuments already allegedly “worked” spent some time there in 1906-1907, and found much additional material.22 After drawing attention to the similarity of the panelling to that of early Ist Dyn. mastabas at Naqâda and elsewhere at Gîza, Petrie nevertheless opts for a date “nearly contemporary with the beginning of the IIIrd dynasty”.23 The tradition of panelled façades of the “Covington Tomb”-type therefore had a long history.

Tomb No 2

Covington notes it24 as "... a large bluish- grey stone mastaba (about 28 metres x 12 metres) excavated by Manette”, and refers to it again25 as "... the interesting ruins of a large mastaba

Tomb No 3

Also seen by me in 1995. It is constructed of mudbrick and stone, and is the best- preserved monument of the group. There is a large shaft adjacent to the west, and additional structures are attached on the east. Presumably Covington did some work here, but this tomb is undoubtedly the mastaba excavated by an Austrian mission directed by Dr Karl Kromer in 1981-1983.27 It situation as marked on the map published by the expeditions 28 does not however correspond precisely with the site of Tomb 3 as marked on fig. 1.29 The mastaba, dated by the Austrian excavator probably to the late IIIrd Dyn., was enlarged soon after its construction. A smaller tomb, dated by fragments of a wooden coffin found in its substructure, was attached to the south on its east façade during Dyn. IV or V. Yet another structure with four shafts and a serdab was built onto the east façade of the main mastaba, northwards of the first addition, during Dyn. V.30 A final addition was made on the west façade of the original structure. It is dated to Dyn. IV-V on imported pottery evidence. The complex was completely and efficiently excavated by the Austrian archaeologists, apart from the central tomb-chamber which was not reached owing to the presence of large stones encumbering the passage.

Tomb No 4

Petrie’s IInd Dyn. Tomb. PM III2, pt 1, 294. Petrie’s description of the location of this important monument is vague: "On the top of the south end of the ridge facing the cultivation, looking down on the site of thetomb of the Ist dynasty, we found the remains of a tomb of the IInd dynasty”.31 It was covered by the debris of a Late Period monument. An earlier reference by Petrie 32 to the tomb may be misleading: “The Und Dynasty was also represented by a rock tomb containing sealings of king Neteren”. The term “rock tomb” is usually descriptive of tombs cut into a rock escarpment or cliff face. There are innumerable examples of such monuments dating from the Old Kingdom and later periods in Gîza, many provincial sites, and to a certain extent in Saqqâra. Covington mentions that he investigated eight examples of “cave tombs” in the area of the “Mastaba Mount” excavations.33 A rock- tomb as such would be unprecedented for the Archaic Peri od.34 It is virtually certain that the Dyn. I tomb mentioned by Petrie refers not to “Covington’s Tomb”, which Petrie dated to the late Second or early IIIrd Dyn. (see above) but to the large and important mastaba, undoubtedly of Ist Dyn. date, found by Barsanti in 1904 and excavated by Daressy and subsequently by Petrie. This tomb35 lies somewhere in the area between South Gîza and Zâwyet el-‘Aryân, but does not seem to be pinpointed precisely on any map. Petrie says 36 that it lies “in the plain about a mile and a half SSE of the Great Pyramid

Tomb No 11

On the plan of Covi ngton’s area published here [fig. 1] Tomb 11 is shown as a monument of some consequence, to judge from its dotted outline and central shaft(?). It is unclear why it is labelled “3rd Dynasty” It is east of “Covington’s Tomb”, though whether it can be said to be “on the top of the south end of the ridge facing the cultivation” is arguable. At any rate its situation affords a view looking towa rds the site of Barsanti’s Ist Dyn. mastaba. With due reservations I identify Tomb 11 with Petrie’s IInd Dyn. mastaba. Material from Petrie's IInd Dyn. Tomb [= Tomb 11?] (references are to Petrie's monograph) Stone vessel fragments in “alabaster”, gypsum, limestone, and pink “marble” (p. 7 [14-15]) Mud seal impressions of Ninetjer (Neteren) (p. 7 [14]). See also PM III/2, pt. 1, 295 Pottery jar (p. 7 [15]) Apart from the work of the recent Austrian mission it will be noted from the above account that the important antecedents discussed here of the tombs in the great mastaba- fields on the main plateau at Gîza have been excavated and published in a piecemeal and rather unsatisfactory way, although Covington’s efforts in Tomb 1 were praiseworthy. Something can be gleaned about the architecture of these monuments, so comparisons can be made with Archaic and early IIIrd Dyn. tombs at Saqqâra, Mahâsna, Naqâda, Abydos and elsewhere, but the treatment of the objects, not least the pottery and stone vessels, leaves much to be desired. Surprisingly little is known about such material, deriving from the crucial transitional period spanning the Und and early IIIrd Dyn., especially in respect of ceramics.37 It would be a valuable exercise to study all the surviving material in Cairo, Cincinnati, and other locations.38 In this paper it has been possible only to highlight the possibilities.

Petrie: “It is a new view of Gizeh to see that it did not become occupied first by the Pyramid kings, but that it had a continuous history as a cemetery from the beginning of the 1st Dynasty

http://giza.fas.harvard.edu/sites/1999/full/............images of finds http://www.gizapyramids.org/static/pdf%20library/brovarski_fs_simpson1996.pdf

from tenants and priests of the pyramids dated to the 5th dynasty and 6th dynasty.

The East Field consists of the three Queen's pyramids and a number of mastabas labeled Cemetery G 7000. Reisner constructed a timeline for the construction of the East Field. The first two Queen's Pyramids, G 1a and G 1b, were likely started in year 15-17 of King Khufu. Usually Queen's pyramids were constructed to the south of the king's pyramid, but in this instance a quarry was located to the south and the construction of the smaller pyramids was relocated to the east of the main pyramid complex. The earliest part of the cemetery consisted of 12 mastabas which were built as double mastabas. They were laid out in three rows of four tombs: The construction of these tombs has been dated to ca year 17-24 of the reign of Khufu. This core was then completed to create a nucleus of eight twin-mastabas by the construction of: The rest of the eastern field was built around this group of eight twin mastabas. Of these the great mastaba G 7510 of king's son and vizier Ankhhaf stands out due to its size. The construction of several other mastabas can be dated to the time of King Khafra. G 7530 + 7540, the tomb of Meresankh III, contains quarry inscriptions dating to year 13 of that king. Mastaba G 7050, belonging to Nefertkau I, was built during the reign of Khafra as well. Further additions date to the end of the 4th, 5th and 6th dynasty and even later.
 * G 7110-7120 Kawab and Hetepheres II and G 7130-7140 Khufukhaf I and his wife Nefertkau II
 * G 7210-7220 Hordjedef and his wife and G 7230-7240
 * G 7310-7320 Baufra and G 7330-7340
 * G 7410-7420 Meresankh II and Horbaef and G 7430-7440 Minkhaf I

Queen's pyramids
Pyramid G 1a was at first thought to belong to Queen Meritites I but Lehner has shown that the pyramid belonged to Hetepheres I instead. All three pyramids have a square base measuring about 45 – 49 m. on a side. The angle of inclination is about 51° 50‘ for all three.

Shaft tomb:

Cemetery G 7000
Nucleus of Cemetery G 7000

The later additions to the cemetery: