PUBLISHED 2015. Please visit the publication's webpage.
The world-famous Egyptian necropolis at Giza is located to the west of Cairo. It contains unique monuments of the III-I millennia BC preserved under the patronage of UNESCO. The Russian Archaeological Mission has been excavating the rock-cut tombs of the Eastern Necropolis of Giza since 1996. The area of the concession stretches from the cliffs opposite the Great Sphinx in the south and reaches the Cheops road in the north. The excavation area, which is about 3000 square meters, presents a limestone cliff - an outcrop of Muqattam formation - that marks the eastern limits of the plateau. The cliff has a complex bedded structure with various types of funerary complexes disposed on different levels: rock-cut tombs, shafts, and ground burials (totally almost 100 burials in more than 40 archaeological complexes). The preliminary dating of the burials in this area is V- beginning of VI Dynasties (2480 -2340 BC), although many tombs were reused during the Late period and then inhabited in the Middle Ages and XIX century. Archaeological investigation of the rock-cut tombs intended for publication was carried out during three successive field seasons.
The tombs contain important epigraphic materials including testament formulae, uncommon or unique variants of writing of several administrative titles, rare examples of rock-cut sculpture and paintings as well as reliefs with different kinds of everyday life scenes. At the same time archaeological investigations brought to light extensive anthropological and ceramic materials, interesting artifacts and architectural structures.
Giza necropolis is one of the most well-known archaeological sites in Egypt and also one of the best studied. However, most of its monuments were excavated in the late XIX and early XX centuries and existing publications are to a large degree outdated. Rare new archaeological publications demonstrate advantages of modern methods and technologies, but there are not many unexcavated areas around the great pyramids where they can be applied. The eastern edge of the plateau is of one these areas. The tombs projected for publication had never been properly studied before they were bried under the debris from the Boston Museum's excavations (by George Andrew Reisner) and later infrastructural projects.
The eastern sector of Giza necropolis is a significant area for studying of major changes in economic life, ideology, belief and material culture of middle-class strata of the Egyptian society, including officials of the royal administration. Even a preliminary analysis of the excavated material provides a broad picture of the economic and cultural life of these people, burial customs and rituals.
The publication project is directed by Prof. Eleonora Kormysheva.