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Menhebu

Western Cemetery

Western Cemetery: Site: Giza; View: Menhebu

Details

  • Tomb Owner
    Menhebu (Menhebu)
  • Excavator
    Hermann Junker, German, 1877–1962
  • Junker No
    Men-Hebw
  • Alternate Reisner No
    G 5610
  • PorterMoss Date
    Dynasty 6
  • Site Type
    Stone-built mastaba
  • Shafts
    S 601; S 602; S 603; serdab; chapel; annex; S 630; S 631; intrusive; S 594; S 600; S 635
  • Remarks
    According to Junker, Menhebu was built in two phases (original western half and eastern "annex"). S 601-603 are part of original mastaba, with tomb owner buried in S 603. Shafts 630 and 631 are in the annex and probably intrusive, as are S 594, 600 and 635. The annex seems to have been added on during Menhebu's life to create a more impressive façade (and possibly a spot for a serdab) for the tomb. There is one (northern) false door in the west wall of the cult chamber of the tomb's original western half (probably in the north rather than the more usual south in order to be closer to S 603, Menhebu's burial shaft). When the eastern annex was added, two more false doors were set into the eastern wall; the northern one is still in situ while the southern one was found nearby (probably dislodged by intrusive shaft S 630). All three of these doors bear Menhebu's name, thereby proving that all of the mastaba belonged to him. Junker called this Mastaba of Menhebu and Reisner provisionally called it G 5610. Porter & Moss mistakenly equate it with Lepsius 30, the location of which is uncertain but according to Lepsius is south of G 5520 (Lepsius 28).

Maps & Plans 2

Published Documents 5

Unpublished Documents 4

Full Bibliography

  • Chauvet, Violaine. “Decoration and Architecture: The Definition of Private Tomb Environment.” Servant of Mut. Studies on Ancient Egypt in Honor of Edward F. Wente. Leiden: Brill, 2008, p. 49 note 54.

    Junker, Hermann. Gîza 8. Der Ostabschnitt des Westfriedhofs, Zweiter Teil. Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien Philosophisch-historische Klasse Denkschriften 73, Abhandlung 1. Vienna: Rudolph M. Rohrer, 1947, pp. 159-165, figs. 83-85, pl. 26, plan after pl. 28.

    Lehmann, Katja. Der Serdab in den Privatgräbern des Alten Reiches 1-3. Ph.D. Dissertation, Universität Heidelberg, 2000, Kat. G283.

    Porter, Bertha, and Rosalind L.B. Moss. Topographical Bibliography of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts, Reliefs, and Paintings 3: Memphis (Abû Rawâsh to Dahshûr). Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1931. 2nd edition. 3: Memphis, Part 1 (Abû Rawâsh to Abûsîr), revised and augmented by Jaromír Málek. Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1974, p. 168, plan 16.

People 2

Ancient People

  • Menhebu (Menhebu)

    • Type Tomb Owner
    • Remarks Owner of Menhebu (unnumbered mastaba excavated by Junker, incorrectly equated with Lepsius 30). Three false doors inscribed for Menhebu, identified as [Hrj-sStA n Hmwtjw sHD jrjw-mDAt pr-mDAt nTr pr-aA Hm-nTr Hr mDdw Hm-nTr xwfw] secretary of craftsmen, inspector of archivists of the library of the god of the Great House, priest of the Horus Medjedu (Khufu), priest of Khufu; north false door in west wall of interior chapel and north false door in east face of annex, both found in situ in mastaba of Menhebu; false door found east of annex, probably originally south false door in east face of Menhebu annex.

Modern People

  • Hermann Junker

    • Type Excavator
    • Nationality & Dates German, 1877–1962
    • Remarks Egyptologist, Director of German-Austrian expedition to Giza, 1911–1929. Published 12 volumes of final excavation reports from Giza expedition. Nationality and life dates from Who was Who in Egyptology.