Skip to main content
This site is under construction. Thank you for your patience.

G 5210

Western Cemetery

Western Cemetery: Site: Giza; View: G 5210

Details

  • Tomb Owner
    Khemetnu (G 5210)
  • Attested
    Hetepheres II (G 7110-7120)
    Kawab (G 7110-7120)
    Meresankh III (G 7530-7540)
  • Excavator
    (Karl) Richard Lepsius, German, 1810–1884
    François Auguste Ferdinand Mariette, French, 1821–1881
    George Andrew Reisner, American, 1867–1942
  • Lepsius No
    LG 43
    L.43
    Lepsius 43
  • PorterMoss Date
    Khufu to end of Dyn 4 or early 5
  • Baer Date
    End Dyn 4 - beginning of Dyn 5
  • Site Type
    Stone-built mastaba
  • Shafts
    G 5210 Serdab 1; G 5210 Serdab 2; G 5210 Chapel a; G 5210 Chapel b; G 5210 A; G 5210 X; G 5210 Y

Finds 16

Excavation Diary Pages 30

Maps & Plans 8

Drawings 13

Published Documents 6

Unpublished Documents 58

Full Bibliography

  • Baud, Michel. "La tombe de la reine-mère xa-mrr-Nbtj Ire." Bulletin de l'Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale 95 (1995), p. 13.

    Lehmann, Katja. Der Serdab in den Privatgräbern des Alten Reiches 1-3. Ph.D. Dissertation, Universität Heidelberg, 2000, Kat. G209-G209a.

    Lepsius, Carl Richard. Denkmäler aus Aegypten und Aethiopien. Plates 2, Band 3 [Giza plates only]. Berlin: Nicolaische Buchhandlung, 1849-1859, pl. 26 [a-e].

    Lepsius, Carl Richard. Denkmäler aus Aegypten und Aethiopien. Text 1: Unteraegypten und Memphis [Giza pages only]. Leipzig: J.C. Hinrichs'sche Buchhandlung, 1897, pp. 69-70.

    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. 155.

    Smith, William Stevenson. "The Old Kingdom Linen List." Zeitschrift für Ägyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde 71 (1935), p. 141.

Photos 55

View all 55 Photos

People 7

Ancient People

  • Hetepheres II (G 7110-7120)

    • Type Attested
    • Remarks Original owner of G 7110, along with Kawab (owner of G 7120). Appears with her daughter Meresankh III in G 7530-7540 (east and west walls, main room), and in pair statue MFA 30.1456 (= 27-4-963 + 27-4-964 + 27-4-965). Later married to a king, possibly Djedefre (Radjedef) according to Reisner, but Khafre is also a possibility. Her association with G 7350, and its sarcophagus is uncertain. Also mentioned in tomb of her steward Khemetnu (owner of G 5210).

  • Kawab (G 7110-7120)

    • Type Attested
    • Remarks Owner of G 7120, along with Hetepheres [II] (original owner of G 7110). Son of Khufu and Meretites [I]. Appears in chapel relief in tomb of his daughter Meresankh III (owner of G 7530-7540), main room (east wall), identified as [jrj-pat sA nswt smsw n Xt=f Xrj-Hb Hrj-tp xrp jAwt nTrt aA dwAw] hereditary prince, king's eldest son of his body, chief lector-priest, director of divine offices, assistant of (the god) Duau; in situ in G 7530-7540). Also mentioned in tomb of his steward Khemetnu (owner of G 5210).

  • Khemetnu (G 5210)

    • Type Tomb Owner
    • Remarks Owner of G 5210. Architectural element (frieze-text, including back side of one block also inscribed for Khemetnu) and upper lintels of north and south niches (south niche also includes tablet and cross-bar = lower lintel) inscribed for Khemetnu, identified as [rx nswt jmj-r Hmw-kA wab nswt Hm-nTr xwfw jmj-r pr n jrj-pat sa nswt kAwab jmj-r pr n wrt Hzt sAt nswt mrsanx jmj-r pr n (sAt?)- nswt ... HtpHrs] royal acquaintance, overseer of ka-priests, royal wab-priest, priest of Khufu, steward of the hereditary prince, king's son Kawab, steward of "Great-of-Praise", king's daughter Meresankh, steward of the king's daughter ... Hetepheres; in situ in G 5210. Also appears chapel relief in tomb of Meresankh III (owner of G 7530-7540: G 7530), chapel entrance south door jamb, and room a (= main room), west wall (panel of relief south of false door) with same titles.

  • Meresankh III (G 7530-7540)

    • Type Attested
    • Remarks Owner of G 7530-7540.Granddaughter of King Khufu, builder of the Great Pyramid, and wife of either Khafre or Menkaure. Her unique underground chapel (labeled G 7530-7540) preserves beautifully carved and painted scenes of the queen and her royal family, as well as servants, artisans, and funerary priests. The scenes also depict the sort of rich burial goods that would have been placed in Meresankh’s tomb: statues and fine furniture; boxes containing food, clothing, and jewelry; even a representation of the black granite sarcophagus that was actually found in situ in her burial chamber. Chapel entrance architrave, jambs, reveals and drum inscribed for Meresankh, idenitifed as [mAAt Hr stX wrt Hts nbwj xt Hr wrt Hst DHwtj smrt Hr mrt=f sAt nswt n Xt=f Hmt nswt mrt] seer of Horus and Seth, great one of the hetes-scepter of the Two Lords, khet-priestess of Horus, great of praises of Thoth, companion of Horus, his beloved, king's daughter of his body, beloved king's wife; in situ in G 7530-7540. Appears in chapel relief of main room: seated holding lotus (south wall); standing with her mother (east wall), idenitifed as [wrt Hts] great one of the hetes-scepter; on pillars (north wall), idenitifed as [tjst Hr] intimate(?) of Horus; seated at offering table, standing north of false door and on central pillar, and with her mother and son (west wall), idenitifed as [Hm-nTr DHwtj wrt Hts nbtj Hm-nTr bApf Hm-nTr HwtHr nbt jwnt smAwt mrjj nbtj] priestess of Thoth, great one of the hetes-scepter of the Two Ladies, priestess of Bapef, priestess of Hathor Mistress-of-Dendera, consort of him who is beloved of the Two Ladies; in situ in G 7530-7540. Also appears on all walls of offering (west) room; in situ in G 7530-7540. Architrave on north wall of north room inscribed for Meresankh; uninscribed statues may also represent Meresankh (along with other female family members); in situ in G 7530-7540. Black granite sarcophagus (Cairo JE 54935) inscribed for Meresankh, idenitifed as [xrp sSmtjw SnDt] director of butchers of the 'Acacia House'; in situ in burial chamber of G 7530-7540. Incomplete limestone statue of Meresankh (MFA 30.1457) and pair statue of Meresankh and Hetepheres II (MFA 30.1456); found displaced in debris of main room. Mother ([mwt=f] his mother) of Nebemakhet (owner of G 8172 = Lepsius 86). Appears in relief of inner chapel (above doorway in eastern wall), identified as [mAAt Hr stX wrt Hts wrt Hst Hmt nswt] seer of Horus and Seth, great one of the hetes-scepter, great of praises, king's wife; in situ in G 8172. Also mentioned in the tomb of her steward Khemetnu (owner of G 5210).

Modern People

  • (Karl) Richard Lepsius

    • Type Excavator
    • Nationality & Dates German, 1810–1884
    • Remarks Egyptologist. Nationality and life dates from Who was Who in Egyptology.

  • François Auguste Ferdinand Mariette

    • Type Excavator
    • Nationality & Dates French, 1821–1881
    • Remarks Pasha; Egyptologist; Professor; Archaeologist of Sphinx Temple. Nationality and life dates from Who was Who in Egyptology.

  • George Andrew Reisner

    • Type Excavator
    • Nationality & Dates American, 1867–1942
    • Remarks Egyptologist, archaeologist; Referred to as "the doctor" and "mudir" (Arabic for "director") in the excavation records. Nationality and life dates from Who was Who in Egyptology.