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*Original paper documents for Chapter 10 are in archival box K03 in the Egyptian Section archives of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Details

  • Classification
    Documentation-Unpublished manuscripts
  • Department
    Harvard University-Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition
  • Credit Line
    Harvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition
  • Date
    about 1934–1942
  • Mentioned on page
    Henri Gauthier, French, 1877–1950
    Selim Hassan (Bey), Egyptian, 1886–1961
    Khafre
    Khufuankh (in G 7760)
    Ptahsedjefa Fefi (G 8926)
    Seshemnefer [II] (G 5080)
    Shepseskaf
  • Author
    George Andrew Reisner, American, 1867–1942

Tombs and Monuments 1

  • G 5080

    • Site Name Western Cemetery

People 8

Ancient People

  • Khafre

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Remarks Fourth king of Dynasty 4. Son of Khufu. Builder of the Second Pyramid at Giza and probably of the Great Sphinx as well. Known two thousand years later by the Greeks as King Khephren. A number of diorite and greywacke statues and statue fragments depicting the king have been discovered in Khafre's valley temple, including Cairo CG 9-17. The fragmentary head of an alabaster royal statue (MFA 21.351 + MFA 33.1113) is attributed to Khafre.
  • Khufuankh (in G 7760)

    • Type Mentioned on page
  • Ptahsedjefa Fefi (G 8926)

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Remarks Owner of G 8926. Entrance lintel and drum inscribed for Fefi, identified as [rx nswt jmj-r Hmw-kA] royal acquaintance, overseer of ka-priests; lintel found broken in fragments before entrance, drum in situ in G 8926. False door inscribed for Ptahsedjefa Fefi, identified as [rx nswt jmj-r Hmw-kA] royal acquaintance, overseer of ka-priests; in situ in G 8926. Limestone sarcophagus (JE 66681) inscribed for Ptahsedjefa Fefi; found in burial chamber of G 8926.
  • Seshemnefer [II] (G 5080)

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Remarks Owner of G 5080. Pillars and jambs of court entrance and north and south false doors inscribed for Seshemnefer, identified as [jmj-r sSw a nswt Hrj-sStA n wDt-mdw nb nt nswt jmj-r kAt nb nswt sS Xrt-a nswt sS a nswt n sbAjt nswt Hrj-sStA n Xrt-a nswt jmj-r (pr) aHAw m prwj] overseer of royal document scribes, secretary of every royal decree, overseer of all royal works, scribe of the royal document-case, royal document scribe of the royal instructors, secretary of the royal document-case, overseer of (the house of) weapons in the two houses; also appears in chapel relief (west, south, and east walls); in situ in G 5080. Red granite sarcophagus (33-4-19 = Cairo JE 60541) inscribed for Seshemnefer; found in situ in G 5080 B.
  • Shepseskaf

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Remarks Last king of Dynasty 4. Son of Menkaure. Horus name: [SpsXt] Shepseskhet.

Modern People

  • George Andrew Reisner

    • Type Author
    • 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.
  • Henri Gauthier

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Nationality & Dates French, 1877–1950
    • Remarks Egyptologist. Nationality and life dates from Who was Who in Egyptology.
  • Selim Hassan (Bey)

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Nationality & Dates Egyptian, 1886–1961
    • Remarks Egyptologist; Sub Director General. Nationality and life dates from Who was Who in Egyptology. (1886-1961) Egyptian Egyptologist; born Mit-Nagi, 15 April 1886, he studied at the Higher Teacher's College, Cairo under Kamal (q.v.); in 1912 he became a teacher and in 1921 obtained a post in the Egyptian Museum as assistant keeper; he studied in Paris 1923-7 at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes; he was the first Egyptian to be appointed as a Professor of Egyptology in the Universitv of Cairo, 1928 - 36; he was later made Deputy Director of the Egyptian Antiquities Service responsible for the care of all monuments in the Nile valley, 1936-39; Ph.D. Vienna University, 1935; stimulated by the archaeological work of P. E. Newberry (q.v.) and Junker (q.v.)he began an active career in excavations with the clearance of some of the Giza mastabas in 1929; the excavations carried on by him in this necropolis continued until 1939 by which time a great deal of digging had been achieved, published in 10 parts; he also cleared the Sphinx and its temple, for the first time completely digging out the great amphitheatre around it and ensuring that it would not be buried by send again so easily; he wrote a study on this work and on the temple of Amenhotep II here; in addition the so-called Fourth Pyramid or the palace-façade tomb of Queen Khent-kawes of the Fourth Dynasty was investigated and also the funerary town of the priests associated with it; he later worked on the Unas causeway at Saqqara and at the valley temple of this king, discovering some of the mastabas in this area and two great subterranean tombs dated to the Second Dynasty; his final excavations at Giza were carried out on the east and south faces of the Great Pyramid and at the mortuary temple of King Khufu, 1938-9; he also took part in the campaign to save the monments of Nubia, and wrote a report on this subject; he published about 53 books and articles on Egyptological subjects in English, French, and Arabic, Hymnes religieux du Moyen Empire, 1928; Le Poème dit de Pentaour et Le rapport officiel sur la bataiILe de Qadesh , 1929; Excavations at Giza, 10 pts., 1929-60; The Sphinx. Its History in the Light of recent Excavations, 1949; Report on the Monunents of Nubia,1955Excavations at Saqqara 1937-8, 3 vols., 1975; in Arabic Literature of Ancient Egpt, 2 vols.; Ancient Egypt from Prehistoric Times to the Age of Rameses 11, 6 vols.; he died in Giza, 30 Sept. 1961. AfO 20 (1963), 310 (H. Brunner); Archaeology 14, no, 4 (1961, 293; ASAE 58 (1964), 61- 84 (bibl.) (Dia Abou-Ghazi); Orientalia 31 (1962), 271; Goettinger Miszellen 76 (1984), 78-80; Reid, JAOS 105 (1985), 237, 241-44.