Horus Behdety, a Royal Wife, and a Royal Daughter from the Private Necropolis of Kom el-Khamaseen (South Saqqara)

Kom el-Khamaseen is a small necropolis located in South Saqqara, 3 km west of the pyramid of Djedkare-Izezi, dating from the end of the Old Kingdom to the First Intermediate Period. In the past few decades, the site has been the victim of several incidences of looting which have destroyed it to a great extent. Between 2019 and 2022, a team from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona carried out rescue excavations there. A great number of limestone blocks and block fragments decorated with inscriptions and reliefs were recovered. In a few cases, this decoration suggests reuse and external provenance. Thus, the two blocks presented here – one with a representation of Horus Behdety and the other with an allusion to a royal daughter – must come from the royal cemeteries of South Saqqara. A discussion of this provenance and of the robbery and reuse of materials during the First Intermediate Period is presented.

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