A ROYAL NECROPOLIS AT SOUTH ABYDOS: New Light on Egypt's Second Intermediate Period

Abstract

Excavations at South Abydos have revealed a royal necropolis dating to Egypt's late Second Intermediate Period, ca. 1650–1600 b.c.e. The necropolis includes the tomb of king Woseribre Seneb-Kay, as well as seven other tombs which — on the basis of architecture, artifacts and human remains — also belong to kings. The necropolis provides evidence for the existence of an independent kingdom, the “Abydos Dynasty,” contemporary with the Theban 16th Dynasty and the early-middle Hyksos Period, and implies a higher degree of territorial fragmentation than is often assumed for Egypt during this time period. Physical remains of the kings buried at South Abydos indicate involvement in military activities, including long-term horse riding, and, in the case of Seneb-Kay, death in a violent military encounter. The necropolis reflects the circumscribed political and economic context of an Upper Egyptian kingdom that appears to have lost its independence during the final stages of the Second Intermediate Period.