It is from the name of Seker that the modern Sak-kara takes its title.
Sakkara marks the central point of the great Memphite necropolis, as it
is the nearest point of the western desert to Memphis. Northwards the
necropolis extended to Griza and Abu Roash, southwards, to Daslmr;
even the necropoles of Lisht and Medum may be regarded as appanages of
Sakkara. At Sakkara itself Tjeser of the IIId Dynasty had a pyramid,
which, as we have seen, was probably not his real tomb (which was
the great mastaba at Bet Khallaf), but a secondary or sham tomb
corresponding to the "tombs" of the earliest kings at Umm el-Ga'ab in
the necropolis of Abydos. Many later kings, however, especially of the
Vith Dynasty, were actually buried at Sakkara. Their tombs have all been
thoroughly described by their discoverer, Prof. Maspero, in his history.
The last king of the Hid Dynasty, Snefru, was buried away down south at
Medum, in splendid isolation, but he may also have had a second pyramid
at Sakkara or Abu Roash.
The kings of the IVth Dynasty were the greatest of the pyramid builders,
and to them belong the huge edifices of Griza. The Vth Dynasty favoured
Abusir, between Ciza and Sakkara; the Vith, as we have said, preferred
Sakkara itself. With them the end of the Old Kingdom and of Memphite
dominion was reached; the sceptre fell from the hands of the Memphite
kings and was taken up by the princes of Herakleopolis (Ahnasyet
el-Medina, near Beni Suef, south of the Eayyum) and Thebes.
Pages:
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112