Returning to G 2184: The First Season of the Mastaba of Akhmerutnisut Documentation Project (MAD-P)

Description

The mastaba of Fifth Dynasty official Akhmerutnisut (G 2184) in the Western Cemetery of the Giza plateau was first excavated in 1912 by the Harvard University-Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition (HU-MFA). Other than the tomb’s offering room and part of its forecourt, transported to the MFA in Boston after those excavations, the rest of the mastaba has remained unprotected against the elements for over one hundred years. Akhmerutnisut’s mastaba is a rich example of funerary architecture and decoration from the transitional period of non- royal funerary practices in the mid-Fifth Dynasty. It has, however, never been fully published, though its unique decoration and architecture have often been mentioned in scholarship. The AEF-funded Mastaba of Akhmerutnisut Documentation Project (MAD-P) provides the first context-sensitive study of this tomb. In its first season in December 2023, MAD-P’s goals consisted of improving the mastaba’s documentation from the early 20th century, which lacks consistency in measurements and includes no mentions of significant portions of its decoration and masonry; as well as producing two reports, one on the tomb’s structural integrity and state of conservation, and one on potential avenues for future excavation of the shafts. Our new documentation includes a photogrammetric model, which allows us to bring the scattered parts of G 2184 back together. Future work at the mastaba, incorporating conservation and excavation, aims to reinvigorate interest in the Giza area beyond royal monuments, as well as foster an impetus to protect the rapidly deteriorating Fifth and Sixth Dynasty private tombs on the plateau.

Period	21 Apr 2024
Event title	American Research Center in Egypt Annual Meeting
Event type	Conference
Conference number	75th
Location	Pittsburgh, United States, PennsylvaniaShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International