Shop Japan The Mastaba of Ti, Saqqara

The Mastaba of Ti, Saqqara

As a wealthy nobleman of considerable rank, Ti had married a minor princess. Through royal favour he had been allowed to build this well-appointed tomb in the northern Saqqara cemetery. We know little of his career beyond the fact that he served as an “overseer” at the royal sun temples at Abusir – an office that he held during the reigns of the 5th Dynasty kings Neferirkare and Niuserre.

Tombs of this period were typically bi-partite constructions. Below ground was the burial suite. Here the body of the deceased was laid to rest along with an assortment of funerary equipment that was designed to ensure a comfortable existence in the afterlife. Directly above the burial crypt – and linked to it by a rock-cut shaft or passageway – was a suite of rooms within a “mastaba” superstructure. It was here that priests and relatives of the deceased would conduct ritual ceremonies – to pray and to leave offerings for the deceased. The maintenance of funerary rites at the tomb was of paramount importance in perpetuating the existence of the deceased in the beyond. Scenes from private tombs of the Old Kingdom contain a wealth of information about the daily lives of the Egyptians. Ti’s affluence is clearly reflected in the excellence of his finely carved low reliefs throughout his mastaba-tomb. Undoubtedly his standing at court allowed him access to some of the best craftsmen attached to the royal palace in the capital at Memphis.

Date of Construction: 5th Dynasty, reigns of Neferirkare (“Kakei”) and Niuserre (“Ini”) (c. 2373 – 2348 B.C.)

Highlights:
Scene showing the transportation of Ti’s statue
A hippopotamus hunt scene
Animal husbandry reliefs
Manufacturing and boat building scenes
Serdab for the “ka-statues” of the tomb-owner