Tomb of Shoshenq

mastaba tombs in the royal necropolis
mastaba tombs in the royal necropolis

In comparison to the New Kingdom tombs, those at Tanis are small and undecorated. They contain burial items (such as canopic jars and funerary items) that are of fine workmanship, but overall, the tombs seem somehow hasty and poorly made.

mudbrick and salvages stone mastabas inside the walls at Tanis
mudbrick and salvages stone mastabas inside the walls at Tanis

There has been a tremendous amount of jewelry and metal decorations found in the tombs here, but strangely, the sarcophagi and items from earlier burials are reused in the tombs, suggesting that the kings in the north were poor and weak. The Egyptian Museum in Cairo contains an extensive exhibition of burial goods from Tanis.

burial chamber of Shoshenq III
burial chamber of Shoshenq III

The open tomb of Shoshenq III is surrounded by a rickety walkway, to see down into the mudbrick and stone tomb. The sarcophagus of Shoshenk III is still inside the tomb. The sarcophagus was carved from a Thirteenth Dynasty granite lintel, the lid was carved from a Ramesside sculpture. Like everything else at the site, it is made of the salvaged stone.

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