The tomb of Unisankh at Saqqara and Chicago

Abstract

In 1908, Edward E. Ayer (1841-1927),1 the founding father of the Egyptian collection of the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, IL, purchased for the museum two chapels of Old Kingdom mastabas once located in the vicinity of the pyramid complex of Netjerykhet at central Saqqara. One of them belonged to Netjeruser (NTr-wsr),2 a high official from the later reign of Nyuserre till that of Menkauhor,3 the other to Unisankh (Wnjs-anx.w), who is generally considered to have been son of Unis, the last king of the Fifth Dynasty. The tomb of Unisankh was excavated in 1907 by James E. Quibell (1867-1935),4 then the chief inspector at Saqqara, for the purpose of its sale to the Field Columbian Museum in Chicago (the later Field Museum of Natural History).5 When Quibell started his excavations, the whole Unis Cemetery North- West was hidden under sand. In the course of excavating the site, Quibell cleared the tomb of Unisankh. He undoubtedly realized the existence of several other structures, in particular the tomb of Iynefert that was partly unearthed in the course of dismantling the neighboring tomb of Unisankh. One block from the mastaba of queen Nebet (Nbt), wife of Unis, was found as well.6