The Faunal Remains from the Tomb S 3537 at the Archaic Necropolis of North Saqqara

Abstract

The faunal remains found during the excavation of Tomb S 3537, a mastaba located in North Saqqara, come from three distinct periods of deposition; a 2^nd Dynasty phase associated with the use of the tomb, a New Kingdom series of human burials with associated intrusive fauna, and a Late/Ptolemaic phase in which animal burials are cut into the central fill of the mastaba. We present the results of an analysis of the 2^nd Dynasty sample, which comes from the substructure of the tomb. The material was in situ. The fauna is characterized by a large number of mammal fragments, a small number of bird and reptile fragments, and only one fish fragment. The mammal sample is dominated by cattle and dogs, with a small number of sheep-goat. The cattle and sheep-goat bones were, most probably, offerings for the tomb-owner. Three concentrations of bone fragments were found in one room that represent cattle offerings, with at least one that may have been enclosed in a wooden box.