Evidence for late third millennium weather events from a Sixth Dynasty tomb at Saqqara

Abstract

Dur ing ex ca va tions in 1996 on a tomb in the Teti Cem e tery at Saqqara by the Aus tra lian Cen tre for Egyp to logy (Macquarie Uni ver sity, Syd ney, Aus tra lia), ev i dence of an cient weather events was re vealed. The tomb be longed to the high of fi cial Inumin, who late in his ca reer served as vi zier of King Pepy I of the Sixth Dy nasty. Over a metre of eolian sand sealed by ex ten sive lam i nated silt de pos its in the sub ter ra nean burial cham ber was the re sult of a sus tained dry windy pe riod, fol lowed by a short pe riod of in tense rain fall. These events are dated on strati graphic grounds to the Late Old King dom – early First In ter me di ate Pe riod. Ev i dence of the same weather event was re corded near the en clo - sure of Netjerykhet Djoser at Saqqara, which was dated by the ex ca va tors to the 23rd cen tury BC