West wall This wall, 5.02m wide by 4.65m in height, represents the focal point of the chapel. As usual, the decor begins about 1.50m above floor-level. This bottom area still retains its red colour, with the two separating bands still being visible although they have lost most of their colour (see north-west corner). The top has the geometric frieze. The wall includes two false doors, each being 1.29m wide, each standing on a common ledge, which extends from the outer edges of the doors across the central section of the wall. The false doors extend to the full height of the wall, separated by a 1.50m central area and one of 0.47m on each side, all three areas containing parades of porters of offerings (see wall plan). The two monuments are both stamped with the name of Ty, and are almost completely symmetrical. They include the traditional offering formulas, as well as the litany of titles of the deceased. The false doors The mastaba of Ty is one of the first in which false doors are found with outer rounded edges and a cavetto cornice at the top, which occupies 0.4m. The caveto cornice was originally painted in red and green vertical stripe to highlight the rounded fluting of its design. The monument includes three levels of depth, providing a recessed aspect, very visible in the old photo of Steindorf (see stein-01), which also shows that the hieroglyphic texts were in a far better condition than today. Also, in the full length image of the left false door (see cm-305), the recessing of the sections towards the centre can clearly be seen at the base, and also some of the original colour and design of the cavetto cornice. It is impossible to judge the state of the colours at the time of Steindorf, but today, they have survived only in the lower portion and on the cornice. Each door, therefore, consists of an outer pair of uprights (each with two columns of text) surmounted by a lintel (with two rows of text). These are surrounded by the rounded edge frame. Within this framework, and recessed, is another pair of uprights (again with two columns of text), however, this time they extend only two-thirds the height of the outer ones, these also are surmounted by a lintel (this time with three rows of text. Inside this inner pseudo door frame is a further recessed central area. Above the inner lintel the area is again recessed and it contains what at first sight is a further pair of uprights (single column of text) and a lintel (three rows of text) with the enclosed area being filled with an image of Ty seated before of table of offerings. For the left false door, see: line drawing, jb-14, cm-305 and base area. For the right false door, see: line drawing, cm-303, tb-856 and bottom area. The main outer lintel consists of two lines of traditional offering formulae "Hotep di nesu", addressed to Anubis. The two outer uprights, of each side, have the prayers addressed to Anubis and Osiris, and also in the inscriptions, the deceased's titles. The inner pair of uprights and their lintel contain similar texts. The bottom of the two pairs of uprights contain images of Ty, four in total. The colour is preserved, allowing the images of Ty to be observed heading towards the inside of the door. In each case he holds a stick, and, alternately, a sekhem spectre or a piece of cloth. Below him, is a broad red band edged with thick black lines, below which, the rest of the wall is also red. The central area is painted with a yellow/orange background, and is divided in two by a vertical line. Somewhat unusually, there are, about halfway up, two small framed representations of Ty facing each other. Above this pseudo opening, the rounded feature bears the short legend: "Unique friend, guardian of the crowns, Ty". The upper area, between the outer and inner lintels, is preserved better on the left false door (see current view and Steindorf's view) than on the right false door (see present view). In each case they show a very classic image of a seated Ty, facing towards the centre of of the wall, stretching his hand towards the table which has been piled with breads. Underneath the table the main offerings are enumerated, with the sign for thousand. This image is framed, as previously mentioned, on each side by a vertical column of text, and at the top with three horizontal lines. On the floor, in front of each false door, was a stone offering table; only the one on the right remains and any original colour is now lost. The registers between the false doors Here there are thirteen, 1.50m wide, registers of unequal height; the three at the top are interrupted at the centre by the beam which extends from the east wall to this west wall. This is part of the stone structure of the two pillars, which they appear to support. Register 1, the bottom register (see R1 and 2) This represents a scene of a butcher shop, with ten busy men working on two oxen, an oryx and an ibex. The legends are explicit, from left to right: (1) "giving meat", the command of one of the butchers: (2) "Pull towards you, the meat is to be cut", (3) "cutting a young oryx", the observation of one of the men:(4) "See, a vessel (for the blood)", another command of a butcher: (5) "Pull well towards you, butcher" with the now very classic reply: (6) "I'm doing as you wish". The texts continue: (7) "sharpening the knife", (8) "carving by the butcher" and finally (9) "withdrawing of the heart by the butcher". Register 2 Here two groups of four men head towards the two false doors, five of whom are identified as, (1) "overseer of the funerary priests". In each group, the two closest to the centre of the register are holding birds by their wings. The two at the front of each group carry forelegs of cattle. The only descriptive text says (2) "these belong to Ty". Register 3 (see R3) This provides a new parade of porters of offerings, but any text which may have been present has disappeared. Five porters carry their offerings towards the left false door, whilst the other four walk to the right. Above them are several tables holding a variety of offerings. Registers 4 to 13 (see R4-13) These ten registers are totally uninscribed and contain a large collection of various offerings, joints of meat, birds, various vases and breads. In the lowest of the registers, these are place on simple tables, with some of the vases (those with pointed bases) being supported in holes cut into the top surface of the table. In the registers above are a variety of glass dishes supported on a single pillar base pilled with fruits and vegetables. The registers between the false doors and the adjacent walls Each side consists of ten registers, 0.47m wide, and each of approximately the same height. These are badly preserved, each being occupied by two porters who bring their offerings towards the appropriate false door (see tb-856-bis, right side). The porters bring a wide selection of offerings, which is reflected the content of the upper ten registers of the central area between the false doors. A decorative vertical band of coloured rectangles completes the outer edge of the wall. • On the left side registers (see R1-10-left), the only fully readable surviving texts, starting with register one at the bottom, are: - register 1, where the two men carry birds, they are both identified as "overseer of the funerary priests". - register 2, where they both carry an assortment of gifts, including a leg of meat, the only text states: "bringing offerings". - registers 4 and 8, where very little has survived, the texts again state: "bringing offerings". - register 10, at the top, where the two men both carry birds: in front of the first, "these are for the ka of the unique friend (of the king), Ty", and the one behind, who is identified as the "overseer of the funerary priests". • On the right-hand side registers (see R1-10-right), even less readable text has survived, again starting with register one at the bottom, these are: - register 1, where, as on the other side, they both carry birds, they are both identified as: "overseer of the funerary priests". - register 9, where, even though they both carry birds, the major text states: "bringing of choice-cuts (by) the funerary priest" and the other only has, "overseer of the funerary priests". - register 10, where, again they both carry birds, the text in front of the first man is as it was for the same man of the other side of the wall:"these are for the ka of the unique friend (of the king), Ty" and for the one behind him it once more states: "bringing of choice-cuts (by) the funerary priest". The pillars and beam Two square pillars, of 0.73m width sides, are placed along the east-west central axis. They are 1.68m from the east and west walls and 1.81m from the north and south walls. They were painted to imitate red granite (see tb-09). They appear to support a beam which extends from the top of the east wall to the top of the west wall, which was actually cut of the same natural bedrock; thus the two pillars and the beam are not separate entities. • The bottoms of the pillars, like the walls, were painted red to form a dado area, originally separated from the upper region by the usual colour bands. Both pillars are inscribed, in sunken relief, on all four faces with a single central column of text, which has the name and titles of Ty. It is mainly (but not totally) from these that the deceased's titles document has been produced: see east face of the pillars; west face of the pillars; north face of the pillars and south face of the pillars • The north and south vertical faces of the beam are decorated in three groups of four horizontal lines of text, each section beginning or ending centrally above the column of text on the pillars. They area border at the top and bottom by a a band of coloured rectangles, the Egyptian frieze. Associated with each group is a seated representation of Ty, in front of whom is a single column of text: see western end; middle section and eastern end. He is identified, in the vertical text, on the western end faces as: "The unique friend, the much loved, Ty", on the middle section as: "Beloved of the god (i.e. the king), Ty" and on the eastern end, just as: "The unique friend, Ty". The photos of Steindorf include the three inscriptions of the south face and identify that they begin and end above the pillar texts. The serdab As already mentioned, the tomb of Ty has two serdabs (see jb-13). This second one is behind the south wall of the pillared chamber. It is oblong in section, being approximately 10.38m in length (east-west) and 1.55m in width. Apart from the three narrow slits in the south wall, it is a completely enclosed room. It is completely uninscribed, intended only to contain statues of Ty and his wife (the manufacture of which was seen on the south wall), and maybe of one of his sons. The standing statues seem fairly average and are visible through the three narrow openings in the wall (see jb-9 and tb-9512). The actual role of the serdab, along with some details of its use were given on page 2.
The descent starts with a set of 2.6m wide steps which progress about 4.70m, oriented towards the southwest (see tb-02). At the bottom, a narrow (1.0m wide) sloping passage (see tb-927) leads to a much wider one. This is 2.6m wide, a little over 2m in height and about 13.5m in length, progressing in the same direction and again sloping downwards (see tb-931). The far end of this passage passes under the offering store room. Next, there is a change to an almost westerly direction, along another which is only 0.8m wide by 1.1m high and averaging 2m in length, being longer on the left side than the right (see tb-923). This low and narrow passage leads into the totally undecorated burial chamber. The oblong chamber measures 5.45m (north - south) by 2.85m. Its west wall was excavated into the top third to provide a large niche measuring 4.15m wide by 3.25m deep. The bottom two thirds, under the niche, forms the large stone sarcophagus of Ty, leaving the niche itself for the placement of the stone lid. Neither of these were decorated. The body has never been recovered. The burial chambers of Demedj and Neferhetepes, are not accessible. The tops of their funerary well shafts were on the roof of the mastaba.
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