Covington Excavation (section I) (Giza)

 temple, tomb(s), place with historical importance, ancient civilization, ancient ruins

The Mastaba Mount Excavations extend southwards from a point about 200 metres S. of the large cliff quarries just to the south of the Sphinx. For 600 metres the concession follows southwards the low broken ridge which borders the Libyan desert plateau, then, extending westwards for some 750 metres, terminates at a promontory which rises 1,400 metres due S. of the Great Pyramid. Just 350 metres to the north, and intersecting this Pyramid line, are the Ancient Causeway ruins, shown in Perring’s Plates.
The promontory is surmounted by this tomb no. 1 – an immense sub-brick structure (61 m. 27 cent. X 34 m. 53 cent.) of the 1st Dynasty. In this great Memphian necropolis such a fine site would naturally be selected by the builders of such a monument. Just 11 metres to the east are the picturesque ruins of a large bluish-grey stone mastaba (about 28 metres x 12 metres) excavated by Mariette. This great structure was by far the most important of the 39 tombs. I discovered and cleared. It resembles as to exterior decoration the Royal tomb of Negadah discovered by M. J. de Morgan in 1897. These 39 tombs include : 15 various rock-cut burial shafts; 8 cave tombs (rock cut chambers with door entrances as distinct from shaft); 13 serdabs; 5 mastabas, and part of what seemed to be the outer court of a temple.
The entire concession seems to have been fully worked, many of the best savants having tested it. Mariette himself once referred to it as a hopeless field. From an Egyptological point of view, however, some of the tombs were interesting, and many of the objects and fragments we secured were of historical value. They represented the I, III, IV, V, VI and XXVI Dynasties.
(SERVICE DES ANTIQUITÉS DE L’ÉGYPTE - ANNALES DU SERVICE DES ANTIQUITÉS DE LÉGYPTE - TOME VI - LE CAIRE - IMPRIMERIE DE L’INSTITUT FRANÇAIS D’ARCHEOLOGIE ORIENTALE - MDCCCCV (1905) -MASTABA MOUNT EXCAVATIONS BYL DOW COVINGTON)