Hetepheres I - Grave Goods

Grave Goods

Hetepheres' sarcophagus and funerary furniture were discovered in 1925 near the satellite pyramids of the Great Pyramid of Giza in shaft G7000X of a pit tomb. Although the sarcophagus was sealed and the canopic jars were intact, Hetepheres' mummy was missing. The canopic jars are the oldest examples known, so it has been suggested that Hetepheres was the first royal Egyptian to have her organs dried out and preserved.

The contents of the tomb provide us with many details of the luxury and ways of life of the Fourth dynasty of Egypt. The items found in the tomb are on display the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, with replicas of the main funerary furnishings in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts.

The funerary furniture in G 7000X included the following items:

• Bed canopy (inscribed), gold covered, presented by Snefru, in Cairo Museum Ent. 57711 (restored).
• Bed with inlaid footboard, gold covered, in Cairo Museum Ent. 53261 (restored).
• Curtain box (inscribed), gold covered, faience inlaid, presented by Snefru, with King seated on north end, and names and winged disk on south end, in Cairo Museum Ent. 72030 (restored).
• Armchair with papyrus-flower decoration, gold covered, in Cairo Museum Ent. 53263 (restored).
• Armchair with inlays of Neith-standards on both faces of back, with hawk standing on palm column on arms (wood perished), gold covered, in Cairo Museum
• Gold fragments with deceased seated smelling lotus, probably from lid of small box, in Cairo Museum.
• Palanquins (inscribed on back), gold covered, in Cairo Museum Ent. 52372 (restored).
• Remains of tubular leather case containing two long staves covered with gold ribbed casing and wooden stick with inlaid Min-emblem decoration, in Cairo Museum. (89619 a and b).
• Chest with inlaid lid with text and Min-emblem decoration, gold covered, in Cairo Museum. The chest contained a box with eight alabaster ointment jars (inscribed) in stand, and copper toilet-spoon, a box (inscribed), gold covered, containing silver bracelets with butterfly design, and a head-rest, wood, covered with gold and silver (uninscribed).
• Sarcophagus - alabaster.
• Canopic box - alabaster.