Mastaba Tomb of Kagemni in Saqqara
Details of the Kagemni Tomb in Mastaba, Saqqara
In the early years of the reign of Teti, first king of the 6th Dynasty (circa 2321-2290 BC), a civil servant named Kagemni-Memi was appointed Minister of Justice and Vizier, the highest post of the Egyptian administration.
Teti had excellent reasons to trust his new vizier, since it was his brother-in-law by his marriage with "The daughter of the king, his beloved, [out] of his body, Nebty-nebou-khet"
Owing to his new status and close relationship with the monarch, Kagemni was able to arrange for the building of an opulent tomb for himself close to his king's pyramid at the Saqqara necropolis. Because of this, he was able to hire the greatest artisans and craftspeople in the nation, which accounts for the exceptional caliber of the wall decorations in his mastaba.
The monument is located at the north of the pyramid of Pharaoh Teti, and at the northeast of the pyramid in degrees of Djoser (3rd Dynasty). It testifies to the power attained by the highest officials at a time when the decline of royal authority begins. This decline will be even more marked in the next generation, as evidenced by the magnificent mastaba of Kagemni’s successor, Mererouka. The mastaba was discovered in 1843 by Richard Lepsius.
