Portcullis stones: tomb security during the Early Dynastic Period

Proceeding from the blocking system with a portcullis stone in an Early Dynastic mastaba tomb at Helwan recently excavated by Macquarie University, the author presents a survey of this building practice in the Early Dynastic Period. Robberies soon following the burial were responsible for the short lifespan of this method of tomb security and their replacement by shafts in private burials in the early 4th Dynasty, though it was retained much longer in royal burials, as e.g. in the Cheops pyramid. The author describes various systems,e.g. in tombs of the Archaic kings, in the mastaba of Hemaka at Saqqara, in 3rd Dynasty tombs at Beit Khallaf, and in a Late Predynastic or very Early Dynastic tomb at Hierakonpolis. However, the mechanism by which the heavy portcullis stones were lowered into place in mastabas remains uncertain. (OEB)