The regional significance of mortuary architecture at the Dendara necropolis, from between c.2345 BCE – 2055 BCE

The evolution of funerary traditions and mortuary features is a valuable proxy indicator of contemporaneous local cultural practices and political relations. The necropolis at Dendara presents a well suited case-study for the First Intermediate Period (c. 2160-2055 BCE)1. This thesis attempts to determine the relative importance of Dendera, from the late Old Kingdom to the Middle Kingdom (c.2345 –2055 BCE) through a comparative analysis of mortuary structures against examples at other Ancient Egyptian cemeteries. The study will use archaeological evidence to provide one of the most comprehensive studies of Dendara’s significance during the First Intermediate Period.