# Sabu (high steward)

**Sabu** (Sab, Egyptian *s3b*) was an official of the [First Dynasty of Egypt](https://www.edgepedia.org/first-dynasty-of-egypt), known as the owner of mastaba (a flat-roofed rectangular mud-brick tomb) S3111 at North Saqqara. He is attested by seal impressions that link him to the reign of King Anedjib and to that king's funerary domain *hr-sbl-ht* ("Horus, the star of godhood").<sup>[1](https://www.academia.edu/239622/On_the_ownership_of_the_Saqqara_mastabas_and_the_allotment_of_political_and_ideological_power_at_the_dawn_of_the_state)</sup> Although the title "high steward" (*imy-ra pr-wr*) appears in his conventional designation, the published evidence for his offices names him instead as administrator of a royal funerary estate and holder of the *nbỉ* office.<sup>[1](https://www.academia.edu/239622/On_the_ownership_of_the_Saqqara_mastabas_and_the_allotment_of_political_and_ideological_power_at_the_dawn_of_the_state)</sup> *Not to be confused with Sabu (wrestler), nor with another official named Sabu known from an offering niche in the Cairo Museum (CG 1418, 1419, 15652).*

| Key fact | Detail |
| --- | --- |
| Subject | Sabu (Sab, *s3b*), official of Egypt's 1st Dynasty<sup>[1](https://www.academia.edu/239622/On_the_ownership_of_the_Saqqara_mastabas_and_the_allotment_of_political_and_ideological_power_at_the_dawn_of_the_state)</sup> |
| Tomb | Mastaba S3111, North Saqqara<sup>[1](https://www.academia.edu/239622/On_the_ownership_of_the_Saqqara_mastabas_and_the_allotment_of_political_and_ideological_power_at_the_dawn_of_the_state)</sup> |
| Date | Reign of Anedjib<sup>[1](https://www.academia.edu/239622/On_the_ownership_of_the_Saqqara_mastabas_and_the_allotment_of_political_and_ideological_power_at_the_dawn_of_the_state)</sup> |
| Attestation | Seal impressions; sealed jars found at Abydos and Saqqara<sup>[1](https://www.academia.edu/239622/On_the_ownership_of_the_Saqqara_mastabas_and_the_allotment_of_political_and_ideological_power_at_the_dawn_of_the_state)</sup> |
| Excavation | North Saqqara cemetery excavated by Walter B. Emery from 1935, in succession to Cecil Firth<sup>[2](https://ia803109.us.archive.org/1/items/20191120_20191120_1042/Early%20Dynastic%20Egypt%20%20Upload%20%20by%20Samy%20Salah.pdf)</sup> |
| Context | One of twelve large 1st-Dynasty mastabas revealed at Saqqara between 1935 and 1956<sup>[3](https://cristoraul.org/english/readinghall/THIRDMILLENNIUMLIBRARY/ANCIENT-HISTORY/CAH/C11-THE-EARLY-DYNASTIC-PERIOD-IN-EGYPT.html)</sup> |

## Titles and office

Sabu's name is written *s3b* and, unusually among the named owners of the Saqqara mastabas, does not end with the element *ka*; this detail is part of how the tomb's ownership is established.<sup>[1](https://www.academia.edu/239622/On_the_ownership_of_the_Saqqara_mastabas_and_the_allotment_of_political_and_ideological_power_at_the_dawn_of_the_state)</sup> His attested functions come from seal impressions: he sealed jars found at both Abydos and Saqqara in his capacity as administrator (*adj-mer*) of Anedjib's funerary domain *hr-sbl-ht*, and he also held the office of *nbỉ*.<sup>[1](https://www.academia.edu/239622/On_the_ownership_of_the_Saqqara_mastabas_and_the_allotment_of_political_and_ideological_power_at_the_dawn_of_the_state)</sup>

The *nbỉ* office is written with the hieroglyph of a swimming man, read *nbỉ* from the verb "to swim"; its meaning in the Early Dynastic administration is only partly understood, and the title is attested for several of the so-called owners of the Saqqara mastabas.<sup>[1](https://www.academia.edu/239622/On_the_ownership_of_the_Saqqara_mastabas_and_the_allotment_of_political_and_ideological_power_at_the_dawn_of_the_state)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://ia803109.us.archive.org/1/items/20191120_20191120_1042/Early%20Dynastic%20Egypt%20%20Upload%20%20by%20Samy%20Salah.pdf)</sup> None of his attested offices applies the title "high steward" (*imy-ra pr-wr*) to him.<sup>[1](https://www.academia.edu/239622/On_the_ownership_of_the_Saqqara_mastabas_and_the_allotment_of_political_and_ideological_power_at_the_dawn_of_the_state)</sup>

## Attribution to Anedjib

The attribution of mastaba 3111 rests on a single seal impression found in the tomb, matched to seals rolled on vessels that had been sent to Anedjib's own tomb at Abydos.<sup>[1](https://www.academia.edu/239622/On_the_ownership_of_the_Saqqara_mastabas_and_the_allotment_of_political_and_ideological_power_at_the_dawn_of_the_state)</sup> The tomb dated to Anedjib's reign and remained reasonably intact, allowing the excavators to record the original distribution of items in the burial chamber.<sup>[1](https://www.academia.edu/239622/On_the_ownership_of_the_Saqqara_mastabas_and_the_allotment_of_political_and_ideological_power_at_the_dawn_of_the_state)</sup>

## The Saqqara mastabas and the status question

S3111 belongs to a group of twelve large mud-brick mastabas of the First Dynasty revealed by excavations at the north-east corner of the Saqqara necropolis, conducted intermittently between 1935 and 1956.<sup>[3](https://cristoraul.org/english/readinghall/THIRDMILLENNIUMLIBRARY/ANCIENT-HISTORY/CAH/C11-THE-EARLY-DYNASTIC-PERIOD-IN-EGYPT.html)</sup> On average these mastabas are nearly twice as large as the royal tombs of the same dynasty at Abydos, and this disparity underlies the central debate about the cemetery: is it to be imagined, as the Cambridge Ancient History volume puts it, that even the highest officials would build larger and finer tombs than the kings under whom they held office?<sup>[3](https://cristoraul.org/english/readinghall/THIRDMILLENNIUMLIBRARY/ANCIENT-HISTORY/CAH/C11-THE-EARLY-DYNASTIC-PERIOD-IN-EGYPT.html)</sup>

Ownership of the group is hard to fix from inscriptions alone. None of the Saqqara mastabas yielded a royal stela and only one non-royal stela was found, so assignments rest mainly on inscribed equipment; on that evidence two mastabas are ascribed to queens Mer(it)neith and [Herneith](https://www.edgepedia.org/herneith), and one each to kings Aha, Djet, and Anedjib.<sup>[3](https://cristoraul.org/english/readinghall/THIRDMILLENNIUMLIBRARY/ANCIENT-HISTORY/CAH/C11-THE-EARLY-DYNASTIC-PERIOD-IN-EGYPT.html)</sup>

## Dating and chronology

Within the First Dynasty, Sabu's tomb is placed in the reign of Anedjib.<sup>[1](https://www.academia.edu/239622/On_the_ownership_of_the_Saqqara_mastabas_and_the_allotment_of_political_and_ideological_power_at_the_dawn_of_the_state)</sup> The absolute framework into which such reign assignments are set has been transformed by radiocarbon dating: an absolute chronology for Early Egypt has been produced by combining radiocarbon dates and archaeological evidence within a Bayesian statistical model, an approach that replaced purely relative sequencing, which is no longer considered sufficient for cogent historical analysis.<sup>[4](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3780825/)</sup> The reign of Den is one of the best documented First Dynasty reigns archaeologically and epigraphically, although its length is still debated.<sup>[5](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/radiocarbon/article/radiocarbonbased-modeling-of-the-reign-of-king-den-1st-dynasty-egypt-and-the-start-of-the-old-kingdom/5E34417B5DC8A5630C5FA52A88CE7932)</sup>

## References


1. A. Morris, "On the ownership of the Saqqara mastabas and the allotment of political and ideological power at the dawn of the state". https://www.academia.edu/239622/On_the_ownership_of_the_Saqqara_mastabas_and_the_allotment_of_political_and_ideological_power_at_the_dawn_of_the_state
2. T. Wilkinson, *Early Dynastic Egypt*. https://ia803109.us.archive.org/1/items/20191120_20191120_1042/Early%20Dynastic%20Egypt%20%20Upload%20%20by%20Samy%20Salah.pdf
3. "The Early Dynastic Period in Egypt", *Cambridge Ancient History*. https://cristoraul.org/english/readinghall/THIRDMILLENNIUMLIBRARY/ANCIENT-HISTORY/CAH/C11-THE-EARLY-DYNASTIC-PERIOD-IN-EGYPT.html
4. Dee et al., "An absolute chronology for early Egypt using radiocarbon dating and Bayesian statistical modelling", *Antiquity* (2013). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3780825/
5. "Radiocarbon-based modeling of the reign of King Den (1st Dynasty, Egypt) and the start of the Old Kingdom", *Radiocarbon*. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/radiocarbon/article/radiocarbonbased-modeling-of-the-reign-of-king-den-1st-dynasty-egypt-and-the-start-of-the-old-kingdom/5E34417B5DC8A5630C5FA52A88CE7932
6. "The offering niche of Sabu in the Cairo Museum", *Studien zur Altägyptischen Kultur*. https://staffsites.sohag-univ.edu.eg/uploads/123/1541780984%20-%20THE%20offering%20niche%20of%20Sabu%20in%20the%20Cairo%20Museum_SAK_.pdf

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › History and archaeology › Periods and civilizations › Ancient Near East, Egypt, Nubia, and the Punic world › Ancient Egypt › Predynastic and Early Dynastic Egypt › Predynastic and Early Dynastic Egypt: officials, priests, and private persons*

*Initially written Sep 19, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026 · Last review: Sep 19, 2026*

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