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Sources:1. Borla, Mathilde : Les Statuettes Funéraires du Musée Égyptien de Turin In: Dossiers d'Archeologie
2003
2. KMT, vol. 14, pt. 1
3. Meskell, Lynn: Intimate archaeologies : the case of Kha and Merit. IN: World Archaeology, Vol. 29,
No. 3, Intimate relationships (Feb. 1998), p. 363-379.
4. Shaw, Ian, Nicholson, Paul: British Museum dictionary of ancient Egypt
London: British Museum Press, 1995.
5. Reeves, Nicholas: Ancient Egypt : the great discoveries : a year-by-year chronicle
London : Thames & Hudson, 2000.
6. Vassilika, Eleni: The tomb of Kha : the architect
Torino : Fondazione Museo delle Antichita Egizie, 2010.
7. Russo, Barbara: Kha (TT 8) and his colleagues : the gifts in his funerary equipment and related
artefacts from Western Thebes
London : Golden House Publications, 2012.
8 https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1107/1107.5831.pdf
9. Raffaella Bianucci, Michael E. Habicht, Stephen Buckley, Joann Fletcher, Roger Seiler, Lena M.
Öhrström, Eleni Vassilika, Thomas Böni, Frank J. Rühl. "Shedding New Light on the 18th Dynasty
Mummies of the Royal Architect Kha and His Spouse Merit", in PLOS-One, July 22, 2015
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0131916
Images of Deir el-Medina:
past & present
Chapels north of the temple enclosure wall
The first group of chapels at Deir el-Medina that I investigated lies to the north of the enclosure wall of the main Ptolemaic temple. The chapel area covers the slope which rises gently towards the steep cliffs to the west. My aim was to compare Ann Bomann's plans and detailed descriptions, based on her text published in 1991 pp. 48-51 with the remains of the cult buildings at Deir el-Medina in February 2007. The results, together with photographs, can be found on the following pages.
The chapel of Hathor of Seti I.
Seti I (c. 1291-1278 BC) built a temple for the craftsmen of the village in the area just beyond the northern side of the enclosure wall of the main temple. It was considerably larger than the earlier building of the cult temple of Amenhotep I, the remains of which can be seen on the terrace above the Ptolemaic enclosure. The chapel was excavated in 1906 by Ernesto Schiaparelli.
The Chapel of Hathor of Seti I. consisted of a forecourt, outer and inner halls, a pronaos and a sanctuary, and a left wing with dependencies. The forecourt was entered from the south-east via a ramp with a central slide flanked on either side by ten steps.
The forecourt was paved with limestone.
It had two burial shafts (now filled in), one of which was existed before the construction of the of the chapel. The other dates from the Ramesside period. A flight of five steps leads from the forecourt to the outer hall.
A bench with five seats was placed against the south wall. Bruyère suggested that another bench with seven seats should be against the north wall. Two on either side of the central axis. The floor was paved with limestone.
Two steps led from the outer hall to the inner hypostyle hall. A rectangular limestone basin, which no longer exists, was set into the floor at an angle to the columns. Originally there were two limestone altars near the staircase to the west of the hall. Fragments of wall also come from this part of the chapel. A flight of seven steps led to the pronaos.
View back into the inner, hypostyle
hall and the outer hall behind it.
Seven steps lead directly into the tripartite sanctuary.
Originally the sanctuaries were
symmetrical ; during the Ptolemaic
period, the central and northern
shrines were altered.
Chapel A
This chapel was oriented on a northeast-southwest axis and consisted of a large hall with a single naos. A wall forming a right angle connected the entrance of the chapel with the rear wall of the Chapel of Hathor.
The hall was entered through a doorway in the north-eastern corner. At the opposite end of the hall two columns were placed in front of the naos which was flanked by two small whitewashed niches.
The columns were made of papyrus and bore the name of Khons, son of Sennedjem. Fragments of decorated plaster and a head of the goddess Taweret also came from the chapel.
Detail view of the remains of
plaster from inside the chapel wall
Chapel B
The chapel consisted of a forecourt, an outer and inner hall, a sanctuary, and left annex, and lay to the north and west of Chapel A. The forecourt
was 3.29m wide x 3.60m long. At one time it contained three jars of different sizes.
The outer hall beyond the courtyard was 4.92m wide x 4.78m long,
and had benches along its southern, eastern and part of the
northern walls. Against the north-east wall was a low limestone platform. A doorway in the south-west corner led to a which was divided into two sections.
Two steps led from the inner hall to the small sanctuary, which had a single niche and a bench around its walls. A limestone threshold with a pivot hole indicated that the sanctuary once had a door. A stele once lined the back wall of the niche. This may have been the stela of the foreman Amennakht, who was depicted seated holding two w3dt signs.
View of chapels C and D
Both chapels were the highest on the the slope and north of the north-west corner of the main wall. They shared their southern walls.
Chapel C
The building consisted of a forecourt and outer hall, an inner hall hall, pronaos and sanctuary. The entire building underwent several alterations.
The outer hall was accessed by by two steps and was 4.44 m wide and and 3.80 m long. It had a bench against the north wall. A step led into the inner hall.
Chapel F
This chapel and Chapel G were called Chapelles Religieuses by Bruyère. The chapel was on an east-west axis and adjoined the north wall of Chapel B.
It consisted of an outer and inner hall and pronaos.
At the time of the excavation, the sanctuary had not survived.
The chapel was accessed from the south-east by a double flight of 3 steps. These led to 2 terraces. From the 2nd terrace, 2 elongated steps, followed by a flight of 4 steps set between the usual balustrade, led to the outer hall.
The outer hall was 4.20 m wide x 4.75 m long and had pylons in front of the entrance.
According to Bruyère, the pylons were 85 cm thick. An inserted brick pillar stood in the centre of the centre of the southern wall and once supported a supported a main beam of the roof. A limestone staircase leading to the inner rooms seems to have originally had 6 steps, but the plans and this photograph (after reconstruction) show only 5.
The remaining 5 limestone steps.
Inner Hall. A bench 3.25 m long, 34 cm wide and 35 cm high was placed against the south wall.
This in turn adjoined a limestone platform in the south-east corner, measuring 1.64 m x 88 cm x 26 cm high.
On the north wall the bench was 1.37 m long x 38 cm wide x 46 cm high.
There are remains of a trough in the outermost pier.
Inner Hall. A bench 3.25 m long, 34 cm wide and 35 cm high adjoined the south wall. This in turn adjoined a limestone platform in the south-east corner measuring 1.64 m x 88 cm x 26 cm high.
On the north wall the bench was 1.37 m long x 38 cm wide x 46 cm high.
Chapel G
This chapel lay to the north of Chapel F and on a west-north-west to east-south-east axis. It dates from the Ramesside period and consisted of an access ramp, an outer and inner hall, 2 side chambers contained within the structure, a pronaos and a sanctuary. A ramp of undressed stone, set between brick balustrades and measuring 5.50m long by 2.75m wide, led to the outer hall or courtyard.
The courtyard or outer hall had pylons on either side of the entrance. The southern The southern pylon was 73 cm thick, the northern 76 cm. They were plastered and whitewashed.
The courtyard was 5.43 m wide x 5.47 m long and was built over an earlier burial shaft.
Four limestone steps to the west of the inner hall led to a limestone platform in front of the sanctuary.
On either side of the steps was a small enclosure.
The sanctuary consisted of a single niche cut into the cliffs behind it, measuring 3.73 m long by 2.50 m wide. The inner back wall of the niche had a retaining wall 57 cm thick.
An earlier tomb shaft.
Pylons also framed the entrance to the inner hall.
A limestone threshold in the entrance had 2 pivot holes and grooves for architraves, indicating that a double door served this part of the building.
The inner hall was built in 3 phases. In the 3rd phase it became hypostyle, with 2 columns and a flat roof. The bases of the columns were 70 cm in diameter. The floor of the inner hall was made of packed earth. The walls were decorated. Part of the decoration consisted of a floral frieze which surrounded the wall in the style of the Ramesside period.
The walls of the sanctuary adjoined them from the back.
Pylons also framed the entrance to the inner hall. A limestone threshold in the entrance had 2 pivot holes and grooves for architraves, indicating that a double door served this part of the building. Detail.
Photography © Lenka Peacock 2007
Sources:
1. Bomann, Ann H.: The private chapel in ancient Egypt : a study of the chapels in the workmen's village at el Amarna with special reference to Deir el-Medina and other sites.
London : Kegan Paul International, 1991.
2. Wilkinson, R. H. : The complete temples of Ancient Egypt.
London : Thames & Hudson, 2000.
3. Clayton, Peter A.: Chronicles of the Pharaohs : the reighn-by-reign record of the rulers and dynasties of ancient Egypt
London : Thames & Hudson, 1994.
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