Gayer-Anderson donated part of the collection of Egyptian antiquities to Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. The artefacts arrived between 1943 and 1949. Altogether the Fitzwilliam Museum obtained 46 pieces of ostraka. 15 of these have sketches on both verso and recto. Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, UK All the ostraka described below come from the collection of R.G. Gayer-Anderson (1881-1945). He lived in Egypt between 1906 and 1942 as an army medical officer, senior civil servant and private collector. In 1942 he left his house in Cairo, called Beit el-Kreatlia, to the Egyptian government as a museum of Islamic art. He moved to Lavenham, England, one of the best preserved wool towns in Suffolk. With his twin brother, he restored Little Hall, a 14th-century house built by a family of clothiers. They filled the house with a variety of art and artefacts collected during their extensive travels. Gayer-Anderson donated part of his collection of Egyptian antiquities to the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. The artefacts arrived between 1943 and 1949. In total, the Fitzwilliam Museum received 46 ostraka. 15 of these have sketches on both verso and recto, bringing the total number of representations to 61. The majority - 54 - are images of figures, only 4 have text. Little Hall, the Tudor house of Gayer-Andersons' at Lavenham The British Museum also received some artefacts form the collection. The Gayer-Anderson' cat British Museum Bronze Late Period, about 664-332 BC. The material is mostly limestone, there are 2 pieces of terracotta and 1 grey stone. The ostraka below are all painted, but the museum's collection also includes examples of figures carved in relief - products of sculpture rather than drawing. The ostraka are drawn in black and/or red ink, but yellow and grey pigments also appear. The exact provenance of the collection is unknown. They are dated on the basis of stylistic criteria or names in inscriptions. They belong to the 18th-20th dynasties. Most of the pieces are thought to be from Deir el-Medina. Images of Fitzwilliam Museum objects and any Fitzwilliam Museum text reproduced on this website are ©The Fitzwilliam Museum and are subject to The Fitzwilliam Museum's Website Copyright Terms and Conditions which can be read at http://www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/website/tou . Photography by Andy and Lenka Peacock, all images reproduced by kind permission of the Fitzwilliam Museum, www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk Ostrakon of an unshaven stone mason Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge E.GA.4324a.1943. Limestone 13.5x15 cm. Red and black line drawing Ramesside period, 1200-1153 BC Drawing of the head and upper arms of a stonemason who is leaning forward while working. The man's head is bald, his beard is dotted and his mouth is open. He may be singing as he works, or he may be gasping for air in a dusty tomb. He has an excessively large ear and a bulbous nose. He holds the tools of his trade, a copper chisel in his left hand and a wooden mallet in his right. The subject of this ostrakon is unique, unparalleled in official Egyptian art. On the back of the ostrakon the scribe Imyshe, son of Nebnefer, makes an offering to the serpent goddess Meretseger. Ostrakon of a man driving a bull Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge E.GA.4288.1943. Limestone 15x12 cm. New Kingdom Possibly from Deir el-Medina The man's body is painted red, his wig and kilt are grey and the stick in his left hand is black. The bull is driven in front of the man. The animal is outlined in black and painted red with black markings - composed of patterns of dots, stripes and solid patches of colour. The scene is beautifully drawn. It is one of the finest examples of its type. Ostrakon of a bull Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge E.GA.4297.1943. Limestone 8x7 cm. Black line drawing New Kingdom Drawing in black of a bull walking to the right. The motif is common in Egyptian art and this example is the product of a stylistic tradition that is hundreds of years old. Such bulls can be found in the wall reliefs of almost every tomb, in scenes of agriculture, cattle breeding, processions of sacrificial offerings or funerals. Although this drawing is simple, it is the work of a skilled artist. There are faint lines of correction in several places: along the shoulder, the back and the croup. Ostraka of monkeys Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge E.GA.4292.1943. E.GA.4293.1943. 11x9.75 cm (left), 8.5x13 cm (right) Late 18th dynasty - early 19th dynasty, 1350-1250 BC Black line drawing, with red, yellow and grey paint Two monkeys wearing belts or ribbons are depicted on the two ostraka. It is not possible to determine whether the author(s) of these drawings were trying to depict their beloved pets or whether the drawings reflect a narrative, but they do not look like preliminary drawings for walls in tombs. The presence of the girdles tied around their waste suggests that they are domestic animals (Houlihan, 1996, 210). In the scene on the left, the monkey climbs a trunk of a dom palm to pick some of its ripe nuts, turning his head to look over his shoulder. He is sketchily painted, his face is human and he wears a stepped male wig. His human aspect may refer to the mischievous behaviour of a child. In the scene on the right, a monkey runs on all fours looking over his shoulder at a person walking behind him holding a stick. The person is only partly preserved. The drawing shows more detail than the previous one. Ostrakon showing a war chariot speeding over rocky ground Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge E.GA.4287.1943. Limestone 15x8.5 cm. Black and red outlines with black and red paint New Kingdom Ostrakon of a woman riding on a stallion E.GA.4290.1943. Limestone 11.3x7.5 cm. Black and red line drawing with red paint. 19th dynasty The drawing shows a naked rider, possibly a woman, riding a stallion to the right. The ground line slopes upwards. The horse has a short, upright mane and is bridled. The woman is holding a stick or staff in her left hand. She wears an amulet on a long cord around her neck. The black outline has been superimposed on preliminary red lines. Both bodies are painted red. Figures on horseback are not common, but do occur in ancient Egyptian art. A similar scene on an ostrakon in Berlin has been identified as Astarte, the Syrian goddess of love and war. It is possible that this ostrakon depicts the same theme. Ostrakon of a cat Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge E.GA.3859.1943. 9x11 cm Limestone Red line drawing New Kingdom This piece bears the drawing of a sitting cat looking to the right. Both the first sketch and the final drawing were done in red. This simple portrait was probably a practice piece. Drawing of an unkept man carrying bags on a stick, possibly a yoke Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge E.106.1949. Terracotta 13.9x9.8 cm. Late dynasty XIX - 3rd Intermediate Period, 1295-1069 BC This pot-sherd shows a farmer with baskets or sacks slung over his shoulder. The man is depicted as bald, with stooped shoulders, thin limbs and a walking stick in his free hand. Drawing of a seated Seth-animal Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge E.GA.4300.1943. Limestone 9.5x8 cm. Black line drawing over red outline New Kingdom Possibly from Deir el-Medina. This small ostrakon shows a hieroglyph in the shape of the seated animal Seth, looking to the right. Along the right broken edge part of the outline of a cartouche can be seen, which may have contained the name of one of the Ramesside kings. There are traces of some vertical red lines on the upper broken edge. Drawing of a lion's head Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge E.GA.4289.1943. 13.5x10 cm. Pink pottery Red and black line drawing Ramesside Period This motif of a lion's head looking to the left occurs 3 times on the inner and outer sides of this fragment of a flat pottery plate. On the inside (pictured) is a large study of a lion's head with its mouth closed, executed in black paint with quick, broad strokes. Below this drawing, in red, is the bold sketch of the rearing head of a lion about to charge, with its jaws open and tongue outstretched as if it were attacking. The drawings are the work of a master. Drawing of an owl Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge E.GA.3858.1943. Limestone 9.5x14.5 cm. Red and black line drawing Ramesside Period, about 1305-1080 B.C. This well-preserved ostrakon bears a detailed drawing of the upper half of the hieroglyphic character "m", an owl. The initial outline is drawn in red and superimposed in black. The arrangement and shape of the various feathers are skilfully and precisely reproduced. Although the head is fully turned, the neck, right wing and left leg (which is only hinted at) are shown in side view. The drawing can be classified as a study for a hieroglyphic model. Drawing of a jackal Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge E.GA.4291.1943. 10x11 cm. Red and black line drawing, with black paint Ramesside Period This fragment depicts a scene with a jackal wearing a robe and holding a sceptre. Below is a captive calf/goat. Large ostrakon Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.E.GA.4298.1943. 42x27 cm. Limestone Black line drawing recto and verso From Thebes, possibly from Deir el-Medina According to inscription, 19th dynasty The artist of this ostrakon seems to have explored a number of themes. The most prominent is the depiction of a shrine doorway in the centre. To the left of the door is the figure of the standing donor. He is an official, indicated by the staff he holds in his left hand. Above him there is a drawing of the head of the god Ptah with cap and beard. To the right of the door is a line of hieroglyphic text which reads "Conquer the people of the Nine Bows" (a symbolic reference to Egypt's enemies). The whole drawing is an example of the finest craftsmanship and must have been made as a design for a door which the owner had commissioned with this sketch. The Nine Bows This is an ancient term used to refer collectively to the enemies of ancient Egypt. The name may have come from their use of bows and arrows in warfare, or from their ritual of physically "breaking the bows" of defeated enemies as a metaphor for military defeat - but the original reason is not known. The actual enemies referred to were a matter of choice, reflecting current contact and relations with neighbours - but the selection generally included Asians, Sand Dwellers and Nubians. The Nine Bows were often depicted as a number of arrows (not always nine) and this design was used to decorate some royal furniture and thrones. The Nine Bows could also be depicted on monuments as rows of bound prisoners. The Nine Bows surmounted by a jackal was also the 'seal' of the Valley of the Kings. Shabti of Sennedjem Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge E.9.1887. Limestone with pigment Height 21.5 cm. From Deir el-Medina, Tomb 1 of Sennedjem New Kingdom, 19th dynasty, reign of Seti I, 1294-1279 BC The shabti holds a broad-bladed hoe against his right shoulder and a pointed hoe against his left shoulder. A basket for seeds is depicted on his back, suspended from a rope over his right shoulder. The text calls upon the shabti as a servant, literally "hearer of the call", to act on behalf of Sennedjem when needed in any of the works being carried out at the necropolis. Sources: 1.The museum's own labels 2. Brunner, Emma : Egyptian artists' sketches : figured ostraka from the Gayer-Anderson collection in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. Leiden : Netherlands Historisch-Archaeologisch Instituut le Istanbul, 1979. 3.Images of Fitzwilliam Museum objects and any text by the Fitzwilliam Museum reproduced on this site are ©The Fitzwilliam Museum and are subject to The Fitzwilliam Museum's Website Copyright Terms and Conditions which can be read at http://www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/website/tou. Further bibliography Back to top Anchor 1

Fondazione Museo delle Antichità Egizie di Torino is the museum, specialising in Egyptian archaeology and anthropology, it is dedicated solely to Egyptian art and culture. Egyptian Museum, Turin, Italy The Egyptian Museum (Fondazione Museo delle Antichità Egizie di Torino), specialised in Egyptian archaeology and anthropology, is dedicated exclusively to Egyptian art and culture. The collection has developed over the last two centuries, first as part of a university collection and then at the Academy of Sciences, where it is now housed. https://museoegizio.it/ “The road to Memphis and Thebes passes through Turin”. Jean-François Champollion The first object linked to Egypt to arrive in Turin was the Mensa Isiaca, also known as the Bembine Tablet, an offering table imitating the Egyptian style, in 1630. It may have been made for a temple of Isis in Rome. This exotic piece inspired King Carlo Emmanuele III to commission the botanist Vitaliano Donati to travel to Egypt in 1753 to acquire objects from the past. Donati returned with 300 pieces from Karnak and Coptos, which became the nucleus of the University of Turin's collection. In 1824, King Carlo Felice acquired the material of the Drovetti collection (5,268 pieces, including 100 statues, 170 papyri, stelae, mummies and other objects), which the French consul general, Bernardino Drovetti, had collected during his stay in Egypt. In the same year, Jean-François Champollion used the vast Turin papyrus collection to test his breakthroughs in deciphering hieroglyphic writing. In 1833, the collection of the Piedmontese Giuseppe Sossio (over 1,200 pieces) was added to the museum. On its arrival in Turin, the collection, consisting of about 5,300 pieces, was installed in the rooms of the Academia della Scienze, where it has remained to this day. In 1894 Ernesto Schiaparelli was appointed director of the museum. The collection was enriched beyond all expectations by the finds made during his excavation campaigns between 1900 and 1920. Between 1905 and 1909, he carried out the first scientific excavations at Deir el-Medina. In one season, 1906, Schiaparelli employed more than 500 workers at the site. The northern side of the valley was explored to virgin soil. The most spectacular of the many finds was the intact 18th Dynasty tomb of the architect Kha and his wife Meryt. The tomb and its contents were fully documented in a publication, but Schiaparelli died before the excavation report could be completed. The museum's last major acquisition was the small temple of Ellesiya, given to Italy by the Egyptian government for its assistance in the campaign to save Nubian monuments in the 1960s. The museum was transferred to the Fondazione Museo delle Antichità Egizie di Torino in December 2005. In 2009, a major project was launched to expand the space and build new rooms to adapt the collections to modern needs. In 2012, the Savoy Gallery was moved to the New Wing of the Royal Palace, allowing a complete renovation to take place. The museum reopened in the spring of 2015. The new layout presents objects in chronological order, from the 4th millennium BC to the Coptic period, with new lighting, modern displays and new facilities. Detailed information https://www.museoegizio.it/en/discover/story/ I would like to thank Alessandro Girardi of the Museum's Collections and Research Department for his kind permission to publish my photographs on this website. All photographs of the museum spaces and objects from the collections are © Museo Egizio di Torino. The photographs were taken by Lenka Peacock in 2019 and 2020. Let us enter room 7 on the first floor of the Turin Museum, called Tomba di Kha (Tomb of Kha), and not only look around at the objects on display, but also look over our shoulders and look back through time, through centuries. In the season of 1906, Ernesto Schiaparelli and his 250 workmen had been working on the site of Deir el-Medina for four weeks, with little to show for their tireless shift-work, when they came across a tomb. They were working at the top of the western cemetery in the area of the decorated chapel, surmounted by a small pyramid, which had already been discovered by Bernardino Drovetti in the early years of the 19th century. The name Kha was known from the walls of this chapel and, curiously, Kha's funerary stele (below right) had found its way into the Turin collection decades before Schiaparelli's work on the site. The burial chambers of Kha's tomb escaped discovery because they were not located under the burial chapel, as is usual, but in the hill opposite. Stela of Kha and Meryt Painted sandstone Height: 74,5 cm Upper register: Kha is depicted on the left and right side worshipping the god Osiris and Anubis respectively. Lower register: Kha and his wife Meryt are seated before an offering table. Their son stands on the right. The carving is executed in raised relief. From the Drovetti Collection Cat. 1618 = CGT 50007 Museo Egizio Information and pictures When the flight of steps was discovered near the hillside, Ernesto Schiaparelli was accompanied by Antiquities Inspector Arthur Weigall and they discovered where the passage led. "The mouth of the tomb was approached down a flight of steep, rough steps, still half-choked with debris. At the bottom of this the entrance of a passage running into the hillside was blocked by a wall of rough stones. After photographing and removing this, we found ourselves in a long, low tunnel, blocked by a second wall a few yards ahead. Both these walls were intact, and we realized that we were about to see what probably no living man had ever seen before..." Arthur Weigall, the Antiquities Service Inspector (Reeves, 2000, 126). The two walls were removed. Now the two excavators were standing in a roughly cut corridor of about standing height. Lined up against the wall on the left were pieces of burial furniture, several baskets, some amphorae, a bed, a stool and a staff. At the end of the corridor was a simple wooden door. "The wood retained the light colour of fresh deal, and looked for all the world as though it had been set up but yesterday. A heavy wooden lock held the door fast. A neat bronze handle on the side of the door was connected by a spring to a wooden knob set in the masonry door post; and this spring was carefully sealed with a small dab of stamped clay. The whole contrivance seemed so modern that professor Schiaparelli called to his servant for the key, who quite seriously replied, "I don't know where it is, sir"." A.W. With no key to open the door, the lock was carefully cut with a fret saw to gain access to the chamber beyond. When the door swung open for the first time in over three thousand years, the burial chamber was revealed. The entire burial was neatly and carefully arranged in the room. The main objects were still covered with dust sheets, which were still firm to the touch. The floor had been neatly swept by the last people to leave. A single papyrus-columned wooden lamp stand supported a copper-alloy saucer still containing the ashes of its ancient flame. "One asked oneself in bewilderment whether the ashes here, seemingly not cold, had truly ceased to glow at a time when Rome and Greece were undreamt of, when Assyria did not exist, and when the Exodus of the Children of Israel was yet unaccomplished". The tomb and its contents reflected the personal wealth of its owners, their particular position in society and their life history. It suggested the image of a wealthy 18th dynasty home, packed away in preparation for reuse in the afterlife. Low tables were piled high with food offerings: vegetables, heavily spiced minced greens (Kha was almost toothless when he died), mashed carob, grapes, mumusop fruit and dates, salt, cumin, garlic braids and juniper berries. The tomb belonged to Kha, a royal architect, and to his wife Meryt. Kha was active during at least three and possibly four reigns - those of Tuthmosis III (1504-1450 BC), Amenhotep II (1453-1419 BC), Tuthmosis IV (1419-1386 BC) and Amenhotep III (1386-1349 BC), pharaohs of the 18th dynasty. It is not difficult to form a picture of Kha as an individual - this is evidenced by the number of objects inscribed with his name or which belonged to him because of his trade and the position he held during his lifetime. We also have an insight into his personal life through his clothing, jewellery, furniture, toiletries and favourite pastimes. Some 196 objects can be attributed to Kha (Meskell, 1998, 372). Kha's mummy is better preserved than his wife's. The theory that neither body was embalmed has recently been re-examined using new-generation X-ray imaging and chemical microanalysis. The team of Raffaella Bianucci, Michael E. Habicht, Stephen Buckley, Joann Fletcher, Roger Seiler, Lena M. Öhrström, Eleni Vassilika, Thomas Böni and Frank J. Rühli provided evidence that both individuals had undergone a relatively high quality of mummification. In their article, published in July 2015, they suggest that elucidated 'recipes' whose components had antibacterial and anti-insecticidal properties were used to treat their bodies, and that the time and effort spent on embalming and the use of imported expensive resins, especially pistacia, do not support the previously held view that these two individuals were poorly mummified. Despite the lack of disembowelling, the approach allowed for their preservation and a fairly successful mummification (view article ). In the past, X-ray analysis had revealed that Kha wears a gold "necklace of bravery" around his neck underneath the many layers of tight wrappings. This type of ornament is believed to have been given to individuals by the pharaoh himself. His body is adorned with other fine jewellery. He was buried with a wide collar made of a string of gold rings. A long spun and braided gold necklace supporting a heart scarab, a tyt amulet probably of carnelian, an ururet amulet in the shape of a snake's head, probably also of carnelian, on his forehead, a pair of gold earrings and a bracelet on each arm made of a gold strip. (Meskell, 1998, 373). The temporary exhibition Invisible Archaeology (March 2019 - January 2022), on the top floor of the museum, presented both bodies - Kha's and Meryt's - in one of the rooms dedicated to them. Short videos presented visitors with a virtual unpacking of their mummies, accompanied by insights into their physical appearance, health problems and the objects that still accompanied their bodies. https://museoegizio.it/esplora/mostre/archeologia-invisibile/ Kha's mummy was wrapped in a large linen sheet. Each of his limbs, his neck and his head were bandaged separately under the outer layers of bandages. Kha was about 1.70m tall and strongly built. He was around 60 years old at the time of his death. He suffered from abscesses and loss of teeth. The CAT scan showed sclerosis of the coronary arteries and aorta, and osteoarthritis in his knees and spine. 14 gallstones were found in his gallbladder. His body is adorned with jewellery - a Shebyu necklace, bracelets, 6 rings, earrings - mostly made of gold, and several funerary amulets, mostly made of gemstones. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zbVEK5C3ms&feature=emb_logo Kha's body was originally placed in a series of wooden coffins. The large black outer rectangular shrine-shaped coffin was covered with bitumen. Inside were two black and gold anthropomorphic coffins of fine craftsmanship. The outer sarcophagus is similar to Meryt's coffin except for the sled base, which is missing from hers. Length: 3 m S. 8210 ME Information and pictures The central anthropomorphic coffin of Kha is also covered with bitumen. Horizontal and vertical gilded bindings with prayer texts in raised relief imitate the mummy linen bindings. A winged gilded vulture of Nekhbet in raised relief protects the chest of the coffin. S. 8316/01 ME Information and pictures The deceased has a gilded face, eyes inlaid with glass, and a long wig alternately painted in dark blue and gold leaf. The wide wesekh collar is painted in gold, red and green. The arms are crossed on the chest, with golden fists protruding from the bindings. A garland of flowers was placed over the coffin (Vassilika, 2010, 65). The inner mummy-shaped coffin of Kha is covered with raised relief and is completely gilded. The gold leaf was applied to a layer of stucco. The inlaid eyes are glass. Just below the crossed arms Nekhbet again protects his chest. S. 8429 ME Information and pictures The display case below shows Kha's personal belongings - from his toiletries, flasks, sandals, scribbling palettes and writing boards to strainers and bracelets. All of these objects were found in the white wooden box (seen at the bottom of the case). They are an intriguing mix, linking Kha's professional and personal lives. In the foreground are 4 wooden smoothers or irons for papyrus, or perhaps pestles for grinding pigments, and a wooden instrument whose function has been debated by archaeologists for the last 100 years. Most have concluded that it was a balance. At the end of July 2011, Amelia Sparavigna, a physicist at Turin Polytechnic, suggested that it was another architectural tool - a protractor. The key, she said, lay in the numbers encoded in the object's ornate decoration, which resembles a compass rose with 16 equally spaced petals surrounded by a circular zigzag with 36 corners. To read the full article on Redazione Archaeogate, 28-07-2011, go to https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1107/1107.5831.pdf The tomb contained many pieces of furniture: in addition to Kha's and Meryt's wooden beds, complete with wooden headrests and linen, there were several decorated and white-painted storage chests filled with clothing and other items of daily use; a brightly painted and inscribed royal chair; a painted stool; two white wooden tables; a small wooden and ivory box; and a single folding duck-head stool. Kha's bed is made of wood, and for comfort the base has a central rectangular cut out and filled with fibre. The bed is not painted like Meryt's and is slightly larger. It did not fit into the burial chamber itself and was left in the antechamber passage outside the door (Vassilika,2010,55). S. 8327 ME Information and pictures Kha's personal belongings give a sense of his responsibilities, his position and the Pharaoh's admiration for his skills. His wooden cubit rule is covered with gold leaf and decorated in relief - it was a personal gift from Amenhotep II as a reward for Kha's achievements. S. 8647 ME Information and photos Kha's high-backed painted wooden chair (S. 8333 ) with the wooden statuette of Kha (S. 8335 ) and two stone shabtis - one made of black stone - steatite - (S. 8337 ), one made of light wood (S. 8339 ), a black wooden painted shabti coffin (S. 8338 ) and a small woven textile with floral motifs (S. 8528 ) were found immediately in front of Meryt's coffin. The striking statuette is the only known statue of Kha. A floral garland adorns the shoulders and chest of the figure, and another garland was placed at her feet. The front of the kilt bears a column with a hieroglyphic inscription of a funerary prayer written in yellow pigment. Meryt predeceased her husband. She was buried in two coffins. Her large wooden outer sarcophagus was similar to Kha's. and was also found covered with a linen sheet. Her inner coffin must have been made for Kha, as it was too large for Meryt's body and had to be packed with layers of cloth to fill the space. The base of the coffin is decorated on the outside with gilded figures and inscriptions on a black bitumen background, and the inside is decorated with the sky goddess Nut in her outline, while the mummiform lid is entirely gilded (Vassilika, 2010, 33-39). Outer coffin of Meryt S. 8517 ME Information and photos Inner coffin of Meryt S. 8470 ME Information and photos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rJRDu_jQF0&feature=emb_logo Meryt's body was mummified and wrapped in a wide linen cloth, which was sewn together at the edges with a cord. Inside the cloth her body is wrapped in bandages. A thin layer of bandages (about 1 cm thick) also wraps each of her limbs. The mummy is in poor condition. The cause of death has not been determined. Meryt was about 147-152 cm tall. She was about 30-35 years old. She suffered from dental abscesses and had lost several teeth. Her body was adorned with jewellery (a pair of gold earrings in each ear, a wide gold necklace, several rings, a bracelet (perhaps made of stone) and a belt (made of pearls). Meryt's funerary mask, which was found fitted over her head, was made of linen and plaster and it was decorated with gold leaf. It was also inlaid with stone and coloured glass, imitating precious stones. S. 8473 ME Information and pictures Meryt's painted wooden rectangular beauty case with a lid was divided into five sections containing small vessels made of travertine, glass, faience and horn. Remains of ointments can still be seen in them. S. 8479 ME Information and pictures The article The Hair and Wig of Meryt: Grooming in the 18th Dynasty by Stephen Buckley and Joann Fletcher includes a comprehensive study of Meryt's wig and the results of the analysis of the lower lengths of hair used in the hairpiece. It revealed the presence of a vegetable oil mixed with a small amount of 'balsam', a vegetable gum, and beeswax, together with cholesterol. The authors suggest that the discovery of a vegetable oil mixed with a small amount of 'balsam' on the wig, perhaps as a perfumed moisturising treatment, was intended to keep the hair in good condition, as was indeed originally suggested by Schiaparelli. https://intarch.ac.uk/journal/issue42/6/4.cfm On the left side of the tomb, near Meryt's bed, was a large wooden box containing Meryt's wig. The wig is made from real human hair. S. 8493 ME Information and photos S. 8499 ME Information and photos During the spring and summer of 2020, Christian Greco, the director of the Egyptian Museum, recorded "Le Passeggiate del Direttore" (The Director's Walks) to guide the viewer through the museum's rooms, telling the story of the collections, the most important and lesser known artefacts and their archaeological context. The first of the three episodes is dedicated to Kha and Meryt, the discovery of the most famous treasure in the Egyptian Museum's collection. The Director's Walks : The Tomb of Kha and Merit - Part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo2-Ies99e0&list=PLg2dFdDRRClGtp33i7xqUwFO82TEVnMz2&index=16 In the second of three episodes dedicated to Kha and Meryt, the director explains the secrets of hieroglyphic writing. The director's walks: The Papyrus of Kha https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIE_XGIh_Zc&list=PLg2dFdDRRClGtp33i7xqUwFO82TEVnMz2&index=17 The last of the three episodes dedicated to Kha and Meryt describes their intact tomb as an extraordinary time capsule that takes us back to 1350 BC. The Director's Walks: Kha and Meryt's Tomb Content https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eG5QY7XMBrY&list=PLg2dFdDRRClGtp33i7xqUwFO82TEVnMz2&index=18 Room 6, next to the room containing Kha & Meryt, tells the story of Deir el-Medina through objects from the village. There is an incredible range of fascinating objects from statues, written records, pottery, basketry to tools and sandals, as well as an entire late 18th dynasty funerary chapel. There are 3 episodes dedicated to Deir el-Medina and related objects in the Egyptian Museum collection in the Director's Walks. The Director's walks : The village of Deir el-Medina https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFnobFIGwz8&list=PLg2dFdDRRClGtp33i7xqUwFO82TEVnMz2&index=13 The Director's walks: The Strike papyrus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C-XStSoQa8&list=PLg2dFdDRRClGtp33i7xqUwFO82TEVnMz2&index=14 The Director's walks : The Funerary cult at Deir el-Medina https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u69hV5Vr9mg&list=PLg2dFdDRRClGtp33i7xqUwFO82TEVnMz2&index=15 There is also a virtual tour of Deir el-Medina and the Tomb of Kha given by Cedric Gobeil https://virtualtour.museoegizio.it/ Below are some highlights from the Room 6 collection. New objects will appear on this page during 2023, after my next visit to the museum. Statue of the deified Amenhotep I From Deir el-Medina 19th-20th dynasty Painted limestone On stylistic grounds the statue can be dated to the 19th or 20th dynasty, but it may be a copy of an older statue from the time of Amenhotep I himself. It was probably carried in processions during religious ceremonies. The seated pharaoh wears nemes headdress, decorated with parallel blue and yellow stripes. He has a false beard attached to his chin (Museo Egizio,2019,132). 65 x 27 x 40 cm Drovetti collection (1824) Cat. 1372 Museo Egizio Information and photos Furniture fragment decorated with the images of Nekhbet, the vulture goddess, Ahmose Nefertari and Amenhotep I From Deir el-Medina 19th-20th dynasty (1292-1076 BC) Painted wood The black skin of Ahmose Nefertari refers to fertility and rebirth. 65 x 27 x 40 cm Drovetti collection (1824) Cat. 2458/1 Museo Egizio Information and photos The Cult of Amenhotep I From the 18th dynasty onwards, the cult of Amenhotep I, especially in the form of the "Lord of the Village", together with his mother Ahmose-Nefertari, was the main focus of the religious worship of the population of Deir el-Medina. Jaroslav Černý pointed out that there were several forms of this cult in Deir el-Medina, corresponding to the statues, each of which had a particular name and was housed in the various sanctuaries established there (Černý, 1927, 182). Amenhotep I Djeserkare (1514-1493 BC) was the second pharaoh of the 18th dynasty. He was probably very young when he ascended the throne, so it is likely that his mother, Queen Ahmose-Nefertari, acted as regent for the first part of his reign. They are jointly credited with the founding of Deir el-Medina, where they enjoyed personal religious cults until the late Ramesside period. In addition to the modest temple dedicated to the couple, Ahmose-Nefertari and Amenhotep I were also worshipped in the chapels of other gods. These secondary worshipping activities were carried out by the Wab priests, who would participate in various festivals throughout the year. One of the notable festivals involved the procession of Amenhotep I's statue into the Valley of the Kings, while another may have been associated with the anniversary of his death. The deified king, Amenhotep I, held a significant role in settling disputes, particularly those related to property. The priests of this cult, who were drawn from the ranks of the workers themselves, would consult the divine image of Amenhotep I for oracular pronouncements. These pronouncements, whether positive or negative, carried great weight and were considered a consensus among the priests. The cult of Ahmose-Nefertari at Deir el-Medina is supported by both textual and representational evidence. Cult statues, votive stelae, libation basins, paintings, and inscriptions in tombs and on ostraca all contribute to the understanding of her worship. In fact, more than fifty Theban tombs of private individuals contain inscriptions that mention the name of Ahmose-Nefertari, further highlighting her significance in the religious and social life of the community. Stela dedicated to Ahmose Nefertari by Heryher for Iy’s ka From Deir el-Medina New Kingdom, 19th-20th Dynasty (1292-1076 BC) Limeston 13,3 x 9,7 x 3 cm Drovetti collection (1824). Cat. 1450 = RCGE 5747 Translation: Praying to [Ahmose Nefertari….mistress of the town...] [She causes] that I see the darkness, that she creates. Enlighten my eyes, be merciful to me, be merciful. For the ka of the mistress of the house, Iy - justified - (Galan,1999,27) In his article "Seeing darkness" José Galan gathers the corpus of Deir el-Medina stelae with the text mentioning darkness as god’s punishment for a sin committed and groups them according to the phraseology used. The stelae using the phrase “I see darkness by day” (mAA.i kkw m hrw) - Bankes stele No. 6, BM 374, BM 589 - and stelae using the phrase “I see the darkness that you create” (mAA.i kkw n irr.k ) - Turin 5046, 5051, 50052 and 50050. Usually the phrase gets translated as "becoming blind". Galan's interpretation of the phrase "seeing darkness" is as a metaphor used to refer to the situation in which the deceased find themselves after the Final Judgement and before they reach the Hereafter, where god is. They implore god's mercy to have possible sins removed and to be able to enter into contact with the divine. (Galan, 1999, 24-30) ME Information and photos The Turin Museum stelae from Deir el-Medina are principally rectangular, round-topped slabs of limestone decorated with either painted relief decoration or painting over a thin layer of plaster. Most stelae are of votive and funerary nature. They are decorated with scenes of an individual bearing offerings to a deity or a group of deities or simply in the act of worshipping the god or goddess, whose assistance was sought. The majority of stelae in the Turin museum formerly come from the Drovetti collection. Stela dedicated to the god Ra-Horakhty on the solar boat From Deir el-Medina 19th dynasty Limestone On the cornice of the stela there is a winged scarab, which sometimes replaces the winged solar disk. In the lower register on the left, four mummies are standing in front of a tomb-pyramid of Deir el-Medina and two persons who make offerings. They are Merira and Huy, the two sons of the deceased Qen, whose title was "Amun sculptor of the Place of Truth " . Beside the mummies is a woman named "Takri, who cries with despair". Cat 1635 = CGT 50074 Height: 57 cm Width: 36 cm ME Information and photos Stela of Mutnofret to Renenutet From Deir el-Medina 18th-19th dynasty Round-topped stela of Mutnofret showing the adoration of Renenutet, depicted here with a head of a serpent and a body of a female. The goddess has a solar disk between bovine horns on her head. In the bottom register the same goddess, "The Lady of the Heavens" is adored by the deceased Inofre, who is kneeling with her arms raised. Renenutet, in Egyptian "snake who nourishes" was a popular and beneficial deity. Protective in nature and of a nurturing rather than venomous disposition, she was a goddess of the harvest and a divine nurse. She is identified with the household and family life in her role as provider, nourisher and as a nurse of infants. Here her associations with children also identified her with Hathor whose headdress she wears. 23,5 x 16 x 4 cm S. 6138 RCGE 14896 ME Information and photos Stela of Baki From Deir el-Medina 19th dynasty, reign of Seti I and Rameses II, around 1290-1279 BC Limestone This round-topped stela is carved in low relief and painted in several colours. The pictorial plane is divided into two registers, the upper one containing two rams facing each other. The animals, with cobras rising on their foreheads, wear tall headdresses composed of two tall plumes with a solar disk at the centre. Between them is a small offering table with lotus flowers. The mirror image hieroglyphic inscription refers to the rams and reveals their divine nature as that of Amun-Ra. In the register below, foreman Baki is shown in the pose of adoration. Height: 46 cm Width: 28.4 cm Cat. 1549 RCGE 5706 ME Information and photos Stela of Hay From Deir el-Medina 20th dynasty, reign of Ramesses III Limestone The round-topped stela is dedicated to the goddess Meretseger, represented with a female body and serpent's head and to the goddess Taweret who is depicted as a hippopotamus on two legs and who precedes her. Each of the goddesses is identified in the vertical text in front of her. Both are wearing a modius crown surmounted by the bovine horns and the solar disc on her head. Meretseger is holding a was-sceptre and the symbol of eternal life. In the dedication Hay, the deputy workman, who lived at Deir el-Medina during the time of Ramesses III, also remembers his sons Amennakht, draughtsman-scribe, and Nebnefer. Hay's tomb is no. 267 at Deir el-Medina. Height: 43 cm Width: 28 cm Former Drovetti's collection Cat. 1606 = CGT 50062 ME Information and photos Ears in relief stela 19th dynasty Limestone This small, rectangular stela is carved in low relief with two pairs of ears pierced in the lobe to hang earrings. Depictions of ears on stelae were common in New Kingdom Egypt. They related to a new religious concept in which the relationship between the individual and a god was closer and did not necessarily have to rely on the mediation of a priest. The ears are a reference to the divinity listening to the prayers of the faithful, who turn to the god in search of favours such as the curing of diseases. There are two simple inscriptions: vertical "nebet-hetepet who hears prayer, Lady of Heaven" ; horizontal "Wser-satet." The name Wser-Satet, "Powerful of Satet" was probably of Nubian origin, since Satet was a Nubian goddess. Height: 17 cm Cat. 1546 = N.50026 From the Drovetti collection ME Information and photos Stela of Pashed From Deir el-Medina 19th dynasty, around 1292-1186 BC Limestone On this round-topped stela, the deceased Pashed, "excellent spirit of Ra", akh-iqr , is pictured left, seated on a chair with lion's paws, smelling the lotus flower. The offering table holds a basket containing various offerings. A large open pomegranate, containing a great quantity of seeds, appears under the chair. The colours on this stele are well preserved. 17,5 x 12,3 x 3 cm Cat. 1570 RCGE 5710 ME Information and photos Stela of Ipuy From Deir el-Medina 19th dynasty, around 1292-1186 BC Limestone This round-topped stela is divided into two registers. In the upper register, which is executed in raised relief, the King of kings Harakhte is followed by Amenhotep I, Osiris and the goddess Hathor. In the lower register, which is executed in bas-relief, Ipuy is depicted with his wife and their children: Nebnakht performs a ritual purification, Huy and Werel offer gifts. The deceased was a painter and sculptor at Deir el-Medina. His tomb is TT 217. 57 x 38,4 x 7,4 cm Cat. 7357 RCGE 5689 ME Information and photos Stela of Nebre From Deir el-Medina 19th dynasty, around 1292-1186 BC Limestone In the top register of this votive stela a swallow (Hirundinidae) is shown perched on top of a shrine. An offering table is placed in front of it on the right side. The bird is called "the good swallow". In the lower register Nakhamun and Khay, Nebre's two sons, kneel in adoration in front of a large cat. They both hold a bouquet in their right hand, the left hand is raised in adoration before the good cat" (Houlihan,1996,87). The swallow and the cat both represent two minor deities, Menet and Tamit, who are closely connected with the region of the Theban necropolis. It is remarkable that this stela has been dedicated by Nebre, the royal craftsman, without him being represented here. Former Drovetti collection 14,2 x 9,2 x 2,5 cm Cat. 1591 RCGE 5719 = CGT 50056 ME Information and photos Stela dedicated to Ptah by Penmennefer From Deir el-Medina New Kingdom, 19th-20th dynasty (1292-1076 BC) Limestone, painted Schiaparelli excavations (1903-1906) S. 6139 ME Information and photos Stela of Hy From Deir el-Medina New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty (1292-1190 BC) Limestone Stela dedicated by Hy to Amun-Re, Taweret and Seth Behind Taweret, who is upright as usual, are depicted two small hippopotami which share the inscription “Seth, the good god, the son of Nut” and are shown on all four legs. Seth may occur as a hippopotamus and for that reason he might be coupled here with Taweret. In the available records from Deir el-Medina a particular relationship between Taweret and Seth is rarely encountered and the nature of the connection is not clear. (Gleanings, 1982, 19) Drovetti collection (1824) Cat. 1514 ME Information and photos A recent article, published on December 22nd 2017 by Kathrin Gabler entitled "Stele Turin CGT 50057 (= Cat. 1514) im ikonografischen und prosopografischen Kontext Deir el-Medines: nb.t-pr Mw.t(-m-wjA) (vi) im Spannungsfeld der Mächte der Taweret und des Seth?" appeared in the new on-line magazine The Rivista del Museo Egizio, published by Fondazione Museo delle Antichità Egizie di Torino. The Rivista promotes, gathers and disseminates research on all aspects of the collection of the Museo Egizio in Turin and on the archaeological sites investigated by it, today and in the past, as well as studies on topics of indirect relevance to its collection. It provides free access to its content with the view of favouring the broadest possible dissemination of knowledge. http://rivista.museoegizio.it/ Abstract of the article: Stela Turin CGT 50057 shows an unusual combination of gods, namely, a triad consisting of Amun-Re, Taweret and Seth, who is represented twice as a small red hippopotamus referred to as “Stj (nTr) nfr ” and “sA Nw.t ”. Exceptionally, this limestone stela illustrates many women. Of the fifteen depicted individuals, twelve are female, eleven of whom are designated as kin of the mistress of the house Mw.t shown in the centre of the stela. Such a prevalence of women is unparalleled among stelae from Deir el- Medina. A discussion of the iconographic and prosopographic elements of the three registers and their figures reveals strong connections with the family of Nfr-rnp.t (i), (or possibly Nfr-rnp.t iii, iv or VII) and the family of the foreman of the left side QAHA (i), whose sister Mw.t(-m-wjA) (vi) appears to be the focus of the Turin stela. Mw.t(-m-wjA) was probably the first wife of the owner of the stela, Nfr-rnp(.)t .The father of QAHA and of Mw.t(-m-wjA), Hwj (ii), possibly donated the stela to wish his daughter and his son-in-law a healthy offspring. The addition of many female relatives in combination with the goddess Taweret points to a fertility context (pregnancy or birth). Taweret and Seth appear in hieratic texts from the community of workmen where the wise woman is consulted. According to these texts, the bAw-powers of both gods were responsible for a failed/unsuccessful pregnancy or the death of infants. The presence of this particular constellation of deities in the first register of the stela thus suggests that such a misfortune may have actually befallen Nfr-rnp.t and Mw.t, and that the scene is a graphical transposition of formulations from the above texts, to the purpose of warding off the bAw of Seth and Taweret. The full text of the article in German is available at http://rivista.museoegizio.it/article/stele-turin-cgt-50057-cat-1514-im-ikonografischen-und-prosopografischen-kontext-deir-el-medines-nb-t-pr-mw-t-m-wja-vi-im-spannungsfeld-der-machte-der-taweret-und-des-seth/ Stela of May From Deir el-Medina / Chapel of May (TT 338) End of the 18th, beginning of the 19th dynasty Limestone This round-topped stela is divided into 3 registers. In the top register May and his wife stand in adoration in front of Osiris and Hathor, both seated on their thrones. In the lower registers the couple sit on chairs in front of an offering table. Their daughter stands next to them. A procession consisting of their family members approach them with their offerings: 3 men in the middle register and 4 men and 2 women in the bottom register. The stela would have come from a niche in May's chapel, where it would have been placed on a stone pedestal (according to Bernard Bruyère). When Deir el-Medina was excavated during the last century, these chapels were partly or completely gone as they were built above the ground and made of mud bricks. Dimensions: 66,7 x 42 x 7,3 cm The stele is on display in Room III Inventory no. Cat. 1579 RCGE 46595 ME Information and photos © Museo Egizio, Torino Stela dedicated by Ramose to Qadesh shown between Min and Reshep From Deir-el-Medina Limestone, paint 19th dynasty, 1292-1190 B.C. This stela is dedicated by the scribe Ramose to a very particular triad, formed by Min (top register on the left) and the 'foreign' deities Qadesh (middle) and Reshep (on the right). The analysis of its iconography, which is repeated on other stelae preserved in important European museums, reveals interesting socio-cultural implications in the workers' village during the Ramesside period. A talk called Stele e Trend Iconografici a Deir el-Medina (Stelae and Iconographic trends at Deir el-Medina), given on November 3rd 2022 by Alessandro Girardi, an Egyptologist from Museo Egizio, whose interests focus on funerary and votive stelae, the village of Deir el-Medina and the practices of tomb robbery at the end of the New Kingdom, can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRjAzowHDy4 Cat. 1601 = CGT 50066 ME Information and photos The majority of the ostraka in the Turin collection are images of figures, but many do carry text. The material is mostly limestone although there are also several terracotta sherds. Ostrakon, the Greek term for potsherd, is used by Egyptologists to refer to sherds of pottery or smooth limestone flakes, which were used for less formal purposes than papyri. They were a cheap and readily available material on which it was possible to write and/or draw. The text and drawings often consist of letters, bills, personal notes, inventories, sketches and scribal exercises, but also of literary texts, like love poems and wisdom texts. The ostraka below are drawn in black and/or red ink, but yellow and grey pigments also appear. The Turin collection also contains examples of figures carved in relief - products of sculpture rather than of drawing. The collection of pieces from Deir el-Medina originate from Schiaparelli's excavations. The ostrakon of the king's head formed Drovetti's collection. They are dated on the evidence of stylistic criteria or names present in inscriptions. They can be assigned to the 18th-20th dynasties. They illustrate every stage from an apprentice's first attempts to the most elaborate draughtsmanship. Some ostraka show the underlying sketch in red ink. Themes of these ostraka vary from gods and royal personages to ordinary men and women along with animals represented by mammals, birds and reptiles and even architectural elements and individual hieroglyphs. Some ostraka were clearly the practice pieces of pupils, whose work was corrected by their teachers, allowing us to learn something of their techniques. Some ostraka were products of the moment and often bear themes and motives that do not appear in official art. They are unique treasures being original works of art. As freedom is allowed to the artist, these glimpses illustrate fascinating aspects of the ancient Egyptian culture and life. The instruments and materials used for ostraka painting were the same as those used for large wall paintings: mineral based pigments, ink, water. The writing brushes were made from the stem of a rush, the ends of which were cut and chewed to break up the fibres, and the palette was usually a rectangular piece of wood with two cavities for holding inks in the form of solid cakes. Black ink was made of carbon, probably burnt deposit from lamps, and red ink of red ochre. Ostrakon of a woman dancer in an acrobatic position From Deir el-Medina Limestone, paint Ostrakon depicting a dancer in an acrobatic position. The bare-breasted female is wearing a short black skirt and circular earrings of gold. The artistic quality of the design is exceptional and is erotically charged. Female dancers can be seen depicted not only on tomb walls but also on temple walls. Cat. 7052 ME Information and photos Ostrakon of a ram in front of a bouquet From Deir-el-Medina Limestone, paint 19th-20th dynasty, 1292-1070 B.C. A ram is shown sitting before an offering table surmounted by lotus flowers. A column of hieroglyphic inscription is shown above the ram. Cat. 7359 ME Information and photos King crushing an enemy From Deir el-Medina Schiaparelli excavations, 1905 Limestone with black ink drawing 20th dynasty One of the most typical royal scenes is reproduced on this ostrakon : the king in the act of crushing the defeated enemy. The scene was widely used on pylons and external walls of temples. On this piece the king is shown upright, his head adorned with red crown topped by the two feathers and the ram's horn; leaning forward, he grasps the tightly bound arms of a kneeling Nubian captive with both hands. The prisoner's ethnic group is identified by the typical garb with large festooned neckpiece and by his short curly hair. In front of the king there are two cartouches containing the king's name over a short line of text: "The Lord of the Two Lands, Usermaatre Meryamun, the Lord of the Two Lands, Ramesses, the one who crushes the foreign lands." (The Pharaohs, 2002, p. 426). Height: 31 cm Width: 33 cm S. 6279 ME Information and photos Painted ostrakon with a head of an African man with short curly hair and an earing From Deir-el-Medina Limestone New Kingdom, 1539-1070 B.C. Schiaparelli excavations (1905) S. 6295 Room 15, showcase 3 ME Information and photos Animal scenes are found especially on ostraka, but they are also known from three satirical papyri. Their themes cover a broad field: fighting, worship, music, dance, courts of justice, the arbour, checker and ball games, the brewing of beer, gardening, herding and other physical labour. The war of the mice against the cats is a subject that is extraordinarily richly documented on the satirical ostraka. The cats serve the mice as slaves, provide them with their food and drink, offer them flowers, fan cool air to the Mouse-Dames, do their hair or carry their young in their shawls. In others scenes monkeys, crocodiles, foxes, lions and gazelles appear as musicians and singers (Brunner, 1979, 11-12). Social criticism might be hinted at in some scenes (jackals carrying an animal god in procession below). However, most of the themes are probably illustrations of fables which have epic themes. Others may represent scenes from ancient fairy tales and animal fables. They could also represent humorous sketches, jokes or proverbs (Brunner, 1979, 14). Some ostraka motifs have been identified as sketches for wall paintings. A small fragment with a motif of the delivery room, recovered from the base of a wall in a private house at Deir el-Medina, suggests that the walls were decorated with motifs found on these ostraka. The walls of tombs and temples were not the place for intimate and comic subjects, but the secular buildings that are almost entirely lost, can be assumed to have contained these animal murals (Brunner, 1979, 17-18). The limestone ostraka below are attributed to the Ramesside Deir el-Medina. Painted ostrakon dedicated to Meretseger by Amenkhau From Deir-el-Medina Limestone New Kingdom, 1187–1150 B.C. 20th dynasty Three hieroglyphic inscription in black pigment above the table of offerings with Meretseger in the form of a cobra with a modius headdress and a papyrus stalk reclining over her body, with a line of hieroglyphic inscription underneath the scene. The body of the snake, her headdress and some of the offerings are coloured yellow. Drovetti collection (1824) Cat. 1522 ME Information and photos A religious ceremony Limestone 19th-20th dynasties, 1292-1076 BC A Mouse-god is being carried in procession by four jackal-priests to a chapel-shrine while other jackal-priests are burning incense and reciting the ritual. Facing the procession is another mouse-priest holds a tablet with a written ritual. The figures are outlined in red, the bodies are executed in red and black, the skirts of the priests are white. It is supposed to be a parody of the procession of Amenhotep I Schiaparelli excavations (1905) S. 6333 ME Information and photos A cat serving food to a mouse Limestone Black, red and green pigment Width: 10 cm A mouse in a long pleated skirt, sits on a folding stool smelling a lotus flower. Before the sitting mouse there is a table full ofofferings. A cat stands at the other side ofthe table and shakes a palm leaf as a fan tocool the mouse down. Schiaparelli excavations (1905) S. 6296 ME Information and photos Ostrakon of a cat Limestone Black ink From Deir-el-Medina 19th-20th dynasty, 1292-1070 B.C. The cat is drawn facing towards right. Its left paw is raised. Schiaparelli excavations (1909-1912) S. 9564 ME Information and photos Sources : 1. Museo Egizio, English Turin : Fondazione Museo delle Antichità Egizie di Torino, 2019. 2. Borla, Mathilde : Les Statuettes Funéraires du Musée Égyptien de Turin In: Dossiers d'Archeologie 2003 3. Meskell, Lynn: Intimate archaeologies : the case of Kha and Merit. 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 10. Buckley, S. and Fletcher, J. 2016 The Hair and Wig of Meryt: Grooming in the 18th Dynasty, Internet Archaeology 42. https://intarch.ac.uk/journal/issue42/6/4.cfm 11. Roccati, Alessandro : The Egyptian Museum Turin Istituto polygraphico e zecca dello stato Liberia della stato 12. Roccati, Alessandro : Museo Egizio, Torino Roma : Istituto poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato, Libreria dello Stato, 2003. 93 p. 13. Curto, Silvio : L'antico Egitto nel Museo Egizio di Torino Torino : Tipografia Torinese Editrice , 1984. 367 p. 14. Les artistes de Pharaon : Deir el-Médineh et la Vallée des Rois : Paris, musée du Louvre, 15 avril - 5 aout 2002 Paris : Réunion des Musées Nationaux, 2002. 15. Tosi, Mario : La cappella di Maia : un pittore a Deir el-Medina Torino : Artema, 1994. 82 p. 16. Janssen, Rosalind and Janssen, Jac. J.: Egyptian household animals Aylesbury : Shire Publications, 1989. 17. McDowell, A.G.: Village life in ancient Egypt : laundry lists and love songs Oxford : Oxford University Press, 1999. 18. Shaw, Ian, Nicholson, Paul: British Museum dictionary of ancient Egypt London: British Museum Press, 1995. 19. Davies, Benedict G.: Who's who at Deir el-Medina : a prosopographic study of the royal workmen's community Leiden : Nederlands Instituut voor Her Nabije Oosten, 1999 20. Wilkinson, R. H. : The complete gods and goddesses of Ancient Egypt. London : Thames & Hudson, 2003. 21. Collier, Mark and Manley, Bill: How to read Egyptian hieroglyphs : a step-by-step guide to teach yourself London : British Museum Press, 1998. 22. The Cairo Museum masterpieces of Egyptian art / edited by Francesco Tiradritti London : Thames & Hudson, 1998. 23. Houlihan, Patrick F.: The animal world of the pharaohs London : Thames and Hudson, 1996. 24. Galan, Jose M.: Seeing darkness. Chronique d'Egypte, Vol. 74, Number 174/1999. p. 18-30. 25. Gleanings from Deir el-Medina / editors, R. J. Demarée and Jac. J. Janssen. Leiden : Nederlands Instituut voor het Nabije Oosten te Leiden, 1982. 26. Porter, B. - Moss, R.L.B., Topographical Bibliography of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts, Reliefs and Paintings, Oxford, 1960- 27. Curto, Silvio : La satira nell'antico Egitto / Silvio Curto Torino : Museo egizio ,[1968?] 28. The Pharaohs / edited by Christiane Ziegler New York : Rizzoli, 2002. 29. Bienkowski, Piotr : Gifts of the Nile : Ancient Egyptian arts and crafts in Liverpool Museum London : HMSO, 1995. 30. Brunner, Emma : Egyptian artists' sketches : figured ostraka from the Gayer-Anderson collection in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. Leiden : Netherlands Historisch-Archaeologisch Instituut le Istanbul, 1979. 31. Wilkinson, R. H. : The complete gods and goddesses of Ancient Egypt. London : Thames & Hudson, 2003. 32. KMT, vol. 14, pt. 1 33. Černý, Jaroslav: Le culte d’Amenophis 1er chez les ouvriers de la nécropole thébaine, BIFAO 27 (1927). 34. Ventura, Raphael: Living in a city of the dead : a selection of topographical and administrative terms in the documents of the Theban necropolis Freiburg (Schweiz) : Universitatsverlag, 1986. 35. http://rivista.museoegizio.it/article/stele-turin-cgt-50057-cat-1514-im-ikonografischen-und-prosopografischen-kontext-deir-el-medines-nb-t-pr-mw-t-m-wja-vi-im-spannungsfeld-der-machte-der-taweret-und-des-seth/ Further bibliography Back to top

Human remains originating from the cemeteries of Deir el-Medina, nowadays housed within the collections of the Hrdlička Museum of Anthropology, Charles University, Prague, consist of:- 3 complete mummified bodies, 8 mummified heads and 23 human skulls and several long bones. Hrdlička Museum of Man, Prague, Czech Republic The idea of establishing an anthropological museum in Prague dates back to 1922, but it was not until 1929 that Dr. Aleš Hrdlička, a famous anthropologist of Czech origin, sent a letter to Czechoslovak President T.G. Masaryk asking for the museum's establishment. He offered financial support through the establishment of funds and drew up the concept of the museum, which included four main sections that have remained in its structure to this day: The Phylogenetic Development of Man, The Cycle of Life, Race Variations and Race Pathology and Death. The Museum of Man was officially opened in 1937, when it was renamed the Hrdlička Museum of Man. https://muzeumcloveka.cz/cs/home This page contains images of human remains. Scroll down to see photographs of human remains, which include whole mummies, mummified heads and human skulls. The human remains from the cemeteries of Deir el-Medina, which are now in the collections of the Anthropological Museum Hrdlička, Charles University, Prague, consist of: 3 complete mummified bodies 8 mummified heads 23 human skulls and several long bones. They were all donated from the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology in Cairo to the national collections in Prague, thanks to the efforts of the Czech Egyptologist Jaroslav Černý. Jaroslav Černý had been involved in excavations at Deir el-Medina as an inscriber since 1925 and was able to facilitate the donation. The known provenance of the mummified remains helped to date them: 6 of them were dated to the 18th-20th dynasties, the other 6 to the 21st dynasty. The skeletal remains came from the 18th dynasty tombs Nos. 1137, 1153 and 1159, excavated in 1928 by Bernard Bruyère and his team. Jaroslav Černý took part in the excavations. The skeletal remains were donated directly to the Anthropological Institute of the Charles University (they became part of the Museum of Man, renamed the Hrdlička Museum of Man in 1937) (Matiegková, 1931,324). The mummified remains (complete bodies and heads) together with several other objects, were transferred from the National Museum to the Hrdlička Museum at the end of November 1958 (Strouhal,1980,28). Although many will consider the display of human remains controversial, as the collection is part of an anthropological museum and serves as a teaching and research collection, skeletons, bones and weathered flesh are quite rightly displayed there. The aim of this page is not only to describe and show the fascinating remains on display at the museum. A summary of the mummification techniques used in ancient Egypt and issues of health and disease are also touched upon. It is my wish to bring to the attention of the reader of these pages a lesser known collection from Deir el-Medina, where I have literally come face to face with the ancient members of the community whose fascinating story I have been following for over a decade. I would like to thank the Hrdlička Museum and its staff, whose time and help were essential. The curator, Marco Stella, kindly gave me permission to publish the images on my website, and both he and Zuzana Krupová were generous with their assistance. Photographs © Hrdlička Museum of Man Photography Lenka Peacock. The text was written by Lenka Peacock based mainly on research conducted and published by Eugen Strouhal, Luboš Vyhnálek, Ludmila Matiegková and Jindřich Matiegka, with additional sources listed in the bibliography below. Skeletal remains The skeletal remains from Deir el-Medina consist of the remains of Sennefer, Neferit and a child discovered in 1928 in pit 1159 by the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology in Cairo under the direction of Bernard Bruyère. The bodies were sent to Prague to the Institute of Anthropology at Charles University, wrapped in linen with labels attached (Matiegková, 1931, 324). The skulls of the two adults are described below. The consignment also included 20 skulls without the mandible (1 without the facial bones). Of these 20 skulls are without mandible (1 without facial bones). Of these 20 skulls, 5 skulls came from an 18th dynasty pit 1137 discovered by Bruyère in 1928. 4 of the skulls belonged to adults, 1 to a child. Bruyère's notes, dated 15 January 1928, recording the discovery of pit 1137, can be consulted in his notebook, published online by the IFAO: http://www.ifao.egnet.net/bases/archives/bruyere/?sujet=Kom+325+%3B+3.+Puits+1129+%C3%A0+ 1183.+Tombe+n%C2%B0+1&os=3 4 skulls from the 18th dynasty burial in pit 1153 discovered at the same time. Bruyère's sketch of the position of the pit in the south-west corner of the western cemetery can be seen in his notebook published online by the IFAO: http://www.ifao.egnet.net/bases/archives/bruyere/?sujet=Kom+325+%3B+3.+Puits+1129+%C3%A0+ 1183.+Tombe+n%C2%B0+1&os=6 The tomb of Sennefer and Neferit was undisturbed in ancient times. They were found in their coffins which contained some of their belongings. To read about the tomb, its discovery and description of its contents, as well as the description of the coffins and their contents, go to Tomb 1159. The following is a description of the skulls examined by Matiegka and Matiegková and published in 1931. Both adult bodies were left to decay with little or no mummification. No traces of resin were found on the bodies. The skeletons were largely intact. Sennefer's body was wrapped in 7 layers of linen. The body was wrapped in coarsely woven linen, although finer quality linen was used for the top layer. A layer of bandages was applied to each layer of linen wrapping. White dried maggots were found inside the coffin. They were responsible for the holes in the wrappings which caused the body fluids to stain the bottom of the coffin. There was no skin on Sennefer's body. Remnants of lungs were found in his chest in the form of a black substance. His arms were laid along his body, the palms of his hands covering his genitals. Sennefer's skull from the collection of the Hrdlička Museum Neferit's body was placed in the sycamore coffin wrapped in layers of linen. There was no cartonnage mask. There was no evidence of mummification and the deceased was not eviscerated. The remains were glued to the bottom of the coffin. Neferit's arms were placed next to her body, the palms of her hands protecting her genitals. Brown dust surrounded the skeleton. This was the disintegrated muscle and soft tissue. Remnants of skin were preserved in the chest and stomach areas. The skin on the breasts had red spots, perhaps a sign of an infectious disease. The skin on her neck still had a youthful appearance. Remains of lungs and larynx were found in the thorax. The cranial cavity contained dark red dust, the remains of the brain. The body was adorned with a necklace of turquoise, coral, lapis lazuli and gold, an arm and wrist bracelets and 2 rings. Neferit's skull from the collection of the Hrdlička Museum I would like to thank Hans Ollermann from Holland for improving the pictures of Neferit's skull. It was noted that the causes of death of both Sennefer and Neferit could not be established, nor could the order in which they died. There was no written evidence that Neferit was Sennefer's wife, but together with the baby found in the coffin next to theirs, all three seem to form a family unit. Today they are reunited, on the shelf of the museum's display case. Complete mummified bodies All 3 mummified bodies are displayed in the cabinet which is mainly dedicated to the Ancient Egyptian human and animal remains and some other Ancient Egyptian artefacts. The bodies are placed on shelves behind glass doors, so the photographs cannot be rendered into panoramas to show the bodies in one image. The cabinet is located in the second room of the museum. The bodies and body parts were part of the project "Research on Ancient Egyptian Mummies" carried out by Eugen Strouhal and Luboš Vyhnálek at the Radiological Clinic of Charles University in Prague between 1971 and 1973 (Strouhal, 1980, 5). Their research was based on radiological examination, the only widely used method at the time for non-invasive examination of bodies wrapped in ancient wrappings. The aim of the investigation was to collect medical and anthropological data on the bodies and body parts without physically disturbing the remains. No objects remaining on the bodies were removed. X-rays were taken from a focus of 1 metre and in some cases a different exposure was used to obtain a clearer image (Strouhal,1980,16). A general external examination of the remains accompanied the project and the results were compiled in a comprehensive catalogue of all known mummified remains in Czechoslovakian collections at the time. According to Bruyère, the bodies should have arrived in Prague in 3 original coffins, but these could not be located at the time of the research in the early 1970s and are therefore presumed lost (Strouhal, 1980,28). If ever found, the coffins may provide clues to the identities of the 3 individuals described below. Inv. No. 15/1 Human remains from Deir el-Medina dating to the 19th-20th dynasties The mummified body of a woman is displayed in a stretched position on the middle shelf of the cabinet. During the mummification process, the body was coated with resin, causing the surface of the skin to turn black. Resin was applied to surfaces to prevent bacterial activity and to exclude moisture (Taylor, 2001, 84). Very few mummy wrappings survive on the body. The body is missing the lower parts of both upper limbs, only the upper parts remain. Some ribs in the lower thorax are missing. The head was placed on a wooden pole in the 20th century (Strouhal,1980,31). The facial features are well preserved. The hair, eyelashes and eyebrows are well preserved and it seems that the woman suffered from a birth defect in the form of a cleft lip (Matiegková,1929,253). From the top of the head to the heels, the body measures 159 cm. According to anthropologists, the woman died between 50 and 60 years of age. Mummification was practised in ancient Egypt from the second half of the 4th millennium BC, when bodies wrapped in linen with residues of resin were found in the mid-predynastic cemetery of Hierakonpolis (Taylor, 2001, 47), until the first centuries AD. The methods of artificial preservation changed and evolved over time, but the aim remained the same - to prevent the body from decomposing and to protect it from destruction. Surviving funerary texts stress the importance of the physical body as a place for the ka and ba to be reunited in the afterlife. The stages of preparing the deceased for burial within the tomb took around 70 days. The process included washing the body, removing the brain and intestines, drying the body with natron, packing the body cavities to provide support, anointing and cosmetic treatments, wrapping the body in linen and providing the external accessories in the form of funerary masks and coffins. The process of mummification made new advances during the New Kingdom, thanks to prosperity and stability. A wider range of materials from abroad (resins and oils) also became available as a result of contact with new places (Taylor, 2001, 83). The extraction of the brain and evisceration through the abdominal incision were standard features of mummification, but the best techniques were reserved for the royal family and the highest ranking members of the court, while the rest of the population had to make do with less elaborate procedures, sometimes reduced to simply wrapping the dried body. Inv. No. 15/2 Human remains from Deir el-Medina dated to the 19th-20th dynasties The mummified body of a male is displayed in a stretched position on the top shelf of the cabinet. The right upper arm rests beside the body, but the hand and forearm are missing. The left forearm is resting on the hip and the hand is resting on the genital area. The head is turned slightly to the left. The hair is preserved. Woven linen bandages have been preserved on the arms and lower limbs. They were applied in a circular motion. The feet are bound with thicker bandages. The exposed surface of the body is darkened by resin. There are traces of varnish application (Strouhal,1980,29). From the top of the head to the heels, the body measures 162 cm. According to anthropologists, the man died between the ages of 50 and 70. X-rays showed signs of osteoporosis throughout the skeleton. The dentition is almost complete and the tongue is present in the slightly open mouth. Mummification was not always carried out by a team of professional embalmers. The textual evidence suggests that at Deir el-Medina the bodies of the community were prepared, or at least wrapped, by the workers themselves. The so-called Absence ostrakon EA 5634 , now in the British Museum, bears the attendance record of the workmen in year 40 of the reign of Ramses II. The inscription on the front tells us, among other reasons for absence, that Hehnekhu wrapped (the corpse of) his mother in the 2nd month of summer, day 7, the same was done on the 8th day; Buqentuf wrapped (the corpse of) his mother in the 2nd month of summer, day 6, the same was done on the 8th day. The inscription on the back tells us that Amenemwia was in month 1 of winter, day 15 embalming Hormose, month 3 of winter, day 6 wrapping (the corpse of) his mother; Neferabu was in month 2 of summer, day 7 embalming his brother; Rahotep was in month 2 of summer, day 5 wrapping (the corpse of) his son, day 6, day 7, the same was done on day 8. The mummy bandages were made from strips and sheets of linen, often recycled from everyday clothes and bed linen. Usually the head and limbs were wrapped individually first, then sheets of linen alternating with narrow strips were applied in layers to create the standard shape of the mummy (Taylor, 2001, 59). The quality and quantity of the wrappings varied, and not many bodies survived in their original bandages once discovered, as pieces of jewellery and amulets were sought. Inv. No. 15/3 Human remains from Deir el-Medina dating from the 19th-20th dynasties The mummified body of a male is displayed in a stretched position on the top shelf of the cabinet. The upper arms are placed at the sides of the body. The only remaining linen wrappings are on the face, where they were placed in the 20th century due to the destruction of soft tissues in this area. Dark brown hair survives on the head, as does a short beard on the chin. Several ribs are dislocated and the ribcage is fractured on both sides, but the abdominal wall, although sunken, is well preserved. The surface of the body is shiny and black due to the use of resin during the embalming process. From the top of the head to the heels, the body measures 158 cm. The bone structure was found to be normal by anthropologists. As the male's external organs were preserved, it was easy to determine the sex of the mummy. The man probably died between 40 and 50 years old (Strouhal, 1980, 33-35). Health and disease Human remains are one of the sources for the study of disease in Pharaonic times. Over the past 200 years, mummies have been unpacked, examined, and later X-rayed and scanned. Together with written evidence, based on accounts of disease in papyri and ostraca, and pictorial and statuary representations of individuals, the evidence for health and disease can be gathered. The major health problems in ancient Egypt included - parasitic diseases, especially schistosomiasis (bilharzia), caused by immersion in water infested with free-swimming worms, dracunculiasis (guinea worm), caused by swallowing infested water, filariasis, caused by mosquitoes, roundworms, tapeworms and malaria - Bacterial and viral infections, especially tuberculosis, leprosy, tetanus, plague, sepsis and abscesses, osteomyelitis, smallpox. - Deformities, especially dwarfism, clubfoot, cleft lip and hydrocephalus - Cancer and other tumours - nutritional, endocrine and metabolic disorders, especially obesity, liver disease, malnutrition - Diseases of internal organs - bones and joints - Aches and pains - Disorders of the ears, eyes and nose - Skin disorders (Nunn,1996,64-95) Heads of mummies The heads are arranged by inventory number rather than chronologically, so the evolution of the preservation of the bodies at Deir el-Medina is summarised here in order to highlight the characteristic features of the mummification process that differed between the 19th-20th dynasties and the 21st dynasty. Aidan Dodson (Demarée, 2000, p. 98) noted that none of the late 18th dynasty bodies recovered from Deir el-Medina appeared to have undergone any preservation treatment other than simple wrapping. According to Dodson, the limited degree of post-mortem treatment explains the absence of canopic jars in any of these tombs. Thus, the bodies were left to decay and only skeletons survive (see below the skulls of Sennefer and his wife Neferit). The 19th and 20th dynasty remains from Deir el-Medina show mummification techniques. The removal of the brain became a regular feature of the process, as did evisceration. The 21st dynasty saw the technical peak of mummification procedures as embalmers attempted to recreate the natural appearance of the deceased. Wrappings were placed under the shrunken skin to restore the fullness of the features. Earth, mud, linen, sawdust, sand, lichen, mixtures of the above or other materials (Taylor,2001,86). The skin was often painted - red for males and yellow for females, in keeping with artistic tradition. Inv. No. 15/6 A mummified head from Deir el-Medina dated to the 21st dynasty Height: 20 cm This well-preserved head was excavated by the French Institute and donated to the Anthropological Institute in Prague, but remained in the possession of Dr Jindřich Matiegka. After his death the head was donated to the Hrdlička Museum. The head and parts of the neck have been preserved, although no linen wrapping has survived. The face is remarkably lifelike thanks to the fact that the soft tissues have not disintegrated and that the artificial eyes are still in place. The eyes are white glass with black round irises in the centre. The X-rays showed that material - perhaps linen - was stuffed into the eye sockets to hold the artificial eyes in place. The fullness of the cheeks was achieved by stuffing earth behind them, according to examination (Strouhal, 1980, 60). The nose is well preserved, but both lips are missing, revealing both sets of teeth, which are not badly worn. The entire top of the head is devoid of any soft tissue or hair, the skull being completely exposed. The anthropologists took into account the good condition of the teeth and the bone structure of the forehead and chin and concluded that the head most probably belonged to a woman who died between 30 and 40 years of age (Strouhal, 1980,60). Inv. No. 15/7 A mummified head from Deir el-Medina dated to the 21st dynasty Height: 23 cm The head and neck are well preserved. The soft tissues as well as both ears and lips are preserved. Both cheeks have been modelled to give a full appearance - soil fillings were inserted into the mouth and beyond the cheeks during the mummification process. The process caused the skin to tear in several places where the incisions were made. X-rays showed shadows over the entire face, indicating that the artificial filling was under the skin (Strouhal, 1980, 71). The face was painted with red pigment and the whole head was covered with efflorescent salt (Matiegková,1929,252). There were bundles of linen in both nasal passages. As the cranial cavity also showed a similar density of filling on the x-ray, it was established that the same filling had been used as for the face, rather than the usual resin filling, which would show a denser shadow. The fact that most of the head was filled with earth also explained the heaviness of the head. Very few pieces of linen have survived on the surface. Some hair remains have been preserved. The radiological examination revealed a normal structure of the bone tissue. The teeth, which cannot be seen because the mouth is closed, showed insignificant wear on the x-ray (Strouhal, 1980, 71). Considering the fact that the connective tissue joint on the top of the head was not visible due to the presence of fillings, but the frontal connective tissue joint was open, together with the condition of the teeth, the anthropologists concluded that the head belonged to an adult male who died between the ages of 25 and 35. Inv. No. 15/8 A mummified head from Deir el-Medina dated to the 21st dynasty Height: 24 cm The soft tissues of the head and neck are well preserved, but the nose and ears are missing. The skin of the face is yellowish-brown due to the artificial colouring applied during the mummification process. Remnants of straight hair are preserved. Both eyelids are open, but the artificial eye present in the left orbit is missing in the right orbit. The radiograph shows that both artificial eyes were supported by bundles of linen placed in the sockets (Strouhal, 1980, 73). Both cheeks appear full due to the fillings that have been inserted. The right cheek is missing a part, the left cheek is slightly cracked where the incision for the filling was made. The mouth is open and the teeth are visible. The x-ray shows that they are only slightly abraded (Strouhal, 1980, 74). Considering the features of the skull, the fact that some connective tissue joints are still open and the state of the teeth, the anthropologists concluded that the head belonged to a woman who died between 30 and 50 years old. Inv. No. 15/10 A mummified head from Deir el-Medina dating to the 18th-20th dynasties. The head and part of the neck are mostly covered with linen bandages, which are missing mainly in the area of the nose, mouth and chin. The exposed parts show skeleton rather than soft tissue. X-rays showed that the eye sockets were empty and that no artificial eyes had been inserted. Examination revealed normal bone structure and highly abraded and defective teeth. According to the anthropologists, the head belonged to a man who died in his 50s. The teeth were misaligned. Inv. No. 15/11 A mummified head from Deir el-Medina dating from the 18th-20th dynasties. Height: 26 cm The head and part of the neck are wrapped in woven linen. The bandages are missing from the right side of the face. The exposed bone and eye socket show no soft tissue or artificial eye. The neck area bears remnants of black resin. The examination revealed a normal structure of the bone tissue and the teeth were found to be defective and severely abraded. The arched forehead, broad, protruding chin and robust bones were considered by the anthropologists to belong to a man who died between 30 and 50 years old. They found that one of the vertebrae had a smooth outgrowth of immature bone (Strouhal, 1980, 58), which often occurs as a result of degenerative disease. This individual had suffered from a musculoskeletal disorder throughout his life. The skin of the face was painted during mummification with a reddish-brown resinous varnish mixed with salt (Matiegková, 1929, 253). The eyebrows were painted black. Both eyes have bundles of linen inserted into the sockets between the eyelids. The linen is painted white on the surface with black dots for the irises. There are several cracks in the surface of the skin. They were caused by the incisions made to insert the fillings behind the lips and cheeks (Strouhal, 1980, 74). The fillings are a mixture of resin, salt, sawdust, etc. (Matiegková,1929,253). The mouth is closed. During the examination a short beard and a moustache were found on the chin and the upper lip. The x-ray revealed shadows in the lower part of the face (fillings) and in the cranial cavity. The shadow in the cavity did not appear to be very dense and it was concluded that earth and sand rather than resin had been used as fillers (Strouhal, 1980, 75). The radiographs showed that the bone tissue had a normal structure. The teeth were not visible on the radiographs because of the fillings, so their condition could not be determined. Degenerative changes on the spine were observed in the form of an osteophyte. Osteophytes form naturally at the back of the spine as a person ages. They do not usually cause back pain, but are often a symptom of a deeper problem. However, they can pinch nerves that leave the spine for other parts of the body. This can cause pain in both upper and lower limbs and numbness or tingling in the hands and feet (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osteophyte ). The anthropologists suggested an age of death between 30 and 40 years. The head belonged to a male. Inv. No. 15/12 A mummified head from Deir el-Medina dated to the 21st dynasty Height: 23 cm The head and neck are preserved in an exceptionally lifelike state. The linen bandages are wrapped around the head and neck, although not in their original position. During examination in the early 1970s, the bandages were lifted to reveal remnants of short hair and both ears, then reapplied in a slightly different position, as compared to the photograph taken at the time of the article in 1929, when the head was examined by Ludmila Matiegková. The face is unbandaged. The soft tissues are very well preserved, except for the nose, which is completely missing. The damage to the nose must have occurred after the two examinations, because in both the Matiegková and Strouhal reports, the nose is clearly visible in the photographs of the head and in the reports. Inv. No. 15/13 A mummified head from Deir el-Medina dated to the 21st dynasty Height: 23 cm The head, neck and upper part of the chest are very well preserved, with no traces of the original wrapping. Both ears and nose are preserved. The skin of the face has a dark tone, almost greyish/black, due to colouring during the mummification process. Traces of gilding are visible. The mouth is closed, as are both eyes. The radiograph shows that there are cavities behind the eyelids - originally the artificial eyes must have been in place (Strouhal, 1980, 75). Thick curly hair is preserved on the head. No fillings are visible in the cranial cavity. The structure of the bone tissue is normal. Although the connective tissue on the skull was found to be open, it was diagnosed as a persistent frontal suture. The age was estimated by the anthropologists at 15-17 years. The head probably belonged to a male. Inv. No. 15/14 A mummified head from Deir el-Medina dated to the 21st dynasty Height of the head: 16 cm Height of the head together with the shoulder: 21 cm The head, neck, vertebrae, thorax, rib and a right shoulder have survived together with a few wrappings on the top of the head. The soft tissues and the right ear are well preserved. The facial features are recognisable. Both eyes are closed, the mouth is slightly open and a few teeth are visible. The skin appears to be black due to varnish with resin applied during the mummification process (Matiegková, 1929, 252). The radiographs show shadows in the lower half of the face, while there are no shadows in the cranial cavity, which means that the cheeks are filled and the cavity is empty. Although the eye sockets are empty, the arching of the upper lids suggests that they were filled during the mummification process (Strouhal, 1980, 72). Based on the development of the teeth and the appearance of the connective tissue joint on the skull, anthropologists suggested that the infant was between 2 and 3 years old. Infant deaths Life in ancient Egypt was fraught with dangers for babies and young children, from disease and infection to insect and snake bites. Infant mortality was high, as it still is today in countries with inadequate medical care. Numerous burials of children have been discovered either within ancient Egyptian cemeteries or in the floors of living quarters. In the area of the eastern cemetery of Deir el-Medina, more than 100 burials of infants were excavated. Their remains were laid out in domestic pottery, baskets, chests, boxes and some in wooden coffins (Janssen,2007,19). We have looked at the past and assessed the present state of the remains of the inhabitants of Deir el-Medina housed in the Anthropological Museum in Hrdlička. What does the future hold? For the past two decades, radiologists have been using computed tomography (CT) scans to learn more about ancient bodies. This modern medical technology uses sectional imaging, in which hundreds of images of the body are taken and stitched together using computers to create 3-D views. This high-tech tool can distinguish between different types of bone and soft tissue and produces clearer images than the conventional X-rays used to examine the remains in the 1970s. used to examine the remains in the 1970s. If, in the future, each of the complete mummies were to undergo a CT scan, not only could this non-invasive examination provide further clues about the mummies themselves, but the reconstructed 3D images could also be used to reconstruct the faces, allowing us to truly see a face emerging from behind the curtain of the past. Sources: 1. Strouhal, E., Vyhnálek, L.: Egyptian mummies in Czechoslovak collections Národní Museum v Praze, 1980. 2. Matiegková, L.: Vyšetřování egyptských mumií IN : Anthropologie čís. 1-2, p. 237-253. Rozhledy-Review-Revue Praha : Anthropologicky Ustav UK, 19--. 3. Matiegková, L., Matiegka, J.: Hrob Sen Nefera a tělesné znaky staroegyptského lidu za doby XVIII dynastie (Le tombe de Sen Nefer et les caractères physiques des anciens Egyptiens au temps de la XVIIIe dynastie Offprint : Anthropologie IX, cis. 1. pp. 320-335. Praha : Grafické závody V. & A. Janata v Novém Bydžově, 1931. 4. Skvařilová, B.: Hrdličkovo muzeum človeka Univerzity Karlovy Praha : Hrdličkovo muzeum, 2010. 5. Deir el-Medina in the third millenniuim AD : a tribute to Jac. J. Janssen / edited by R. J. Demarée and A. Egberts Leiden : Nederlands Instituut voor Het Nabije Oosten, 2000. 6. Janssen, Rosalind and Janssen, Jac. J.: Growing up and getting old in ancient Egypt London : Golden House Publications, 2007. 7. Taylor, John H.: Death and afterlife in ancient Egypt London : British Museum Press, 2001. 8. Strouhal, Evzen: Life of the ancient Egyptians Liverpool : Liverpool University Press, 1997. 9. Nunn, John F.: Ancient Egyptian medicine London : British Museum Press, 1996. 10. Deir el-Medina in the third millenniuim AD : a tribute to Jac. J. Janssen / edited by R. J. Demarée and A. Egberts Leiden : Nederlands Instituut voor Het Nabije Oosten, 2000. 11. Tomsová, Julie: Dvojí život Sennefera z Dér el-Medíny : Bachelor degree thesis Praha : Univerzita Karlova v Praze , Filozofická fakulta, Český egyptologický ústav, 2014. 12. Tomsová, Julie, Schierová, Zuzana: Skeletal material from Deir el-Medina in the Hrdlička Museum of Man in Prague IN : Annals of the Náprstek Musem 37/1, 2016, pp. 41-69 http://www.natur.cuni.cz/biology/hrdlickovo-muzeum/aboutus_listing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osteophyte http://muzeumcloveka.cz/en/permanent-exhibition/ Further bibliography Back to top

Another group of cult structures is located to the east of the enclosure wall of the main Ptolemaic temple. Remains of a Ramesside chapel are to be found here. Chapels east of the enclosure wall of the main Ptolemaic temple Another group of cult structures is located to the east of the enclosure wall of the main Ptolemaic temple. On the lower slopes of Qurnet Mura'i lie the remains of two buildings, one of which was classified by Bruyère as a temple, photographs and discussion of which can be found on the "Temples " page. The other remains belong to the small Ramesside chapel situated opposite the south-east corner of the enclosure wall. The chapel was carved into the cliff of Qurnet Mura'i. It consisted of a hall, a pronaos and a sanctuary. The hall was entered by a flight of steps. It contained two benches, one along the southern wall and the other opposite, along the northern wall. Four steps with a balustrade led to the pronaos, which contained two columns. There were benches in each niche of the tripartite sanctuary. On the northern wall of the sanctuary there are traces of wall decorations. The chapel was later converted into a Christian church. 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. Further bibliography Back to top

The owner of the tomb 338 was called May. He was a painter employed at the Theban Necropolis and living at Deir el-Medina during the 18th dynasty, around 1300 BC. His title was the "outline draughtsman of Amun" (Rice,105-106). His tomb is situated in the Western Necropolis at Deir el-Medina. May's tomb no 338 at Deir el-Medina The owner of tomb number 338 was called May. He was a painter employed in the Theban necropolis and lived in Deir el-Medina during the 18th Dynasty, around 1300 BC. His title was the "outline draughtsman of Amun" (Rice,105-106). His tomb is located in the Western Necropolis of Deir el-Medina near the tomb of the architect Kha (TT8) and is numbered TT 338. Chapel of May The wall paintings from May's tomb were removed from the walls and taken to Turin. From Deir el-Medina / Chapel of May (TT 338) Dimensions: 185 x 145 x 225 cm Clay and painted stucco The original paintings are on display in the Egyptian Museum in Turin, Italy, in Room 06 Inventory NB: S. 7910 RCGE 45711 Photos by Lenka Peacock 2020 © Fondazione Museo delle Antichità Egizio di Torino http://collezioni.museoegizio.it/en-GB/material/S_7910/?description=&inventoryNumber=&title=chapel&cgt=&yearFrom=&yearTo=&materials=&provenance=deir+el-medina&acquisition=&epoch=&dynasty=&pharaoh= Stela of May From Deir el-Medina / Chapel of May (TT 338) End of the 18th, beginning of the 19th dynasty Limestone This round-topped stela is divided into 3 registers. The upper register shows May and his wife worshipping before Osiris and Hathor, both seated on their thrones. In the lower register the couple is seated on chairs in front of an offering table. Their daughter stands beside them. A procession of their family members approach them with their offerings: 3 men in the middle register and 4 men and 2 women in the lower register. Dimensions: 66,7 x 42 x 7,3 cm The stela is on display in the Egyptian Museum in Turin, Italy, in the Room III Inventory no. Cat. 1579 RCGE 46595 Stela of draughtsman May From Deir el-Medina End of the 18th, beginning of the 19th dynasty Limestone Height: 30 cm Width: 21 cm The stela would have come from a niche in the Chapel of May, where it would have been placed on a stone base (according to Bernard Bruyère). When Deir el-Medina was excavated in the last century, these chapels were partially or completely lost, as they were built above ground and made of mud bricks. The stela is on display at Kingston Lacy , Dorset, England, in the Billiards Room Bankes stela no. 1. Photo by Lenka Peacock 2011 © The National Trust, UK It is a round stela with a double division. In the lunette - the spatial area in the upper part of the stela - the solar barque carries a solar disc over the sky, represented by the hieroglyphic pt (sky). On the right side of the barque a child is seated with his thumb in his mouth. The lower part of the stela consists of an image of a man standing at the bottom of the right side of the stela. He is looking to the right. His arms are raised in a pose of worship. Above and in front of the figure there are 10 columns with hieroglyphic inscriptions. The columns are written from top to bottom and read from left to right. The text consists of a hymn to the setting sun: "Praise to Re when he sets in life in the western horizon of heaven. You have appeared in the western half as Atum who is in the evening, having come in your might, having no adversaries and having taken possession of the sky as Re. You appear and shine upon the back of your mother, having appeared (as) king of Divine Ennead. I have done right in your presence, and kiss the ground (for?) your crew, worshipping (whilst) you travel the heaven, your heart glad. The Island of Flame has become peaceful, your enemies are fallen and are no more. The evil dragon's abode is doomed. Your corpse is Atum in the Boat of the Morning, the rightful one of the Two Lands. Beautiful is the Boat of the Evening when is has accomplished its end. (Said) by the draughtsman May, true of voice." (Čern‎ý,1958) This type of stela is called a lucerne stela. A total of 13 lucarne stelae have been identified from Deir el-Medina. This stela is an early example of its type as the owner is shown standing rather than kneeling in worship. Only one other stela - Turin 50043 - shares this feature, all other 11 stelae show the owner kneeling. The Lucarne stelae share the following characteristics - a sun barque shown in the lunette, usually placed above the pt sign - a solar disc or other representation of the sun god is depicted in the solar barque - The sun god is accompanied by other symbols related to him (worshipping baboons, wedjat eyes). - The owner either stands or kneels in worship before the barque. - Although the owner's relatives may be depicted, this is rarely the case. - The hymn, written in columns, praises the rising and/or setting sun. Lucarne stelae were made from the late 18th dynasty to the 20th dynasty. They measure between 30 and 55 cm (Goyon, 2007, 1953-1954). To view and browse the digitised version of The Topographical Bibliography of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts, Statues, Reliefs and Paintings, (also known as Porter & Moss or TopBib) for this tomb, go to http://www.griffith.ox.ac.uk/topbib/pdf/pm1-1.pdf#page=424 Material for the Bibliography is gathered from an ever-expanding range of multi-lingual sources, encompassing both specialist and semi-popular Egyptological and Near Eastern publications, periodicals, museum guides, exhibition and auction catalogues, together with the growing wealth of web resources. The Bibliography also analyses a range of unpublished manuscripts, including those housed in the Griffith Institute Archive. Published in May 2014 by the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, the volumes are constantly revised and augmented. Sources: 1. Rice, Michael: Who is who in Ancient Egypt London : Routledge, 2002. 2. Čern‎ý, J. Egyptian Stelae in the Bankes Collection. Oxford, 1958. 3. Goyon, Jean Claude and Cardin, Christine: Proceedings of the 9th International Congress of Egyptologists, Vol. 1 Peeters Publishers, 2007. 2031 p. 4. http://collezioni.museoegizio.it/en-GB/material/S_7910/?description=&inventoryNumber=&title=chapel&cgt=&yearFrom=&yearTo=&materials=&provenance=deir+el-medina&acquisition=&epoch=&dynasty=&pharaoh= Further bibliography Back to top

Qen's tomb no 4 at Deir el-Medina lies within the Western cemetery. Qen's tomb no 4 at Deir el-Medina The 2020 campaign of the IFAO mission to Deir el-Medina took place from 5 January to 1 March under the direction of Cédric Larcher. The results have been published in the Bulletin archéologique des Écoles françaises à l'étranger - Deir el-Médina (2020) Mission d'étude et de restauration on https://journals.openedition.org/baefe/2985#tocto2n1 The following text is a translation into English from the original French: Located south of TT 335 (Nakhtamon) and north of TT 213 (Penamon), the tomb of Qen has a relatively simple layout. Its superstructure consists of a courtyard leading to a chapel with both sculpted and painted decoration, a rarity for tombs of the Deir el-Medina period. The chapel is modest in size: 3.27 m north-south by 2.03 m east-west. A pit in the north-western part of the chapel, 2.40 m deep, gives access to two undecorated burial chambers (Vault 1 and Vault 2). The first measures 3.70m by 3.20m and the second 3.80m by 2m. An external pit (no. 1054) to the south of the chapel gives access to the third vault (3.80m by 3.50m), which is connected to vault 2 and may be an older vault reused by Qen. After a fire, only a pillar and the southern jamb of the doorway still bear traces of inscriptions. The north wall shows traces of decoration. The literature on the tomb mainly refers to the texts inscribed on the walls of the chapel. Only two photographs of the reliefs of TT 4 have been published so far, which shows the importance of a comprehensive publication of this tomb (Černy 1927, pl. IV, figs. 1-2). Since 2013, several stages of research have been carried out on this tomb: - Production of facsimiles - Creation of a topographical survey and a 3D model by Olivier Onézime (topographer) - photographic coverage of the tomb by Ihab Mohamed Ibrahim (photographer, IFAO) - Study of the objects kept in the Carter's storerooms. In 2019, a team of restorers (Christina Verbeek and Stefan Lochner) carried out a laser test in the decorated burial chamber (Vault 3) to determine how to remove the thick layer of soot under which the decorations are partially visible. In addition to the soot, there is a layer of clay combined with a relatively thick layer of settled dirt, which would require a lengthy restoration process to remove. The study of TT 4 will therefore continue at this stage. In 2019, new research will be carried out to bring together all the monuments of TT 4, and a first stay at the Griffith Institute in Oxford will allow partial consultation of the archives of Jacques Jean Clère kept there. During the two weeks spent in Deir el-Medina during the 2020 mission, the drawings made between 2014 and 2016 were verified and compared with the old photographic archives. It was also possible to encode and transliterate the hieroglyphic texts on the north, south and west walls of the chapel, which are the least legible. Due to the current state of health (pandemic), it has not yet been possible to complete the museographic mission to bring together all the objects from TT 4. This will be done as soon as possible in order to start writing the publication. Sources: 1. Černy, Jaroslav: Le culte d’Amenophis I chez les ouvriers de la Nécropole thébaine, IN : BIFAO 27, 1927, p. 159-203. 2. https://journals.openedition.org/baefe/2985#tocto2n1 Further bibliography Back to top

An enormous pit measuring over 50 metres deep and 30 metres wide. It is generally thought that the ancient inhabitants of Deir el-Medina attempted to dig a well here in search of a convenient supply of water. The Great Pit North of the Ptolemaic Temple, just before the valley opens, lies the second largest feature of Deir el-Medina (the first being the Ptolemaic Temple): an enormous pit over 50 metres deep and 30 metres wide. It is generally believed that the ancient inhabitants of Deir el-Medina tried to dig a well here in search of a convenient water supply. The search was unsuccessful, however, as the water level of the Nile was much lower than it was possible to dig, so water had to continue to be carried by donkeys from the farmlands several hundred metres away. Although the river now flows at a considerable distance from the settlement, it has changed course several times since ancient times. Napoleon's cartographers at the end of the 18th century mapped the main channel much closer to the western hills than it is today. In ancient times, water points were set up in places around the settlement and large pottery containers were provided to hold the water. From these points, water was distributed to individual houses within the village. In modern times the water points still fulfil their function, as can be seen in these pictures taken in February 2007. The picture was taken in Deir el-Medina itself, the picture below was taken on the road leading from Deir el-Medina at the crossroads to Medinet Habu and the and the Valley of the Queens. When attempts to find water were finally abandoned, the huge hole was used as a rubbish pit and filled with debris, including hundreds of ostraka. The pit was the richest source of both hieratic and figural ostraka found in the area of the village. An excerpt from Jaroslav Černý's lecture held in Cairo on April 4th 1932 (the manuscript of which is held at the Archive of the Ancient Near East and Africa Department, National Museum - Náprstek Museum, Prague, Czech Republic): "Water represents a great expenditure during the excavations. Deir el-Medina lies completely in the desert - the nearest tree is about a quarter of an hour. The ancient Egyptians had tried to dig a well in the vicinity of the temple of Deir el-Medina, but even at a depth of 60 meters they reached no water. Therefore all water for washing, cooking and drinking has to be transported from the well located down in the plain close to Medinet Habu. The well belongs to our chief workman Hassan Khalif. He gives us water for free, but we must pay the man who pumps it from the well, and the donkeys, who transport it up to our house every day from morning till evening. The expenses for water reach, if I am not mistaken, 30 crowns a day. The lion's share of this sum ends up in the pocket of our reis anyway, as the donkeys belong to him and he pays the man who pumps, and he certainly does not give him all that he charges us for him." View of the pit from east to west. The chapels north of the enclosure wall of the Ptolemaic temple are below the cliffs on the left. View of the pit looking from the south to the north, located just in front of the chapels situated to the north of the enclosure wall of the Ptolemaic temple. During archaeological excavations, Bruyère dated the current form of the pit to Ptolemaic times, but two documents from the 20th dynasty record successive attempts to dig down to the water level from a point north of the village. As there are no other very deep pits in the area, these Ramesside attempts must have been made in the same place. 1. Ostrakon DeM 92 Year 15, fourth month of winter, day 12. List of all the work done in the well: previously 36 1/2 cubits work subsequently 6 1/2 cubits total 43 2. Papyrus Turin 1923 (+ fragments) Year 2 (or 3), second month of summer, day 15. This day, the chief builder [...] of the estate of Amun arrived to measure the well in front of [...] the Necropolis to the water surface (of) the lake of the Ramesseum: from the lake to the Enclosure of the Necropolis: elevation [...] cubits from the Necropolis to the well: 26 cubits 5 palms total: 60 + X The difference makes 22 cubits 5 palms to the water surface. So one shall dig 10 to [...] the water. Total: 22 cubits 5 palms A staircase cut into the rock spirals down the walls of the pit to the bottom. The late Professor of Egyptology Dr Jaana Toivari-Viitala of the University of Helsinki posted a note on the EEF in June 2009 that Guillemette Andreau had given a talk at the Rhodes Congress in 2008 in which she announced that the IFAO & Louvre were working on texts from the Great Pit. There are 18 pages of references to the Great Pit in the Archives de Bernard Bruyère, which have been digitised by the IFAO and are now accessible at http://www.ifao.egnet.net/bases/archives/bruyere/?sujet=Fouille+du+grand+puits&page=1 The text on this page was written by Lenka Peacock Photography © Lenka and Andy Peacock Sources: 1. Pharaoh's workers : the villagers of Deir el-Medina / edited by Leonard H. Lesko Ithaca : Cornell University Press, 1994. 2. James, T.G.H.: Pharaoh's people : scenes from life in Imperial Egypt New York : Tauris Parke, 2003. 3. Romer, John: Ancient lives : the story of the Pharaoh's tombmakers London : Phoenix, 1984. 4. McDowell, A.G.: Village life in ancient Egypt : laundry lists and love songs Oxford : Oxford University Press, 1999. 5. Théby : město bohů a faraónů = Thebes : city of gods and pharaohs / Jana Mynářová & Pavel Onderka (eds.) Praha : Národní Museum, 2007. 6. http://www.ifao.egnet.net/bases/archives/bruyere/?sujet=Fouille+du+grand+puits&page=1 Further Bibliography Back to top

The fourth field season of the research group called "Workmen's huts in the Theban mountains", which is a part of the ongoing project "Man and his environment", was launched on the 10th October 2011 and was again funded by the Academy of Finland. Finnish team at the workmen's huts in 2011 The fourth field season of the research group called "Workmen's huts in the Theban mountains", which is a part of the ongoing project "Man and his environment", started on 10 October 2011 and was again funded by the Academy of Finland. The working area of the latest season was more extensive than in previous seasons. The main objective was to excavate and document the western cluster of huts and the ruins of the rock chapel and its surroundings, as well as to measure and document the northern and eastern clusters. The season was very successful and all objectives were achieved. The excavation area has now been accurately surveyed and there is sufficient data to produce an overall map of the site and of the individual huts and chapel. Preliminary maps show significant differences from the map published by Bernard Bruyère in his excavation report of 1939. Most of the pottery finds consisted of fragments, although several examples of complete vessels were found. Two bowls were found in one of the mastaba benches in the western cluster. Most of the pottery fragments can be dated to the New Kingdom, more precisely to the 19th and 20th dynasties, but a good deal of Coptic pottery was also recovered. Identifying the individual rooms in the western cluster was a challenge, as the reality did not match Bruyère's 1939 map. Once the crumbling stones had been removed from the standing walls and the room units were clearly identifiable, it was possible to count the number of existing rooms in the cluster. The total number was 51. The height of the walls varied greatly across the centre of the cluster from east to west, resulting in a significant drop between the huts. The rooms built in the depression were therefore at a much lower level than the than those on the edge of the cluster. Almost all the walls were restored during the French excavations of 1939. In some places none of the original ancient Egyptian walls remained, in others only the lowest layer of layer of stones was original. Fragments of plaster, used to make the walls smooth, were found in many rooms. Sometimes the remains of a thinner layer of white plaster, 1-3 millimetres thick, could be seen on top of the thicker grey-brown layer of plaster. Many of the walls thus had a smooth surface, at least partially whitewashed. As the ground is very uneven and sloping in different directions, the flat floors were constructed using loose soil. parts of the floor surface. A smooth surface was then created by compacting and/or coating with mortar. The architectural elements found in the rooms consisted of mastaba benches, limestone seats / stools, fixed thresholds and loose thresholds. thresholds and loose thresholds carved in stone with a hole for a bolt (the door was thus designed like the swing doors). A limestone headrest was also found. Remains of fireplaces were found in three of the rooms. Two other fireplaces were found near the outer walls of the cluster. walls. Shards of Coptic pottery were found in the ashes of one of the fireplaces. The identification and analysis of the ruins of the chapel is problematic. No evidence has been found to indicate to whom or to which gods the chapel was dedicated. Even the design of the structure itself raises questions. It is possible that it consisted of a central altar room, bordered on each side by a room. This would be a typical "tripartite sanctuary" for the holy triad. At the moment it is not possible to say with certainty that the flanked units were indeed "rooms". There are steps carved into the rock flanking the southern wall of the chapel. Some of the steps have unpublished graffiti dating back to the Pharaonic period. The Pharaonic graffiti covering the cliff surface has been has been published. Steps carved into the rock are also visible in front of the sanctuary itself. Remains of plaster have been found on these steps as well as on the walls and floor of the sanctuary. The number of finds for this season rose to 229. Most of the objects found are ostraka with hieratic texts or graphic designs. Fragments of stelae with images and many fragments with hieroglyphic text were also found. The most spectacular discovery was made under a pile of stones, described by the French excavators as a "thick wall" separating two rooms in the eastern cluster. When the stones were removed, it turned out that the "thick wall" was actually a small room or space between the two rooms. In one corner of the room was found what at first sight looked like pile of fabric. Perhaps linen for mummification? No! When the bundle was examined, it was found to be twisted rags used as lamp wicks. Jaana Toivari-Viitala had never seen anything like it in her "Egyptological life" - not in any museum, not in any publication. Some modern objects were also found. Pieces of pipes, perhaps used by Bruyère himself, emerged from the sand, as did old and stylish cigarette boxes. At the end of the fieldwork, all the objects were taken to the Valley of the Kings and later to the SCA storeroom next to the Carter House. The next season, starting in autumn 2012, will focus on the best possible conservation of the ruins. Photography © 2011 Heidi Kontkanen The project team: Jaana Toivari-Viitala, Elina Paulin-Grothe, Tanja Alsheimer, Virpi Perunka, Annika Eklund, Pavel Onderka, John Winfer, Abd El-Hamid Osman Taia Daramalli (Abdu), Yrjö Viitala, student trainee Kaarina Hemminki, insp. Mohamed Hatim from SCA + 41 local workers The Finnish version of the “Reflections on the Workmen's Huts in the Theban Mountains field project's third season” was written by Jaana Toivari-Viitala and published in The Finnish Egyptological Society’s member newsletter KIRJURI, 1/2012. The article was kindly translated by Heidi Kontkanen from Helsinki. www.egyptologinenseura.fi On Saturday 8 September 2012, the Egypt Exploration Society organised a seminar in London entitled The Workmen's Huts in the Theban Mountains, documenting the royal tomb builders' huts above the Valley of the Kings. Dr Jaana Toivari-Viitala, Head of the Egyptology Programme at the University of Helsinki, was the speaker for the day. She described the work of the past four seasons during which her team has been excavating the remains of the huts above the Valley of the Kings at the Station de Repos'. The Finnish team has excavated three of the four groups. So far they have found over 700 objects (excluding pottery and faience). All the objects are now stored in the storerooms of the Carter House on the west bank of the Nile in Luxor. Working conditions were harsh and a thermometer photo showed the team enduring temperatures as high as 63 degrees Celsius! But the cooler breeze on the cliffs makes this place more bearable than the conditions in the valleys below, so it could be refreshing for the crew to sit and relax in the cooler evening air after a day's work. During the four seasons of surveying, the Finnish team found that the existing layout of the remains of the huts did not always correspond to the map published by Bernard Bruyère in 1939. The numbering of the huts used by Bruyère also had to be adjusted due to inaccuracies. Bruyère's notebooks, which he kept during the excavation in April 1935, have been published by the French Institute and are now available online: Archives de Bernard Bruyère (1879-1971) MS_2004_0156_024 ; 7 April 1935 - 8 April 1935 http://www.ifao.egnet.net/bases/archives/bruyere/?&os=557 MS_2004_0156_025 ; 9 April 1935 - 14 April 1935 http://www.ifao.egnet.net/bases/archives/bruyere/?&os=558 MS_2004_0156_026 ; 9 April 1935 - 14 April 1935 http://www.ifao.egnet.net/bases/archives/bruyere/?&os=559 The Finnish team used Bruyère's numbering with modifications and published a new map of the existing layout in their preliminary report of the work carried out during the fourth season in 2011-2012 (the link to which can be found at the bottom of this page). The French team published their finds from the 1935 season in the village of Deir el-Medina together with the finds from the area around the huts, without distinguishing the sites, so that it is now impossible to know which objects came from the area that the Finnish team is concerned with. We were shown slides of some fascinating finds: an intact New Kingdom bowl, a fragment of a votive stele dedicated to the goddess Meretseger, and several ostraka, mainly pictorial. One large ostrakon was found in many pieces and is now being assembled like a large jigsaw puzzle. A bundle of linen carpets was found along with 27 lamp wicks - the only complete set of wicks ever found. The wicks were of different thicknesses and lengths and the linen was of different types. Rosalind Janssen, who was in the audience, will be studying the find in the future. As well as being an expert on Deir el-Medina, she is also an expert on textiles and this is her main research (resulting in a publication: Hall, Rosalind: Egyptian textiles). Several slides documented the condition of the rooms before the clearance and their condition after the work. Floor plaster was found in some of the huts: it had been laid in three layers - two layers of limestone plaster mixed with earth, and the top layer was thin and white pure plaster. A slide of a stone door post with a recess for a wooden door peg and a photograph of another, taller, upright door post were among the architectural finds that documented the way the huts were once enclosed. These were found in several places. We were also shown a picture of the original plaster that had survived intact on the wall of one of the huts. Most huts consisted of 2 rooms, but the hut of Kenherkhepshef, who held the office of scribe from at least year 40 of Ramesses II and continued until year 1 of Siptah (c. years 1239-1193 BC), was the largest and most centrally located hut in the settlement and consisted of 3 rooms. We were shown slides of Kenherkhepshef's room, which was paved with limestone slabs, and his seat made of limestone blocks. It was U-shaped, as if to imitate the wooden seats of the furniture in the village houses. The team found nearly 20 fireplaces, some inside the huts, some outside. Two of the fireplaces contained New Kingdom pottery and ash, which helped to date their use to the New Kingdom. It has been suggested that the function of the fires outside the huts may have been to keep wolves away. While the team was working on the site, a snake about 1.5 metres long passed by the team and made its way up the cliffs of Al-Qurn to bask in the sun. The photo of the large snake was a sobering sight for those who had visited the huts in the past and, like us, walked around and sat down on the ground to eat or just to reflect on the past. The analysis of the ruins of the shrine, located to the south of the huts at the foot of the rising mountain, was problematic. Clearing the area revealed steps carved into the rock flanking the south wall of the shrine. They reach above the shrine. The entire structure consisted of only a few original layers of New Kingdom stone. The modern walls built by the French team were dismantled by the Finns. The layout itself raises questions. It is possible that it consisted of a central altar room bordered on each side by a room. This would be a typical "tripartite sanctuary" for the holy triad. However, there is no evidence to clarify to whom or to which gods the sanctuary was dedicated. It is interesting to note that it is the only building on the site that faces the temple of Karnak on the east bank. At the moment it is not even possible to say with certainty that the flanked units were actually "rooms", the team call them "dummy rooms". The seminar ended with a stimulating discussion about the possible functions of the site. Was the site a gentlemen's club? Game pieces and a game board were found at the site. Rosalind Janssen mentioned a text referring to "a place of hard drinking", which has not yet been identified. Was it a pub? Other suggestions for the use of the site included a checkpoint, an administrative centre for the workers, an infirmary or even a place where tomb robbers hid to share their booty. The Finnish team has one more season - the last - to resolve these questions and find the answer to the project's objective: what was the purpose of the huts during the Ramesside period? I would like to thank Andrea from Sweden and Malcolm Dennes from Somerset, UK, who both attended the seminar with me, for their valuable contributions to the content of this page. http://www.egyptologinenseura.fi/tyomiesmajat-theban-vuoristossa-projekti-2008-2013/ Photography © Andy and Lenka Peacock unless otherwise stated Sources: 1. KIRJURI, 2/2011-The Finnish Egyptological Society’s member newsletter 2. http://www.helsinki.fi/news/archive/1-2009/28-13-42-13.html (accessed in 2012) 3. http://www.egyptologinenseura.fi/English/engframe.htm (accessed in 2012) 4. http://www.egyptologinenseura.fi/fieldwork/Preliminary%20report_WHTM%20Project_fourth%20field%20season%202011-2012.pdf (accessed in 2012) 5.http://www.egyptologinenseura.fi/fieldwork/Preliminary%20Report_Toivari-VIitala_Academy%20of% 20Finland_Season2010_for%20ASAE.pdf (accessed in 2012) 6. http://www.egyptologinenseura.fi/fieldwork/engl/index.html (accessed in 2012) 7. http://www.ees.ac.uk/news/index/195.html (accessed in 2012) 8. http://www.ifao.egnet.net/bases/archives/bruyere (last accessed September 26th 2012) Further bibliography Back to top

On the path leading northeast from the Valley of the Queens to Deir el-Medina, rising from the desert is a low hill, into the slope of which a few reliefs and inscriptions of Ramesside kings have been cut. To the right of them there is a rock-cut sanctuary of deities, who guarded Theban necropolis The Rock shrine The number of chapels and shrines dedicated to various deities by the Deir el-Medina community indicates their devotion and need for public religious expression. Each individual chapel would have provided a local residence for the god or goddess to whom it was dedicated and an area for offerings to that deity. The chapels symbolise the community's recognition of both local and national gods. On the narrow path leading north-east from the Valley of the Queens to the village of Deir el-Medina, a low hill rises from the desert, its slope carved with several reliefs and inscriptions of Ramesside kings. To the right of these is a rock-cut sanctuary dedicated to the gods who guarded the Theban necropolis. Today the chapels are numbered A-G. One shrine was dedicated in the New Kingdom to the goddess Meretseger, another to Ptah. The sanctuary was probably begun during the Ramesside period. Several large stelae dating from the reign of Ramesses III (1182-1151 BC) have been carved into the rock at the northern end of the sanctuary. They are decorated with scenes of human beings before various deities. Stone walls surround an irregular courtyard of the large cave-like shelter at the southern end. During the Coptic period it was used by hermits. Today it is known to the locals as the "Snake Room". They are damaged and worn, but the inscriptions are legible and there are cartouches with the name of the king. Detail of a hieroglyphic inscription - nsw-bity nb tawy - "the dual king of the two lands". Pharaoh Setnakhte (1185-1182 BC) with the goddesses Mut of Asher and Hathor receiving the symbol of the Heb-sed festival from Amun-Ra and Ptah. The walls of the shrine still show traces of the original pigment. Ptah's original cultic association seems to have been with craftsmen. The high priest of Ptah held the title wr kheper hmw - "supreme leader of craftsmen". This badly eroded wall shows the remains of a relief of the goddess Meretseger with the head of a cobra. She was the goddess associated with the pyramidal top of al-Qurn and presided over the entire Theban necropolis. Her name means "she who loves silence". She was worshipped mainly by the workmen of the royal necropolis. The site was first excavated in 1905 by Ernesto Schiaparelli. Fragments found there date back to the 19th dynasty. As the rock that once formed the roof of the sanctuary had collapsed in several places and the whole sanctuary was full of stones and sand, the French Institute carried out the clearing of the site in 1926. Special permission was needed from the Egyptian Antiquities Service, as the rock-cut sanctuary was already outside the boundaries of the French concession. "Only a small number of workmen sufficed for the excavation; most problematic were the large boulders which had to be either crushed by stones and carried away piece by piece, or pulled out of the sanctuary on ropes. After turning over of one boulder, which had once formed a wall of the sanctuary, a stela was discovered engraved with scenes and inscriptions. We decided that we could not leave the stela in its place. As the stone was too heavy to be transported into our house, the scene with inscription was to be cut off. But before we received the necessary tools - we were not equipped for work of this kind - the entire stone was stolen at night and no trace of it or of the thieves was ever found. Fortunately, we had taken photographs after the discovery, as well as a hand copy and a proof leaf, so at least for study the stone is not completely lost. The photographs were sent to all antiquarians with a warning not to buy the inscription, because is stolen but I think that after some years the thieves will nonetheless succeed to sell it and the stone will appear in a European or American museum." The excerpts came from Jaroslav Černý's manuscript of his lecture called "Ten Months on Excavations in Egypt", which was held in Cairo on April 4th 1932. View of the Theban hills in the west from inside the rock shrine "Ptah of the Place of Beauty", a term frequently mentioned in ancient sources, is Ptah from one of the sanctuaries at the rock-cut shrine near the Valley of the Queens ("the Place of Beauty"). Traces of small stone huts of Ramesside date have been found in the area opposite the shrine of Ptah. About 10 metres down the path towards the Valley of the Queens we found this ancient graffiti. Vandalism in the form of modern graffiti Photography on this page © Lenka and Andy Peacock Sources: 1. Weeks, Kent R.: The treasures of Luxor and the Valley of the Kings Cercelli : White Star Publishers, 2005. 2. Pharaoh's workers : the villagers of Deir el-Medina / edited by Leonard H. Lesko Ithaca : Cornell University Press, 1994. 3. Wilkinson, R. H. : The complete gods and goddesses of Ancient Egypt. London : Thames & Hudson, 2003. 4. Černý, Jaroslav: A community of workmen at Thebes in the Ramesside period Cairo : Institut Francais d'archeologie Orientale du Caire, 1973. 5. Théby : město bohů a faraónů = Thebes : city of gods and pharaohs / Jana Mynářová & Pavel Onderka (eds.) Praha : Národní Museum, 2007. 6. http://egyptsites.wordpress.com/2009/02/10/sanctuary-of-ptah-and-meretseger/ Further bibliography Back to top

On May 5th 2015 an ancient Egyptian painted funerary linen was displayed in Paris. The rare textile has been presented by the auction house PIASA (www.piasa.fr) and will be auctioned on Thursday, June 18th, 2015 at 3pm as part of a sale of Old Master Paintings, furniture & artifacts. Egypt Centre, Swansea University, Wales The Egypt Centre is not a widely known museum and we were delighted to see that the collection is large and varied, with interesting and beautiful objects ranging from the painted coffin of a female musician from Thebes, beautiful beaded necklaces from the time of Tutankhamun, statues of gods and goddesses, to everyday objects used by the ancient Egyptians such as tools, pottery and weapons. There are around 6000 objects in the collection. Most were collected by the pharmacist Sir Henry Wellcome. Others come from the British Museum, Aberystwyth University, the Royal Edinburgh Museum, the National Museums and Galleries of Wales Cardiff, the Royal Albert Museum and Art Gallery, Woking College and private donors. Sir Henry Wellcome collected objects from excavations. The Egypt Centre's collection includes objects from Armant, Amarna, Deir el-Medina, Esna, Mostagedda, Qau etc. He also collected objects from private individuals. These include Robert De Rustafjaell, Gayer-Anderson, Berens, Cesnola, the Rev. William Frankland Hood and the Rev. William MacGregor https://www.egypt.swan.ac.uk/ Painted plaster from the tomb of the craftsman Khabekhnet and his wife Saht (both right). They are worshipping the gods Isis, Ptah Sokar wearing the headdress and Ptah depicted in green (from left to right). From Deir el-Medina Limestone, plaster, pigment New Kingdom, 19th dynasty, reign of Ramesses II Accession Number W927 Height: 44.5 cm Width: 69.5 cm Currently on display on the ground floor - House of Death Davies, Benedict G. 1999. Who's who at Deir el-Medina: a prosopographic study of the royal workmen's community. Egyptologische Uitgaven 13. Leiden: Nederlands Instituut voor het Nabije Oosten. [pp. 44–47] From the EC website unchanged: Painted limestone relief depicting Khabekhnet and his wife Sahte (to the right) presenting offerings to the gods Ptah (painted green), Ptah-Sokar (wearing a headdress consisting of ram horns and double plumes), and Isis (holding a menat-collar and ankh). Both Ptah and Ptah-Sokar hold long papyrus stems. Several enthroned deities are also depicted in the scene above, although only their feet are preserved. Khabekhnet is identified in the hieroglyphs as the “Servant of the Lord of the Two Lands”. The exact provenance of this relief is unknown, although it is likely from a tomb chapel at Deir el-Medina where Khabekhnet was buried (TT 2). Khabekhnet was the eldest son of Sennedjem, whose well-known tomb (TT 1) at Deir el-Medina was discovered undisturbed in 1886. While Ptah was the main deity at Memphis, he was also the patron god to the villagers of Deir el-Medina. The relief was purchased by Sir Henry Wellcome in 1906 from the collection of Robert de Rustafjaell (lot 404). The object is composed of three fragments, which were restored and conserved by Susan Rees at Cardiff Conservation Department. Offering stand of Paneb From Deir el-Medina Limestone New Kingdom, 19th dynasty, reign of Ramesses II or Siptah Acc. Number W957 Height: 43.0 cm Width: 26.9 cm Depth: 26.5 cm Currently on display on the 1st floor - House of Life https://egyptcentre.abasetcollections.com/Objects/Details/3106?SavedSelections=$Page-1$Pn-P_63-e From the EC copied: Limestone base of an offering table belonging to Paneb, Chief Workman at Deir el-Medina, the village occupied by workmen who built the royal tombs in the Valleys of the Kings and Queens. The stand was probably set up in one of the small private chapels adjoining the village. The vertical text on the front is a dedication of offerings to Amun. The horizontal text records the name of his father Neferseret and son Aapahte. On the rear is a dedication to Khnum, Satet, and Anuket, gods of the First Cataract region, who were held in particular honoured by the workmen at Deir el-Medina. According to Papyrus Salt 124, which is housed in the British Museum, Paneb lived a wild and disreputable life. He was given to fighting and drunkenness, seducing married women, stealing from the royal tombs, and threatening to murder. The object was purchased by Sir Henry Wellcome from the 1907 sale of the Robert de Rustafjaell collection. On loan to the Egypt Centre since 1971 as part of the distribution of the Wellcome collection. For similar offering table bases from Deir el-Medina, see Bruyère 1948 (p. 103); 1952 (pl. 21); 1952b (p. 42, fig. 2). The chief workman Paneb, son of Nefersenut, is well known from several sources (c. 1150–1193 BC). He is first attested as a workman in year 66 of Ramesses II. He began to prepare Tomb 211 when still a workman. He became chief workman between years 1 and 5 of Seti II and is last attested in office in year 2, probably of Siptah. He was most likely disgraced and removed from office at the end of the Nineteenth Dynasty, although the exact date is uncertain (Sweeney 2023). Bruyère, Bernard 1948. Rapport sur les fouilles de Deir el Médineh (1935–1940). Quatrième partie. Fascicule I. Fouilles de l'Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale 20 (1). Le Caire: L'Institut français d'archéologie orientale. Bruyère, Bernard 1952a. Rapport sur les fouilles de Deir el Médineh (1935–1940). Quatrième partie. Fascicule II: trouvailles d'objets. Fouilles de l'Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale 20 (2). Le Caire: L'Institut français d'archéologie orientale. Bruyère, Bernard 1952b. Rapport sur les fouilles de Deir el Médineh (1935–1940). Quatrième partie. Fascicule III: notes à propos de quelques objets trouvés en 1939 et 1940. Fouilles de l'Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale 20 (3). Le Caire: L'Institut français d'archéologie orientale. Sweeney, Deborah 2023. Builders behaving badly: the rise and fall of the chief workman Paneb (i) at Deir el-Medîna. Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 109 (1–2), 117–129. Ostrakon with a representation of Hathor in the form of a cow New Kingdom 1550-1069 BC The goddess of love, music and drunkenness, Hathor is depicted in the form of a cow on this piece of pottery. New Kingdom 1550-1069 BC Ostrakon written by Nakhtamun to his brothers Khay and Baki concerning their ill father Nebre (circa 1279-1069 BC) From Deir el-Medina Limestone New Kingdom 1550-1069 BC Rob Demarée, "Fresh goose-fat to cure a nightmare?" (17 April 2024) https://oap.unige.ch/journals/bseg/article/view/1547/1456 Further bibliography Back to top Stelophorous statue of Hay (c. 1292-1069 BC) Limestone New Kingdom 1550-1069 BC Stela depicting Thoth in the shape of a baboon New Kingdom 1550-1069 BC

The collections of the British Museum contain many objects from Deir el-Medina, comprising mainly of inscribed objects. Top of Page Anchor 1 Anchor 2 Anchor 3 Top of Page Anchor 1 Anchor 2 Anchor 3 Top of Page Anchor 1 Anchor 2 Anchor 3 The British Museum, London, UK The British Museum opened its doors to the public in January 1759. The Museum's origins lie in the will of Sir Hans Sloane (1660-1753), a physician, naturalist and collector, who wished that his collection of over 71,000 objects, library and herbarium should be preserved intact after his death. An Act of Parliament establishing the British Museum received royal assent in June 1753. The founding collections consisted mainly of books, manuscripts and natural history, with some antiquities and ethnography. King George II donated the "Old Royal Library" of the monarchs of England (now housed in the British Library in London) in 1757. www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk The Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan contains objects from every stage of the region's long history, from around 4500 BC to the late 14th century AD. The collection is one of the most comprehensive and magnificent in the world, surpassed only by the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Most of the objects in the collection have been acquired. The earliest and most important is the first collection of the British Consul General, Henry Salt, acquired in 1823. The earlier collection representing Egypt consisted of objects acquired by the British nation after the defeat of the French fleet at Abukir in 1802. A substantial part of the collection is the result of scientific excavations which began in Egypt shortly after 1881. Many objects come from a variety of gifts. The collections of the British Museum contain many objects from Deir el-Medina, mainly inscribed objects. The photographs are published with the kind permission of Dr Richard Parkinson of the British Museum's Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan and the British Museum's Photographic Officer. Objects previously or currently on display in the public galleries of the British Museum from the site of Deir el-Medina: Stela dedicated to "the Osiris, the able spirit of Ra" 19th dynasty, c. 1295-1186 BC British Museum EA 359 From Deir el-Medina Painted limestone The seated figures - Pennub and Khamuy - who are described as "able spirits of Ra" are seated on their chairs facing each other, holding lotus flowers in their hands. One of the forms used to commemorate deceased ancestors were small stelae. These were usually round or pointed. Some of them bore the figures of deceased individuals who were identified as revered ancestors by the epithet Akh-iker-en-Re , "the able spirit of Ra". The akh -spirits were the blessed dead, those who had attained a place in the sun-bark of the god Ra. Their magical powers protected them from the dangers of the afterlife. They could also use them for or against the dead and the living. To become an akh (plural akhu ), one had to know the magic spells, perform funeral rites and get the gods, especially Ra, to intervene on one's behalf. Over 50 stelae from Deir el-Medina attest to the existence of household cults dedicated to deceased relatives who had become akhu (Lesko, 1994, 112). The spirits could be dangerous if offended, and offerings to the akhu were both propitiatory and reverential. Stela depicting a deceased person British Museum EA 372 19th dynasty, about 1295-1186 BC From Deir el-Medina Painted limestone Pennub and Khamuy, who are described as "able spirits of Ra" . Stela of Penbuy From Deir el-Medina 19th dynasty Limestone British Museum EA 1466 This round-topped stela consists of two registers with representations in shallow relief accompanied by inscribed hieroglyphic texts. In the upper register Ptah, the god associated with craftsmen, is seated on his throne in a shrine on the left. To his right is an altar piled high with food offerings. Behind the shrine are four ears and above them three more ears. In the lower register, the guardian of the tomb, Penbuy, kneels on the right with his arms raised in an attitude of worship. To the left is a large ka-sign. A text, often in columns of varying length, contains a prayer to the Ka of Ptah by Penbuy. This stela is very well preserved, apart from some damage to the lower left edge, and most of the paint is intact. The background is yellow and the border shows traces of blue. The hieroglyphs are painted black and the lines between the columns are red. Ptah's hands and face are green, his cap is blue and his body is white. His beard and the outline of his eye are black, and his collars are yellow with a red border. The shrine is yellow with a red border and blue dots. The ears are black, blue and red. The food offerings are painted in a variety of colours. The human figure and ka-sign are red, and Penbuy's wig and features are black. His collars are blue and green and his skirt is white with red pleats. Height: 38.5 cm Width: 27 cm Stela of Wenenkhu British Museum EA 1248 Limestone Probably from Deir el-Medina The stela shows Wenenkhu and Penpakhenty worshipping the sun god. The sun god is depicted as a a falcon-headed mummiform figure seated in the sun barque. Height: 35.3 cm Width: 23.5 cm Amennakht, son of Ipuy, was the "scribe of the royal tomb" for thirty years from 1168 BC. He was the copyist of legal and administrative texts from Deir el-Medina, including the will of Naunakhte, the widow of Khenherkhepshef. He appears to be the author of five extant poems, including a lyrical poem about the neighbouring city of Thebes. Hieratic ostrakon British Museum EA 41541 From Deir el-Medina 20th dynasty, c. 1160 BC This poem is a rare example of a literary work by a known individual. It was probably circulated among the village literati and used as a copying exercise for Amennakht's apprentices. Red dots mark the ends of lines of verse. "Beginning of the educational instruction, saying for the path of life, made by the scribe Amen-nakhte (for) his assistance Hor-Min. He says: You are a man who listens to words so as to separate good from bad; Pay attention and hear my words, do not disregard what I say!" (Translation from McDowell,1999,139) Height: 20.5 cm Length: 16 cm Acquired in 1905. Amennakhte's votive stela British Museum EA 374 20th dynasty, c. 1160 BC From Deir el-Medina Limestone The stela records Amennakhte's prayer to the local goddess, Meretseger, to remove an affliction "Praises for your spirit, Meretseger, Mistress of the West, by the scribe of the Place of Truth (st-maat), Amennakhte true-of-voice; he says: 'Be praised in peace, O Lady of the West, Mistress who turns herself to grace! You made me see darkness in the day I shall declare Your power to other people. Be gracious to me in your grace!'" (Translation from the museum label) Height: 20.6 cm Width: 14.3 cm Ostrakon bearing an attendance record of workmen British Museum EA 5634 From Deir el-Medina 19th Dynasty, year 40 of Ramesses II, about 1239 BC Limestone Black and red ink This large ostrakon has hieratic writing on both sides. At the top of the first page the date is given as "year 40". As the writing has been identified as Ramesside, this must refer to the fortieth year of the reign of Ramses II, around 1239 BC. From the contents it is clear that the list is a summary of the absences of the workmen from their duties. 280 days of this year are recorded. Only about 70 of these days appear to have been full working days. Leaving aside holidays and other non-working periods, the royal tomb would have been largely completed by year 40 of Ramses' reign, and it is possible that the men were moved to other projects, such as the tombs of the queens in the Valley of the Queens. A list of forty names is arranged in columns of hieratic writing on the right-hand side of each page. On the left are dates written in black in a horizontal line. Reasons for absence are written in red ink above the dates. They are varied and give us a fascinating insight into some aspects of life in ancient Egypt. Illness figures prominently, with a couple of examples of eye disease being mentioned. There is another example of a man being absent after being stung by a scorpion. A labourer acted as a doctor and was often away treating others. Absences due to the death of relatives are recorded, as are references to purification rituals associated with childbirth. A workman was absent to bind (less likely to mummify) his colleague Hormose. Often a day's absence is due to a man 'being with his boss'; other sources show that labourers often worked for their superiors. Occasionally a man is away 'building his house' or at 'his festival', and there are examples of drinking, especially 'drinking with Khonsu'. There is mention of a Khenherkhepshef, who is also referred to in several places as 'the scribe'. Many of the people mentioned here are known from other documents of the period. It is thought that the tomb scribes would have written daily notes on small stone flakes and then compiled more formal accounts for the administrative records, the result of which would have been this large ostrakon (Strudwick,2006,206). Height: 38.5 cm Width: 33 cm The complete translation of the ostrakon can be found here Shabti of Kenherkhepshef British Museum EA 33940 From Deir el-Medina Shabti figures of the New Kingdom (c. 1550-1070 BC) were often carved in stone, with paint used to give the servants a lifelike appearance. This shabti is a particularly fine example. The heavy wig, with gold bands at the ends, rests on an elaborate and colourful collar. The reddish-brown colour of the face indicates that the figure is male. Ancient Egyptian women were usually depicted with paler skin, suggesting that they did not have to work in the harsh sunlight. The white paint on the shabti's arms and lower body indicates that the figure is mummified, identifying it with the god Osiris, who is also depicted with his arms crossed over his chest. While the god holds the crook and flail, symbolising kingship, this shabti holds two hoes, symbolising agricultural labour. Shabti figures were supposed to work for the deceased in the afterlife. A spell was used to activate them. Here, the Shabti spell is skilfully painted in horizontal lines of black hieroglyphs around the figure. The hieroglyphic text begins with Kenherkhepshef's name and title, 'scribe in the place of truth' (the royal necropolis). Height: 29.3 cm Width: 8.7 cm Depth: 5.3 cm Kenherkhepshef lived in the village of Deir el-Medina and was the official scribe of the tomb from at least regnal year 40 of Ramesses II until regnal year 1 of Siptah (c. 1239-1193 BC). It is now generally accepted that he was an adopted son of the scribe Ramose and his wife Mutemwia, who adopted him as an orphan or pupil to succeed Ramose in his job (Davies, 1996, 103). Kenherkhepshef's job was to keep a record of the workers who were employed in the construction of the royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings. His comfortable seat, by the workers' resting huts on the pass between the village and the valley, can still be seen. It is inscribed with his name to prevent anyone else from using it. Surviving documents show that Kenherkhepshef used labourers to do private work for him during official hours. He tried to use his office to get the workers to do the work without paying them. He was also accused of bribery on two occasions. Kenherkhepshef lived in the largest and most central hut in the settlement at the top of the cliffs. Unlike the other huts, it had three rooms. Each room was paved with limestone slabs. It could have been used as Kenherkhepshef's office, where he kept records of the work on the royal tomb and wrote his letters to the officials of the administration. There is still considerable doubt about the location of his tomb. Tomb No. 1126 is located at the southern end of the cemetery at Deir el-Medina. A double-seated statue of Kenherkhepshef and his wife was discovered in the chapel flanking the doorway leading to the inner chamber. Headrest of Kenherkhepshef British Museum EA 63783 From Deir el-Medina 19th Dynasty, circa 1225 BC Limestone This limestone tomb headrest is decorated with figures of Bes. The god's fearsome appearance and the snakes and spear he wields were intended to scare away the demons of the night. Height: 18.8 cm Width: 23 cm Depth: 9.7 cm Behind the headrest in the photo on the left is the front of the papyrus described below. Papyrus with a list of dreams and their interpretations British Museum EA 10683, Papyrus Chester Beatty 3 From Deir el-Medina 19th Dynasty, c. 1275 BC The meaning of dreams is a subject that fascinated the ancient Egyptians. This hieratic papyrus probably dates from the early reign of Ramesses II (1279-1213 BC). On each page of the papyrus a vertical column of hieratic signs begins with a line: 'if a man sees himself in a dream'; each horizontal line describes a dream, followed by the diagnosis 'good' or 'bad' , then followed by the interpretation of the dream. For example, 'if a man sees himself in a dream looking out of a window, good; it means the hearing of his cry' . Or, 'if a man sees himself in a dream with his bed catching fire, bad; it means driving away his wife' . The text first lists good dreams, and then bad ones. The word 'bad' is always written in red, which was considered the colour of ill omen. The papyrus had several owners before it was deposited in the necropolis of Deir el-Medina. It cannot be established who the original owner was, but it passed into the hands of the scribe Kenherkhepshef. On the other side of the papyrus, the scribe copied a poem about the Battle of Kadesh, which took place during the reign of Ramesses II (c. 1285 BC). The Dream Book passed to Khaemamen, the second husband of Kenherkhepshef's wife, and then to his son Amennakht (both added their names to the papyrus). The Dream Book was part of an archive containing a wide variety of literary, magical and documentary material that had been passed down through the family for more than a century. It was discovered sometime in the early 20th century, most likely in the Western Cemetery, but the exact location of the find, or the location of Kenherkhepshef's tomb, has since been lost. Height: 34.50 cm Gift of Mrs. Chester Beatty Hieratic Papyrus British Museum EA 10731 19th dynasty, circa 1200 BC From Deir el-Medina An amulet written in the distinctive cursive hand of Khenherkhepshef. The scroll was folded and worn around the neck. The text is a spell against a demon called Sehaqeq whose eyes are in his head, whose tongue is in his buttocks . Fragments of papyrus British Museum EA 10016.2. Ramesside Period, 1295-1069 BC. Probably from Deir el-Medina. Height: 8.3 cm Width: 52.8 cm Fragments of a painted satirical papyrus show comic representations of a range of animals mirroring behaviour of common people. The usual roles of humans in their everyday life are turned upside down. This particular portion of the papyrus pictured above is not very well preserved and it is not known whether the fragments are mounted in their original order (Houlihan,2001,66). From the right a hippopotamus assisted by another animal is brewing beer in a large pottery vat. Next to them a lady mouse is being tended to by a pair of servants - a mouse and a cat. She sits on a chair holding a big flower. In front of her a table full of offerings is positioned. Behind the mouse servant there is a lion seated on a chair either sieving flour of brewing beer (Houlihan,2001,67). Next to him a cat and another animal are carrying a large basket hanging from a pole they carry on their shoulders. On the left side of the papyrus, a missing animal was holding a crook or a sickle, perhaps performing agricultural activities together with the beast in front of it. Comic erotic scene British Museum EA 50714. Ramesside Period, 1295-1069 BC. Possibly from Deir el-Medina Limestone Black ink This ostrakon is difficult to interpret as it is in a fragmentary state. The figure on the right is male and is having intercourse with the figure on the left, who is probably a woman but could also be a man. The man penetrates her/him from behind, she bends over and turns her head towards him. The inscription in front of them records her speech, but is also incomplete: "Calm is the desire of my skin!" This type of drawing, depicting ancient Egyptian erotic activity, appears only in unofficial sources - on papyri, figural ostraca and graffiti. Rather than trying to interpret them as insights into sexual behaviour and everyday practices, Patrick Houlihan explains that they are clearly satirical in intent (Houlihan,2001,124,130-131). Hieratic ostrakon British Museum EA 5633 20th dynasty, c. 1100 BC From Deir el-Medina Limestone Black ink with some red lines Fragment of a limestone ostrakon with the text on both recto (18 lines) and verso (16 lines) containing a record of goods purchased by a Lady Webkhet. The recto text is written within red lines. Copy of Kemyt by an apprentice scribe Ramesside period, 1295-1069 BC Possibly from Deir el-Medina British Museum EA 5640 The work called Kemyt (The Compendium), an Egyptian word meaning 'that which is completed' or 'that which is completed', is mentioned in the 12th dynasty's The Satire of Trades (c. 1950 BC), so it must be older than that, suggesting that Kemyt was a standard text in the 12th dynasty. The greetings in Kemyt, found at the beginning of a letter it contains, are characteristic of formal letters dated to the 11th dynasty (c. 2000 B.C.), from which its origin can be deduced. The surviving copies are written in vertical columns divided by space lines, in red colour, rather than in horizontal lines written from right to left, which was the norm during the New Kingdom (James, 2003, 147-148). The appearance of the characters used is old-fashioned, characteristic of the early Middle Kingdom period. Why have more ostraca with parts of Kemyt survived than those with parts of other literary texts? There may be several reasons for this: the text of Kemyt is not particularly interesting (it is a model letter), so perhaps its simplicity and lack of difficulty for the young scribe meant that it could have been used by novice scribes. It could have been used as the first reader from which the student learnt to read and write the hieratic script. Thanks to its standard formulae and expressions, the exercise was easy to learn and hard to forget, making it ideal for teaching purposes. The characters on this limestone ostrakon are rather awkwardly written. The opening greeting, known to thousands of ancient schoolboys, reads: Your state is like living a million times! May Montu lord of Thebes act for you, Even as this servant desires! May Ptah South of his Wall sweeten your heart with (life), very (much)! (translation from the museum label) Anthropoid busts 77 examples of anthropoid or ancestral busts have been revealed during excavations at Deir el-Medina, further 11 busts are attributed to the site by their owners or dealers or can be connected to Deir el-Medina on stylistic grounds, and 3 more busts that were in the Luxor and Cairo antiquities markets in 1934-1935 (probably originating from Bernard Bruyère's excavations) that are now lost (Keith,2011,8-9).The busts generally do not bear inscriptions, only 5 bear signs. Typically small, they measure from 10 to 25 cm in height and are made of limestone or sandstone. We can assume that most were originally painted as remains of pigment on some are evident. The gender of the most of the busts is open to question (Janssen,2007,187). The figures are called 'ancestor busts'. They are thought to have been placed in the small shrine areas that seem to have been part of private houses , and to have played a part in the private worship of the family. Five busts were found in houses at Deir el-Medina, where they would have been placed in wall niches in the first and second rooms. The niches are of comparable size, so this seems likely. Rather than representing anyone in particular, the anonymous nature of the busts suggests that they represent all the ancestors that the family might wish to commemorate. Another theory is that they represent the 'able spirit' of those who had been authoritative in life, presumably the older members of the community. When times were hard, people turned to them for help, i.e. to a parent who was still remembered, rather than to an ancestor of long ago. Some of these would have been older women. Similar objects have been found at fourteen other sites from the central delta to the Third Cataract. They were found in or near houses as well as in tombs and temples. Whether the context was domestic or religious we cannot be sure, but it is assumed that the ancestor busts evoked memories of a deceased relative for the worshipper. Anthropoid bust British Museum EA 61083 Supposedly from Thebes, Egypt 19th or 20th Dynasty, 1300-1150 BC Painted limestone Features are carefully modelled, face, wig and wsh collar (a "broad" collar, a kind of necklace) are painted. Height: 24.5 cm Width: 15.5 cm Thickness: 9 cm Anthropoid bust British Museum EA 73988 19th dynasty, 1295-1186 BC Limestone Provenance unknown Stela with inset anthropoid bust British Museum EA 270 19th dynasty, about 1295-1186 BC Probably from Deir el-Medina Limestone This unique and unfortunately badly damaged stela incorporates two miniature ancestral busts above a scene showing the donor worshipping another bust. The busts shown in the upper part of the monument were once covered with a layer of plaster, most of which is now lost. Some colour remains to show that the face of the left bust was painted red, while the face of the right bust was painted yellow. Blue and black can also be seen around the busts. The background was painted yellow (Keith,2011,324). The lower register was left unfinished. Vertical lines and preliminary sketches are visible, but the surface was not fully worked. The figures are not painted, but were probably intended to be. 5 or 6 columns of text are mostly illegible. Nicola Harrington suggests that part of the inscription may read "...the revered one...of the Mistress of the House, Mut... ...justified" and concludes that the purpose of the stela may have been for a woman to address all her ancestors rather than a specific individual (Keith, 2011, 325). The cult of Amenhotep I From the 18th dynasty onwards, the main focus of religious worship in Deir el-Medina was the cult of Amenhotep I, especially in the form of the "Lord of the Village", together with his mother Ahmose-Nefertari. Jaroslav Černý pointed out that there were several forms of this cult in Deir el-Medina, corresponding to the statues, each of which had a particular name and was housed in the various sanctuaries established there (Černý,1927,182). Amenhotep I Djeserkare (1525-1504 BC) was the second pharaoh of the 18th dynasty. He was probably very young when he ascended the throne, so it is likely that his mother, Queen Ahmose-Nefertari (c. 1570-1505 BC), acted as regent for the first part of his reign. They are jointly credited with the founding of Deir el-Medina, where they subsequently enjoyed personal religious cults until the late Ramesside period. In addition to the modest temple that was primarily dedicated to the couple, they were also the secondary honoured guests in the chapels of the other gods. The deified king had many festivals throughout the year, during which his statue was carried in procession by the Wab priests. These activities were acts of devotion to the deified mother and son and were consistently and exclusively performed by the workers of the village (Ventura 1986, p. 63). The feasts were fairly regular events and were usually part of religious festivals associated with the cult. One festival involved the carrying of the statue of Amenhotep I into the Valley of the Kings, another may have been associated with the anniversary of his death. The deified king was invoked to settle disputes, especially those concerning property. In these oracles the image of the god, Amenhotep I, answered positively or negatively to the questions put to him. Since the priests of this particular cult were drawn from the ranks of the workers themselves, the answer would be a kind of consensus among the priests who carried the divine image. The god's oracular pronouncements, however they were made, carried great weight, and his processions were a high point in the life of Deir el-Medina. The textual and representational evidence associated with her cult at Deir el-Medina can be seen in cult statues, votive stelae, libation basins, paintings and inscriptions in tombs and on ostraca. More than fifty of the Theban tombs of private individuals contain inscriptions mentioning the name of Ahmose Nefertari. Below are examples of depictions of the deified couple. They come from Deir el-Medina and are now part of the British Museum collection. Fragments of wall paintings from the tomb of Kynebu: The deified ruler Amenhotep I (left) British Museum EA 37993 20th dynasty, c. 1129-1126 BC Painted plaster Height: 44 cm The deified queen Ahmose Nefertari (right) British Museum EA 37994 20th dynasty, c. 1129-1126 BC Painted plaster Neferabu was a worker from Deir el-Medina who worked in the necropolis sometime during the first half of the 19th dynasty. His activity can definitely be dated to the years 36 and 40 of Ramses II. Neferabu's title was "The Servant of the Place of Truth". The stela below may have come from his tomb TT5 or perhaps from one of the shrines at Deir el-Medina. The relief shows the deceased's sons and relatives, as well as the scribe Pabaki, the draftsman Pashedu and the scribe Ipu, carrying various funerary objects to be placed in his tomb. These include various boxes and stools. The tomb of Neferabu (TT5) provides an excellent platform from which we can attempt to construct his family tree. Neferabu was apparently the son of "The Servant of the Place of Truth" Nefferonpet and Mahi. Despite the fact that Amenmose is called "father" of Neferabu in TT5, it can be shown that he was actually the father of Neferabu's wife Ta-Isis (or Isis). There are a number of other stelae and objects from this tomb in the British Museum. The stela below is in good but incomplete condition. In the literature it is always quoted together with stela 150 (as BM 150+1754). Published by Kitchen in Rammesside Inscriptions, vol. 3, p. 774, part of 154. Also published in The BM hieroglyphic texts from Egyptian stelae etc., edited by T. G. H. James, Part 9: Plate XXX. Registration Number: 1931,0613.11 Fragment of a stela of Neferabu 19th dynasty Limestone From Deir el-Medina British Museum EA 1754 Acquired in Luxor Height: 17.5 centimetres Length: 52 centimetres Location: Gallery 63/11 Tjaroy , the great-grandson of Amennakhte, was "Scribe of the Royal Tomb" from 1091 BC. During his lifetime the villagers moved to the temple of Ramesses III at Medinet Habu. Tjaroy is known from his letters and had a reputation for jokes. He undertook many state missions, including one to the south to accompany army supplies. Many letters mention his concern for his family, including his son Butehamun, whose house survives. Letter from Tjaroy British Museum EA 10326 20th dynasty, 1071 BC From Thebes Tjaroy writes to his son Butehamun from Nubia - "the wilds where I am abandoned in this far-off land" - about various family matters. He assures him that he is getting on well "with my boss and he does not neglect me". He also answers his son's question about some documents that had been lost in a storm. Letter from Tjaroy's son British Museum EA 10284 20th dynasty, 1071 BC From Thebes In this letter Tjaroy's son Butehamun expresses his concern for his father to the Priest of Hathor and Troop-Commander Shedsuhor, who was with him on an expedition to Nubia. "Indeed you are good, and my father belongs to you. Be a pilot for the Scribe of the (Royal) Tomb Tjaroy! You know he is a man who has no courage(?) of his own at all, since he has never before made such journeys as now. Help him in the boat. Look after (him) with vigilance at evening as well, while he is in your hands, since you are journeying [...]. Now a man is wretched(?) when he has become troubled, when he has never before seen the face of fear (i.e. of a crocodile). Now your people are alive; no harm has come to them. I am writing to let you know." (Translation from http://www.britishmuseum.org/research accessed on 23.9.2012) The remains of Butehamun's house inside the temple enclosure of Medinet Habu Sarcophabus of Ankhnesneferibre British Museum EA 32 26th dynasty, about 530 BC From Thebes. Found by the French expedition in 1832 in the rock tomb above Deir el-Medina. Ankhnesneferibre was the last "God's Wife of Amun" or "divine adoratrice of Amun" before the Persian conquest in 525 B.C. She was a daughter of Psamtek II (595-589 B.C). Although the sarcophagus was found in the so-called "tombs of the Saite princesses" at Deir el-Medina, Ankhnesneferibre and several other women with the same title had tomb chapels at Medinet Habu, in front of the temple of Ramesses III. The sarcophagus was reused in Roman times by Amenhotep Pamontu, a late Ptolemaic or early Roman priest whose brother Montuzaf was buried elsewhere in the necropolis. Amenhotep Pamontu added the inscription around the upper edge of the sarcophagus base. He also added his own name to the cartouches of the princess and changed the pronouns in the text. The lid shows the princess clutching the royal staff and flail, symbolising her powerful position in Thebes. The office of divine adoratrice became a centre of power and influence in the late period. The inscriptions represent a variety of religious texts. They include portions of the Pyramid Texts, the Book of the Dead, several mythological texts, funerary recitations, magical texts, a hymn to the sun, hourly rituals for keeping watch over the deceased, and sacrificial formulae. The combination is unique. Length : 259 cm The text on this page was written by Lenka Peacock using the sources listed below. Photography by Lenka Peacock. All photographs © The Trustees of the British Museum. Sources: 1. Strudwick, Nigel: The British Museum masterpieces of ancient Egypt. London : The British Museum Press, 2006. 2. Taylor, John H.: Death and afterlife in ancient Egypt London : British Museum Press, 2001. 3. Pharaoh's workers : the villagers of Deir el-Medina / edited by Leonard H. Lesko Ithaca : Cornell University Press, 1994. 4. Shaw, Ian, Nicholson, Paul: British Museum dictionary of ancient Egypt London: British Museum Press, 1995. 5. McDowell, A.G.: Village life in ancient Egypt : laundry lists and love songs Oxford : Oxford University Press, 1999. 6. Janssen, Rosalind: Growing old disgracefully at Deir el-Medina In Ancient Egypt, December 2004/January 2005, pp. 39-44. 7. Janssen, Rosalind: The old women of Deir el-Medina: Paper delivered at the Institute, 8 December 2006. In Buried history: The journal of the Australian Institute of Archaeology, 2006, Vol. 42, p. 3-10. 8. Janssen, Rosalind and Janssen, Jac. J.: Growing up and getting old in ancient Egypt London : Golden House Publications, 2007. 9. James, T.G.H.: Pharaoh's people : scenes from life in Imperial Egypt New York : Tauris Parke, 2003. 10. Bierbrier, Morris : The tomb-builders of the pharaohs Cairo : The American University in Cairo Press, 1982. 11. Davies, Benedict G.: Who's who at Deir el-Medina : a prosopographic study of the royal workmen's community Leiden : Nederlands Instituut voor Her Nabije Oosten, 1999 12. Davis, Benedict G.: Genealogies and personality characteristics of the workmen in the Deir el-Medina community during the Ramesside period. Thesis submitted in accordance with the requirements of the University of Liverpool for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Liverpool : University of Liverpool, February 1996. 13. Strudwick, Nigel and Helen: Thebes in Egypt : a guide to the tombs and temples of ancient Luxor London : British Museum Press, 1999. 14. Weeks, Kent R.: The treasures of Luxor and the Valley of the Kings Cercelli : White Star Publishers, 2005 15. Houlihan, Patrick F.: Wit & humour in ancient Egypt London : The Rubicon Press, 2001. 16. Keith, Jean Lewis: Anthropoid Busts of Deir el Medineh and Other Sites and Collections : Analyses, Catalogue, Appendices / with contributions by Sylvie Donnat, Anna K. Stevens, Nicola Harrington Le Caire : Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale, 2011 17. Museum's website at www.thebritishmusuem.ac.uk 18. The British Museum's gallery labels 19. The British Museum's web site http://www.britishmuseum.org The depositories, store rooms and papyrus rooms of the British Museum On 19 November 2005, the class of Birkbeck College's 'Real Life in Deir el-Medineh' course visited the British Museum with Rosalind and Jac Janssen. Eleven objects from Deir el-Medina awaited us in the Ancient Egyptian Department. Study area/library of the department. All photographs on this page are © by Steve Bayley, a colleague on the course, and were taken by kind permission of the Trustees. by kind permission of the Trustees of the British Museum. The accompanying text was written by Lenka Peacock. Stela of Paneb EA272 19th dynasty, circa 1195 BC Limestone Rectangular shape Height: 19.3 cm Width: 17 cm In the upper register : Paneb, a foreman of the tomb workers, is depicted kneeling and worshipping the goddess Meretseger in the form of a snake. The coiled cobra is undoubtedly Meretseger, the goddess of the Theban necropolis. The lower register : there are three kneeling male figures, the descendants of Paneb. On the right is Aapakhte, Paneb's son, together with his two sons, Paneb and Nebmehyt. Aapakhte was accused of crimes as an accomplice of his father. Stela of Paneb EA273 19th dynasty, circa 1195 BC Limestone Round-topped Height: 20 cm Width: 13 cm Upper part: kneeling Paneb worshipping Meretseger in the form of a cobra-headed goddess in shallow relief. Meretseger is seated on a throne. Lower part: Paneb's sons Aapakhte and Hadnakht are shown kneeling and worshipping. Both registers are accompanied by simple incised text. The upper and lower corners of the left side of the stela are chipped, but otherwise the stela is well preserved. There are no traces of paint. Stela of Aapakhte EA35630 19th dynasty, circa 1200 BC Limestone Round-topped Height: 21.2 cm Width: 14 cm Depth: 2.5 cm Aapakhte was the son of Paneb and a royal craftsman and deputy of the crew at the Place of Truth. He is shown worshipping the god Seth. Both figures are carved in sunken relief and are accompanied by incised text. The writing of the text is irregular, as can be seen in the word ỉdnw and the reversal of the pḥty -sign in the name of the owner. The name of the craftsman is a play on the phrase aa-pehty , meaning 'great of strength', one of the epithets of Seth. During the Ramesside period, Seth became a patron of Egypt along with Amun, Ra and Ptah. Jac Janssen suggested that the stela probably came from the rock shrine of Ptah and Meretseger, judging from the limestone and the sawed-off lower edge. Stela of Khamaul EA344 19th dynasty Limestone Round-topped The stela depicts the deceased Khamaul seated. His left hand is extended towards an offering table piled with food. In his right hand he holds an object, possibly an ankh -sign. Khamaul is identified here as 3h ikr n R' , the term by which these stelae are known today. It can be translated as "the able spirit of Re" or "the one who is continually effective to/for/on behalf of Re". Khamaul represents the deified private ancestor to whom the living could make petitions. Most of the stelae were originally painted. We could see some remains of red pigment on the stela. Height: 19 cm Width: 13 cm Stela of Pabaki EA797 19th dynasty Limestone Round-topped Height: 38 cm (case) Width: 29 cm (case) This large 3h ikr nR' stela of Pabaki shows the deceased seated in front of an offering table. He is holding a lotus in his left hand. The lunette at the top depicts a deity seated in a sacred barque. Stela of Nefersenut EA316 19th dynasty Limestone Round-topped Nefersenut was the biological father of Paneb. He is depicted in the top register kneeling with a brazier containing an offering before the goddess Hathor, who sits on the throne. The lower register shows three kneeling figures. On the left there is Nefersenut's eldest son Paneb, who was to rise to the post of foreman of the workmen, next to him his son Aapakhte, and on the right there is the son of Paneb's daughter, Paneb's grandson. Four generations of Paneb's family are depicted here. A letter from Kenna to the god Amenhotep Hieratic ostrakon O.BM5625 Clearly dated ostrakon, well-written in horizontal lines Contains a letter, where Kenna complains that Merysakhme wanted to share the chapel that Kenna has rebuilt. Year 4 (of Ramesses IV), IV 3ht (inundation) 30. This day, the workman Kenna, the son of Siwadjit, reported to King Amenhotep, the Lord of the Village, saying: “Come to me, my good Lord. It was I who rebuilt the chapel of the workman Pakharu when it was collapsed. And look, the workman Merysakhme, the son of Menna, does not let me sit in it, saying: ‘It is the god who told me to share it with you’. So he said, although he had not built it together with me”. [At the bottom of the recto and at the top of the verso (actually the same side of the sherd] something is lost] verso “…… give the chapel back to Kenna, its owner. It is his, by order of Pharaoh, and nobody shall share it with him”. So said the god, in the presence of: [the 2 foremen, the scribe, the bearers of the god, and the entire gang], at the entrance of the tomb of Kaha. [Merysakhme had to swear that he accepted the verdict] A receipt for an ox Hieratic ostrakon O. BM 5649 Limestone Recto: Listo of goods delivered in return for an ox, showing value in deben with clearly marked numbers. An ox represented a substantial investment. Verso: Summary of various values "w makes y deben". Jac Janssen pointed out that texts without dates can sometimes be assigned approximate dates by studying the style of the writing and the language uses. The names of any known workmen mentioned in text can be used as clues. Given in exchange for the ox, which Amenmose brought: 5 smooth ghalabiyehs, makes 25 deben copper 1 smooth sheet, makes 10 deben 1 bed with matting, makes 25 deben 1 bed, makes 12 deben 1 hin (=½ litre) honey, makes 4 deben 15 hin oil, makes 10 deben 5 deben of scrap copper 1 wooden coffin, makes 20 deben 1½ khar of grain, makes 8 deben Given to him by Amenkha‘u: 5 deben Given to him: 1 pair of sandals Given to his daughter: 1 mat and 10 loaves (this is for the 5 deben) Given to him: 1 pot of beans Vs. Total 119 deben of copper (correct!) Translation from Janssen, Jac: Commodity prices from the Ramessid period : an economic study of the village of necropolis workmen at Thebes Ostrakon of Khnummose EA8510 Painted limestone Black and red ink Height: 16.5 cm Width: 20.2 cm Figured ostrakon showing the workman Khnummose worshipping the serpent form of the goddess Meretseger. Jac Janssen suggested that this ostrakon had been used as a stela and that the work was not finished. verso The verso shows several different inventory references, indicating the object has been in several different collections. Papyrus Salt 124 (verso) EA 10055 Late 19th dynasty, c. 1200 BC From Deir el-Medina The papyrus contains the petition of the workman Amennakhte denouncing the crimes of the foreman Paneb. Amennakhte felt that he himself should have been chief workman and that Paneb had taken the job from under him by bribing the vizier. His aim was to have Paneb dismissed on the grounds that he was unworthy and incompetent. The charges he lists here vary from criminal offences to evidence of bad character. The list of charges starts with claiming that he bribed the vizier with 5 servants to gain his appointment. a) He was charged with stealing ‘the cover of a chariot’ from the tomb of Seti II. b) Charges relating to goings-on with married women or women who were living with other men. Hel was one of the women mentioned. Herysunnebef, husband of Hel, was the other adopted son of Neferhotep, and he later divorced Hel, as we know from another source . c) Stealing stones from the tomb of Seti II for use in his own tomb and using the workmen to work in it (but maybe this wasn’t so bad as other people also used the workmen). d) The row with Neferhotep, which resulted in Paneb being punished by the vizier. Paneb appealed to pharaoh himself and had the vizier sacked. Paneb evidently was in favour with the right people! e) He stole the bed from the tomb of a colleague on which the dead workman was lying. f) He stole a large spike and hid it behind a big stone when a search was made for it. Other charges include sitting on the king’s sarcophagus when the king was in it, drinking and urinating. He also stole a model of a gilded goose from the tomb of Henutmire who was a wife of Ramesses II and daughter of Seti I. The goose was found in his house, and it may have been with this crime that Paneb went too far. How far are all these charges reliable? Some of them are not uncommon, but Paneb may have overdone things with the number and variety of his misdeeds. The alleged bribery of the vizier may in fact have been a gift, which Paneb gave in thanks after the event. Hieratic papyrus EA10416 (verso) Ramesside Period Former Salt collection Height: 23.5 cm Width: 22 cm 11 lines on the recto and 13 lines on the verso Jac Janssen suggested the grey colour of the sheet indicated a palimpsest ( a manuscript page from a scroll or book from which the text has been scraped or washed off and which was used again). In the commentary to his translation, Janssen summarises the text: A married man, very probably Nesamenope, had an adulterous relationship for 8 full months with an unnamed woman, incensing the friends and relations of his legal wife. They blamed the woman and threatened to beat her up as well as her people, but were restrained by a steward. In a message the steward sent to the woman he expresses his doubts as to the reasons for her behaviour and urges the man to go to court with his own wife, evidently in order to get a "legal" divorce - whatever that meant in those days - then he might live on with his lover if he chose. If, however, he neglects this advice, the steward washes his hands of him and will not again try to restrain the people when they seek out the woman (Janssen,1991,32). The text of this chapter on the page was composed by Lenka Peacock. Photography © The Trustees of the British Museum. The photographs were taken by Steve Bayley 2005. Sources: 1. Shaw, Ian, Nicholson, Paul: British Museum dictionary of ancient Egypt London: British Museum Press, 1995. 2. Janssen, Rosalind and Janssen, Jac. J.: Growing up and getting old in ancient Egypt London : Golden House Publications, 2007. 3. McDowell, A.G.: Village life in ancient Egypt : laundry lists and love songs Oxford : Oxford University Press, 1999. 4. Pharaoh's workers : the villagers of Deir el-Medina / edited by Leonard H. Lesko Ithaca : Cornell University Press, 1994. 5. Les artistes de Pharaon : Deir el-Médineh et la Vallée des Rois : Paris, musée du Louvre, 15 avril - 5 aout 2002 Paris : Réunion des Musées Nationaux, 2002. 6. Bierbrier, Morris : The tomb-builders of the pharaohs Cairo : The American University in Cairo Press, 1982. 7. Janssen, Jac. J.: Late Ramesside letters and communications London : British Museum Press, 1991. (Hieratic papyri in the British Museum VI, 1991). Visit to the Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan at the British Museum On the 3rd of March 2010 I joined the class of the Birkbeck College course "Real life at Deir el-Medineh" (taught by Rosalind Janssen). We visited the library of the Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan at the British Museum with Rosalind and Jac Janssen. Rosalind's module is all about the details of daily life in a New Kingdom settlement. It aims to increase our understanding of the social life of ancient Egyptians as revealed by archaeology and texts, and to foster an awareness that real life was similar to - and yet different from - our own. Marriage, adultery and divorce, the roles of the village doctor, the wise woman and the scorpion charmer, the punishment of crime, the worship of the ancestors, making a living, going to parties, doing the laundry - these are the topics of the lessons. On Wednesday, ten objects from Deir el-Medina awaited us in the study area/library of the Ancient Egyptian Department. All photographs on this page have been taken by Lenka Peacock by kind permission of the Trustees of the British Museum. Ancestor bust of Muteminet EA 1198 Possibly from tomb 373 at Thebes 19th dynasty Limestone Height: 51 cm Width: 26 cm Thickness: 29 cm Date of acquisition: 1897 This finely carved bust is inscribed with three columns of hieroglyphic text. The main text bears a dedication to the sistrum player of Amun, Mut and Khonsu, called Muteminet (Mwt-m-int). The back of the bust is roughly finished. The bust is badly damaged at the base and at the back with much loss of the stone surface. There are some gouges on the body and face. Traces of black ink remain in the hieroglyph in the central column of the text. A parallel bust of Pendjerti, husband of Muteminet, was found in the tomb of her son Amenmose, no. 373 at Thebes. There is little doubt that this bust was one of a pair from this tomb. The royal scribe Amenmose is attested on several monuments and flourished in the reign of Ramesses II (L. Habachi in 'Studies in Honor of George R. Hughes' (Chicago, 1976), 83-103. Ostrakon EA5644 From Deir el-Medina Ramesside (late 19th dynasty) Pottery Height: 12.5 cm Width: 15 cm Thickness: 4.5 cm on one side (convex) only, seven lines of an incomplete text concerning payment made by Amenemope to the carpenter Meryre for a bed. Text: J. Černy and A.H. Gardiner, ‘Hieratic Ostraca’ (Oxford 1957), pl. 5644.3 Stela of Nefersenut EA316 From Deir el-Medina 19th dynasty Limestone Round-topped Nefersenut was the biological father of Paneb. Top register: the goddess Hathor is seated on a throne holding a sceptre in her left hand. She wears a crown of uraei consisting of 24 cobras. Nefersenut is depicted in the upper register kneeling before the seated Hathor with a brazier containing an offering. The lower register shows three kneeling figures. On the left is Nefersenut's eldest son Paneb, who was to rise to the position of foreman of the workmen, beside him his son Aapakhte, and on the right the son of Paneb's daughter, Paneb's grandson. Four generations of Paneb's family are represented here. After discussing all the objects that had been prepared for us in the library, we went to see some of the objects on display in the public galleries of the British Museum. First we went to the Nebamun Gallery to see the objects used by the craftsmen of Deir el-Medina: Top: Rectangular smoother with integrated handle EA 5986 Carved from one piece of wood. Such tools were used for smoothing plaster, for example in painted funerary chapels or on the surface of mud-brick house walls. Height: 5.8 cm Width: 4.3 cm Length: 17.2 cm Centre: EA 6045 Bronze chisel with a wooden handle and copper alloy blade. The blade is tapered at the cutting edge. Length: 25.4 cm Bottom: EA 15740 Bronze chisel, square at one end and tapering to a point. Length: 12.7 cm Palm Fibre Brushes EA 5555.1-3 Brushes are twisted and cut at both ends. Length: 13 cm ; Diameter: 1.9 cm Originally bought by Henry Salt Paint Brush EA 36893 Brush made of sticks tied together and frayed at one end; stained with red paint. Length: 28.2 cm Paint Brush EA 36889 Paint brush made of fine palm fibres tied together with twisted fibres. The fibres have been cut at one end to form a brush tip. Traces of red pigment remain on the end of the brush. Length: 24.7 cm Diameter: 2.8 cm EA 36892 Fibre brush held together with bitumen at one end and tied with cord. Length: 21.5 cm Scribal Palette EA 36825 Wood Rectangular 18th dynasty Length: 29.8 cm The upper surface is carved with a row of 9 oval inkwells to the right of the palette. There are two longer and narrower ink wells in the left corner. These wells show traces of the red, yellow and black pigments used by the owner. A column of inscription set in a recess begins with the title 'outline draughtsman (sesh-qed)' , but the name of the individual has been erased (except for the masculine determinative). Below the pen slit, a horizontal inscription reads 'the outline draughtsman, Min-nakht, true of voice'. Beneath this, three characters are roughly drawn in thick ink strokes: a falcon's head with a sun disk and uraeus, and two examples of a disk and a crescent. In the upper left corner there is an incised inscription on the thickness of the palette, wrapped around the corner: 'Amun-Ra' and 'Ptah lord of Maat'. Pigment Samples EA 5563, EA 5568-9 Small pieces of Egyptian pigment. Egyptian blue was the main pigment used to produce the blue colour in Egyptian paintings and sculptures. Ostrakon of a goose on her nest EA 56706 Limestone Ink drawing on one side 19th or 20th dynasty The drawing depicts a goose on its nest, with four eggs shown below the bird. There are two very faint drawings of goslings in red in the upper left corner. Possibly painted in black over a red design. Width: 8.2 cm Height: 6.5 cm Sources: 1. Shaw, Ian, Nicholson, Paul: British Museum dictionary of ancient Egypt London: British Museum Press, 1995. 2. Janssen, Rosalind and Janssen, Jac. J.: Growing up and getting old in ancient Egypt London : Golden House Publications, 2007. 3. McDowell, A.G.: Village life in ancient Egypt : laundry lists and love songs Oxford : Oxford University Press, 1999. 4. Pharaoh's workers : the villagers of Deir el-Medina / edited by Leonard H. Lesko Ithaca : Cornell University Press, 1994. 5. Les artistes de Pharaon : Deir el-Médineh et la Vallée des Rois : Paris, musée du Louvre, 15 avril - 5 aout 2002 Paris : Réunion des Musées Nationaux, 2002. 6. Bierbrier, Morris : The tomb-builders of the pharaohs Cairo : The American University in Cairo Press, 1982. 7. The British Museum hieroglyphic texts from Egyptian stelae etc. Pt. 12 / edited by M. L. Bierbrier. London : British Museum Press, 1993. 8. www.britishmuseum.org/research Further bibliography Back to top Anchor 1 Anchor 2 Anchor 3

Sennedjem's tomb no 1 at Deir el-Medina lies within the Western cemetery. It was discovered intact in 1886. The opening and clearing of this intact burial place was overseen by Gaston Maspero, the head of the Antiquities Service at the time. Sennedjem's tomb no 1 at Deir el-Medina The tomb lies within the Western cemetery. It was discovered intact in 1886. The opening and clearing of this intact burial place was supervised by Gaston Maspero, the head of the Antiquities Service at the time. Twenty mummies, nine in coffins and eleven wrapped only in linen, were found in the vaulted burial chamber, which measures 5.12 m by 2.61 m and 2.40 m high. The owner of the tomb was Sennedjem, a "servant of the place of truth" who lived in the village at the beginning of the 19th dynasty and then shared this "house of eternity" with his wife Iyinofreti, their son Khons and daughter-in-law Tamakhet, and the lady Isis, wife of their second son Khabekhnet, together with their grandchildren. Both Sennedjem and his wife lived to a ripe old age. Iyinofreti's mummy, now in the Metropolitan Museum in New York, is that of a woman aged around 75. Sennedjem's house is in the south-west corner of the settlement. It is next to the house of his son Khabekhnet. Shabti of Sennedjem Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge E.9.1887. Limestone with pigment Height 21.5 cm. From Deir el-Medina, Tomb 1 of Sennedjem New Kingdom, 19th dynasty, reign of Seti I, 1294-1279 BC The shabti holds a broad-bladed hoe against his right shoulder and a pointed hoe against his left shoulder. A basket for seeds is depicted on his back, suspended from a rope over his right shoulder. The text calls upon the shabti as a servant, literally "hearer of the call", to act on behalf of Sennedjem when needed in any of the work being done at the necropolis. Shabti of Sennedjem Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna , Egyptian - Oriental Collection, Inv AE_INV_6614 New Kingdom 19th dynasty, around 1300 BC From Deir el-Medina, Tomb 1 of Sennedjem Limestone, painted Height: 28.3 cm Width: 9.95 cm Depth: 8.8 cm For the translation of the hieroglyphic inscription click here . Photo by Lenka Peacock,2004 © The Fitzwilliam Museum Photo by Lenka Peacock,2010 © Kunsthistorisches Museum For detailed description of the tomb, follow the link to osirisnet.net: https://www.osirisnet.net/tombes/artisans/sennedjem1/e_sennedjem1_01.htm To view and browse the digitised version of The Topographical Bibliography of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts, Statues, Reliefs and Paintings, (also known as Porter & Moss or TopBib) for this tomb, go to http://www.griffith.ox.ac.uk/topbib/pdf/pm1-1.pdf#page=19 Material for the Bibliography is gathered from an ever-expanding range of multi-lingual sources, encompassing both specialist and semi-popular Egyptological and Near Eastern publications, periodicals, museum guides, exhibition and auction catalogues, together with the growing wealth of web resources. The Bibliography also analyses a range of unpublished manuscripts, including those housed in the Griffith Institute Archive. Published in May 2014 by the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, the volumes are constantly revised and augmented. 22 September 2019, Nevine El-Aref for ahram-online "The anthropoid coffin of Sennedjem, who was the overseer of workers at Deir Al-Medina necropolis in Luxor, arrived to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation (NMEC) where it was unpacked. Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Enany witnessed the unpacking process. The mummy of Sennedjem was removed from the coffin after the unpacking to enter the fumigation tent. El-Enany described the fumigation process like medical surgery, to restore and preserve the mummy under the direction of skilled restorers. Ahmed El-Sherbini, supervisor general of the NMEC, said that the coffins of Sennedjem and one of his wives are in a very good state of conservation and were previously exhibited at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square, amongst the funerary collection of Sennedjem found inside his tomb discovered in 1886 by French Egyptologist Maspero. Both coffins are painted anthropoid coffins with mummies of the deceased inside" http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/351273.aspx Sources: 1. Farid, Hany and Farid, Samir: Unfolding Sennedjem's tomb In: KMT: A modern Journal of Ancient Egypt, Spring 2001. Pp. 1-8. 2, Hobson, Christine: Exploring the world of the pharaohs London : Thames and Hudson, 1990. 3. http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/351273.aspx Further bibliography Back to top