Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (10.1998(1999))

DEIR EL-BAHARI

EGYPT

A penetrating analysis of the represen-
tation of a group of priests accompanying
the procession in the bottom register of the
decoration has revealed that the royal stat-
ue standing between them had replaced an
earlier image. The surviving traces of the
contour of the original decoration in this
spot reveal the figure of a standing woman.
The context and composition of the scene
permit the assumption that originally it
was a representation of princess Neferure,
later removed by Hatshepsut upon the
girl's premature demise. Her images on
the western wall of the upper court were
eliminated in similar fashion.
One of the important findings of the
reconstruction of the southern section of
the eastern wall was the identification of
the sockets of the architrave of the colon-
nade of the upper court. This permitted
a definite understanding of the arrange-
ment of the pieces of the architrave in the
southeastern corner of the space and in the

vicinity of the entrance to the Royal Cult
Chapel complex.
Over the course of the season conserva-
tors intervened with treatment on the
northern wall and the northern section of
the eastern wall of the upper court where
a peeling tendency of the stone surface had
been observed. The separated fragments
were consolidated and reattached using
Primal AC 330, a silico-organic prepara-
tion protecting stone surfaces. With the
installment of blocks from the topmost
layer crowning the representation of the
scene of the Beautiful Feast of the Valley
the upper register of the decoration of the
northern wall was completed.
The pieces of the architrave were trans-
ported from the Middle Terrace courtyard
to the Upper Court where they will be dis-
played after the planned conservation.
Smaller fragments not intended for recon-
struction were removed to the stores on the
Lower Terrace.

THE PORTICO OF PUNT

The southern wall of the portico with the
best known representations: landscape
scenes from an African village, the arrival of
Hatshepsut's emissaries and their welcome
by the Queen of Punt, transport of the trees
etc., received full conservation treatment.
The wall, which had been reconstructed by
E. Baraize after A. Mariette's excavations in
the early years of this century, had been
damaged by frequent rainfall penetration of
the core through the unprotected southern
edge of the vault of the upper portico and
the northern wall of the hypostyle hall of
the Hathor Chapel. Salt efflorescence and
rusty stains had appeared on the blocks of
the upper courses, the surface of the stones

had started to powder and discolor, peeling
from both the original elements and the
20th-cent. plaster.
The limestone blocks were consolidated
and protected with silico-organic prepara-
tions. Aesthetic touches were added,
removing the peeling modern paint and
powdering gypsum putties and replacing
them with mineral ones of a color and tex-
ture approaching that of the original
blocks. It was determined that the recon-
struction of the upper registers of the dec-
oration requires many revisions and addi-
tions, which will be made possible once
a full documentation is carried out and
a separate project prepared.

13) A. Kwasnica, F. Pawlicki, The Temple of Djeser-Djeseru at Deir el-Bahari, JEA (in print).

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