Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (11.1999(2000))

DEIR EL-BAHARI

EGYPT

In the Ptolemaic Sanctuary, directly
underneath the accumulated soil, a num-
ber of limestone blocks were discovered. It
now appears that the pavement of the
Ptolemaic Sanctuary was made haphazardly
of stone elements taken from the chamber
that had previously stood in this place in the
times of Queen Hatshepsut. One of the
blocks depicts Queen Hatshepsut with
a stick and a mace turning to the right. It
had belonged to the northern jamb of the
entrance leading to the room of the offering-
table. Many other blocks belonging to this
doorway were assembled over the course of
the past season.u) A second block found
below the pavement of the Ptolemaic
Sanctuary belonged to the wall of the dis-
mantled chamber of the offering-table. Its
decoration consisted of offerings, a part of

the offering-list and a cartouche of
Tuthmosis II (originally of Queen
Hatshepsut) (Fig. 8). It seems that the gen-
eral character of the decoration of the inner
chamber of the sanctuary recalls the icono-
graphical program depicted on the walls of
the offering chapel of Queen Hatshepsut
erected in the Royal Cult Complex to the
south of the Upper Courtyard. Also here
there had been a false-door of granite in the
middle of the rear wall, as indicated by
a block with double incisions on the side,
apparently meant to accommodate this ele-
ment. The last chamber of the sanctuary was
covered with a vaulted roof. The localiza-
tion of the offering chapel in the rear part of
the sanctuary corresponds to the principal
features of a mortuary temple well known
since the Old Kingdom.

NORTHERN CHAPEL OF AMUN

Restoration and protection of the eastern
and southern walls of the Northern Chapel
of Amun was one of the most important
objectives of the season. Situated in the
northwestern corner of the Upper Terrace,
the almost completely preserved Chapel
was excavated first by J. Greene12) and
then by E. Naville.13) E. Baraize covered it
with a concrete ceiling, which, however,
proved too heavy for the relatively thin and
weak eastern wall of the structure. The sta-
bility of the wall has thus been affected,
resulting in severe deformation, like the
dangerous bulge of the southern section in
the vicinity of the original passage to the
sun-altar court. Moreover, heavy down-

pours recorded in Deir el-Bahari in 1992
and 1994 resulted in the painted plaster
beginning to detach.l4)
The affected section of the eastern wall
was dismantled course by course and a huge
amount of eroded Esna-shale debris was
removed from in back of the wall.
Archaeological finds were not many, howev-
er, one of these being a bowl dating to the
Eighteenth Dynasty. The cleaning complet-
ed, a supporting steel structure was installed.
Reinforced concrete banks were introduced
around iron tee-bars. The remaining part was
filled in with broken limestone blocks and
cement mortar. Finally, the wall was re-erect-
ed. Loose fragments of colored plasters were

u> Cf. F. Pawlicki, PAM X, Reports 1998 (1999), 126, fig. 5
12) J. Greene, Fouilles executees a Thebes dans l'annee 1855 (Paris 1855).
13) E. Naville, The Temple of Deir el-Bahari I (London 1895).
14) Cf. F. Pawlicki, PAM VII. Reports 1995 (1996), 69-

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