DOI Heft:
Egypt
DOI Artikel:Rzepka, Sławomir: Rock graffiti above the temple of Hatshepsut
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.41274#0185
DEIR EL-BAHARI
EGYPT
ROCK GRAFFITI ABOVE THE
TEMPLE OF HATSHEPSUT
Slawomir Rzepka
One of the important objectives of the
Polish-Egyptian Cliff Mission in Deir el-
Bahari was to document the graffiti found
on the rocks above the Hatshepsut temple,
in an area where no regular graffiti survey
has ever been done before.
J. Cerny and A.A. Sadek had not includ-
ed this area in their big project, carried out
in the late sixties and early seventies, to
document the graffiti of the Theban
necropolis.2) Rock inscriptions marked
with numbers from the Cerny-Sadek proj-
ect have been noted only at the southern-
most edge of o'ur concession. The highest
number found is 4066, and the next graffi-
to north of it is our number Al. However,
since the last published number in their
study is 3973, our documentation work
should be continued southwards until this
last published graffiti is reached.
Neither was the area in question includ-
ed in two other important works concerning
DESCRIPTION
The area investigated this season was divided
into six sections, based on the topographical
features, and marked with the letters A to F
the graffiti of the Theban region, published
by W. Spiegelberg3) and by J. Cerny.4) The
scholars must have noticed some of our graf-
fiti, as evidenced by arrows scratched in the
rock, but — at least to my knowledge — noth-
ing of this material has ever been published.
Our approach stood in contrast to that
of the above mentioned scholars who had
been concerned mainly with hieroglyphic
and hieratic inscriptions, paying much less
attention to demotic, Coptic and Greek
texts, not to mention figural graffiti from
different periods. Our objective was to
record practically every stroke made by
human hand on the rock surface, naturally
ignoring the obviously modern drawings
made by recent occasional climbers to the
site. Our findings, totally neglected so far
in publications, could be the source of
important new information, even if for the
moment their meaning is to be speculated
on.
OF THE AREA
(Fig. 1). Within each section the graffiti were
numbered starting from the south (sections
A, B, C, D) and from the west (sections E, F).
1; For a brief history of studies on graffiti from the Theban necropolis, cf. Ch. Desroches-Noblecourt, "La quete des graf-
fiti", Textes et langages de l'Egypte pharaonique. Hommage Champollion, BdE 64,2, (1972), 157-159, 161-163, 165-166,
170, 181-183.)
2> The results of this project were published in a monumental four-volume work entitled: Graffiti de la montagne
thebaine (Le Caire 1969-1983).
W. Spiegelberg, Agyptische und andere Graffiti (Inschriften und Zeichnungen) aus der thebanischen Nekropolis
(Heidelberg 1921).
4> J. Cerny, Graffiti hieroglyphiques et hieratiques de la necropole thebaine. Nos. 1060 a 1405 (Le Caire 1956).
183
EGYPT
ROCK GRAFFITI ABOVE THE
TEMPLE OF HATSHEPSUT
Slawomir Rzepka
One of the important objectives of the
Polish-Egyptian Cliff Mission in Deir el-
Bahari was to document the graffiti found
on the rocks above the Hatshepsut temple,
in an area where no regular graffiti survey
has ever been done before.
J. Cerny and A.A. Sadek had not includ-
ed this area in their big project, carried out
in the late sixties and early seventies, to
document the graffiti of the Theban
necropolis.2) Rock inscriptions marked
with numbers from the Cerny-Sadek proj-
ect have been noted only at the southern-
most edge of o'ur concession. The highest
number found is 4066, and the next graffi-
to north of it is our number Al. However,
since the last published number in their
study is 3973, our documentation work
should be continued southwards until this
last published graffiti is reached.
Neither was the area in question includ-
ed in two other important works concerning
DESCRIPTION
The area investigated this season was divided
into six sections, based on the topographical
features, and marked with the letters A to F
the graffiti of the Theban region, published
by W. Spiegelberg3) and by J. Cerny.4) The
scholars must have noticed some of our graf-
fiti, as evidenced by arrows scratched in the
rock, but — at least to my knowledge — noth-
ing of this material has ever been published.
Our approach stood in contrast to that
of the above mentioned scholars who had
been concerned mainly with hieroglyphic
and hieratic inscriptions, paying much less
attention to demotic, Coptic and Greek
texts, not to mention figural graffiti from
different periods. Our objective was to
record practically every stroke made by
human hand on the rock surface, naturally
ignoring the obviously modern drawings
made by recent occasional climbers to the
site. Our findings, totally neglected so far
in publications, could be the source of
important new information, even if for the
moment their meaning is to be speculated
on.
OF THE AREA
(Fig. 1). Within each section the graffiti were
numbered starting from the south (sections
A, B, C, D) and from the west (sections E, F).
1; For a brief history of studies on graffiti from the Theban necropolis, cf. Ch. Desroches-Noblecourt, "La quete des graf-
fiti", Textes et langages de l'Egypte pharaonique. Hommage Champollion, BdE 64,2, (1972), 157-159, 161-163, 165-166,
170, 181-183.)
2> The results of this project were published in a monumental four-volume work entitled: Graffiti de la montagne
thebaine (Le Caire 1969-1983).
W. Spiegelberg, Agyptische und andere Graffiti (Inschriften und Zeichnungen) aus der thebanischen Nekropolis
(Heidelberg 1921).
4> J. Cerny, Graffiti hieroglyphiques et hieratiques de la necropole thebaine. Nos. 1060 a 1405 (Le Caire 1956).
183