Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (15.2003(2004))

WEST SAQQARA

EGYPT

CONSERVATION ACTIVITIES, 2003

Zbigniew Godziejewski

Monitoring inside the cult chapel of
Merefnebef has shown progressive
stabilization of the condition of the wall
paintings. This permitted most of the
conservation effort to be directed at the

painted reliefs in the newly uncovered cult
chapel 15.1> Wooden objects and pottery
from the current excavations were also
subjected to conservation measures as
required.

THE CULT CHAPEL OF MEREFNEBEF

Some minimal detachments were noted by
tapping, but overall the condition of the
stone appears to have stabilized forming
a relatively thick and stable layer that is in
no direct danger of becoming detached.
Most of the tiny and thin detachments have
occurred in the layer of whitewash below
the decorated panel. To fix these, a 6-8%
water solution of PRIMAL E330 was applied
after the area in question had been
dampened with a solution of water and
alcohol (1:1). Either syringes or brushes
were used. Some empty spaces under the
polychromy (for instance, in the northern
part of the facade) were filled with
a suspension produced using Primal AC-
33 as the base and adding calcium
carbonate, chalk, and pigments for the sake
of color homogeneity at the edges of the
filled spaces. The choice of this method was
dictated by the facility with which it allows
empty spaces to be reached without
piercing special holes for this purpose.
New concentrations of salinity have
grained out, but mostly in the parts where
there is no decoration and it is easy to
remove them with a brush. In view of this,
1) Cf. excavation report by K. Mysliwiec in this volume.

it proved necessary to increase humidity in
this part of the shelter. The thermo-
hygrometer record showed oscillation of
relative humidity in the range from 34% to
53%, never once reaching the level of 55%
between November 2002 and June 2003.
The measures undertaken in 2001 and
2003, consisting of filling in the crevices
and bonding the splits in the most
endangered central section of the lateral
walls of the fagade, gave very satisfactory
results. Therefore, during the 2003
campaign, the same procedure was applied
to several spots on the northern lateral wall
of the fagade, such as the head of the vizier,
the large-size hieroglyph representing
a vulture near the northern wall of the
shelter, and the hand of the tomb owner in
the same large-size figure. FUNCOSIL KSE
500 STE (Remmers) was used with fillers
FUNCOSIL KSE Fiillstoff A and B (1:2) and
adding pure, fine-grained, sieved sand and
pigments.
The same mixture was used for the
bands securing the edges of detaching
spots. However, it was applied only in areas
devoid of polychromy because of the dark

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