Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (18.2006(2008))

DEIR EL-BAHARI

EGYPT

BUILDING DIPINTI
FROM THE TEMPLE
OF HATSHEPSUT
PRELIMINARY REMARKS, 2005/2006

Dawid F. Wieczorek

Building dipinti,1 otherwise referred to as
'masons' marks' and “Baugraffiti” (cf.
Horscher and Anthes 1939: 99; Verner
1992), have been encountered repeatedly
during the past 40 years of archaeological
and reconstruction works in the two
neighboring temples of Hatshepsut and
Tuthmosis III in Deir el-Bahari. Jadwiga
Lipihska (1977: 21-25) recorded the epi-
graphic material from the Tuthmosis III
temple, while that from the temple of
Hatshepsut was never discussed except for
a few cursory mentions (Naville and Hall
1907: 37, 19; Wmlock M.M.A: 33, 41,
226, 230, 237 (the last two after Lipihska
1977: 23); Szafranski 1995: 371-374).
In the 2005/2006 season, excavation of
trial pit S.l/06 uncovered the outer face of
the south wall of the vestibule of the chapel
of Hatshepsut's funerary cult (for this work,
see above, report by Z.E. Szafranski in this
volume). On a section of wall c. 5.30 m

long, reaching c. 1.50 m below the
vestibule floor level and evidently un-
finished {Pig. 1], the excavators identified
29 building dipinti; an additional 41 dipinti
were recognized on loose blocks found in
the fill of the trial pit. This discovery
prompted a study of the numerous building
dipinti from the Hatshepsut temple,
undertaken by the present author.2 The
following are a few preliminary remarks
concerning this category of inscriptions.
All the newly uncovered building
dipinti were recorded in hieratic script
with elements of cursive hieroglyphics,
using red paint — ocher most likely —
applied with a thin or thick brush. Those
executed with a thin brush are about 10
by 15 cm in size, those with a thick brush
about 20 by 30 cm.
A preliminary study of the material
has distinguished seven different kinds of
building dipinti:

1 The term dipinti, which has been ignored so far in egyptological studies (Thissen 1976: col. 880-882), is to my mind
essential for characterizing the textual material presented here and distinguishing it from the numerous Theban graffiti
(as in cf. Spiegelberg 1921; Cerny 1956; Cerny and Sadek 1969-1983).
2 Following in the wake of Andrzej Niwinski, Krzysztof Winnicki and Zbigniew E. Szafranski, all members of the
PCMA Hatshepsut Temple Restoration Mission, who have documented this kind of material over the years, but
without bringing the analysis beyond a preliminary stage. During the present season, 49 of the newly discovered dipinti
were recorded by the author.

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