Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (19.2007(2010))

DEIR EL-BAHARI

EGYPT

Π.2.3. Vestibule
Documentation and restoration study of the
south and east walls of the Vestibule focused
on the iconographic program and the
changes that it underwent in the post-
Amarna period. The south wall used to have
a surprisingly low cult niche — only about
one meter high — but its decorative program
remains to be identified. Some of the themes
obviously derive from Old and Middle
Kingdom temples. Edyta Kopp is in charge
of this restoration project (see her report in
this volume), while Andrzej Cwiek is
working on Archaic, Old Kingdom and
Middle Kingdom references in the Temple of
Hatshepsut.
II.3. THE FINDS
The assemblage is mixed and fragmentary,
dating from the Eighteenth Dynasty, the
Third Intermediate Period and times of
Coptic church activity in the ruins of the
Temple. The fill inside the tombs yielded
pottery sherds, including Late Roman and
Coptic painted wares [Figs 10 and 11],
fragments of an oil lamp (Field no. 526) and
a terracotta figurine of a woman carrying
a vase (Field no. 520), mud- and red-bricks,
wooden elements of Coptic furniture
(Sankiewicz 2009) and of a Third
Intermediate Period openwork frieze
(Stupko 2009), decorated blocks from the
Temple, coffins and cartonnages, shrouds,
bandages, numerous faience beads of
different colors and sizes, lapis-lazuli,
ushebties (studied by Agnieszka Niemirka),
human and animal bones, straw and linen
strings, mummy binding tapes and linen,
mud stoppers of Coptic amphorae (only in
S. 1/07) and other artifacts attributable to the

Coptic period, red granite and sandstone.
One hieratic ostrakon (Field no. 531) comes
from S/07.6 Artifacts of 20th century date
were found in S/07, S.02/07, S.3/07.
Fragments of cartonnages and pottery found
in S. 1/07 match those discovered in
S.7A-C/82, S.2/07 and S.3/07. Evidently
the material from these trenches must have
been mixed in recent years.
Fragments of coffins and cartonnages
(more than 800 have been recovered so far)7
are of excellent artistic quality. They belong
to members of Theban royal families of the
Twenty-third and Twenty-fifth Dynasties,
and the early Twenty-sixth Dynasty
(cf. Barwik 2003: Pis 76, 77, 79, 80, 82, 83;
Szafrahski 2005:228, Fig. 4,230; 2007a: 251;
2007b: 116-121; 2009: 278-279, Fig. 8).
The craftsmanship of a cartonnage
(Cg.31) of lady Shepenhutaat (about 100
collected fragments) suggests a wealthy
customer of the Twenty-third Dynasty
from the early 8th century BC.8 In the
central part, the figures of Osiris-
Khentimentiu, Hapi and a cobra were
molded in fine relief, then painted and
varnished in some way [Fig. 11, top].
Similarly molded in fine relief were the
figures of three lionesses on the bottom of
the cartonnage, the outlines of their bodies
and features emphasized with a red line
[Fig. 11, bottom].
New fragments were attached to a
previously discovered (Szafrahski 2009:
278-279, Fig. 8, left) inner coffin fragment
(Cf.31) of a priestly family: God's Father of
Amun, Paenmiw, and his parents, God's
Father of Amun, PadiAmun, and Mistress of
the House, Imiw. The coffin of Paenmiw
should be dated to the very late Twenty-fifth

6 E. Kopp is responsible for studying a group of hieratic ostraka found in the temple during recent years.
7 Documented and studied by A. Niemirka, F. Payraudeau, C. May Sheikholeslami and Z.E. Szafranski.
8 Preliminary reconstruction by F. Payraudeau; fragments collected by A. Niemirka and Z.E. Szafranski.

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Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean 19, Reports 2007