DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.26359#0084
Piotr Laskowski
Warsaw
A Note on the Building Activity of Thutmosis III in Elkab*
(Plate 17)
It is well known that Thutmosis III erected
a few minor structures in Elkab as well as con-
tributed to the enlargement of the great temple
of Nekhbet. The aim of this paper is to analyse
some of the remains of the Thutmosis III’s addi-
tions to the great temple and to specify what kind
of constructions they may derive from.
Unfortunately only a few blocks decorated
with the names of Thutmosis III have been pub-
lished. Both scholars who have so far attempted
to publish the temple were of the opinion that
the Thutmoside blocks were not of any impor-
tance and that the analysis of this material would
not make up for the efforts. Somers CLARKE
noticed that “in the foundations of the east walls
and elsewhere are a number of large stones of
good quaiity and very well sculptured with in-
scriptions of Thutmosis III (...) My impression
is that we have (...) the remains (...) of the tem-
ple of considerable pretensions built under
Thutmosis III”. However, he stated “this ac-
count of the temple (...) does not profess to
enter upon a detailed catalogue of all the in-
scriptions”.1
Jean CAPART limited his account to the short
remark:
“La plate-forme, sur laquelle le temple de
Nectanébo II était construit, laissait apparaître,
a son parement extérieur tourné vers l’est, un
grand nombre de beaux blocs remployés, pro-
venant de constructions royales du début de la
XVIIIe dynastie. (...) II vade soi qu’un catalo-
gue des blocs actuellement visibles serait de peu
d’utilitéetfastidieux.”2
* I am deeply indebted to Professor Jadwiga LIPINSKA
for support, encouragement, advice as well as criti-
cal remarks on the preliminary versions of this paper.
However, I am the only person responsible for any
mistakes herein.
However, it seems one may attempt to obtain
some useful information from the material of
Thutmosis III’s constructions.3 The blocks in
question were reused within the foundations of
the Late Period temple. Still in situ, they are well
visible, although only one face of each block can
be seen. Thus any attempt to analyse this mate-
rial is far from completeness at least until (if ever)
the Late Period temple foundations are disman-
tled. This paper, intended to be a preliminary
study, is focused on a small group of the blocks
which, as it may be suggested, enables one to
provide a theoretical reconstruction of the plan
of Thutmosis III’s additions to the temple of
Nekhbet. This group includes a dmm of the 16-
sided column and three architrave blocks. They
are built into the eastem part of the platform of
the Late Period temple.
A drum of a polygonal (16-sided) column
seems to be the fragment of the greatest impor-
tance. Its shape as well as the shape of hiero-
glyphic signs (pl. 17, fig. 2) clearly indicates that
the column comes from the Thutmoside construc-
tion. The text on a preserved fragment is of par-
ticular interest:
...nbt tfwj srhrn=s wsht-hbjt
...Lady of Two Lands [namely] erecting for her
the festival court
Certainly the text is a fragment of a dedication
formula jr.n=f m mnw=f thus the word srhr
should be considered an infinitive specifying the
character of a royal foundation (mnw). Suffix
1 S. CLARKE, El-Kab and its Temples, JEA 8 (1922),
p. 37.
2 J. CAPART, Fouilles de El-Kab. Documents,
Bruxelles 1940,2e rapport, p. 15-16.
3 The material presented in this paper was collected
81
Warsaw
A Note on the Building Activity of Thutmosis III in Elkab*
(Plate 17)
It is well known that Thutmosis III erected
a few minor structures in Elkab as well as con-
tributed to the enlargement of the great temple
of Nekhbet. The aim of this paper is to analyse
some of the remains of the Thutmosis III’s addi-
tions to the great temple and to specify what kind
of constructions they may derive from.
Unfortunately only a few blocks decorated
with the names of Thutmosis III have been pub-
lished. Both scholars who have so far attempted
to publish the temple were of the opinion that
the Thutmoside blocks were not of any impor-
tance and that the analysis of this material would
not make up for the efforts. Somers CLARKE
noticed that “in the foundations of the east walls
and elsewhere are a number of large stones of
good quaiity and very well sculptured with in-
scriptions of Thutmosis III (...) My impression
is that we have (...) the remains (...) of the tem-
ple of considerable pretensions built under
Thutmosis III”. However, he stated “this ac-
count of the temple (...) does not profess to
enter upon a detailed catalogue of all the in-
scriptions”.1
Jean CAPART limited his account to the short
remark:
“La plate-forme, sur laquelle le temple de
Nectanébo II était construit, laissait apparaître,
a son parement extérieur tourné vers l’est, un
grand nombre de beaux blocs remployés, pro-
venant de constructions royales du début de la
XVIIIe dynastie. (...) II vade soi qu’un catalo-
gue des blocs actuellement visibles serait de peu
d’utilitéetfastidieux.”2
* I am deeply indebted to Professor Jadwiga LIPINSKA
for support, encouragement, advice as well as criti-
cal remarks on the preliminary versions of this paper.
However, I am the only person responsible for any
mistakes herein.
However, it seems one may attempt to obtain
some useful information from the material of
Thutmosis III’s constructions.3 The blocks in
question were reused within the foundations of
the Late Period temple. Still in situ, they are well
visible, although only one face of each block can
be seen. Thus any attempt to analyse this mate-
rial is far from completeness at least until (if ever)
the Late Period temple foundations are disman-
tled. This paper, intended to be a preliminary
study, is focused on a small group of the blocks
which, as it may be suggested, enables one to
provide a theoretical reconstruction of the plan
of Thutmosis III’s additions to the temple of
Nekhbet. This group includes a dmm of the 16-
sided column and three architrave blocks. They
are built into the eastem part of the platform of
the Late Period temple.
A drum of a polygonal (16-sided) column
seems to be the fragment of the greatest impor-
tance. Its shape as well as the shape of hiero-
glyphic signs (pl. 17, fig. 2) clearly indicates that
the column comes from the Thutmoside construc-
tion. The text on a preserved fragment is of par-
ticular interest:
...nbt tfwj srhrn=s wsht-hbjt
...Lady of Two Lands [namely] erecting for her
the festival court
Certainly the text is a fragment of a dedication
formula jr.n=f m mnw=f thus the word srhr
should be considered an infinitive specifying the
character of a royal foundation (mnw). Suffix
1 S. CLARKE, El-Kab and its Temples, JEA 8 (1922),
p. 37.
2 J. CAPART, Fouilles de El-Kab. Documents,
Bruxelles 1940,2e rapport, p. 15-16.
3 The material presented in this paper was collected
81