During excavations at Hatshepsut’s funerary complex in Deir el-Bahari for the Egypt Exploration Fund (EEF), Édouard Naville uncovered thirteen 11 th Dynasty tombs south of the Hathor shrine. One tomb, still containing most of its original burial equipment, belonged to a man named Mentuhotep ‘Buau’, though its precise location was later lost. New evidence from Naville’s excavation journal (1893–1896) now allows the tomb’s exact position in the north triangular court of Mentuhotep II’s complex to be securely identified. The journal also reveals the existence of four other tombs in the area, previously forgotten.
This paper presents a catalogue of sources to support the central focus of research about the generic imagery of the royal ka until the end of the Old Kingdom. Regardless of the fragmentary condition of the majority of its monuments, there is an early innovation in pictorial decorations concerning kingship propaganda expressed in mortuary temples. The study aims to reinterpret the crucial complexities of Old Kingdom representations of the royal ka and provide additional suggestions for interpretations based on comparing the thematic contexts of these reconstructions that might parallel similar ones of the same period or afterwards - e.g. the pictorial development of the royal ka in the smiting context in all epochs. Perhaps these observations could help in comprehending the functions and roles of the royal ka.
This article presents a new edition of a fragmentary Carian stela. The stone was spoliated from the Carian necropolis west of Memphis and reused in the lining of the Baboon Catacombs in the Sacred Animal Necropolis at Saqqara. The two fragments have been kept at London's British Museum since their excavation in winter 1968-1969. Although long known, this stela has never received a full publication. While the text is very damaged, much of the original adoration scene is preserved, adding to the small corpus of Caromemphite art. This sheds light on the working practices of Carian artists in Memphis in the sixth century BCE.
Bronze and faience bells decorated with high-relief animal heads or divine symbols, or in some cases shaped as an entire Bes-head, are found in many museum collections. Most of these bells are tentatively dated and the meaning of their iconography is unexplored. This paper identifies and interprets the iconography of four ancient Egyptian bell classes using data surveyed from archaeological reports, museum catalogues, online museum records, and other publications. Bells with multiple animal heads are presented as composite amulets that incorporate Amun-Re's hidden ba-powers with recognisable amuletic motifs, possibly related to Amun-Re's funerary role. The apotropaic and mediatory qualities of Bes-head-shaped bells are identified and considered suitable for domestic magical practice or as votives. Plain-walled bells with Bes at the apex further signify the god as primary mediator of apotropaic sound. Finally, quadrangular bells with phalli possibly relate to Dionysiac or Egyptian cultic festivities.
This survey is part of a project exploring the ancient landscape in the eastern hinterland of the Coptic and Theban nomes in Upper Egypt, aiming to understand the coexistence of diverse cultural groups in the vicinity of the Nile Valley. In September 2023, the first survey campaign was launched in the Gebel el Nezzi area, east of Luxor, through collaboration between the 'Coptite and Theban Eastern Desert Hinterlands' Landscape Archaeological Survey Project and 'Mobility between the Nile Valley and the Eastern Desert'. Previously unexplored, the Gebel el Nezzi area provides new data about routes to the quarries and mines, countering the notion that it was an impassable barrier. The survey concentrated on Wadi Medamud, linking the Nile Valley to the east and south, probably containing material culture from both Nile Valley inhabitants and nomadic groups, as suggested by nearby historic sites like the Middle Kingdom Temple of Montu and Khozam's predynastic settlement.
This paper presents the study of a scarab found in the Necropolis of El Toro, located in the interior of Iberia. The scarab tomb is described, followed by a detailed morphological, typological, archaeometric (SEM-EDX analysis), and chronological analysis of the amulet, including absolute dating. The archeometallurgical analysis by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) of the metal pieces of the trousseau is also included. The piece shows signs of having been in contact with fire, is greenish-blue in colour and can be attributed to the early reigns of the 26th Dynasty. On the base there is an inscription of five Egyptian hieroglyphic characters inserted in a cartouche adapted to the shape of the amulet. Its inscription makes it possible to read the anthroponym p-s-m-t-k, compatible with similar specimens found in Egypt and in the Mediterranean in the seventh and sixth centuries BC.
This paper offers the publication of a large limestone stela of the priest Patjaimabanakht from Abydos, which is on display in the Sohag National Museum (Sohag 752), and a republication of stela Brussels E 4439 of the same person. The article focuses on the names, titles, and genealogies of the 51 individuals depicted on the Sohag stela. Based on its onomastic and epigraphic characteristics and its stylistic and artistic features, the stela can be dated to the Third Intermediate Period, either the 21st Dynasty or 22nd Dynasty.
This paper is a material and epigraphic study of metal stirrup-shaped signet rings produced during the reign of Amenhotep IV/Akhenaten (c. 1350 BCE) now in the collections of the Israel Museum (Jerusalem), with a catalogue of metal stirrup rings associated with Atenism in other collections. The paper discusses technical and dating issues, forgeries, factors that motivated the choice of materials, the rings' uses, and the frequency of inscriptions and designs on metal rings during Akhenaten's politico-religious revolution.
The ongoing excavations in the archaeological concession area of Cairo University at the Memphite New Kingdom necropolis of Saqqara have uncovered a number of ancient graffiti. This article aims to present all graffiti recorded in the early Ramesside tomb of Iurokhy. Special emphasis is placed on a graffito depicting and naming male individuals bringing offerings to the tomb. It is suggested that the individuals represent members of the actual support staff of the mortuary cult, those who looked after the mortuary provisions of the deceased tomb owner. One of the individuals depicted, a man named Heriherneferher, left more than just a representation of his person. He, himself, was buried in one of the spaces of the tomb's superstructure. This paper further presents a list of graffiti recorded in adjacent Ramesside tombs, thereby adding to the published corpus of Memphite tomb graffiti.
This paper challenges the commonly held view that the names of the early 18(th) Dynasty vizier Ahmose Ametju ('mt) and his wife (sic), spelled in group writing, were non-Egyptian, and questions the validity of claims about the foreign origins of the couple, who were ancestors of a powerful Theban family. The paper argues that the non-Egyptian explanation of the names is no more convincing than the alternative interpretation that they are contracted forms of the name Ahmose (in a masculine and a feminine variant). It is further argued that the evidence for the parents of Ahmose Ametju, discovered by Sheila Whale but disregarded in subsequent studies, makes it less likely that Ahmose Ametju was an early generation immigrant to Egypt.
In 2023/24, a season of topographic survey was carried out at the North Saqqara plateau. The main objectives of this initiative were (1) the establishment of a spatial reference network of stable topographic nails distributed in the landscape, and (2) the photogrammetric survey of the portion of the Early Dynastic cemetery excavated by Cecil M. Firth and Walter B. Emery in the 1930s. Both tasks were completed successfully with the support of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. As a result of this work, the author has provided the area with a network of survey markers and found the location of structures whose existence is attested in archival documentation but whose whereabouts were then unknown. The present article is a report of the work undertaken in this field campaign, explaining the motivations, methodology, and preliminary results.
This paper presents an in-depth examination of two coffins: an anthropoid wooden coffin belonging to Nespasefy III, a priest of Montu, and another coffin belonging to his wife, Irtyru. Both coffins are currently on display at the Stibbert Museum in Florence. Nespasefy III, son of the priest of Montu Besenmut III and Hebenesamun I, is noted for his well-known Book of the Dead. However, his richly decorated and extensively inscribed coffin has not been comprehensively studied. This study aims to analyse the iconography and the funerary and religious texts adorning both coffins. Special emphasis is placed on the innovative arrangement of funerary deities on Nespasefy III's coffin lid, his rare religious titles, and their connections to specific Theban cults. Additionally, the paper includes a comparative analysis with other coffins from the same family and individuals from the same period (25th-26th Dynasties), highlighting similarities and differences in funerary practices and iconographic elements.
Fieldwork at Amarna from autumn 2024 to spring 2025 involved excavation and survey in Amarna’s housing areas, including the house of the vizier Nakht, and the continuation of several post-excavation projects. The post-excavation work reported on here is the study of human skeletal materials, pottery, and matting from the non-elite cemeteries; relief fragments from the Maru-Aten; zooarchaeological samples from the house of Panehesy; and lithics and osseous technological pieces from various locations at Amarna. Ongoing community engagement work is also summarised.
This paper aims to shed light on the recently identified tomb of the overseer of the seal, Ty, who served during the reigns of both Hatshepsut and Thutmose III. The work discussed here derives from excavations in Western Thebes for the New Kingdom Research Foundation (NKRF) in November 2021 in the burial ground known as Wadi 300. Excavation results from this tomb and the surrounding area confirm that it was re-modelled and re-used during the Coptic or Late Antique Period as part of a habitation rather than a tomb. Beside Ty’s tomb, we also discovered in the same necropolis a number of other tombs belonging to other high-status officials from the same period, including the king’s sons Inebny, Montuiwy, and Renna.
This paper examines the archaeological site of Athribis in Upper Egypt, focusing on a monumental complex located within the mountain necropolis. The most famous element of this structure is the rock temple of Asclepius, with its Graeco-Roman style fa & ccedil;ade. This paper demonstrates that the speos of Asclepius is not an isolated structure but the centre of a larger complex, including a walled forecourt and a rock-cut sanctuary dedicated to Anubis. It makes the case that the shared ritual space between the Asclepieion and the Anubieion reflects cultic links between the Greek god and the Egyptian. Another key discovery within the complex is a rock-cut chamber including a stone bench with traces of mummification resin and linen. These findings strongly indicate that the place was used for embalming. Thus, the study highlights Athribis as a significant site for understanding the intersection of Greek and Egyptian religious traditions and offers new perspectives on the design and function of mummification workshops throughout Egyptian history.
