Preliminary Report of Fieldwork Season 2007 in the Necropolis of Asyut

 

Mahmoud El-Khadragy - Jochem Kahl

 

From 27th August to 4th October 2007 the Egyptian-German joint mission of Sohag University and the Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz conducted its fifth season of fieldwork in the ancient necropolis of Asyut situated in the western mountains. In addition, the mission studied objects in the magazine at Shutb from 27th August to 4th October 2007.

Members of the mission were:

Prof. Dr. Mahmoud El-Khadragy, Sohag University, field director;

Prof. Dr. Jochem Kahl, University of Mainz, field director;

Prof. Dr. Ursula Verhoeven, University of Mainz, project director;

Dr. Sameh Shafik, epigrapher;

Dr. Abd El-Naser Yasin, Islamic archaeologist;

Dr. Jan Moje, Egyptologist;

Lic. Phil. Ilona Regulski, epigrapher;

Dipl. Ing. Manja Maschke, surveyor;

Meike Becker, M.A., Egyptologist;

Monika Zöller, M.A. Egyptologist;

Magdalena Patolla, M.A., anthropologist;

Yasser Mahmoud, Egyptologist;

Hazim Salah Abdallah, Egyptologist;

Mohamed Naguib Reda, Egyptologist;

John Moussa Iskander, Egyptologist;

Ibrahim Kedees, Egyptologist;

Hytham Aly Madkour, Egyptologist;

Laura Sanhueza-Pino, student of Egyptology;

Andrea Kilian, student of Egyptology;

Eva Gervers, student of anthropology;

Fritz Barthel, photographer;

Amar Abu Bakr, draughtsman.

 

The accompanying inspectors were Mr. Ahmed Abd-Alrahim Abd-Almagid and Mr. Mohamed Mustafa Al-Shafey.

 

Fieldwork focused on Tomb N13.1 and its forecourt (temp. Mentuhotep II), Tomb IV (First Intermediate Period), Tomb I of Dynasty 12, the “road system” on level 7, and the mapping of the necropolis.

 

The mission made facsimiles of the decoration and inscriptions in Tomb N13.1 (Iti-ibi-iqer; First Intermediate Period/Dynasty 11) and Tomb I (Djefaihapi I; Dynasty 12). The architecture of the inner hall of Tomb IV was documented (with exception of the shafts).

 

Mapping of the necropolis was continued by surveying the northern and western part of Gebel Asyut. Now, the map of the necropolis includes more than 120 architectonical structures (fig. 1).

The northwestern border of the ancient necropolis could be determined as lying about 50 metres to the northwest of the mausoleum of Sheikh Abu Tuq. There are the ruins of a brick building and a massive concentration of late Roman and Coptic pottery. Pharaonic pottery was not found. To the north of the brickbuilding a small wadi cuts into the gebel. Further to the north there do not seem to be any archaeological remains.

During the survey in the western part of the necropolis two wells (fig. 2), which belonged to the monastery Deir el-Azzam were located. The existence of wells was already known from a report from the beginning of the 20th century, but not their exact location.

In addition, the remains of a small decorated tomb (probably Middle Kingdom) were found next to Deir el-Azzam (to the east of I12.1). The tomb was already examined by Charles Palanque, member of the French mission, who worked in Asyut in 1903.[1] It had originally two rooms, of which only one is still preserved today (fig. 3). The entrance to this room is partially destroyed. The walls were painted, but only some parts of the decoration are still visible. Especially worth mentioning is the condition of the ceiling, which displays a geometrical pattern in vivid colours (fig. 4).

 

The restorers Mr. Ahmed Abd-Aldayem Mohamed, Mr. Gamal Abd-Almalek Abd-Almoneam and Madame Abir Mohamed Ali Mosa cleaned paintings in Tomb N13.1. The decoration and graffiti in Tomb N13.1 were collated. N13.1 was the last resting place for the Hatia, overseer of the priests of Wepwawet, overseer of the priests of Anubis, overseer of the troops of the entire 13th Upper Egyptian nome, Iti-ibi-iqer. Photos of the architecture, decoration and the graffiti were taken (figs. 5-6). More than 140 grafiti are written or drawn on the walls of the 11th Dynasty tomb. For the most part, the graffiti date to the early New Kingdom. Some of them show the beginnings of classical school texts: the Teaching of Amenemhat, the Loyalist Teaching, the Teaching of Khety, the Teaching of a Man for his Son, the Prophecy of Neferty, the Hymn to the Nile.

Most of the graffiti are visitors’ graffiti and inform about Asyut during the New Kingdom. Different temples and some local saints are mentioned (e.g. Djefaihapi and Iti-ibi). Other graffiti are drawings depicting men or animals.

 

The shafts of the inner hall of Tomb N13.1 were cleaned. All three shafts were reused and plundered in later periods. Shaft 1 is situated in the central axis in front of the tomb’s western niche (fig. 7). It is about 8.90 m deep and has a small niche to the west on the ground. Shaft 2 (fig. 8) takes the form of a sloping passsage and cuts the original decoration of the southern wall. Therefore it seems to have been reused and broadened during a later period. Objects found in shaft 2 point to a 25th Dynasty/Late Period date (e.g. Udjat-eye amulet, pottery, wooden head of a coffin (fig. 9), wooden crowns and rams’ horns [fig. 10], which originally belonged to Ptah-Sokar-Osiris-statuettes). Shaft 3 still housed some complete vessels, which belong to the original burial in Dynasty 11. Among others, a drop-shaped vessel with a ritual killing-hole was found (fig. 11). It seems to have been used during the ritual of breaking the red jars.

 

The Asyut Project continued to examine the structure of the forecourt of Tomb N13.1 (fig. 12): 35 small shafts and chambers could be detected this season, so that all in all 49 small structures are known in the forecourt after this season. Male and female adults as well as children were buried there. The shafts were disturbed. They contained, if at all, only a skeleton, sometimes a head rest or a vessel (fig. 13). Due to a study of the pottery, we can conclude, that some of these small tombs belong to the Old Kingdom, others to Dynasty 11. The latter ones might have been the burial place for Iti-ibi-iqer’s clientel. One of these tombs (N13.11, formerly 2.10) was reused in the Late Period and contained a mummy (S07/st170) wrapped in undecorated linen (fig. 14).

In front of N13.1, situated in the axis, two burials of children were found: A twelve years old child rested in contracted position in a reed coffin (fig. 15). Four vessels were arranged to the feet, two vessels to the head of the child. While sieving the sand and taffl, which were in the coffin, we detected some very small bones, which must have belonged to a new born child. Thus one can speculate, whether a very young mother and her new born baby were buried here.

Separated by a row of stones, a burial in a large vessel (fig. 16) was placed to the north of this reed coffin. The skull of a two-year old child as well as a small bundle of linen bandages were found in the vessel. The rest of the child’s body might have been wrapped in the bandages.  

These small tombs are situated in several rows to the (archaeological) east and south of N13.1 and these rows still continue further to the east and south. There seem to have been no tombs right to the (archaeological) north of N13.1, because the hard condition of the stone seems to have prevented stone masonry in this particular area.

Roads, paths or steps, which could help to understand the ancient system of ways on level 7 of the necropolis, have not yet been found. Ancient quarrying activities in front of Tomb N13.1 destroyed possible hints for stairwys or ramps.

 

The work in Tomb I continued. This tomb belonged to Djefaihapi I, who was governeur of Asyut during the reign of Senwosret I. The restorers Mr. Ahmed Abd-Aldayem Mohamed, Mr. Gamal Abd-Almalek Abd-Almoneam and Madame Abir Mohamed Ali Mosa cleaned reliefs and paintings in Tomb I.

Facsimiles of the eastern, southern and western walls of the great transverse hall of Tomb I were made. In addition the western wall of the entrance passage was documented.

In the upper part of the southern part of the eastern wall of the great transverse hall, there is a painting of the deceased in front of the Horusname, the throne name, and the birth name of King Senwosret I (fig. 17). Thanks to the cleaning and restoration of the tomb walls, this scene shows much more details than Egyptologists realised ever before. Below and to the south of this scene a long list of Djefaihapi’s titles and epithets follows. This text superposed a former one, which was erased. Only traces of this first inscription are still visible. Next to this list of titles and epithets, a partly destroyed scene follows, which represents some men bringing necklaces and sealing myrrh in front of the tomb owner (fig. 18).

There was no information at all about the southern wall of the great transverse hall, before this season. After restoration it became obvious that this wall was originally also completely decorated. Today, some fragments of painted plaster are still preserved. They show traces of birds, fishes and papyrus.

After cleaning, the western wall of the great transverse hall displayed a continuation of scenes, which start on the northern wall: men picking grapes (fig. 19) and offering bearers.

 

During the work in the magazine at Shutb, progress could be made in studying and drawing small objects from the last seasons, especially ushebtis, shells, coffin fragments, worked wood and stone hammers.

Almost all ushebtis come from Tomb III, shaft 1. Most of them are fragmented. Together with other objects from different periods, they were found in 2004 in the uppermost layer of shaft 1 and prove its modern function as a deposit for finds – presumably coming from the whole necropolis – which were deemed to be without value, unspectacular and thus did not seem worth to be taken away by the early 20th century archaeologists (Palanque, Schiaparelli, Hogarth). Fragments from 1276 ushebtis were studied this season. Most of them date from the Ramesside Period (60% of the material), the Late Period (Dynasty 26-30), or the Ptolemaic Period.

Some joining fragments were detected, e.g. the wooden ushebti S05/st1062+S06/001 (fig. 20): One fragment was found in Tomb III, the other in the corridor between Tomb III and IV. This documents once again the disturbed situation in Tomb III and IV.

35 objects from the 2007 season of fieldwork were registered in the SCA’s registerbook.

[1] Charles Palanque, in: BIFAO 3, 1903, 121-122.