university of basel kings’ valley project report 2017–2018

UniversityofBaselKings’ValleyProjectReport2017–2018 1

UniversityofBaselKings'ValleyProjectReportonworkcarriedoutduringthefieldseason2017–2018SusanneBickel,ProjectDirectorElinaPaulin-Grothe,Field-DirectorUniversityofBasel,DepartmentofAncientCivilisationsAbstract:Theseason2017–2018wasmainlyoccupiedwithdocumentationandconservationworkonthe numerous fragmented remains from KV 40 and KV 64. The Egyptological andanthropologicalanalysesoftheseundecoratedtombsinthesidevalleyleadingtothetombof ThutmosisIII has led to significant new scientific insights on the period and socialentourageofAmenhotepIII,andonthephaseofreoccupationofthetombsduringtheThirdIntermediatePeriod.ThemainarchaeologicalactivitywasdedicatedduringthisseasontotheclearingofKV61anditssurroundings.InthetombofSetiIst,KV17,clearingandanalysisofdecoratedwallfragmentswerecontinued.Ashowcasewithallthemajorfindsfromtheworkofthelast10seasonsintheKings’ValleywasinauguratedatLuxorMuseum.Key-words: Valley of the Kings, tomb architecture, tomb decoration, conservation,anthropology, pottery, textile, cartonnage, royal family, Amenhotep III, Seti Ist,, ThirdIntermediatePeriod. WorkintheconcessionareaofthesidevalleyleadingtothetombofThutmosisIIIstartedonNovember12,2017andcontinueduntilApril07,2018.Themaineffort thisseasonconcentratedon thecompletionofconservationworkandanalysisoftheabundantfragmentedremainsfromKV40andKV64:textiles,fragmentsofcartonnage,potteryandjarinscriptions,andwoodenobjects.TheopeningandclearingofKV61werecarriedout.Theclearingof room Jc in the tombofSeti Ist,KV17,wascompletedand thestudyoffragmentsofwalldecorationfromthetombofSetiIstwasresumed.SmallobjectsfoundinroomJcwereanalysedandtheclearingoftheareaaboveKV17onitssouthsidewasstarted.An exhibition vitrinewas conceived for the LuxorMuseum in order to present to thepublicthemostimportantobjectsfoundbytheUniversityofBaselKings’ValleyProjectduringthelastseasons.WewouldliketoexpressoursinceregratitudetotheMinisterofAntiquitiesHEDr.KhaledEl-EnanyandtotheSecretaryGeneralDr.MustafaWaziri,tothePermanentCommitteeof the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Cairo. We also thank Dr. Mohamed Ismail,DirectoroftheDepartmentofForeignMissions,Dr.MahmoudAfifi,HeadoftheAncientEgyptianAntiquities,Mr.MohammadAbdEl-Badiee,HeadoftheCentralAdministrationforAntiquitiesofUpperEgypt,andthemembersofitsbranchinLuxorDr.MohamedAbdelAziz,GeneralDirectoroftheAntiquitiesofUpperEgypt,Mr.TalaatAbdelAziz,General


DirectorofLuxor,Mr.FathyYaseen,GeneralDirectorofWesternThebes,Mr.BahaAbdEl-Gaber,DirectorofWesternThebes,Mr.RamadanAhmedAli,DirectoroftheMissions’OfficeQurna,thelateMr.AymanIbrahimandMr.AliReda,DirectorsoftheValleyoftheKings,aswellastherepresentativesoftheMoAofficeofWesternThebes,Chief-InspectorMr.HusseinFawziZakiandInspectorsMr.MohamedSchams,Mr.AhmedRifaiandMr.MuhamedWahbifortheirkindandhelpfulsupportofourworkintheValleyoftheKings.WewouldequallyliketothankMr.YahyaAbdEl-Alim,GeneralDirectoroftheSCA‘CarterMagazine’inQurna,Mr.AhmedHassan,DirectoroftheSCAMagazine,aswellasMr.AbdEl-GhanyAbdEl-Rahman,whokindlyassistedusinthemagazineandforthetransportofobjects to the LuxorMuseum.We are also very thankful to Dr. Dalia Meligy, GeneralManageroftheSCACentreofResearchandConservation,fortakingcareofthetransportofsamples.Participantsduringthisseasonwere:SusanneBickel(S.B.),ProjectDirector,Egyptologist;Elina Paulin-Grothe (E.P.G.), Field-Director, Egyptologist; Faried Adrom, Egyptologist;David Aston (D.A.), Egyptologist; Emanuele Casini (E.C.), Egyptologist; Andreas Dorn(A.D.),Egyptologist;MarinaEstermann,Egyptologist;SandraGubler,student;CharlotteHunkeler (C.H.), Egyptologist; Salima Ikram, Egyptologist; Christiane Jacquat, archaeo-botanist; Matjaz Kačičnik, photographer; Mahmoud Ibrahim, project agent; FlorenceMauric-Barberio (F.B.M.), Egyptologist; Yasmine Müller, Egyptologist; Erico Peintner,conservator;DanielReber,archaeologist;LukasRichner(L.R.),archaeologist;AgnieszkaWos-Jucker(A.W.J.),textileconservator.

Fig.1.TheteamoftheUniversityofKings’ValleyProject,January2018.(PhotoUBKVP,M.Kačičnik)


1. ConservationanddocumentationofobjectsfromKV40andKV64a. Textilesb. CartonnagefragmentsfromtheEighteenthDynastyc. CartonnagefragmentsfromtheThirdIntermediatePeriodd. Jarinscriptionsandsealse. FireanalysisinKV40

2. ClearingofKV613. ClearingofroomJcinKV174. ClearingintheareaaboveandsouthofKV175. StudyofdecoratedwallfragmentsfromKV176. StudyofsmallobjectsfromKV177. 7.StudyofpotteryfromKV178. StudyofpotteryfromKV379. TheareabetweenKV26andKV59ontheeasternslopeofthewadileading

toKV3410. Samplesforanalysesofmaterials11. ExhibitionattheLuxorMuseum

1.ConservationanddocumentationofobjectsfromKV40andKV641a.TextilesAlargequantityoftextilefragmentsfromKV40wasanalysed,categorisedaccordingtodifferent qualities of fabric, and placed into appropriate storage containers. Next toordinarylinenbandagesofseveralqualities,textileswithcolouredbandswereidentified,aswellastextileswithfringesorseams,pieceswithtracesofrepair,andalargenumberofsmalllinenbagsfilledwithnatron,sometimesconnectedwithastring.The analysis of the large quantity of textiles concentrated on specimen with specificfeaturessuchasseamsorhemsindicatingaprevioususe,aswellastextileswithspecialdecoration in the form of fringes or coloured stripes (Fig. 2). About 50 pieces withparticularities were identified, some of them were vacuum cleaned for betterconservationandphotographedforthepublication.ThelargenumberoflinentextilesfromKV40couldbedocumentedandcategorisedinthisseason.All thetextilesarenowstored inKV40, fromwheretheyoriginallycome,excepttheveryraresock,restoredinthepreviousseasons,whichisnowexhibitedintheLuxorMuseum.(A.W.J.)


Fig.2.KV40.Textilefragmentwithcolouredstripes.(PhotoUBKVP,M.Kačičnik)1b.CartonnagefragmentsfromtheEighteenthDynastyTheseasonwasdedicatedtothere-analysisofthecartonnagefragmentsthathavebeenfoundwithinKV40andKV64andbelongtoEighteenthDynastymummymasks.Mostfragments were already checked during the last seasons, but needed re-examination,measurements and some new pictures. The previous arrangement of the cartonnagefragmentsintomaskgroupswasaugmentedbyanin-depthstudyoftheframeworkofthecartonnage layering. Microscope photos of the cross-section of some fragments weretaken.Moreover,samplesofpigments,stuccoandblacksubstancesweretakeninorderto analyse their composition. In particular, it will be interesting to know the exactcomponentsoftheblacksubstances,whichareoften(andprobablywrongly)designedas‘bitumen’or‘pitch’withinthescientificliterature.TogetherwiththehelpofconservatorEricoPeinter, fragmentscouldbeattributed to theirrespectivegroupsandsometimesjoined(Fig.3).Attheendofthisseasonthepictureofthesituationwasclearer,withaminimalnumberof14mummymaskshavingbeendetectedinKV40.(E.C.)

Fig.3.Fragmentsofcartonnagemask.(PhotoUBKVP,M.Kačičnik)


1c.CartonnagefragmentsfromtheThirdIntermediatePeriodAnintensivestudyoftheTwenty-secondDynastycartonnagefragmentshadalreadybeenconductedintheprevioustwoseasonsinfall2016andspring2017.Theaimofthispastseasonwasthreefold:togainadditionalinformationaboutmanufacturingtechniquesandmaterialsused,tostudytheepigraphyoftheinscriptions,andtoreconstructtheoriginalsizesofthecartonnagecasesasfaraspossible.TheanalysisofmanufacturingtechniquesandmaterialsusedwasdoneincollaborationwithEricoPeintner,theproject’sconservator.Theresultsoftheseinvestigationsenabledus to add further fragments to the already existing groups and thus to gain a morecompletepictureoftheeighttotencartonnagecasesonceentombedinKV40.Oftheeightfrontal decoration schemes that could be reconstructed, it becomes clear that alldecorationtypesandsub-typesaccordingtoTaylor1arepresent.Whiletherearofmostof thecartonnageswas leftblank,at least threeweredecorated. Interestingly, theyallshowimagesofdemonswithknives(Fig.4),andnoneofthemshowstheotherwiseverycommon Dd-pillar. 2 Although a clear picture of the individuals buried within thecartonnagescannotbegiven,thetwoyellowandbluestripedwigssuggesttheburialsofatleasttwomen,andthethreevultureheaddressesindicatethatofatleastthreewomen.Twootherwigsareplainblueandframeapinkface.Theymightbelongtoeithersex.Thedecorationstyleaswellassomespecificelements,suchastheunguentconeindicateadatingtothesecondhalfoftheTwenty-secondDynasty.Sincealsotheepigraphyformsan important factor indatingthecartonnagecases, thestudyoftheinscriptionswasasecondaim.BesidessupportingadatingtothesecondhalfoftheTwenty-secondDynastyandinonecaseeventotheendoftheTwenty-secondorearlyTwenty-fifthDynasty,theepigraphyaddedtheinformationofapossiblenumberofhands responsible for the inscriptionsandshowed thecomplexityof the textsof eachgroup.Athirdmajoraimwastoestimatethedimensionsoftheoriginalcartonnagecases,asfaras these couldbe constructed from the fragments. Thebest-preserved group allows aquite exact reconstruction of a height of 140cm from feet to shoulder, and thus anapproximate160cmoriginalheight.Allthemeasurementswillbecomparedtocompletecartonnagecasesfrommuseums.Furthermore,themeasurementswereusedtobuildamummy-dummyforaneasiertakingofpicturesofthegroupsofrelatedfragments(Fig.5).(C.H.)


Fig.4.Decorationoftherearwithknife-holdingdemons.(PhotoUBKVP,M.Kačičnik)Fig.5.MatjazKačičnik takingpicturesof cartonnage fragments laidoutonamummy-dummy.(PhotoUBKVP)1d.JarinscriptionsandsealsThesystematicanalysisof largequantitiesof textiles,whichoften formedbigbundles,also revealedanumberof small objects.Three smallpiecesof inscribedpotterywerefound,twoofwhichcompletingalreadyknownjarinscriptions.Over150largestoragejarsfromKV40couldbereconstructedduringpreviousseasons.Probablymostofthemwere originally inscribedwith a short hieratic text, writing the name and title of thedeceasedpersonforwhomtheyweredepositedinthetomb.Oneindividualcouldhaveseverallargestoragejarswhichseemtohavecontainedtheremainsoffuneraryrituals.Some100jarinscriptionssurviveentirelyorinpart;theyrevealthenamesof28differentindividuals,24ofthembeingfemale.Severalentireorfragmentarysealimpressionsinclayalsoappearedwithinthetextiles,sometimes attached to bands of linen which were used to close pottery containers(Fig. 6). Some impressions carry the necropolis seal, others the coronation name ofAmenhotepIII,Nebmaatre.(S.B.)


Fig.6.Linenbandswithclayseal.(PhotoUBKVP,M.Kačičnik)1e.FireanalysisinKV40AllthewallsandceilingsofKV40aremarkedbytracesofheavyfirethatcolouredmostparts of the limestone surface. An analysis of all the traces of coloration on the stonesurface was carried out and correlated with the photographic documentation of theoriginalsituationofthefloor.Anumberofselectedheavilyorpartiallyburntobjectsandbonefragmentswasreassessedinordertodeterminethedegreeofcalcinationandthepresence ofmelted resinous substance. The flow of airwithin the tomb and possibledevelopmentsofthefireweremodelled.Thesituationturnsouttobeextremelycomplexandallowsthereconstructionofseveralpossiblescenarios.Theanalysisofstalactitesthatformedafterthefire,aswellasofsamplesoftheresinoussubstancewillhopefullyallowtodeterminetheterminuspostquemandclarifyquestionsconcerningthedevelopmentofthefire.(L.R.)2.ClearingofKV61ThealreadyknowntombKV61,whichwaslastenteredbytheThebanMappingProject,wasclearedfromallthemoderndebrisandrubbishwhichwasthrowninsidethetombstructuresincethe1980ies.HaroldJones,whodiscoveredthetombworkingforTheodorDavisin1910,mentionsthatnotevenapotterysherdwasfoundinKV61,3thelasttombfound before Tutankhamun. Our aim was to protect the tomb and its entrance fromfurtherdecay.Thetomb’sshaftopeningliesdeeperthanthenearbymodernpathleadingtotheSouthandWest.KV61isthereforeingreatdangertobefloodedoneday(Fig.7).The tombhasashortshaft (Fig.8)and itssmall singleroomisclearlyunfinished; theceilingislowandinbadcondition.IntheNineteenthDynasty,thetombentrancewascoveredbyworkmen’shutsthatwerebuiltinthisarea.Onlyafewstonesofthewallsofthehutsarestillexisting.Theentire


areawascoveredintheNineteenth-TwentiethcenturieswithmodernlimestoneheapswhichsurroundedKV61onallsides.Afterclearance,thesurfacearoundtheshaftwaspreparedfortheironcover.Duetothewideandirregularsizeoftheshaftmouthanditssituationonaslope,thiscoverhadtobebuiltonsmallmodernwalls.Some fragments of ostraca were found around KV 61, most of them are affected byhumiditywhichcausedtheirsurfacestoflakeandtheirhieratictextstobeonlypartiallyreadable.NoindicationsforanownerofKV61noreventracesofaburialwerefound;asalreadythediscovererssuggested,thisunfinishedtombwasprobablyneverused.Theostracaandpotteryfromthisareawillbestudiedinthenextseasons.(E.P.G.)

Fig.7.AreaaroundKV61.(PhotoUBKVP)

Fig.8.ShaftofKV61.(PhotoUBKVP)


Fig.9.ProtectivestructureoverKV61andremainsofworkmen’shuts.(PhotoUBKVP)


3.ClearingofroomJcinKV17Duringthisseason,workcontinuedintheundecoratedroomJcofthetombofSetiIst,KV17,whichissituatedbehindtheburialchamberandhasfourpillars.TheaimwastocleartheentireroomfromthedebristhatwasdepositedheresincethediscoveryofthetombbyBelzoniin1817.ThewallsofthisroomJcshownumerousgraffiti.Bigfracturesrunonitswallsandceilingandthepillaroppositetheentrancehascollapsed.Largelimestonefragments from the ceiling were lying over and inside the debris, which reached inaverageofabout1meteroverthefloor.ThereasonforthebadconditioninthisroomisthetafflalayerofEsnashale,whichbegins1meterabovethefloorleveloftheroom.Thepillarsandtheceilingarepartlysupportedbywoodenbeams(Fig.10),probablysincethe1960ies.InthistimeSheikhAliAbdElrasoulwasexcavatinginthetunnelunderneaththeroomJc.Thestabilitymarkersandgipsumonthewallsarealsofromthe1960iesandindicatenostructuralmovementssincethattime.Theoldestdepositeddebris,mainlyfinetaffladust,wasinthewesternendoftheroomandthedebrisintheeasternendconsistedofmanylargewallfragmentswithdecoration,mainly from the pillars of room Jb. The fragments seem to have been collected anddepositedinroomJcduringthelast200yearssincethediscoverybyBelzoni.InthemiddleofroomJc,thedebrisseemedtobeveryrecent,depositedjustinfrontoftheentrance,whichwasrebuiltandconsolidatedbyHowardCarter.TheclearingofroomJcwascompletedduringthisseason,theroomandthefloorwerecleared fromdust,androomJcnowshows theentire floorof tafflawithmanycracks,some ancient chisel marks and the lower parts of the four walls with the change oflimestonetotaffla.Numerousfragmentsofsmallobjectsoffaienceandwoodfromtheoriginalburialequipmentwerefoundinthecracksofthefloororthelowermostsectionsofthedebris(Fig.11).Thebiggestboulders,mainlyfromtheceilingoftheroom,andmanylargesandstonefragments,probablyoriginatingfromroomJ,wheretheyprobablyhavebeen lying under the alabaster sarcophagus over the tunnel, remain in room Jc. Onedecorated fragmentwithyellowpainting still remains in Jcbesidepillar3, as it is tooheavy to be transported outside. It was photographed and drawn for documentationtogetherwiththeotherdecoratedfragments.Itsoriginallocationinthetombisknowntobeon thesouthwallof roomJ.The fragmentwasprobablybrought into Jcduring thebuildingofthemodernentrance.Thedocumentationofthethousandsofwallfragmentsandtheidentificationoftheiroriginallocationinthetombshallcontinueinthecomingseasons.AllthefragmentsarenowstoredinthetombofRamsesX,KV18,besidethetombofSetiIst.(E.P.G.)


Fig.10.ViewofKV17,roomJc,afterclearing.(PhotoUBKVP,M.Kačičnik)

Fig. 11. Cracks in the floor of room Jcwith remains of faienceobjects from theburialequipementofSetiIst.(PhotoUBKVP,M.Kačičnik)4.ClearingintheareaaboveandsouthofKV17TheclearingoftheareaonthesouthsideofKV17,abovethetomb,wasstarted.ThedebrisclearlycomesfromthetombofSetiIstandconsistsoflimestonechipsindifferentsizes,andpottery,mainlysherdsofbeerjars,whichtheworkershaveusedduringtheirworkinthetomb.Noremainsoffuneraryobjectswerefound.


TheaimoftheworkistocompletethecollectionofwallfragmentsofSetiIstintheValleyoftheKingsandtogetpossiblefurtherindicationsoftheancientworkprocesses.Thetaskwillbecontinuedinthefollowingseason.(E.P.G.)5.StudyofthedecoratedwallfragmentsfromKV17Theinventoryofthedecoratedwallfragmentsfoundintheundecoratedside-roomJcinKV17wascontinued.Between2015and2017,868decoratedfragments(SI-115toSI-982)belongingtothedamagedwallsorpillarsofthetombwerefoundthere.4In2018more than1000newdecorated fragmentswere listed (SI-983 to SI-2067) and585ofthemwerephotographed.Mostofthemareofasmallsize,onlysomepiecesarelarger.Twonewlyrecordedpiecescompletethereconstructionofthelowerpartofthescene,showingthekingrunningwithanoarinhishand(Fig.12).ThisscenebelongstoafaceofpillarAopposite to the entranceof chamber Jb,whichwas cut during theNineteenthcentury.Otherinscribedfragmentsbelongtodifferentfacesofthesecondpillar(B)ofthisroom.Abench,decoratedwithacornice,runsalongthewallsoftheside-roomJb:alargenumberoffragmentsbelongtothisfeatureandtotherepresentationsoftombfurniture(likebedsandshrinesputonsledges)figuredbelowthecornice.Twojoiningfragmentsshowtheremainsofastandard,sofaronlyknownfromthedrawingsmadebyBelzoniatthe time of the discovery of the tomb (Fig. 13). The doorway leading from the burialchamber J to the side-room Jbwas decorated on both sideswith the depiction of thegoddessHathor.Fragmentsbelongingtotherepresentationofthegoddessdepictedontheleft-handsidewereidentified.Twojoiningpiecesshowtheharmoniousformofherface (Fig.14).Other fragmentswithyellowbackgroundbelong to theburial chamber:mostofthembelongtothedamagedpillars.TwojoiningpiecesshowtheinterlacedhandsofthekingandthegoddepictedonthepillarEnowentirelydestroyed.(F.M.B.)


Fig.12.ReconstructionofthesceneoftherunningkingfrompillarAinside-roomJbofKV17.(PhotoUBKVP,M.Kačičnik)

Fig.13.FragmentsofastandardfromroomJbofKV17.(PhotoUBKVP)Fig.14.FragmentsfromthefaceofHathorfromthedoorwayleadingtoroomJb.(PhotoUBKVP)


6.StudyofsmallobjectsfromKV17The study of material belonging to the burial equipment of Seti Ist, found during theclearingofthesidechamberJcofKV17betweenfall2017andJanuary2018wasbegun.Thematerial isextremely fracturedandno intactobject remains. It consistsmainlyofparts of shabtismadeofwood, faienceor alabaster.Other finds areminiature faiencevessels,inscribedwiththenamesofSetiIst ,smallfaienceobjectslikebeadsandshabtitools, different wooden objects, as well as pieces of alabaster belonging to the king’scanopicboxandvessels.Over700diagnosticpartsoffeetofwoodenshabtisofSetiIstwerecounted,aswellasover600small,non-diagnosticfeetfragments.MorethantendiagnosticalabasterpiecesofthecanopicboxofSetiIstweredocumented.Theywillbefurtherstudiedtogetherwiththefragmentsofthecanopicbox,whichwerefoundbytheUniversityofBasel“MISRProject”between1998-2005outsideofKV17,andwhicharecurrentlystoredattheSCA‘CarterMagazine’. This ensemble of fragments will allow to reconstruct the layout of thedecorationofthecanopicbox,acentralpieceoftheburialequipmentofSetiIst,onlypartlyknownuntilnow.(A.D.)7.StudyofpotteryfromKV17PartoftheseasonwasdevotedtothestudyofthesherdsrecoveredfromthetombofSetiI,KV17, roomJc. Notsurprisingly, thismaterialcanbedated to theearlyNineteenthDynasty,and,withoneexception(aMarlDamphorabase),consistedentirelyofNileclaysherdsderivingmostlyfrombowls.Ofinterestisthefactthatsomeofthesebowlshadbeenusedaspaintpots,whilstsherdsfromothervesselshadbeenusedformixingplaster.Weseem,therefore,tohaveheretheremainsofvesselsactuallyusedbytheworkmenwhoweredecoratingthetomb.(D.A.)8.StudyofpotteryfromKV37WorkthisseasoncontinuedwiththerecordingofthepotteryfromKV37foundlastyear,whichconsistedentirelyofearlytomid-EighteenthDynastystoragejars,manyofwhichhadbeenbadlywatereroded.Altogetherthereweretheremainsof29jars.(D.A.)9.TheareabetweenKV26andKV59ontheeasternslopeofthewadileadingtoKV34InvestigationsintheareaontheeasternhillslopebetweenKV26andKV59andthepathleadingtoKV34continuedthisseason(Fig.15).Theextensionsoftheinvestigatedareameasured5,5meast-westand11msouth-north.


Theeasternprofiles inTrenchIV-Vshowednoclearstructuresor layersofmodernorpharaoniclevellingofthearea.Thepotterysherds,whichwerefoundinthisarea,mainlydatetotheEighteenthDynastylikethepotteryfromtheneighbouringtombsKV26andKV59.SomesherdsjoinvesselsfromKV26.AllthedebrisprobablycomesfrommodernshiftingalongthepathleadingtoKV34.PartsofthisareahavebeenexcavatedalreadybyformerarchaeologistslikeBelzoni,Loret,Carter,Davis,etc.Thisyear’sexcavationreachedthesurfacelevelofthetombKV59,whichisbuiltatthefootofthecliffontheeastsideofthepath.Thecompletetopographicalsituationinthisarea couldnot yetbe assessed; the floorof thewadi still liesunder themodernpath.Numerousbigstoneboulderswerefoundinthisarea,whichhavebeenmovedbyancientrainfloods.Weintendtostudytheentiretopographyofthissidevalleyinthefuture,inordertomodelitsoriginalshapeandtobetterunderstandthelayoutandexterioraspectsof this groupofEighteenthDynasty tombs.This interventionwill alsohave apositiveeffectfortheprotectionofthetombsinthelowerslopesofthearea,speciallyKV32,37,59,61,40,and64whichallareindangerofbeingreachedbyfuturefloods.Allthetombsintheproject’sconcessionarenowcoveredwithirondoors,asafirststepofprotection.(E.P.G.)

Fig.15.AreainfrontofKV59andKV26.(PhotoUBKVP)10.SamplesforanalysesofmaterialsInordertobetterunderstandcertainproductionprocesses,anumberofsamplesweretakenfrommaterialsusedforthefabricationofcartonnageandfunerarymasks.Someorganic materials were also sampled for analysis at Cairo University and the FrenchArchaeologicalInstitute.WewouldliketothankDr.DaliaMeligyfortakingcareofthetransportofthesamplestoCairo.


11.ExhibitionattheMuseumofLuxorSixobjectsweretransportedfromtheValleyoftheKingstotheSCA‘CarterMagazine’inQurna and registered there on the 3rd of December 2017. Four objectswere alreadyregistered there in earlier seasons. On the next day, all 10 objects were officiallytransported to Luxor Museum, escorted by police. We would like to thank all theauthoritiesinQurnaforsupportingthistransfer.TheseobjectsarenowshowninLuxorMuseuminanewshowcase,whichwasconstructedaccordingtotheproject’splansbySamehel-MasryandhisteamfromCairo.Theexhibitionwasinauguratedonthe25thofJanuary2018inthepresenceofMrsElhamSalahElDin,HeadofMuseums’Sector,MrsSanaaAli,HeadofMuseumsofUpperEgypt,MrsSamyaAbdel-Aziz,GeneralDirectorofLuxorMuseum,Dr.MohamedAbdel-Aziz,GeneralDirectoroftheAntiquitiesofUpperEgypt,andMrsSalwael-Sheikh,culturalaffairsofficerattheEmbassyofSwitzerland.Thefollowing10objectsarenowattheLuxorMuseum(PhotosUBKVP,M.Kačičnik):

CoffinofNehemesbastet StelaofNehemesbastet,KV64

TwoStoragejars,KV40


Linensock,KV40 TapestrywiththenameofRamsesIII,KV31

TwoCanopicheads,KV64

Glassvase,KV64 Sundial,outsideKV29


1J.H.TaylorTaylor,J.H.2003.‘ThebanCoffinsfromtheTwenty-secondtotheTwenty-

sixthDynasty:DatingandSynthesisofDevelopment’.InN.StrudwickandJ.H.Taylor

(eds.)TheThebanNecropolis.Past,PresentandFuture:95–121.London:BritishMuseum

Press,105-106.2J.H.TaylorTaylor,J.H.2003.‘ThebanCoffinsfromtheTwenty-secondtotheTwenty-

sixthDynasty:DatingandSynthesisofDevelopment’.InN.StrudwickandJ.H.Taylor

(eds.)TheThebanNecropolis.Past,PresentandFuture:95–121.London:BritishMuseum

Press,107.3N.Reeves,ValleyoftheKings:TheDeclineofaRoyalNecropolis,London,1990,171–

172.4NumbersSI-001toSI-114werepreviouslygiventothefragmentsfoundintheside-

roomJd.

university of basel kings’ valley project report 2017–2018

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