First Preliminary Report on the Excavations in the Ka-Temple of Pepi I in Tell Basta/Bubastis: The Discovery of a Residential Building of the Fourth and Fifth Dynasties

Abstract

In the seasons 2018 and 2019, the Tell Basta-Project started archaeological fieldwork in the Ka-temple of Pepi I at Bubastis, probably the centre of the city in the Sixth Dynasty. Although Habachi discovered the temple already in 1939, considerable parts of the building remained unexcavated. Furthermore, nothing was known about its underlying strata. During two seasons, remains of a large building appeared under the temple of Pepi I, displaying columned yards and rooms as well as facilities for food processing and storage. Based on its architectural remains, the building, that underwent several changes, could be interpreted as a provincial palace. According to the pottery associated with the stages of the structure, it was in use at least from the middle of the Fourth until the end of the Fifth Dynasty. At the beginning of the Sixth Dynasty, the Ka-temple of Pepi I was erected on the levelled remains of the provincial palace.