Abu el-Naga Research Articles

Morphologic-anthropological investigations in tomb K93.12 at Dra' Abu el-Naga (Western Thebes, Egypt).

In this study we present the analysis of the human remains from tomb K93.12 in the Ancient Egyptian necropolis of Dra' Abu el-Naga, located opposite the modern city of Luxor in Upper Egypt on the western bank of the Nile. Archaeological findings indicate that the rock tomb was originally built in the early 18th dynasty. Remains of two tomb-temples of the 20th dynasty and the looted burial of the High Priest of Amun Amenhotep have been identified. After the New Kingdom the tomb was reused as a burial place until the 26th dynasty. The skeletal and mummified material of the different tomb areas underwent a detailed anthropological and paleopathological analysis. The human remains were mostly damaged and scattered due to extensive grave robberies. In total, 79 individuals could be partly reconstructed and investigated. The age and sex distribution revealed a male predominance and a high percentage of young children (< 6 years) and adults in the range of 20 to 40 years. The paleopathological analysis showed a high prevalence of stress markers such as cribra orbitalia in the younger individuals, and other pathological conditions such as dental diseases, degenerative diseases and a possible case of ankylosing spondylitis. Additionally, 13 mummies of an intrusive waste pit could be attributed to three different groups belonging to earlier time periods based on their style of mummification and materials used. The study revealed important information on the age and sex distribution and diseases of the individuals buried in tomb K93.12.

Prosthesis for the Afterlife in TT16, Luxor, Egypt

The Ramesside tomb of Panehsy (TT16) located in Dra Abu El-Naga (Luxor West Bank), consists of two decorated rooms and a passage of approximately 50 meters towards the burial shaft of the original owners. Abundant human remains were found in this passage. These human remains are the consequence of the continuous reuse of the tomb for secondary burials for over one thousand years after the original use of the tomb. The majority of the human remains were mummified but are now fragmentary and incomplete because of environmental issues and the actions of thieves who hacked up the bodies in search of amulets and other valuable objects.

Seven Seasons at Dra Abu el-Naga: The Tomb of Huy (TT 14). Preliminary Results

Seven Seasons at Dra Abu el-Naga: The Tomb of Huy (TT 14). Preliminary Results

An Apprentice's Board from DRA ABU EL-Naga*

A wooden board used for drawing and writing was found in pieces by the Spanish–Egyptian mission at Dra Abu el-Naga (TT 11–12). It probably dates to the reign of Hatshepsut–Thutmosis III. On the recto there is a double drawing of a royal standing statue in frontal view. The two figures are drawn on squared grids traced in red ink. Next to the drawing exercise the first paragraph of Kemit has been written three times. On the left half of the verso a pharaoh is drawn in the posture of fowling, while the right half of the surface has been washed for re-use.

The ramsesnakht dynasty and the fall of the New Kingdom: a new monument in Thebes

From 1993-96, the joint archaeological project of the German Institute of Archaeology, Cairo (DAI) and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) partially excavated a large tomb in the hillside of Dra' Abu el-Naga on the Theban West Bank. The architecture, archaeological record, and objects found thus far indicate that the tomb had at least two major construction and use phases. The original construction of the tomb probably dates back to the late 17th or early 18th dynasties. The second phase includes an extensive remodeling of the complex and can be attributed to a high official of the late 20th dynasty, the Hihg Priest of Amun, Ramsesnakht. The present article is a first attempt to interpret the results of the 1993-96 field seasons when the inside of the tomb and half of both its forecourts were excavated. The emphasis will be on the Ramesside constructions and re-use of the tomb and the possible historical implications.

Miscellanea on Viceroys of Kush and their Assistants Buried in Draʿ Abu El-Naga', South.

At the beginning of the New Kingdom, the pharaohs, realizing the importance of the land of Nubia to Egypt's economic and political well-being, for the first time appointed officials to be in charge of that land. These officials, first called 'kings' sons', then kings' sons of Kush, were second to the king and, in some periods, were in charge, not only of Nubia, but also of a part of southern Upper Egypt. Pharaohs came, in this period, from Thebes, and made it their capital. It was natural, then, that many of these important officials also came from the same town. Of these the following were undoubtedly buried in its necropolis : 1. Huy, viceroy of Tutankhamen, tomb No. 40 in Qurnet Mura'i; 2. Mermose, viceroy of Amenophis III, tomb No. 383, in Qurnet Mura'i; 3. 'Anhotep, viceroy of Ramesses II (?), tomb No. 300, in Dra'Abu el-Naga', South; 4. Setau, viceroy of Ramesses II, tomb No. 289, Dra' Abu el-Naga', South; More were buried there, but the exact positions of their tombs are still unknown; these are: 5. Turo, viceroy of Amenophis I and Tuthmosis I. A statue of him was encountered at Deir el-Bahari; but more important are the funerary cones with his names discovered in the Theban Necropolis.1 6. Seni, who served Tuthmosis I-Hatshepsut. He was the governor of the Southern City (Thebes) and some of his cones were also found.2 7. Nehi, viceroy of Tuthmosis III, whose tomb was seen by early travellers, but lost sight of. His sarcophagus and pyramidion were discovered in Thebes3., and a ushabti of his was unearthed behind the Ramesseum.4