IFAO

Publication and translation of the unpublished set of inscriptions on the south side of the pylon door of Khonsu temple in the south-western area of Karnak. The so-called “offering” scenes engraved on its surface show two differentiated phases of the decorative program: first, under the pontificate of the high priest of Amon Pinedjem I, and then a restoration by Alexander the Great.

The mummies of three men, each missing their left thumb, were discovered in the West cemetery at El-Deir (Kharga oasis). From the archaeologists’ point of view, the sole interpretation possible is self-mutilation. We now know that young men who wanted to escape from being enlisted in the Roman army used to cut off one finger, commonly their left thumb but, until now, only texts spoke of that. Now we have proof.

Idenou is an attested title since the Middle Kingdom. Heinrich Brugsch, who was followed by many Egyptologists, determined early on its signification. According to this scholar, the jdnw is a person acting as a substitute to another. Moreover, it was established that the importance of that person depended on the administration employing him and the hierarchical level occupied. In this study, the author establishes that this title can be employed according to two schemes. In the first, the title refers to a person, while in the second it refers to a group of people or an institution. Relying on many examples, the author proves the ambivalence of the jdnw, both substitute and leader, and proposes to translate the term by “régisseur”/“manager” in the cases corresponding to the second scheme. His hypotheses are confirmed by the study of several particular cases.

This study on the mammisi of Nectanébo in Dendara reconsiders the initial arrangement of its Propylates and their coverage, as proposed by F. Daumas in 1950 (BIFAO 50): it proves that the palmiform columns were surmounted by a Bes god, and supported a stone cover.

Publication of ten Coptic ostraca by a group of Egyptian students under the direction of the authors. They include three devotional exercises, four letters, two legal texts and one ­accounting document. They originate, except for one or two, from the Theban region.

After 50 years of research on the historical record and archaeology of the site of Kerma (Sudan) which go back to the origins of African history, we are now able to evaluate the discoveries. The two ancient cities of Kerma and Dukki Gel supply rich documentation, suggesting influences associated mainly with Egypt, but also with « Central Sudan ». From the Old Kingdom onward, the Nubian populations, along with inhabitants of several southern countries, tried to repel the pharaonic armies. Monumental constructions show the remarkable development of the indigenous architecture and, during the Egyptian conquest of the building techniques of the Empire, adapted it to an African environment. The main chronological phases presented here were identified thanks to the pottery of the early New Kingdom and of the Kerma cultures.

This text presents current research on the western facade of the Second Pylon of the Temple of Amon in Karnak. Indeed, as of 2017, an on-going epigraphic study is being conducted on the hundreds of sandstone blocks that originally formed the west facade of the building and which are now stored on the northern and southern benches. The present investigation sets out all the data (historiographical and field data) collected on this monument as well as the first results relating to its decorative program and its construction/decoration chronology.

Entre 1888 et 1920, le site de Gourob, à l’entrée sud du Fayoum, a fait l’objet de quatre campagnes de fouilles, ainsi que d’actions plus ponctuelles, qui ont permis de mettre au jour les principales composantes du Nouvel Empire, à savoir une ville, un « harem », des lieux d’artisanat, des nécropoles, ainsi qu’un « fort ». Le Gurob Harem Palace Project (mission anglo-danoise) a ensuite repris le travail sur le site jusqu’en 2015.

Between 1888 and 1920, the site of Gurob, located at the south entrance of the Fayum area, was the subject of four campaigns of archaeological excavations, as well as some more specific actions. This led to the discovery of the main New Kingdom component, i.e. the town, a “harim,” an industrial area, several necropolises and a “fort.” The Gurob Harem Palace Project (British-Danish team) then carried out work between 2005 and 2015.

This article summarizes, updates, and adds to past research performed by the author on the copy of the Book of Caverns in the early Late Period Theban Tomb 33 (TT 33) of the chief lector priest Petamenophis. The first part is devoted to the reception of Caverns in the late Third Intermediate Period / early Late Period. It describes the source of Petamenophis’s copy as being the result of an “archaeo-philological” endeavor: a collation of a copy related to the copy in the Osireion and a copy from the tomb of Ramesses VI (KV 9). A series of sections discusses the reception as being primarily shaped by the aim for an “authentic” reproduction (notably with additions to the benefit of a deceased), however, also by emendation, update, and creativity. Besides the necessary updates to the personalized textual and pictorial additions that were originally created for the Ramesside kings, we find moderate orthographical, lexicographical, and grammatical changes, as well as a few changes to the images. We can also identify a few cases of textual emendations, conjectures, and additions. The second part of the article presents and discusses the sophisticated layout of the copy of Caverns on the walls of the rooms XVII–XIX in TT 33, which indexically (C.S. Peirce) mirrors the journey of the sun god—and with him Petamenophis—from west to east through the netherworld.

Very little is known about the administration of the 18th Dynasty crew of royal necropolis workmen, but ostraca inscribed with non-textual identity marks provide a significant source of information for this period. Many of the ostraca are kept in Cairo in the Egyptian Museum and the IFAO, and remain unpublished and poorly understood. This article discusses the functional and social context of these documents. Although the precise meaning of the ostraca with identity marks is often elusive because of their implicit nature, the documents provide valuable insights into the organisation of the crew of workmen, the administration of work, the size of the crew, as well as the absence of a local scribal tradition.