The
Theban Tomb Survey
In 1988 the project was assigned three tombs in the Theban necropolis to
clear, study and record. The one currently under investigation is the tomb
of Parennefer (TT 188), one of the few Theban tombs to be carved and decorated
solely during the early years of Akhenaten. Parennefer was the young prince's
pedagogue before he came to the throne, and later served as his butler.
The decoration of this tomb, though badly vandalized, has cast new light
on the initial stage of the Amarna revolution prior to the move to Amarna
in Middle Egypt. Mummies, coffins and cartonnages prove the tomb was re-used
during the 21st and 22nd dynasties, and robber tunnels have led the way
to at least five new and unrecorded tombs at present covered by the collapsed
gebel.
Recent Discoveries: Through
ancient robber's holes in the tomb of Parennefer, the Tomb Survey has discovered
four hitherto unknown tombs situated along the gebel in Assasif which are
now included in our antiquities concession. Besides a small painted tomb
of the Ramesside date and one datable to the 18th Dynasty, a spectacular
tomb of 25th Dynasty date has been preliminarily surveyed by the ATP this
past summer. This tomb consists of a mud-brick above ground entry, a large
open court, and a long corridor with a series of chambers and deep shafts
excavated in the bedrock. Clearance of the entry and court, which is currently
under tons of debris both from ancient times and excavators' dumps of the
past century and a half, will commence in 2002.
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Published 11/10/2000.
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