After a few days excavating the shaft and taking out all kinds of objects from different periods of the Egyptian history, our colleague Abu Saidi has finally reached the bottom of the shaft, around 3 m below the level of the transversal corridor of Djari (TT 366). The arrival of the end of the season and the serious responsibility to document properly the structure has impeded us to continue with the cleaning of the funerary chamber at the bottom of the shaft, though the nature of the various findings discovered therein will allow us to study, analyze, and interpret the origin of the materials and the reasons for their location as part of the filling of the shaft. The photogrammetry and measurements conducted for the structure will allow us to document the discovery and consider new strategies of work for the coming season.
In the tomb of Dagi (TT 103) one can also feel that our work is coming to an end in this season. Raúl has been documenting and analyzing the information collected until now, which seems to indicate that there might have been two phases of Coptic occupation. In fact, the area of textile production in the transversal corridor between pillars 3 and 4 might have belonged to the inicial phase of occupation, just before the room experienced some modifications and came to be used as a modest hall of receptions for the attendance to the visitors of the monastery.
In the tomb of Ipi (TT 315), on the other hand, while Elsa has continued working with the vast amount of textiles coming from the deposit of mummification, Jaime and Carmen have completed the preparation of the final lists with the materials to be taken to the Carter Magazine and the Museum of Luxor. These lists and the items selected have been checked by Antonio before their packing and storage. The lists include some of the most interesting examples of findings from the mummification deposit as well as the most remarkable items from the previous six years of excavations in the complex of Ipi.
The members of the conservation team that have not yet left Luxor –Olivia, Lily, and Jaume– have dedicated their day to treating the wooden fragments originating from the recently discovered shaft within Djari’s tomb. For this purpose –and with the permission of the Egyptian authorities– we have been able to use the house of the couple De Garis Davies, what has added some sentimental and anecdotal value to our work in the area where Nina and Norman worked so many years. The collection of materials treated by our restorers consists of objects spanning different periods of ancient pharaonic history and encompassing various typologies.
The primary challenge faced by the conservators was the significant moisture content present in the objects, requiring an urgent solution for their treatment before further study could commence. Olivia focused her efforts on consolidating the fragile pictorial layer of a small wooden piece featuring an individual, once a part of a model. Captivated by the object’s beauty, she drew upon her expertise and successfully conserved a portion of its original splendor. Meanwhile, Lily and Jaume worked on treating the objects to prevent biological deterioration and prepared temporary storage solutions to ensure their preservation in the best possible condition for future study seasons and subsequent treatments.
