The Eleventh Dynasty Temple at Deir-elBahari

Abstract

IN 1893, Prof. Naville undertook for the Egypt Exploration Fund the work of clearing Queen Hatshepsut's celebrated temple at Deir-el-Bahari at the foot of the cliffs bounding the western side of the necropolis of Thebes. This work was completed in 1903, but during the progress of the clearing certain relics of the eleventh dynasty were unearthed which led M. Naville to believe that under the sand and rubbish mounds on the south side of Hatshepsut's temple lay concealed a building or cemetery of the Early Middle Kingdom. In these southern mounds of Deir-el-Bahari, Prof. Naville and Mr. H. R. Hall began to excavate in 1903, and they soon brought to light the platform of what they conjectured to be another and an earlier temple. Continuing their excavations, they found a number of slabs of stone and columns bearing the cartouches of King Neb-hatep-ra Mentu-hetep, and it was not long before they had cleared enough of the building to show that the ruin before them must be the mortuary temple of that eleventh-dynasty King. The clearing was steadily continued during the winter seasons until 1907, and the volume before us is the first part of the record of a patient and thoroughly systematic piece of exploration. In the writing of the memoir Prof. Naville has been assisted by Mr. H. R. Hall, of the British Museum, and by Mr. E. R. Ayrton, one of the Egypt Exploration Fund officers.

The Eleventh Dynasty Temple at Deir-el-Bahari

Part i. By Eduard Naville, with chapters by H. R. Hall and E. R. Ayrton. Pp. ix + 75; 31 plates. (London: The Egypt Exploration Fund, 1907.) Price 25s.