Polish woman identifies fragments of sought-after Egyptian temple… in store

Thousands of stone blocks lying for years in a warehouse near Luxor turned out to be the remains of the tomb temple of Totmes I, long sought by archaeologists. Fragments of the temple were identified by Polish Egyptologist Jadwiga Iwaszczuk.

The tomb temple of Tuthmosis I (1504-1492 years p.n.e.) in its heyday in size could dorównn match the tabernacles of this type erected by Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari or Ramses II – the Ramesseum.

Egyptologist from the Institute of World CulturesóThe discovery was made by Jadwiga Iwaszczuk of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw in the manner ofób accidental – beautifully decorated fragments of the blocków, of whichórych the temple was built, were in storage at the Egyptian Antiquities Service (now the Ministry of Antiquities of Egypt), in a tomb arranged for the purpose at the Theban necropolis near Luxor.

Right next to this site is located a house, whichóry serves Polish archaeologists during research at the site of the temple of Hatshepsut, conducted under the direction of Dr. Zbigniew E. Szafranski of the Center for World Archaeologyóof the UW. Polish Egyptologists have been looking into the warehouse in search of possible blocksów from the temple of a female pharaoh.

The historic fragments deposited in storage came from excavations conducted by an Egyptian scientistóin the 70s. last century. As Iwaszczuk explained to PAP, ów archaeologist described his discovery as a Cha-achet temple of timeóIn the reign of Hatshepsut. In fact, the remains of it were only discovered a few years ago by an archaeologistóin french on the grounds of the temple of Ramses II – Ramesseum.

– My research has yielded surprising results. It turned out that all of the fragments discoveredów came from the tomb temple of Theotome I. Location of the temple – In the vicinity of another burial temple belonging to Theotimos III – was therefore known for more than pócentury. However, until now researchers have incorrectly identified it, she says.

The crowning evidence of the new discovery is the name of the temple of Theotome I – Chenemet-anch ("United with life"), known from the sourceówritten words, and preserved on architectural fragments deposited in storage.

Epigraphic analyses carried out in recent years by the Polish Egyptologist have identified a number of other information. Although the temple was erected for Thebes I, it was made on behalf of his córki – Hatshepsut. Two types of stone were used to erect the sacred tabernacle – limestone and sandstone. This unusual – convinces Jadwiga Iwaszczuk – because at the time of Hatshepsut, the head was usedównie made of limestone. Its entire temple at Deir el-Bahari was made from this raw material. However, according to the Egyptologist, it was not an accidental. The architects used sandstone because they knew its properties as a hard but flexible stone. All the supporting elements of the walls were just made of sandstone, and the filling and walls – from limestone,” the researcher enumerated.

Among the interesting facts about the temple, according to its discoverer, are some of the earliest battle scenes with chariots known from the ancient Egyptian area.

On the basis of small fragmentsów also managed to establish that the temple has undergone alterations. The deceased ruler was worshipped in the temple several hundred years after his death, certainly until the reign of Ramses IX (12th century. p.n.e.), but it may have existed until the turn of the er.

To date, the compositeół working under the direction of Iwaszczuk drew approx. 5 thousand. blockóin stone and photographed 7.5 thousand. of them. Now painstaking work is underway to reconstruct entire scenes, whichóre adorned the huge temple.

– It eventually met a sad end: like many other Theban temples, it served as a quarry of material for stone bowls. The site was left with only unused manufacturing waste, including chipped decorated reliefs, from which theórych today prówe are reconstructing the full shape of the temple,” concluded Ivashchuk.