Capitals of pilasters from the Hathor shrine in the temple Djeser-akhet of Tuthmosis III at Deir el-Bahari

Mariusz Caban

doi:10.5277/arc150303

Abstract

The article is about Hathor capitals from the Hathor shrine in the temple Djeser-akhet of Tuthmosis III at Deir el-Bahari. Fragments of Hathor capitals were discovered by E. Naville and H.R. Hall during excavations at the temple of Mentuhotep II in the years 1903 to 1907 by the American expedition Egypt Exploration Fund. The correct interpretation of the found fragments of capitals was possible only after the discovery of the temple of Tuthmosis III by professor Kazimierz Michałowski in 1962 and after later excavations in 1962–1967 under the partial supervision of professor Jadwiga Lipińska. Scope of the present mission of Tuthmosis III, under the direction of Monika Dolińska, Ph.D., covers Egyptological and architectural studies with conservation work. Preserved fragments of Hathor capitals have never been inventoried, during work it was decided to create detailed documentation of the preserved fragments of Hathor capitals by using photoscaning technique. It allows creating virtual, three-dimensional copies of objects based on a series of photos. Thanks to that, a kind of virtual anastylosis was created. In the reconstruction findings of professor Lipińska about the proportion of the capitol were used. The developed reconstruction shows very probable proportions of Hathor capitals from the chapel. Results of created documentation confirmed some facts about the architecture of the shrine, which prof. Lipińska mentioned in her publications about the temple of Tuthmosis III. This article has illustrated some facts examplified by the prepared documentation.