Ägyptologie-Blatt - "Grabgarten" in Luxor entdeckt

Ministry of Antiquities - Press Release, 03.05.2017 :

FUNERARY GARDEN ALMOST 4,000 YEARS OLD DISCOVERED BY THE SPANISH ARCHAEOLOGICAL MISSION

A Spanish archaeological mission working in Draa Abul Naga necropolis on Luxor’s west bank has discovered a unique funerary garden almost 4000 years old, Dr. Mahmoud Afifi, Head of the Ancient Egyptian Antiquities announced.

He explains that the funerary garden has been unearthed at the open courtyard of a rock cut-tomb of the Middle Kingdom. The layout of the garden measures 3 x 2 m and is divided into squares of about 30 cm. They seem to have contained different kinds of plants and flowers. In the middle there are two elevated spots for a small tree or bush. At one of the corners, the root and the trunk of a 4,000 year old small tree have been preserved to a height of 30 cm. Next to it, a bowl was found containing dates and other fruits, which could have been presented as an offering.

“The discovery of the garden may shed light on the environment and gardening in ancient Thebes during the Middle Kingdom, around 2000 BCE,” Dr. Afifi said.

Dr. Jose Galan, Head of the Spanish mission and Research Professor at the Spanish National Research Council in Madrid said that on the walls of a number of New Kingdom tombs, a small and squared garden is represented at the entrance of the funerary monument, with a couple of trees next to it. It probably had a symbolic meaning and must have played a role in the funerary rites. However, the like has never been found in ancient Thebes. The discovery offers the archaeological confirmation of an aspect of ancient Egyptian culture and religion that was hitherto only known through iconography.

Hani Abul Azm, Head of the Central Administration for Antiquities of upper Egypt said that the mission has also uncovers, near the entrance of the Middle Kingdom rock cut tomb, a small mud-brick chapel (46 x 70 x 55 cm) was discovered attached to the façade. Inside, three stelae of the 13th Dynasty, ca. 1800 BCE, were found in situ. The owner of one of them is called Renefseneb, and the owner of the other stela is “the citizen Khemenit, son of the lady of the house, Idenu”. The latter mentions the gods Montu, Ptah, Sokar and Osiris.

“These discoveries underscore the relevance of the central area of Dra Abu el-Naga as a sacred place for the performance of a variety of cultic activities during the Middle Kingdom,” said Galan.

The Spanish mission has been working 16 years in Draa Abul Naga, on the West Bank of Luxor, around the early 18th Dynasty rock cut tombs of Djehuty and Hery (ca. 1500-1450 BCE).

(Slideshow with MoA photos)