Head revealing the Brains

Upper part of the body

3

4

1

2

5

6

Grave 4 in 2016

3D image of the body

Scarab with string, the left wrist

Lower part of the body

AKORIS ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROJECT

Published for
PRELIMINARY REPORTAKORIS
2017
Edited by
Kawanishi, Hiroyuki
Tsujimura, Sumiyo
Hanasaka, Tetsu
Published by the Research Center for Cultural Heritage and Texts,
Nagoya University, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8601, Japan

Represented by
Suto, Yoshiyuki
Printed by NAKANISHI PRINTING CO., LTD. Japan
Copyright ©2018 by individual authors

CONTENTS
1 GENERAL VIEW ...............................................................................................................Kawanishi, H.
2 ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS
2-1 Excavations in the Southwest Area of the Ancient City Zone of Akoris ..................Kawanishi, H.
2-2 Finds from the Excavated Area ................................................................................Kawanishi, H.
2-3 Human Bones Unearthed in 2017 ............................................................................Tsujimura, S.
2-4 Investigation of the Mummy (Grave 4 in 2016) .......................................................Tsujimura, S.
3 ARCHITECTURAL AND EPIGRAPHICAL INVESTIGATIONS
3-1 Investigations in the Ptolemaic Quarry at New Minya ..................... Suto, Y. and Takahashi, R.
3-2 Colossus at New Minya Quarry ................................................... Yasuoka, Y. and Nishimoto, S.
3-3 Unfinished Columns at the North End of Akoris ....................... Yasuoka, Y. and Nishimoto, S.
4 TEMPLE OF AMUN-MAI-KHENTY AT AKORIS ........................................................Shenouda, R. F.

You can download the previous preliminary reports from The Official Website of Akoris Archive(www.akoris.jp).

1 GENERAL VIEW
An extensive wall, which surrounded the ancient 14ha city of Akoris, is partially extant at thesouthern extremity of the main ruins and rises to 7m in height. Clearly it was constructed as acountermeasure against flash floods and mudslides, rather than as a military fortification, as raidingfrom the Eastern Desert occurred intermittently every 20–30 years. Our 1995 Report mentioned it
dates from the Ptolemaic Period however this dating must be revised. Specifically, the construction
period of the outer wall traces back to the Late Period, furthermore, it was restored as occasion
demanded throughout the Roman Period and was discontinued during the Coptic Period. As
mentioned in our 1999 and 2000 Reports, part of the outer wall was found at the northern
extremity of the main ruins and the construction period also belongs to the Late Period. Thus theconstruction period of the outer wall is confirmed by it (Figs. 1–3).
A salient crag in the city zone is the location for many late Old Kingdom rock cut tombs andone Middle Kingdom tomb chapel on the west side as well as four Middle Kingdom tomb chapels
and a missing New Kingdom building on the north side. These are the sole remnants other thanthe New Kingdom archaeological features in Akoris. Thus, human activities in Akoris are known tohave begun in the latter part of the Old Kingdom at the latest and continued to the New Kingdom.
In contrast, surface finds, pottery and mud brick walls, in the extensive habitation area extending
north and eastward from the crag indicate that even the oldest buildings do not trace back to the
New Kingdom, and a natural sand layer is found here and there beneath them. If the above
sequence is correct, it is necessary to determine the location of the habitations established prior to
the New Kingdom.

Fig. 1

Map of Egypt.

(Kawanishi)

Fig. 2 Sites and Villages near Akoris.

Fig. 3 Map of Akoris.
3

2 ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS
2-1 Excavations in the Southwest Area of the Ancient City Zone of Akoris
The settlement covering the south side of the salient crag stretches through the flat area andextends to the northern gentle slope of the adjacent south crag (Fig. 4). It ends in a low overhanged cliff bordering the upper scarp slope of the crag. Many small-sized rock-cut tombs line on
the top of the cliff. All of these tombs have been ravaged by illegal excavation and contain no extant
remains. But, as saw tooth masonry tool marks, which emerged during the Ptolemaic Period, areabsent on the tombs, it can be inferred that the tombs date at least to the Pharaonic Period.
The southern end of the settlement on the gentle slope was hidden by natural and deliberate
slides of loose limestone rock, rubble and sand fallen from the upper steep skirt. The 2017 survey
began by removing these thick debris, which were next to the western part of the excavation
undertaken in 2016, and the full extent measures 10m north-south by 30m east-west.
Intriguingly various kinds of remains were retrieved from the thick debris. All remains wereundoubtedly brought down from the rock-cut tombs on the top of the cliff. Numerous remains
including human and animal bones, cloth for mummy bandages, wooden coffins and small roundbeads are fragmented, whether large or small, with the exception of the beads. The sum total of thebeads is reckoned at ca. 3650, of which 98% are made of faience and 2% are of glass and stone.
Thus the overwhelming ratio of faience beads arouses curiosity.
The most historically important artifact, though fragmented, is a wooden stick with the
cartouche of Amasis (Ahmose II) from the 26th Dynasty, which suggests the date of the tombs(Fig. 12-6). Moreover, a wooden coffin lid with a head and crown affixed also suggests a similar date(Fig. 5). According to wooden coffin chronology, it postdates the yellow coffin style of the first halfof the Third Intermediate Period and predates the Ptolemaic coffin style. Consequently, as theevidence suggests, the rock cut tombs, if not all, date from the Late Period. Ptolemaic remains,cartonnage and pottery, were also present in the debris. Seemingly the tombs were reused in the
Ptolemaic Period.
After removing a large volume of debris, five rectangular rooms were revealed (Figs. 6–8).
They are aligned in an east-west direction and partitioned off from each other by a wall. Four northwalls stand in a straight line and the easternmost one is positioned slightly northward. Given such astandardized disposition, the construction dates must be contemporaneous.

Another two

interconnected rooms, different from the other five, were extant at the West Section, and the west
wall curves at the north corner. They were poorly preserved and archaeological stratum context
indicates that they predate the five.

The seven rooms were numbered from east to west inconsecutive order.
The low overhung cliff completely blocks the south sides of Rooms 1–5. An entrance was notconfirmed in the partition walls between them but in the north walls of Rooms 2–5. Room 1 hadlost most of its upper part and half of the north wall, which provided an entrance, is missing. These
disturbances seem to be the result of two round structures and two graves built here afterwards.
The internal dimensions of Rooms 1–5 are as follows:4Fig. 4 Southwest Area of Akoris. No. 1: Panoramicview of the excavated area and rock-cut tombs,
from the north. Sandbags are positioned on the
balks; No. 2: Panoramic view of the next southcrag, from the north. The Nile Valley seen on thewest (right) side; No. 3: General view of the
excavated area, from the northwest. Rooms 6 and 7
on this side; No. 4: Rooms 1 and 2, from the north.
Graves on the east (left) side in Room 1.

5Room 1: max. 2.55m north-south by 3.15m east-west
Room 2: max. 2.30m north-south by 2.75m east-west
Room 3: max. 2.55m north-south by 3.15m east-west
Room 4: max. 2.75m north-south by 3.80m east-west
Room 5: max. 3.55m north-south by 2.75m east-west
As the cliff side has subtle curves, the north-south walls are not uniform in length and thelonger side in each room is noted above. The north-south wall of Room 5 is considerably longer
than the others, due to the southward turn of the cliff. Rooms 6 and 7 at the West Section are
independent from the cliff. Room 6 measures 2.40m north-south by 3.90m east-west, while theextent of Room 7 is unknown due to bad preservation (Fig. 8-3). Southwest part of Room 5 wasreused by the grave named Grave 5 and the south wall of Room 6 was covered by the arch-shaped
Coptic walls. Each room, except Rooms 6 and 7, cover an area of 7–8m2. Considering the area is
too narrow to accommodate a household, surely at least one room was provided on the north sideand plural rooms formed an established house.

Though such additional rooms were partially

uncovered, the overall plan of house could not be confirmed because of the shortage of time.
While excavations could not reach to the floors in Rooms 1–5 because of the similar reasons,many pottery shards and building materials, such as mud bricks and roofing mud with botanicalimpressions disengaged from their original positions, were unearthed in and outside of these rooms.
Notably, these are fewer in Rooms 1, 6 and 7, comparing with Room 5 where ceiling materials, twig
and reed, were also revealed in the debris (Fig. 8-2). When two round structures and graves as well
as a narrow curved wall of unknown use were built, extensive remains in Room 1 were swept away.
Rooms 6 and 7 were located on the higher bedrock, and were consequently badly disturbed by thelater construction of Room 5. The limited remains seem to have been caused by these matters.
The two round structures have an inside diameter of 75cm respectively. Such round structure
is generally said to have been used as a granary, but these two structures turned red as a result offire and ash is spread in and around them. Accordingly, there is thepossibility that the structures were used for another use such as baking.
Six unlooted graves, five from the East Section and one from theWest Section, were discovered and thoroughly excavated (Figs. 9 and 10).
Another one, Grave 7, with its head part disturbed, is at the northeast
point somewhat away from the excavated area and it is adjacent to G11
retrieved in 2016 (Figs. 6 and 10-3). At least two probable jar burials
occurred against the over-hanged cliff, though no fetus remained. The
archaeological stratum indicates that the six, including the jar burials,
postdate Rooms 1–6. Graves 3 and 4 in the East Section are adjacent toeach other and run parallel in an east-west direction (Figs. 9-4 and 5).
These two child graves remain exceptionally well preserved and wererepresented by both wooden rectangular coffins and mummies. Grave 3,
located southward, has a pair of small leather shoes stained in red as
Fig. 5 Wooden Coffin
Lid Revealed in theLimestone Debris.
6

mortuary goods (Figs. 9-6 and 12-18).

A well-preserved wooden

anthropoid coffin with a female mummy, excavated in 2016, was alsoFig. 6

Plan of the Excavated Areas.

Fig. 7 Rooms 1–5 Revealed directly underneath theLimestone Debris. No. 1: Room 1 and graves, fromthe north; No. 2: Room 2 at the center, Rooms 1
on the left side and Room 3 on the right side, fromthe north; No. 3: Rooms 3–5, from east. Room 3 ison this side; No. 4: Room 4, from the south.
7Fig. 8 Rooms 3–7. No. 1: Rooms 3–5, from east. Room
3 is on this side and yields much bricks and roofing
mud, from the west; No. 2: Room 5, from thesouth. Twig and reed, probably from the ceiling,
are scattered with many bricks from the walls;
No. 3: Rooms 6 and 7 predating Room 5, from thewest. Part of Coptic arc-shaped walls seen on theright side.

adjacent eastwards and parallel to Graves 3 and 4, and red-strained leather and colorless fiber shoes,
paired respectively, accompanied it. In the coffins of Graves 3 and 4 wooden nails are too long andthe upper halves were pushed out from the joints. Such odd manner of wooden coffin making
mirrors the woman’s coffin. As for head orientation the woman is to the west and the two children
are to the east.

Though the head orientation is thus antipodal, considering the similarity oflocations, coffins and mortuary goods, the two children suggest a kinship with the woman. The
conclusive result must await some scientific analyses such as DNA identification.
Grave 6, though badly preserved, has an anthropoid coffin with decoration and some mortuary
goods (Figs. 12-15–17). While interments pitted directly in the ground, designated graves, amountto about sixty from the 2002 season, graves such as Grave 6, accompanied with both decorated
anthropoid coffin and mortuary goods, are rare and fall under the luxury category. The mummy ofGrave 2 is the only male adult among the seven graves excavated this season (Fig. 9-2) and his headorientation is to the south in contrast to the others pointing to the east or the west. Additionally, thepresence of a shaggy beard and mustache reflects a practice prevalent among Asians (Fig. 9-3). It
was rather rare among the Pharaonic Egyptians and the beard style is different from them, thoughsome examples have survived in statues and reliefs. Anyway Grave 2 is isolated from the others.
Given that many Phoenician amphorae were transported to the settlement, the interred makes us toimagine to have been the diaspora who migrated from the Asian district and married to the
Egyptian woman. The details of each grave are shown in Table 1.
Pottery from the end of the New Kingdom to the beginning of the Late Period is divided into
three phases in Akoris (Akoris 2016). Based on our pottery chronology, Rooms 1–5 belong to the8Fig. 9 Graves 1–5. Graves 1–4 in the East Section andGrave 5 in the West Section. No. 1: Grave 1, reedmade coffer, from the north; No. 2: Grave 2, fromthe east. Anthropoid wooden coffin surrounded byaligned bricks; No. 3: Bearded mortal remains in
Grave 2, from the west; No. 4: Graves 3 and 4
before opening the lids, from the west. Grave 3 on
the left side and Grave 4 on the right side; No. 5:
Graves 3 and 4 after opening the lids, from thewest; No. 6: Leather boots directly underneath theneck of mortal remains in Grave 4, from the west;
No. 7: Grave 5, reed-made coffer, from the east.

9

Fig. 10 Graves 6 and 7. No. 1: Grave 6, from thenorth. Anthropoid wooden coffin with colored lid;
No. 2: Upper part of the Grave 6 coffin, from thewest. Part of colored lid on the left side, andmortuary goods on the bottom board. Fragmented
vegetable stitched artifact at the upper part awayfrom the head of the mortal remains, fragmented
vegetable fiber sandal near the head and shoulder
and fragmented leather footwear directly under­
neath the head; No. 3: Grave 7, from the north.
Anthropoid wooden coffin surrounded by aligned
bricks. Located northeastward away from the
excavated area and next to Grave 11 retrieved in
2016.

Early/Middle Phase and they were abandoned
at the end of the Middle Phase or the
beginning of the Late Phase. Rooms 6 and 7
are somewhat earlier and the graves belong to
the Late Phase. Accumulated soil cut into by
the graves were extant at the East End andhad fragmented woven works together withfinished and unfinished flaxen thread/yarn.
They belong to the Early/Middle Phase.
Fig. 11 Leather Footwear in the Pit of the East Section.

The mud brick size of Room 1–7 walls,
32cm in length × 16cm in width × 8cm inthickness, may throw doubt on this dating. Mud brick size of many other walls confirmed from2002 is 38 × 19 × 9–10cm in general, and according to our chronology published in the 1995 and2000 Reports, the 32cm type mud brick belongs to the Late Period. However, undoubtedly various
kinds of pottery accompanied the 32cm type mud bricks of Rooms 1–7, and they are similar to thepottery associated with the 38cm type bricks, which date from the Third Intermediate Period. At
other sites the dating by pottery is more critical than by mud brick size, mud brick size, consequently
such chronological inconsistency suggests that the appearance of the 32cm type mud brick goes backto the Third Intermediate Period, however, this speculation remains to be confirmed. (Kawanishi)

102-2 Finds from the Excavated Area (Fig. 12)
No. 1: Faience scaraboid. Unearthed in the upper layer of accumulated soil including many
fragments of fodder-like plants at the East End. L. 1.68 × w. 1.23 × thickness (hereafter t.) 0.45cm.
The obverse is inscribed with the prenomen of Thutmose IV, Mn-ḫprw-Rʿ and an epithet sꜣ ’Imn “sonof Amun”. The reverse depicts a pharaoh-headed sphinx figure with a ʿnḫ sign.
No. 2: Faience amulet of Pataikos. Unearthed in the upper layer of the same soil as above at theEast Section. The lower half is lost. A scarab which was originally on the vertex is now lost.
H. 2.11 × w. 1.47 × t. 1.13cm. A horizontal hole is pierced through the neck, and a twisted flax

Fig. 12 Finds from the Excavated Area. No. 1: Faience scaraboid;
Nos. 2–4: Faience amulets; No. 5: Faience chalice; No. 6:
Wooden stick with inscription and decoration; No. 7: Mud seal
with scarab impressions; No. 8: Mud figurine; No. 9: Cobra
figurine; No. 10: Pottery weight for fishing; No. 11: Copper/
copper alloy fishing hook; No. 12: Iron adze; Nos. 13 and 14:
Wooden spindles; No. 15: Vegetable stitched artifact; No. 16:
Vegetable fiber sandal; No. 17: Leather footwear; Nos. 18–20:
Leather shoes; No. 21: Leather net; No. 22: Ball of flaxen
yarn; No. 23: Vegetable fiber hand-basket; No. 24: Bobbin-shaped limestone weights; No. 25: Limestone vessel;
No. 26: Grindstone of red granite; No. 27: Linen cord amulet; No. 28: Greek papyrus fragment.
11

string is attached to the shoulder.
No. 3: Faience amulet of Udjat-eye. Unearthed in the limestone debris at the eastern area ofthe Middle Section. L. 1.80 × w. 1.53 × t. 0.60cm. The eyebrow and eyeball are red. A horizontal
hole is pierced under the eyebrow.
No. 4: Yellow faience amulet, probably a flower-shaped spacer, with a hole at both ends.
Unearthed in the accumulated soil to the south of Grave 2 at the East Section. L. 2.31 × w. 1.04
× t. 0.48cm.
No. 5: Fragment of a faience chalice. Unearthed in the limestone debris at the East Section.
Extant dimensions are h. 6.25 × w. 3.62 × t. 0.38cm. Lotus decoration is lined up in the lower row.
No. 6: Fragment of a wooden stick of unknown use. Unearthed in the limestone debris at the
Middle Section. The both ends are lacking. Extant dimensions are l. 7.91 × w. 2.24cm. A columnof hieroglyphic inscription and scalelike decoration are inscribed. The inscription reads nṯr nfr nb
tꜣwy Hnmw-ib-Rʿ sꜣ Rʿ... “Good God, Lord of the Two Lands, Khnumibre, Son of Re ///”. Since thetitle nṯr nfr “Good God” is that of a deceased king, this stick probably dates from the reign of Psamtek
III, the successor of Khnumibre (i.e. Amasis), and the last pharaoh of the 26th Dynasty.
No. 7: Mud seal with scarab impressions. Un­earthed in the accumulated soil including many
fragmented fodder-like plants at the East End. Extant dimensions are 7.79 × 5.22 × 4.04cm. The
impression reads ʿ’Imn-Rʿ “Amun-Re”.
No. 8: Mud figurine. Unearthed in the upper layer of accumulated soil at the Middle Section.
Exfoliation marks remain on the breast and the foot part is lacking.

Extant dimensions are

h. 7.02 × w. 3.33 × t. 3.2cm. Hair-like prominent streak is on the vertex. Both arms are expressedas short projections. A disproportionate, large swell is on the back, and a thick tail-like protrusion
extends from the lower back.
No. 9: Cobra figurine. Unearthed in the disturbed layer at the southern end of the center ofthe East Section. The top of the head and the lower half of the body are lacking. Extant dimensions
are h. 8.10 × w. 4.93 × t. of face 3.31cm (t. of body 1.87cm). Cf. Akoris 2011, pp. 4–14.
No. 10: Pottery weight for fishing. Unearthed in the upper layer of mud brick debris at the
Middle Section. L. 3.15 × diameter (hereafter d.) 1.70cm. A hole, d. 0.46cm, is pierced in thecenter.
No. 11: Copper/copper alloy fishing hook.

Unearthed in the limestone debris at the East

Section. L. 4.05 × w. 1.53 × d. (of middle part) 0.25cm.
No. 12: Iron adze. Unearthed in the accumulated soil under surface at the western half of theEast Section. L. 6.26 × w. (of edge) 2.30cm. The socket, t. 2.01cm, is turned back. According to
the stratigraphic context, it cannot be asserted positively that it dates from the ancient times.
No. 13: Wooden spindle. Unearthed in the accumulated soil directly underneath the limestonedebris at the West Section. The axis, l. 20.10 × d. 0.70cm, has the oblique groove for twisting
thread at the end. The whorl, d. (of base) 5.01 × h. 2.15cm, is made of tamarisk and is much wornout. The total weight is 27.2g.
No. 14: Wooden spindle. Unearthed in the accumulated soil to the south of Grave 2 at the East
Section. Half of the axis is lacking. Extant dimensions are l. 8.80 × d. 0.60cm. A wooden piece isperpendicularly bound to the notch at the end of axis by vegetable string. Probably it was also used for12twisting thread. The whorl, d. 2.11 (at the top) × d. 3.76 (at the base) × h. 1.83cm, is made of tamarisk.
No. 15: Vegetable stitched artifact. Unearthed in Grave 6 as mortuary goods, placed beside thevertex. It is broken into two fragments because of poor preservation. One piece, 13.0 × 3.5cm, iscolored in red except the upper end. Another one, 10.0 × 4.5cm, is colored red in the upper partand black in the lower part. Finely cut caules, probably of reed, are vertically disposed at intervalsof 0.6mm. They are sandwitched between two layers of horizontal caules stitched with flax strings.
No. 16: Vegetable fiber sandal. Unearthed in the same grave as above. Only front part isremained. L. 15 × w. 7cm. The insole has sewn-edge and common plaited pattern, sewn on over/
one under pattern with small strips of palm leaf.
No. 17: Leather footwear. Unearthed in the same grave as above. It is fragmentary, and thelargest fragment is 10 × 5cm. The sole has two or three layers sewn with linen thread.
No. 18: Leather shoes.

Unearthed in the Grave 3 as mortuary goods.

They are placed

downward just directly under the neck of mummy. The sole size of left foot is l. ca. 15 × w. 5.9cm,
and right foot is l. 15.5 × w. 5.7cm. The sole consists of two layers of dark brown leather whichwere reused from other products. The upper is made from a single piece of leather stained pale
red on the outer face, and is closed with linen thread at the back of the heel.
No. 19: Leather shoe. Unearthed in the pit dug into the upper layer of black soil at the East
Section (Fig. 11). It is the left foot of the first intermediary shoes (cf. Akoris 2016) broken into threepieces that are the insole, the mid/outsole and the upper.

The dimensions of these parts areaccordingly, l. 19.8 × w. 9.3cm, l. 24.5 × 10.4cm, and max. l. 19.9 × max. h. 9cm at the heel. It
preserves ‘ears’ cut out from the mid- and out-soles. The sole layers are secured together with theupper, which is folded out towards the outside, with running stitching made of narrow leather
strips. The edge of the upper is folded over by narrow leather strips and is tied up drawstring(‘shoe laces’). It preserves a small patch stitched for the repair at the left heel of the upper.
No. 20: Leather shoe. Unearthed in the same pit as above. It is for right foot broken into threepieces that are the in/midsole, the outsole and the upper. The dimensions of these are accordingly,
l. 24.9 × w. 10.0cm, l. 26.2 × w. 9.6cm, and max. l. 25.9cm. The features of this shoe are the sameas the shoe above.
No. 21: Leather net. Unearthed in the upper layer of accumulated soil at the western half ofthe East Section. Leather cords, w. of each one 4mm, are plaited in plain fabrics. The use isunknown.
No. 22: Ball of flaxen yarn, pelote. Unearthed in the limestone debris or the accumulated soil at
the western half of the East Section.

It was covered with clay.

Dimensions are d. 2.84–

2.99 × h. 2.01cm. The yarn is loosely twisted.
No. 23: Vegetable fiber hand-basket. Unearthed in the limestone debris at the western half ofthe East Section. L. 24 × h. 11cm. Parts of palm tree is used for materials. The basket consists ofcontinuous belt braided by leaflets, and the looped handles are made of fibers.
No. 24: Bobbin-shaped limestone weights. Unearthed in the disturbed upper layer at theeastern half of the Middle Section. The left one measures h. 7.12 × d. 5.46–6.83 (upper part); 6.42–
6.55 (lower part) cm. The right one measures h. 7.48 × d. 6.12–6.75 (upper part); 6.09–6.75 (lowerpart) cm. It might have been used for fishing.
13

No. 25: Limestone vessel. Unearthed in the limestone debris at the western half of the East
Section. D. 10.45 × h. 3.62cm. It is made of soft limestone, and tool marks remain on the innerand outer faces. Probably the inner face was worked with a narrow gouge/scorper and the outerside with a flat chisel. It is unfinished.
No. 26: Grindstone of red granite. Found on the surface of the excavated area. Dimensions
are w. 7.41–7.72 × h. 4.98cm. The top is convex and heavily worn away, while the base is almost flatand remains the original surface.
No. 27: Linen cord amulets. As for the upper one, unearthed in the accumulated soil including
many fragmentary fodder-like plants at the East End. Diameter is ca. 5cm. It makes fifty-two small
knots evenly spaced.
No. 28: Greek Papyrus fragment. Unearthed in the accumulated soil under limestone debris at
the West Section. L. 7.2 × w. 4.1cm. The Greek letters on recto and verso are fragmentary.
(Kawanishi)
2-3 Human Bones Unearthed in 2017
More than sixty graves have been found since excavations began in the South Area. Initial
surveys suggest the graves appear to be widely dispersed however, children, neonates and infants,
five years old and under, were buried in concentrations at the south end of the excavated area. In
total fourteen child burials were retrieved through the 2010 and 2015 excavations. Given this data,
it follows that the south end was considered a child cemetery widely known in the ancient Egypt andNubia (Akoris 2015, Patch 2007). To reconfirm this, the excavation area was extended westward andan adult female and ten neonate/infant burials were found in 2016 (Akoris 2016). Thus, the 2017
work began to the west of the 2016 excavation area.
The excavation yielded human bones, at least five isolated skulls and other bones, as well as
numerous animal bones from the limestone debris accumulated on archaeological features. Afterremoving the debris, six unlooted graves (Graves 1–6), as well as seven rooms, were revealed. In
addition, a looted grave (Grave 7), is located to the northeast of the main excavated area next toGrave 11 in 2016, and is comprised of the lower half of an adult body (Table 1).
The burials in the main excavated area consist of four children and one male adult in the East
Section, and one female in the West Section. All child individuals, from Graves 1, 3, 4 and 6, were
fully wrapped in a linen cloth. The end of the cloth was tied at the feet (Graves 1, 3 and 6) or theneck (Grave 4). After doing so, the wrapped individuals were fastened with string. The Grave 1
mummy was covered with reeds and was fastened in three spots with rope. The rope is made ofpalm and consists of two twisted cords braided together. It is difficult to determine the age of thesemummified children because their exact height is unknown owing to the full bandage and cloth
padding on the parietal bones (Graves 1, 3 and 4). In the case of Grave 1, a covering made of two
cloth bands, loosely woven, was visible through a gap in the bandages (Fig. 13 No. 1). Considering
the thickness of the padding and angled feet, the height of three children is less than 100cm
respectively. The child in Grave 6, taller than the other three, measuring 117cm, does not havepadding on its parietal bone. Well-preserved straight black hair can be seen peeping out throughthe cloth covering on the parietal bone, as this child has no padding (Fig. 13 No. 5). Thus, the other14

Fig. 13 Mummies in 2017. No. 1: Grave 1. Padding on the skullof child, 3–4 years old; No. 2: Grave 2. Male adult having a
shaggy beard and mustache; No. 3: Grave 5. Two holes, rightand left respectively, open through the fossa olecrani at thelower end of both humeri of the female adult; No. 4: Grave 5.
Pre-auricular sulcus with a distinct contour and a pit structure
inside; No. 5: Black, straight natural hair peeped out throughcloth of the child, 7–8 years old.

three are surmised to be 3–4 years old and the latter child is older, perhaps 7–8 years old.
Intriguingly the older child was laid in an anthropoid coffin while the others were in rectangularcoffins. However, a child laid in another anthropoid coffin, Grave 10 in 2016, is younger than theGrave 6 child and is 5–6 years old. Consequently, seemingly the adoption of the anthropoid coffin,
even within the children’s cemetery, is considered as a type of social symbol dividing the two age
groups and the border age for this division is 5–6 years.
A male adult skeleton (Grave 2) was well preserved, although the cloth-wrapped corpse and soft
tissue scarcely remain. He is 155–160cm tall, rather shorter than the average stature of man at thattime, and his age is inferred to be between the thirties and the early forties. Unusually he has six
lumbar vertebrae, while normal people have five, however, seemingly he lived without difficulties.
What astonished us is that he had yellowish-brown curly hair and a shaggy dark brown beard andmustache (Fig. 13 No. 2).

The depictions of similar mustache and beard can be seen among

mummy masks in the First Intermediate Period to the Middle kingdom, mummy portraits in the
Greco-Roman Period and images of Asians, but the excavated mummy with this shaggy mustache/beard is rare in any period.
Bones in Grave 5 maintained their original position although the wrapping cloth scarcely
remains. The dead is inferred to be middle thirties to early forties in age, and the pelvis tells us it isa female. Though the pre-auricular sulcus is one of characteristics of female pelvis, the degree ofbony scars is related to pregnancy or parturition (Hougton 1975; Igarashi 1992). Her pre-auricularsulcus with a distinct contour and a pit structure inside indicates that she was multipara (Fig. 13
15

Table 1:

Mummy(sex, age)

Mummy size
(cm)

Head
direction

infant,
3–4 yrs.

102 × 23.5

east

187 × 38 (inside)male,
30–45 yrs.

(160) × ?

southrectangular coffin

110 × 32.5 × 28.3

infant,
3–4 yrs.

101 × 25

east

4

rectangular coffin

115.8 × 26.8 × 20.8

infant,
3–4 yrs.

106 × 22east

5

reed burial

female,35–45 yrs.

?

west

6

anthropoid coffin
with painting

170 × 42 (inside)

infant,
7–8 yrs.

129 × 30east

7anthropoid coffin?

female,about 20 yrs.

?

west

No.

Type

1

reed burial

2

anthropoid coffin

3

Coffin size(cm)

Burials Excavated in 2017.
Mortuary
goods

Remarks

curly hairmustache and beard
vertebrae lumbales 6
leather shoes

multiparaholes in both humeri
leather sandal
fiber sandal
vegetable artifact

straight hairmultipara

No. 4) is noteworthy that two holes, right and left respectively, open through the fossa olecrani atthe lower end of both humeri (Fig. 13 No. 3). Repetitive movements of sticking out and/or lifting
up the arms generally cause these types of holes. In her case the holes are different in size between
the right and left, and the right one, 0.8 × 0.7cm, is larger than the left, left at 0.5 × 0.35cm.
Seemingly she was right-handed, and her daily work was not easy. The condition and obvious
suffering of her elbows during her life reflect known work patterns: grinding flour, weaving textile,
shaking milk for cheese making and drawing and carrying water come to mind.
As mentioned above, in the looted grave, Grave 7, the lower half of the body was excavated.
Judging from the pelvis, the deceased is a female. She was approximately twenty years old at death
and was probably multipara by the condition of pre-auricular sulcus.

(Tsujimura)

2-4 Investigation of the Mummy (Grave 4 in 2016): Using Computerized Tomography
This season, photographs of a fully wrapped adult mummy were taken using both normal
X-ray and CT scan with the cooperation of radiologists in the Minia Oncology Center and theConservation Center in Cairo (Fig. 14 No. 7). As reported in Akoris 2016, the mummy was found in
the Southwest Area and was laid in an anthropoid coffin (Cover No. 1). After excavation, themummy was kept in the Egyptian Storehouse in el-Bahnasa and then was placed in a bag made of
special film to protect against microorganisms and oxidation. As the film has no effect on thetransmission of X-ray, it was not necessary to be concerned about contamination during
photography and removal of the mummy from the bag. The CT examination was performed on a
Siemens Somaton Definition divided into twenty slices at the Minia Oncology Center. Experts of theAutopsy Imaging Information Center in Japan combined the two-dimensional slices of data to
produce a 3D image of the body inside the wrappings.
The mummy was moist enough to dampen the bottom of the coffin despite the arid land where
it was found. The CT scan yielded information to solve this mystery. The CT scan images indicate
16

Fig. 14 X-ray Photos and 3D Images of the Mummy of Grave 4 in 2016. No. 1: Longitudinal CT scan of mummyof Grave 4 in 2016; No. 2: Internal organs (the heart, the lung, the liver); No. 3: Large dental abscess found at
her upper-left second premolar and the left side of mandible without premolars and molars; No. 4: Amulet(?)
in the shape of a cylinder on the head; No. 5: Scarab with a string wound at the left wrist; No. 6: Osteophyte
arising from the bottom of tuber calcanei (the heel); No. 7: Mummy in a bag made of special film examined by
CT scan (computerized tomography) in the Minia Oncology Center.

the corpse is very well preserved; not only the bones but also the brain and internal organs (Cover
No. 3, Fig. 14 No. 2).

The heart, liver, lungs and the carotid artery can be ascertained.

Alongitudinal section of the mummy also shows an empty space between the outer bandage layer andinner corpse (Fig. 14 No. 1). This fact probably suggests that the corpse had not been desiccatedcompletely when mummified, and subsequently body fluids oozed to the outside and the bodyshrank over time. Furthermore, given the evaporation of the oozed fluids slowly seeped into the17ground, it is not unusual that the space is in a moistened condition with no damage to the bandage
layer.
The CT scan analysis of the skeleton, especially the pelvis, confirms that the corpse is an
adult female as indicated by the curved hands posed flat on the chest of the coffin lid. She isapproximately 145cm tall. As her head is tilted to the left, several centimeters could be added toher height.

The slight disappearance of the skull suture, the degree of tooth wear and theunremarkable lipping of vertebrae tell us that she was around thirty years old at death. Inconsistent
with her age, her dental condition was very severe (Fig. 14 No. 3). Almost all the pre-molars andmolars of the mandibula (the lower jaw) are missing and the sockets in the jaw are no longer
present. In addition, two dental abscesses were found at the end of upper-left second pre-molar
and low-left first incisor. Periodontal disease could be the reason why she lost almost all her lower
back teeth, and such a severe condition suggests that she died of septicemia caused by the bacteria
from the dental abscesses. She would have felt pain not only in her teeth but also feet. The
osteophyte arising from the bottom of tuber calcanei (the heel) indicates that she usually carried aheavy load in her lifetime (Fig. 14 No. 6). The thorax was deformed by mild scoliosis, but probably
she must have felt no pain. Thus, her physical features show that her daily task load would havebeen heavy and undertaken while suffering from teeth and feet pain. As mentioned previously, theembalmment was not sufficient and it is indeed by chance that the body was preserved well.
Mortuary goods were prepared to protect her during the journey to the eternal world. While
two pairs of footwear, leather and fiber, were found beneath the bottom of the coffin in 2016 (Akoris2016), the CT scan images indicate the presence of some articles in/under the bandages.

Acylindrical product (amulet?) on the head (Fig. 14 No. 4) and a scarab with a string round the left
wrist (Cover No. 5, Fig. 14 No. 5) are visible. In addition, a long piece of leather or wooden strip,
2.4 × 60.2cm, possibly a stole, extends from the breast to the abdomen on the body (Cover No. 2).
Further analysis of the CT scan images will provide more information about the actual
condition of the mummy.

(Tsujimura)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am deeply grateful to Dr. Yaser M. El Gawad and Dr. Malak A. Shehata (Minia Oncology Center) for
undertaking the X-ray and CT scans; Dr. H. Takano (Ciba Cancer Center) and Dr. S. Yamamoto (the Autopsy
Imaging Center) for making the CT scan images and explaining their results; Dr. Y. Murata; Dr. R. Fujitani; Dr. M.
Kawata (Bukkyo University) and Dr. M. Hada (Tokushima University) for providing pathological examinations about
the images of the X-rays and CT scan images. I would like to also express my thanks to J-Chemical Corporation, foroffering special bags for roentgenography and Dr. Ashraf Nageh (the Research and Maintenance Center) for his help
in maintaining and keeping the mummy in the Egyptian Storehouse.

NOTES
Patch, D.C., 2007 “Third intermediate period burials of young children at Abydos”, The Archaeology and Art of Ancient
Egypt, Vol. II, pp. 251–269.
Houghton, P., 1975 “The bony imprint of pregnancy”, Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, vol. 51(5), pp. 655–661.
Igarashi, Y., 1992 “Pregnancy bony imprint on Japanese female pelvis and its relation to pregnancy experience”,
Journal of Anthropological Society of Nippon, vol. 100 (3), pp. 311–319.

18

3 ARCHITECTURAL AND EPIGRAPHICAL INVESTIGATIONS
3-1 Investigations in the Ptolemaic Quarry at New Minya
In a survey of the Ptolemaic limestone quarry at New Minya, we focused on Section N, situatedat the southern end of the western side of the valley (Fig. 15-1). At the southern end of the section,a path runs from the bottom of the valley to the Nile. Rectangular parallelepiped blocks werequarried by open-cast mining in this section leaving a deep rectangular space that measures 15
meters from the north to the south by 6 meters from the west to the east. The height of the westernwall of the rectangular space measures 6 meters from the present surface. Due to the debris in thespace, however, it was impossible to know the actual height from the bedrock floor to the surface.
The upper side of the wall is not horizontal, and the northern edge is higher than the southern edge.
While we have recognized Greek and demotic graffiti on the walls of the space and on stone
blocks left in the space, we cleaned and measured the section, and registered the graffiti this year.
The dates of graffiti on the western and northern walls confirm that the section were quarried in the240s BC. Legible graffiti on the western wall provide three dates: “the second regnal year (ofPtolemy III), the month of Choiak, 3rd” (i.e. January 24, 246 BC; graffito N8) on the upper part of
the wall; “the third regnal year, the month of Pauni, 8th” (i.e. July 27, 245 BC; graffito N10) on the
middle part; and “the third regnal year” (i.e. 245/4 BC; the month and day are illegible; graffito N5)
on the lower part (Fig. 15-2). Graffiti on the northern wall show later dates. A graffito on the upper
part of the northern wall (N16) reads, “the fourth regnal year, the month of Pharmouthi” (i.e. late
May to mid-June, 244 BC), and a graffito on the lower part (N20) reads, “the fourth regnal year, themonth of Pauni” (i.e. late July to mid-August, 244 BC). Thus, it is assumed that the location of thegraffiti on the northern wall, three meters above the surface, was quarried in the summer of 244 BC(Fig. 15-3).
There was a problem with dating vertical trenches surrounding a large stone in the northwestern part of the rectangular space (Block A). The southern part of the eastern face of Block A
bears a puzzling Greek graffito (N29), which reads, “the twenty-second regnal year, the month of
Phaophi, 28th” in the first line and “epithema” in the second (Fig. 15-4). The “twenty-second regnal
year” is most likely that of Ptolemy III because there has been no graffito earlier than “the thirtythird regnal year (of Ptolemy II)” attested so far in the New Minya quarry. Thus, the graffito dates
from December 15, 226 BC. Numerals to the right of the graffito seems to read “6 1/2 1/3(?)
1/12(?) × 20 1/4(?) × 7”. The indicated volume cannot be that of the trench in front of the graffito,
while it seems too large for the volume of Block A.
If this dating of graffito N29 is correct, there would be a chronological gap between thequarrying of the western and northern walls and the processing of Block A or digging of its eastern
trench. In order to discover other graffiti on the eastern face of Block A, we removed the debris in
the trench and found two horizontal trenches. One trench is located under Block A (Trench A),
while the other is under a smaller block (Block B) at the north-eastern corner of the space (TrenchB) (Fig. 15-5). There is a shallow trench between the two blocks. There are some Greek anddemotic graffiti written on the ceilings of the both horizontal trenches. Graffiti in Trench B bear the19

Fig. 15 Ptolemaic Quarry at New Minia. No. 1: Section
N viewed from the east; No. 2: Southern part of
the western wall of the rectangular space; No. 3:
Northern wall of the rectangular space; No. 4:
Graffito N29; No. 5: Rectangular space viewed
from the north; No. 6: Graffito in Trench B.

20

date of the sixth regnal year (i.e. 242/1 BC) (Fig. 15-6), and those in Trench A cannot be read withcertainty. The graffito with the date of 226 BC on the eastern face (N29) was written fifteen years
after digging Trench B, and independently of the other known graffiti.
As far as the available evidence suggests, quarrying in Section N was conducted at the
beginning of the reign of Ptolemy III, namely in the 240s BC. Quarrying was interrupted for an
unknown reason. Around 226 BC, some kind of quarrying processes resumed and left the graffito
with the date of 226 BC on the eastern face of Block A. It remains unknown if stone was actuallytaken at this time. Further investigation may reveal precisely how the section was quarried under
the reign of Ptolemy III.

(Suto and Takahashi)

3-2 Colossus at New Minya Quarry
Over three working days we cleaned, documented, and analyzed the unfinished colossus at the
New Miniya Quarry (GPS Data: 28,4.4994N, 30,48.5672E, 160m). We spent most of the timecleaning the top surface of the colossus and the ancient trench cut along the colossus (Fig. 16-1).
After cleaning the top surface, we took photographs of the surface and recorded chisel marks.
Furthermore, we documented additional information, such as the positions and dimensions of thestones, the fissures in the bedrock, and the chiseled lines depicting the profile of the pharaoh, inorder to complete the drawings rendering the site, which we have been working since the lastseasons.
In the remaining time, we cleaned the level underneath the colossus for the next season. In
recent years, a considerable amount of rubbish and bat excrement has accumulated in thesubterranean galleries underneath the colossus, which has caused major problems in resuming ourinvestigation underneath the colossus. We plan to concentrate on the final documentation work
underneath the colossus in the next season.

(Yasuoka and Nishimoto)

3-3 Unfinished Columns at the North End of Akoris
We moved to clean a monumental column shaft (Block E) that had been partly visible at thewadi in the northern end of the ancient city of Akoris (Fig. 16-2; GPS Data: 28,11.2024N,
30,46.5379E, 41m). This shaft lies partly under the modern road, and as such, only cleaning half ofthe shaft was possible.
For approximately two weeks we cleaned the three sides surrounding Block E. As the EastWest Section shows (Fig. 17), underneath two decades of modern debris lies a thick layer of stone
chips and fine sands (Arabic “Hiba”), which accumulates up to 2.2m. This layer developed after aflood that swept and flattened the area in 1995. Just below this layer is also another layer of blacksoil containing glass bottles, plastics, and textile materials, which slopes down from the west side of
the road to the bottom of the wadi. The border of these two layers goes underneath the bottom
level of Block E, which was c. 3.6m below the contemporary ground level.

It follows that a

considerable part of Block E had been exposed until only a few decades ago. Many Egyptiancolleagues and the local people who grew up in the village testified that they were able to see thecolumn from at least its middle.
Finds pertaining to antiquities from these layers were limited. As mentioned above, the soil is21

Fig. 16 New Minia Quarry and the North End of Akoris. No. 1: Unfinished colossus in New Minya after cleaning;
No. 2: North end of Akoris before cleaning; No. 3: North end of Akoris after work; No. 4: Example of finds
from Layer VI; No. 5: Scattered stone blocks at the northeastern corner of Block E.

disturbed, and most of the finds are pottery sherds from the Ptolemaic and Coptic period, mixed ina single layer (Fig. 16-4). Some stone objects and slags were also found. We made a section drawing
depicting these layers (Fig. 17) Around Block E, we uncovered approximately 30 limestone blocks,
which were again a mixture of works from the modern period and antiquity, containing column
drums, stone slabs, a tombstone with a cross, or rubble (Fig. 16-5).
The characteristics of the shaft are very similar to the first shaft that has already been uncoveredin Block D during the seasons 1997–20001). Both blocks have retained their rectangular forms at22

the middle and at both ends—this was the initial form extracted from the quarry, and which
afterwards was carved into a circular section of the shaft (for Block E, it is assumed that it also
retained the rectangular form at the end, which today lies under the modern road). In the centerof the square surface of one end of Block E, there was a square hole of 4.5 × 4.5cm. We may safely
assume that this hole served the same purpose as the hole made in the center of square surfaces atboth ends of Block D, which were rectangular in shape (8 × 6cm (E), 10 × 5 cm (W)).
The comparison of the dimensions of Block E to D (Table 2) shows that they were intended forthe same monument. The rectangular part at one end measures c. 2.95m (diameter) by c. 1.70m(thickness of the rectangle). The depth is c. 3.0m so that the section forms a square. Using themeasurements of the half of Block E, the total length can be estimated as c. 14.5m as in Block D.
There are some irregularities observed in Block E. Comparing with Block D, Block E does not
rest on the blocks of stone. Also, this column is noticeably tilted to northeast, whereas the firstcolumn as well as other major stones lying in the vicinity lay horizontally on the smaller blocks(Fig. 16-3). Since Block D and another larger block are aligned to an axis, it is possible that Block E,
which slightly deviates from this axis, was originally aligned to the same axis as well. We plan toclean the place in the next season, where we assume the second column had originally been located.
Considering the intended form of the column, the proportions of the diameter to the totalheight is 1 : 5 for Block D & E (Table 3). This is too thick for a classical style even if we add Doric,
Ionic, or Corinthian capital to it, or assume c. 20cm less in diameter at the stage of completion2).
Rather, the proportion of the reconstructed column would be suitable for the Pharaonic style.
Taking the consistently tapered shape of the shaft into consideration, the palm column, the sistrum
column and the composite column would be possible candidates3). Among these columns, the palm
columns are known to have been constructed without clear distinction between the shaft and thecapital4). As for the sistrum and the composite columns, clear distinction of constructing material
are made between the shaft and the capital, and thus are likely to be the intended style. Both styles
were popular at the time.
From the Greco-Roman Period, sistrum and composite capitals are known to have hadstandardized proportion. There are elevation drawings and architectural models of sistrum capitalthat shows the remains of gird used as guidelines in drawing the outline of the capital5). The
proportions of the sistrum capital are standardized in this period: the width to the height of thecapital is 4 : 9, the division of the height into Hathor face and naos is 4 : 5, etc. Since the diameterof the column and the width of the capital is known to be c. 2 : 3, the approximate height of theintended column would have been c. 20.7m (≈ 39 royal cubits or 70 feet) excluding the abacus andthe base. As a whole the proportion of the diameter of the column to the total height of the column
would have been 1 : 7.13.
If the column was intended to crown a composite capital, the height of the capital excluding theabacus would equal the lower diameter of the capital (1 : 1), which is slightly wider than the top
diameter of the shaft. Excluding the abacus and the base, the total height of the column would havebeen c. 17.4m (≈ 32.8 royal cubits or 59 feet). As a whole the proportion of the diameter of thecolumn to the total height of the column would have been 1 : 6.
In both cases, the columns upon their completions would have been the largest monolithic
23

Fig. 17 South-Section of the South Trench of Block E.

Table 2: Major Dimensions of the Colossal Columns of Akoris.
Eastend(Northside/Southside)

MiddleWidth1775/1810

1703/1927

Height2780/2790

Westend(Northside/Southside)

Total Height

1925/1744

14388/14542

Block D4946/4994

5130/5110

2880/2790

2940/2970

Ptolemaic P.
Block E
Width

2156/2646

Height2906/2940

4205

1866/1942——

2902/2780

14066/14556(7705+4205+2156/2646)—

Table 3: Dimensions and Proportions of Colossal Columns Known from Egypt.
Location

Column Type

PeriodLower
Height of Height of Total Height
Total Height
H-Sh/D T-H/D
Diameter
Shaft
Capital(excl. Base)(incl. Base)

Alexandria,
Pompei’s pillar7)

Corinthian

Diocletianus

2.7

20.5

3.2

23.7

7.7

8.9

Dendera,Pronaos8)

Sistrum

Tiberius

2.4

8.4

5.1

13.5

3.4

5.5

Edfu, Court9)

Compositelate Ptolemaic P.

1.4

6.2

1.7

7.8

4.6

5.8

Akoris, Blocks
D&E

Sistrum or
Composite (?)

Ptolemaic P.

2.9

14.5

—

—

5.0

—

Akoris, Block H

Classical (?)

Ptolemaic P.

1.2

6.9

—

—

5.8

—

Hermopolis
Magna, Pronaos10)

Papyrus Bud

Nektanebo I.

2.6

9.5

3.9

13.4

3.6

5.1

Karnak, Great
Court11)

Open Papyrus Taharqa

2.4

14.9

4.0

18.9

6.2

7.9

Karnak,Hypostyle12)

Open Papyrus Ramesses II

2.5

14.8

4.4

19.2

5.8

7.6

24

28.7

14.4

columns in Egypt until the construction of Pompey’s pillar, which was erected in 297 AD during thereign of Diocletian6).(Yasuoka and Nishimoto)
NOTES1) See Preliminary reports from 1997 to 2000.
2) It would still be too thick for the Doric column, whose proportion (1 : 6) is known to be the thickest among thethree classical orders.
3) There is also a lotus column, but this can be omitted since its attestation is limited to a few examples from theentire history.
4) See for example the Roman examples form Philae.
5) Yasuoka, Y., Untersuchungen zu den Altägyptischen Säulen als Spiegel der Architekturphilosophie der Ägypter,
Hützel 2016, Fig. 5.1 and 5.13–15.
6) Thiel, W., “Die ‘Pompeius-Säule’ in Alexandria und die Viersäulenmonumente Ägyptens. Überlegungen zur
tetrarchischen Repräsentationskultur in Nordafrika”, In: Boschung, D and Eck, W. (Eds.), Die Tetrarchie: Einneues Regierungssystem und seine mediale Präsentation, Wiesbaden 2006, pp. 249–322.
7) Description de l’Egypte, Antiquiés, V, pl. 34.
8) Zignani, P., Le temple d’Hathor à Dendara, Cairo 2010.
9) Fauerbach, U., “The Creation of an Egyptian Capital”, in: Preys, R. (ed.), 7. Ägyptologische Tempeltagung:
Structuring Religion. Leuven, 28. September - 1. Oktober 2005, Wiesbaden 2009, pp. 95–111.
10) Arnold, D., “Zur Rekonstruktion des Pronaos von Hermopolis.” Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archäologischen
Instituts, Abteilung Kairo 50, 1994, pp. 13–22.
11) Lauffray, J., “La colonnade-propylée occidentale de Karnak dite «Kiosque de Taharqa» et ses abords”, in: Kêmi20, 1970, 111–164.
12) Lepsius, C. R., Denkmäler aus Aegypten und Aethiopien, I, Berlin 1849, Taf. 80.

4 TEMPLE OF AMUN-MAI-KHENTY AT AKORIS
Amun-Mai-khenty (’Imn-Mꜣi̓-ḫnty) is a local god at Akoris1), whose name means ‘Amun, the lion
that is in the front’2). Labib Habachi3) translated this name as ‘Amun of the island in front’. He
held this island to be Ezbet Boushra Hanna4) on the opposite west bank of Akoris.

Kessler5)

interpreted Mꜣi̓ ḫnt as a reference to the rock that lies on the western side of the Nero Temple6).
Amun-Mai-khenty is represented as a ram-headed deity7). In the inscriptions from Akoris, thisdeity has a title ‘great god’, clearly distinguished from Amun of Thebes, ‘Foremost of Karnak’8).
There are some documents from Akoris referring to Amun-Mai-khenty as the followings:
1. A stela of Ramsses III referring to Amun-Mai-khenty and Amun-Re of Thebes9). Amun-Maikhenty is not depicted on this stela, although Amun of Thebes is depicted on the right side ofthis stela, namely on the direction of Thebes. Sobek is depicted on the left, the direction of
Nero temple.
2. A stela of Pinudjem I discovered from a shaft of Chapel B. It depicts Amun of Thebes andAmun-Mai-khenty10).
3. A stela of Osorkon III referring to the temple of Amun-Re-Mai-khenty11).
4. The ouchabtis for a priest of Amun, dated to the Third Intermediate Period, found from Tomb
No. 2 to the west of Nero Temple12).
In addition to these materials above from Akoris, there are those from the other sites, as
follows:
25

Fig. 18 Double Temple of Amun the Lion in the Front and of Sobek Behind.

Fig. 19 Inscription of Pinudjem I Which Used a Crocodile Sign instead of the Usual Spelling of Khenty.

5. The Onomastica of Amenope dating from the reign of Ramses III, mentioning pr Mꜣi̓ “thetemple of the lion”13).
6. The Great Harris Papyrus dating from the reign of Ramses IV, mentioning pr ’Imn-Mꜣi̓-ḫnty14) as
one of the temples built by Ramses III.
7. The Wilbour Papyrus dating from the reign of Ramses V, mentioning pr ’Imn-Mꜣi̓-ḫnty15); thetemple of Amun the lion that is in the front.
8. The Papyrus Jumilhac from Ptolemaic period mentions ’Imn-Mꜣi̓-ḫnty in Mr-nfrt (i.e. Tihne) with
its local god Sobek16).
These documents indicate that the cult of Amun-Mai-khenty with its temple at Akoris dates
back to the 20th dynasty and was maintained at least until the Ptolemaic period.
The remaining question is the location of the temple of Amun-Mai-khenty.
The Nero temple at Akoris was probably dedicated to the cult of Sobek, of which cult is referred
to in Docs. 1 and 8 above.
The word ‘khenty’ refers to something in front of another, which could be this temple of Sobek.
If so, there might have been a temple for Amun-Mai-khenty in front of the Nero temple, and those
temples might have formed a double temple like the temple of Kom Ombo. This Amun temple ispossibly to be traced at the area to the north of the Nero Temple, which is in front the carved part17)(Fig. 18).
In the inscription of Pinudjem I (Doc. 3), the scribe spelled the word ‘khenty’ of the name ofAmun-Mai-khenty, by a crocodile sign, a cryptography, which might refer to Sobek18) of whichsanctuary was contiguous to that of Amun-Mai-khenty. (Fig. 19)26

(Shenouda)

NOTES
1) Leitz, Chr., 2002 Lexikon der Agyptischen, Gotter und Gotterbezeichnungen, band 3, Leuven, p. 212.
2) Kessler, D., 1981 Historische Topographie der Region zwischen Mallawi und Samalout, Wiesbaden, p. 254.
3) Habachi, L., 1974 ‘‘Three large rock-stelae carved by Ramesses III near quarries’’, JARCE 11, p. 74.
4) Kessler, D., op. cit., karte 1.
5) Ibid, p. 258.
6) Kawanishi, H. and S. Tsujimura (eds.), 1995 AKORIS, Report of the Excavations at Akoris in Middle Egypt, 1981–
1992, plates, pl. 7 up.
7) Ibid, fig. 224.
8) Ibid, pp. 299–300.
9) Habachi, L., op. cit., pl. VIIa.
10) Kawanishi, H. and S. Tsujimura (eds.), op. cit., fig. 224.
11) Ibid, pp. 301–302.
12) Hakim Effendi Abou Seif, 1926 “Rapport sur les fouilles faites à Tehneh en Janvier et Février 1926”, ASAE 26,
pp. 34–35; Gauthier, H., 1926 “Note sur les statuettes funéraires trouvées dans les tombes de Tehneh”, ASAE 26,
pp. 41–43.
13) Gardiner, A., 1947 Ancient Egyptian Onomastica, 2, Oxford, A 383.
14) Erichsen, W., 1933 Papyrus Harris I, Brussel, p. 72.
15) Gardiner, A., 1948 The Wilbour Papyrus, IV, Oxford, p. 55.
16) Vandier, J., 1961 Le papyrus Jumilhac, Paris, p. 47f.
17) Kawanishi, H. and S. Tsujimura (eds.), op. cit. plates, pl. 7 up, pl. 8, and pl 19 up.
18) Ibid., pp. 300–301.

Members in 2017
Director: Kawanishi, H., Professor Emeritus, University of Tsukuba.
Members: Tsujimura, S., The Paleological Association of Japan; Uchida, S., Meirin College; Suto, Y.,
Nagoya University; Takahashi, R., Tokyo Metropolitan University; Yasuoka, Y., The Universityof Tokyo; Doi, N., Archaeological Institute of Kashihara, Nara Prefecture, and Hanasaka, T.
Site Inspector: Reda Farag Georgey, Rania Maher Ali Muhammad, Ehab Samir Mahmoud, Ahmad
Mustafa Elbesheer and Mustafa Omar Muhammad.
Supporting Persons and Organizations
Fukami N., JSPS Cairo Research Station; Iwaki, N., C.E.O. and President, E&M; Murata, Y., Doctorof medicine; Sharaf, E., Sky Bird Travel; Fukami, S.; Hafiz Muhammad; Yakata, T.; Ozawa, A.;
Devena Haggis; Sari Jammo; Ohshiro, M., Komazawa University; Takeda, A., Kyodo News; Inoue,T., Nakanishi Printing Co., Ltd.; Dr. Ashraf Nageh, the Research and Maintenance Center; Dr. Yaser
M. El Gawad and Dr. Malak A. Shehata, Minia Oncology Center; Dr. Takano, H., Chiba Cancer
Center; Dr. Yamamoto, S., the Autopsy Imaging Center; Dr. Fujitani, R.; Dr. Kawata, M., Bukkyo
University; Dr. Hada, M., Tokushima University; J-Chemical Corporation; Takahashi, T.; Hori, Y.,
Kyushu University; Kawasaki, K.; Nishimoto, S., Nippon Institute of Technology; Wada, K.,
Kokugakuin University; Mitobe, H., Yamagata Prefectural Center for Archaeological Research;Endo, H., Akita University.
This project is sponsored by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 18H03587.

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