Thursday 2 June 2011

Hatshepsut Osiride Head Project

I've begun looking at the 3rd Terrace of Deir el Bahri, specifically at the oversized Osiride statues of Hatshepsut. I am going to see how many of the Osiride heads can be located at Deir el Bahri and also within collections around the world. UPDATE: I am looking at all Hatshepsut Osiride Heads, not just the engaged (tied into the buildings structure and not freestanding) statues on the 3rd Terrace.

Another project (please excuse the over-use of the word "project") will be the Punt Collonade Block Project. Here i will concentrate solely on those Punt reliefs which survive today but do not appear at Deir el Bahri.

My aims are simple. I need to understand Deir el Bahri, bit by bit. Looking at specific subjects such as particular statues or colonnades will help me understand parts of the temple at a steady pace (or that's the plan). Also i am curious about what happened to these items since their discovery(ies). Where did they end up and how did they get there? I've tested the water on this recently and appreciate that provenance can be a bit of a sore point. However- its a pain in the neck i am happy to take on.

I am curious how much information I can be gather and how much I can learn in the process. A bit of serious fun.

Stuart

7 comments:

Timothy Reid said...

Hi Stuart wanted to make sure you are aware of this shrine: Discovered in the temple of Deir el Bahari by E. Naville the surviving left side bares inscriptions that credit the shrines creation to Thutmosis II for Thutmosis I, however the the nuances of the piece suggest it was actually created on orders of Hatshepsut, this may even be the remains of the ebony shrine created by Thutiy and mentioned in his own tomb inscriptions.

"The good god, Lord of the two lands, lord of offering, lord of diadems, who hath taken the crown of two lands, King of upper and lower Egypt, Aakheperenre the son of Re, Thutmosis II, he made it as his monument for his father, Amen Re, making for him an august shrine of ebony of the best of the highlands, that she might live and abide for him like Re, forever"

James Breasted

Cheers

Stuart Tyler said...

Hi Tim,

I am not sute that i am was of this shrine. I will have a good look into it now you have pointed it out though.

What was the book/ article from James Breasted you were quoting from? I will start there and do some digging.

Thanks very much for the information- i look forward to finding out more......

Stuart

Stuart Tyler said...

I think i have a source for the Ebony Shrine:

The Temple of Deir el-Bahari
Edouard Naville

•Memoir XIV: (plates 25-55) The Ebony Shrine. Northern Half of the Middle Platform.

Now the hard part - finding a copy of this online (if it exists).

Stuart

Timothy Reid said...

Hi Stuart

James Breasted "The Documentary Sources of Egyptian History" which a copy can be found at Etana books online. I am sorry I cannot give you a page as I am running to get to a meeting. I will look when I get home this evening.

Peace

Timothy Reid said...

Hi Stuart

James Breasted "The Documentary Sources of Egyptian History" pg. 52 #126.

Peace

Stuart Tyler said...

Thanks Tim.

I will try to obtain a copy. Cheers for the heads- up, the shrine sounds really interesting.

Regards,
Stuart

Stuart Tyler said...

I've just added a new post regarding the shrine- i think the subject material warrants that. You didn't mention the original article was from your own site. Well, I've added a link to your original article and to Naville's reports on the shrine.

Stuart