1904-05 Deir el-Bahri
The primary aim of this excavation season (October 30-mid-March) was to clear extant architecture associated with the mortuary temple of Mentuhotep III.
- inbetween the temple of Hatshepsut and the temple of Mentuhotep, also excavated last season, the excavator identifed burials of priestesses from 11th Dynasty, notably the brurials of Kemsit and Kauit. The burials had been disturbed in antiquity. Each grave contained the remains of a cow or ox. Some graves had been reused in the 20th Dynasty. Artefacts recovered include: model coffins with wax figures of the deceased and other grave goods.
- On a feature described by the excavator as a south court a large number of stone sculpture and stelae were found along with fragments of relief decoration from the walls. Of note was the alabaster head of a cow, six granodiorite statues of Senusret III. Artefacts found included a number of tools, a small number of votive cows and plaques, and hieratic and Coptic ostraka.
Archive Documents
A sandstone Osiride figure inscribed for Amenhotep I was assigned to the British Museum.
A decorated limestone sarcophagus from the priestess burial for Kauit was retained by the Cairo Museum.
The mummy and fragments of the sarcophagus for the priestess Kemsit were displayed in London.
The sarchophagus of Henhenuit discovered in 1905 was sent to New York in 1907.
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Catalogue of exhibition of antiquities : found by Dr. Edouard Naville and Mr Hall in the XIth dynasty temple at Deir el-Bahari, season 1904-5 ; exhibited in the library of the Society of Biblical Archaeology, [...], July 3rd to 29th / Egypt Exploration Fund. 1905. London : Egypt Exploration Fund.
Naville, Edouard and H. R. Hall 1905. Excavations at Deir el-Bahri. Archaeological Report (Egypt Exploration Fund)(1904-1905), 1-10.
