EGYPTIAN
ARCHAEOLOGY
The dancing scene on the northern wall of the portico. Left: Sketched figure of a dancer. Photograph: Francesco Tiradritti, 2011. Centre: Dancers performing the tjeref-dance. Photograph: Giacomo Lovera, 2006. Right: Kneeling dancer. Photograph: FrancescoTiradritti, 2011 Digital copy in progress of part of the northern wall with the tjeref-dance. The colours indicate different features of the relief and damage. Drawing by Irene Morfini, 2009
courtyard was achieved in 2010, allowing us to devote more ef forts toward the reconstruction of scenes on both the south and north walls. To date, the original position of just over 200 decorated blocks has been identified and preliminary urgent restoration has been carried out mainly on the pillars of the southern portico. In parallel with the archaeological and restoration work, copies of some of the most important scenes have been completed. Since 2004 a special computer-aided drafting method has been developed, allowing the production of vector drawings from high-resolution digital pictures without the copyists having to touch the actual reliefs.
the southern wall even if they show the same accuracy and delicacy. The distinguishing characteristics are mainly detectable in the images of the men performing the tjeref-dance. The leg muscles of the dancers are rendered differently according to the steps being taken. Even in this case, the inspiration comes from an Old Kingdom monument in the Memphite necropolis: the tomb of Iymery (G 6020, second part of the Fifth Dynasty). However, the quality of the Harwa reliefs is indisputably superior. Theban art of the Eighteenth Dynasty is reflected in the scene of kneeling girls, closely parallelled by some dancers in the tomb of Kheruef (TT 192, late reign of Amenhotep III). The complete uncovering of the decoration of Harwa’s
q Francesco Tiradritti is Director of the Italian Archaeological Mission to Luxor and Assistant Professor of Egyptology at the University Kore of Enna (Italy). He would like to thank Sara Palaskas, AR at the Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (CA) for help with the English text. All the images are courtesy of ACSES Italia Š 2013.
Final digital copy of part of the decoration of the southern wall. Drawing by Luisa Lagravinese, 2011. Inset: Detail of the donkeys. Photograph: Giacomo Lovera, 2006 20