EGYPTIAN
ARCHAEOLOGY
Honorary statues of two dignitaries and the last of the known Mayors, Maheshotep, were found (probably near the place of their original deposition) by Shafiq Farid in the spacious columned presentation hall. This discovery may provide unique evidence because normally such statues were set up in the courtyards and hypostyle halls of temples to ensure the eternal presence of their owners during offerings The entrance area of the Middle Kingdom palace at Tell Basta from the south-east corner. and festivities. Their Behind the magazines, to the right, is the colonnaded courtyard presence here indicates is positioned at the right side of the façade - a feature that palaces also incorporated places of cult practice. copied from contemporary domestic architecture The plan of the palace at Tell Basta is unusual, being whereas palaces of the New Kingdom normally show a oriented to the south whereas palaces and houses in symmetrical disposition of space. As it is a monumental Egypt were as a rule open to the north. The entrance
Satellite image of the palace area of Tell Basta ŠGoogleEarth