Space and memory: tomb reuse in New Kingdom Thebes

Cover Image: Theban Tomb 45, originally built and occupied by Djehuty, an Eighteenth-Dynasty official. TT 45 Project / Matjaž Kačičnik

In November 2017, Carina van den Hoven launched a new fieldwork project in Theban Tomb 45, a beautifully decorated tomb dating back to the Eighteenth Dynasty around 1400 BC. It serves as a case study for the practice of tomb reuse, interpreted through the theoretical concepts of ‘space’ and ‘memory’.

TT 45 and its surroundings Theban Tomb 45 is situated in the Theban necropolis, on the west bank of the Nile, opposite modern Luxor. The Theban necropolis is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and constitutes one of the largest ancient burial sites in the Near East. It comprises numerous monuments, including the famous royal tombs of the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens, but also more than 400 private elite tombs, as well as memorial temples and remains of royal palaces and domestic communities. Theban Tomb (TT) 45 is situated in the area of Sheikh Abd el-Qurna, which has a large concentration of private elite tombs, most of which date to the Eighteenth Dynasty (c. 1539–1292 BC). TT 45 is situated close to the Ramesseum and the well-known tombs of Ramose (TT 55), Userhat (TT 56) and Khaemhat (TT 57) which are open to the public (image opposite page).

The plan of TT 45 shows a classical inverted T-shape. It has been quarried along a southnorth axis, with the arms of the T being roughly in line with the east-west course of the sun. Only the transverse hall has been decorated. The longitudinal hall was quarried, but remained undecorated. The eastern side of the longitudinal hall features two openings that were closed off in modern times and may lead to other tombs. At the end of the longitudinal hall a further room has been cut to the left, leading to a sloping passage. After Robert Mond discovered the tomb in 1903–04, the tomb was not further explored archaeologically. The original layout of the courtyard is unknown as it is partially covered by modern retaining walls. In his excavation report, Mond mentions a shaft in the forecourt, the location of which is unknown at present. The shaft in the transverse hall is not documented in any of the old ground plans of the tomb and seems to have been unexplored so far. One of the aims of the TT 45 Project is to carry out for the first time a full archaeological study of the tomb to enhance our understanding of its usage history, from its original construction in the Eighteenth Dynasty until today, and its position within the larger mortuary landscape of the Theban necropolis.

TT 45 is a fascinating case study of tomb reuse. It was built and decorated with painted scenes and texts during the reign of Amenhotep II (c. 1425–1400 BC) for a man named Djehuty and his family. He was overseer of the household of Mery, the high priest of Amun (and owner of TT 95), as well as of the weaving workshop attached to the temple of Karnak. Djehuty is depicted in the tomb with an unnamed woman, probably his wife, as well as with his mother, also named Djehuty (image next page, bottom). Several hundred years later, during the Ramesside period (c. 1292–1069 BC), the tomb was reused by a man called Djehutyemheb. Like his predecessor, he was overseer of the weaving workshop at Karnak. His family members are also depicted in the tomb: his father Wennefer, overseer of the weavers of the temple of Amun, his mother Isis, songstress of Amun, his wife Bakkhonsu, also a songstress of Amun, and their children and grandchildren.

Even though the practice of tomb reuse may call to mind images of usurpation, tomb robbery and destruction, TT 45 was reused in a non-destructive manner and with consideration for the memory of the original owner. Instead of vandalising and whitewashing its walls in order to replace the original decoration with his own, Djehutyemheb left most of the existing decoration in its original state. He added his own only to wall sections that had been left undecorated by Djehuty, and he retouched a number of the original paintings. For example, the garments, wigs and furniture depicted were altered to conform to contemporary style and taste. The image below shows an example of the numerous repaintings that were carried out in TT 45 in the Ramesside period. The upper scene depicts the first tomb owner with his mother. He is dressed in a white garment with fringed edges and a plain kilt. His mother wears a simple tight dress. These paintings were left untouched in the Ramesside period. The lower scene also belongs to Djehuty’s original programme of decoration, but here we clearly see a number of changes made at a later date: the Ramesside tomb owner added a text in red cursive hieroglyphs, transforming the original Eighteenth Dynasty painting into a scene presenting himself as the son who offers a bouquet to his parents, Wennefer and Isis. Furthermore, the furniture, garments and the lady’s wig were retouched in order to update them to Ramesside style. The garments of all three figures have been widened and lengthened, struts and bars were added to the furniture.

The first three fieldwork seasons of the Leiden University Mission to the Theban necropolis took place under the direction of the author in March and November 2018 and February-March 2019. The international team is undertaking a wide range of activities, from conservation and documentation to publication, archaeological study, art historical analysis, heritage preservation and site management. The project also provides opportunities for the further training of Egyptian staff in conservation, site documentation and archaeological research. Site management activities are carried out in close cooperation with the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities with a view to make the tomb publicly accessible.

A full conservation programme aims to preserve the painted decorations for future generations. The team is also undertaking research in preventive conservation, especially in regard to protection from flash flooding.

The entire decorative programme of TT 45 is recorded as precisely as possible, using the most recent tools and developments in the field of digital humanities, such as photogrammetry, 3D-technology, as well as digital epigraphy, reconstruction and imaging technology. In this way, we aim to contribute to the development and application of non-invasive digital technologies to Egyptological site documentation and publication. The art historical and material analysis of the wall paintings is carried out with the help of ultraviolet and infrared photography as well as with the software application DStretch. These technologies can enhance the traces of poorlypreserved pigments, thus improving the legibility of wall paintings that have faded over time, and detect repaintings – such as those done by the second tomb owner – that would not be identifiable with the naked eye.

The double occupation of TT 45 and the way in which its second occupant dealt with its original decoration make it an excellent starting point for a research project on the mechanisms and motives behind tomb reuse in New Kingdom Egypt, which is carried out by the author at the Netherlands Institute for the Near East, Leiden University.

Tomb reuse was a widespread mortuary practice in ancient Egypt. Consequently, much information is available in terms of archaeological data. However, there is a surprising lack of academic research on this topic. Traditionally, studies of burial monuments have mainly been concerned with their original construction and decoration, and with their original owner(s). The continued use and reuse of tombs has long been of marginal interest to researchers. This is indeed surprising, because the continued use of monuments clearly forms part of their ‘life history’. Another problem in the study of tomb reuse is that the phenomenon is generally documented only as part of the life histories of individual tombs, i.e. detached from its wider historical, cultural, and geographic context.

This research project takes a new approach and explores tomb reuse in terms of the theoretical concepts of ‘space’ and ‘memory’. Its underlying premise is that the ancient Egyptian necropolis should not be considered merely as a random collection of individual tombs, but as a dynamic, internally coherent landscape. This landscape was shaped physically by the existing monuments and processional routes, and cognitively by the mortuary and commemorative practices that took place in it. Conversely, the landscape also structured mortuary practices, such as tomb reuse. Exploring tomb reuse from this perspective will enable us to go beyond the investigation of apparent motives associated with individual cases and to present an innovative understanding of the collective way in which the ancient Egyptians used and interacted with the landscape and its monuments in order to connect with their own past and ancestors. This new approach offers an opportunity for cross-cultural comparisons of the ways in which societies view the dead and their own past, an important aspect of the wider phenomenon of cultural identity still relevant today.

Carina van den Hoven is Research Fellow at the Netherlands Institute for the Near East, Leiden University, and Collaborateur Scientifique of the Research Unit UMR 8546 AOrOc ‘Archéologie et philologie d’Orient et d’Occident’ at the École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE/PSL), École Normale Supérieure (ENS), and Centre National de Recherche Scientifique (CNRS). Since 2017, she has been Director of the Leiden University Mission to the Theban Necropolis. More information on the TT 45 Project at www.StichtingAEL.nl. Donations to the Luxor Archaeological Heritage Foundation to support the project and help preserve Egypt’s heritage can also be made through the website. The fieldwork project would not be possible without the generous financial support of the Gerda Henkel Stiftung (www. gerda-henkel-stiftung.de) and academic, administrative, and logistic support by the Netherlands-Flemish Institute in Cairo and the Netherlands Institute for the Near East at Leiden University. A proof of concept study on the digital documentation of the tomb paintings is funded by the Leiden University Centre for Digital Humanities. We closely cooperate with the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities and the Luxor Inspectorate of Antiquities. We thank all the members of the Ministry of Antiquities, the Permanent Committee and of the Luxor Inspectorate for permissions, advice and assistance.