Poster

Zygalski, Antje:

The ancient Egyptian coffin of Istemkheb (30th Dyn.; Asasif, TT414; Ankh-Hor project, Reg. 657): Pigment discolouration.

2023

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The Ankh-Hor project of the Ludwig-Maximilian-University Munich (directed by Prof. Dr. Budka) is located in Egypt, more precisely in the ancient necropolis belonging to the modern city of Luxor (ancient Greek name for the ancient Egyptian town: Thebes). This “Theban Necropolis” consists of several individual burial areas, which include the so-called “Asasif” and tomb number 414. The project includes Egyptological investigations, conservation and the publication of all finds that were excavated by the Austrian Archaeological Institute in the 1970s. The coffin of Isetemkheb was dated by Prof. Dr. Budka (based on stylistic criteria) to the phase from the 30th Dynasty of pharaonic Egypt to the early Ptolemaic period, which roughly covers the period from 400 to 250 BC.
The project is in the phase of “object recovery”, i.e. hundreds of mixed wooden fragments (due to tomb robbery and destruction) are being sorted back into numerous objects. In 2022, the author was commissioned with the task of conservation conceptualization and partial implementation, so investigating the polychrome wooden fragments was not one of the tasks. However, condition changes perceived during the conservation implementation were documented as “snapshots” with a smartphone. This can serve as a starting point for possible art-technological investigations at a later date - among other things, with the aim of a virtual reconstruction of the colouring at the time of production.

Antje Zygalski (Author)