Abstract

In 2014, the South Asasif Conservation Project, directed by Elena Pischikova, discovered a previously unknown side chamber in the tomb of Karabasken (TT 391), a proto-Kushite tomb located in the South Asasif. Designated as Side Chamber 1A, it contained an intact burial assemblage. The contents of the tomb, all of which had suffered damage caused by repeated flooding, included three coffins which each contained a mummy. One of the mummies was most unusual, consisting of just the upper half of the body of a young man which was truncated at the waist.

This study is the first to assess and examine the context and contents of this previously unknown burial assemblage. It describes each of the objects found within the chamber and, wherever possible, dates them. Particular attention has been given to the unusual case of the truncated ‘half-man’ mummy. This study has also established the sequence of events from when the chamber was cut to house the original burial in the seventh century BC to when it was last used during the early-mid Ptolemaic Period.

The study concludes with a catalogue of the evidence for intrusive burial activity from the proto-Kushite tombs in the South and North Asasifs. The pattern of activity observed has allowed for speculation about why the tomb of Karabasken was reused for the burial of the three individuals found in Side Chamber 1A. It is hoped that this study will be of value to scholars researching the post-New Kingdom funerary activity in the Theban Necropolis.

School

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department

Sociology, Egyptology & Anthroplology Department

Degree Name

MA in Egyptology & Coptology

Graduation Date

Summer 6-15-2022

Submission Date

1-22-2022

First Advisor

Salima Ikram

Committee Member 1

Lisa Sabbahy

Committee Member 2

Elena Pischikova

Extent

104p.

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval

Not necessary for this item

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