18th Dynasty

The mummies of Kha and his wife Merit were found intact in an undisturbed tomb in western Thebes near the ancient workers’ village of Deir el-Medina. Previous MDCT (this abbreviation needs spelling out) investigations showed that the bodies of Kha and Merit did not undergo classical royal 18th Dynasty artificial mummification, which included removal of the internal organs. It was, therefore, concluded that the retention of the viscera in the body, combined with an absence of canopic jars in the burial chamber, meant the couple underwent a short and shoddy funerary procedure, despite their relative wealth at death. Nevertheless, all internal organs - brain, ocular bulbs/ocular nerves, thoracic and abdominal organs - showed a very good state of preservation, which contradicts the previous interpretation above. In order to better understand the type of mummification used to embalm these bodies, both wrapped mummies were reinvestigated using new generation X-ray imaging and chemical microanalyses Here we provide evidence that both individuals underwent a relatively high quality of mummification, fundamentally contradicting previous understanding. Elucidated “recipes”, whose components had anti-bacterial and anti-insecticidal properties, were used to treat their bodies. The time and effort undoubtedly employed to embalm both Kha and Merit and the use of imported costly resins, notably Pistacia, do not support the previously held view that the two individuals were poorly mummified. Despite a lack of evisceration, the approach clearly allowed their in situ preservation as well as affording a fairly successful mummification.

ICE XII, Mena House, Cairo, 6 November 2019.

The Theban tomb of Rekhmire is of vital importance not only due to its owner, vizier in the time of Thutmose III and Amenhotep II, but due to its unique architecture and innumerable motifs, some newly defined for the first time. The monumental character of the chapel challenged the artists and the standard layout of 18th dynasty noble tombs. The concept and composition are in immediate response to this specific architectural setting. Thus, for approaching the way patron and painters elaborated the paintings a consideration of iconic references, semantic interactions, and an interpretation of the overall concept, as well as specific placing and compositions of motifs, is of importance.
The paper discusses the ‘pictorial language’ of decoration in TT 100. Analysis will focus on the overall concept of the decorative programme, the layout of picture planes, the composition of themes and motifs, as well as the situation of the beholder. Visual communication and the aesthetics of reception played a decisive role in the layout of the paintings even while the wall decoration was conceptualized. The artists responsible used different techniques including formal elements of art such as space, motifs, colour, or image’s value in order to highlight the paintings, and increase their visibility and notion as an eye catcher. By using certain compositional elements and specific references some subjects could be accentuated and the artistic work was able to strengthen the tomb’s role as an important place of elite self-representation and its crucial function for the afterlife. For further investigations, attention is paid to the architectural environment of the chapel with a specific focus on its acoustic setting. Taking into account the fact that the acoustic setting of TT 100 stands out from the other tomb-chapels of its time and rather relates to temple architecture, one can suggest that it also influenced the construction of ancient visitors' overall perceptions and impressions of the monument, especially in the context of cultic oral performances like recitations, chants, spoken rituals, etc.
Audio extract from TT 100's soundscape is accessible online:

https://youtu.be/HUzV4xDn_VI