Rescue excavation and first safeguarding in the New-Kingdom-Necropolis in Aswan-West (Upper Egypt) in cooperation with the Eygtian Antiquities Organization; kick-off season to evaluate a long-term project in spring 2015

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The Egyptian Antiquities Organization offered the director of the Egyptian Museum Berlin (here: the applicant) the unusual and exclusive chance for a cooperation to investigate, to document, to record, to safeguard and to publish the new discovered decorated rock tombs of the New Kingdom (1550 - 1200 BC) in the region of Aswan-West. These tombs (7 are known till now and more than a dozen will be exspected) have been discovered and partly robbed by local plunderers in 2012. The newly discovered necropolis represents an archaeological and egyptological value of extreme significance, because the elite-tombs of the 18th dynasty were almost unknown up to now. The documentation of those tombs promises very important results in the field of art history, tomb architecture, material culture and funeral practices. Local features of the funeral custom should be compared with the previous versions of the Old and Middle Kingdom at the Qubbet el-Hawa as well as with the contemporary residential and local necropolis all over Egypt. The newly detected tomb owners and the other depicted and mentioned persons and officials will provide new important evidence in the field of prosopographical studies and in the structure and administrative organization of the local government on Elephantine Island and the 1st Upper Egyptian nome during the New Kingdom. The scientific capacity of the investigation of this necropolis cannot be estimated to its fully range and importance at the present state. Therefore a long term project should be applied for after the evaluation results of the kick-off season in spring 2015, which is the issue of the present proposal. Due to the fact that some of the 7 (until now known) tombs are accessible and are open to vandalism and looting and due to the fact that the Egyptian authorities are counting on the cooperation of the Egyptian Museum Berlin, a first season in spring 2015 will be more than necessary. The aims of the first season are the following: a) construction of protection walls above the tombs no. 4 & 5; b) documentation and epigraphic work in tomb no. 5; c) complete safeguarding of tomb no. 5 with walls and a solid roof; d) protection and covering the decorated façade of tomb no. 4 with sandbags; e) measurements of the area and the excavated tombs; f) photographic documentation of tomb no. 2 (User) for the publication by the Egyptian partners; g) conservation provisions in tomb no. 2 (User); h) evaluation of the further steps with regard to the application of a long term project, which should be submitted directly after the first season. (For all details see the attachments.)