The Leiden-Turin archaeological expedition to Saqqara: preliminary results of the 2022 and 2023 fieldwork seasons

Abstract

During the 2022 and 2023 seasons, the joint Leiden-Turin Expedition to Saqqara continued work in the area north of the tomb of Maya. In the previous excavation seasons, the expedition had uncovered the perimeter walls of a large New Kingdom tomb (V82.1) located in the west part of this area. The deposits that covered and filled the structure were further excavated and the inscriptions found on the wall reliefs allowed the tomb owner and his spouse to be identified. They are Panehsy, an early-Ramesside steward of (the temple of) Amun, and Baia, singer of Amun-bunakhtef. A partial excavation of the underground burial complex yielded much evidence of later use, while the excavation to the north and east of the superstructure uncovered material evidence for Late Antique occupation. The excavation east of the tomb of Panehsy added more Ramesside chapels to the cluster previously found in this area, including that of Yuyu, maker of gold foil. During the 2022 and 2023 seasons of fieldwork, selected objects of wood and textile found during earlier seasons were examined in more detail. The two seasons also saw the initiation of two more projects, namely the geophysical survey of an area south of the present excavation, and an oral history project aimed at researching the contribution of workmen to the Leiden-Turin Expedition.