Mummfication Museum lecture - TT16 Panehsy

TT16 The tomb of Panehsy Suzanne Onstine http://history.memphis.edu/bios/bio_onstine.html

Firstly thanks to Suzanne for this great lecture done under difficult circumstances as the projector hardly worked at all.

Panehsy was a chanter and priest of Amenhotep I cult at Dra Abu Nagar, her project was one of epigraphy and conservation. The tomb has been published in Baid & Drioton and Porter& Moss but only the first room Kamp’s plan shows the unpublished 2nd room and rough hewn burial passage. There used to be a house above it but the house was not an issue. There was a rock fall in the rough passage which might have been caused by the bulldozers that demolished the house. We think he was from the period of Ramses II as the steward Neb Su Menu is mentioned who was Ramses II steward. The demolishing of the house blocked the doorway which was quickly cleared. There was mud brick around the courtyard.

She was interested in the tomb as she is interested in chanter and chantress titles. Panehsy and his wife Tarenu were a chanter and chantress of Amun and she wondered if their hobs influenced the choice of scenes. Tarenu is always shown with a sistrum. Men do not usually have this title there are 900 women and 15 men chanters. There is a brother Pa-watt(?) who is also a chanter.

There is a scene of an unnamed temple which is probably Karnak and the 2nd pylon which would have been the entrance at that time. He was the cult priest of Amenhotep I and there are scenes of the cult. People could appeal to the statue. Panehsy had 2 roles Chanter of the offering tables of Amun with the scene of the cult figure of Amenhotep I. He is a pious man shown offering to Ahmose Nefertari and Amenhotep I. There are sense of agricultural daily life with a lazy cow and an angry donkey. There was duplication of the iconography Hathor cow and lady of the sycamore.

In their 1st year as a mission they have taken a series of photos using software instead of Mylar to do the drawings to avoid damage to the walls. It is a fast way to do epigraphy. If they had electricity in the tomb they would not even need to do a print out. There is smoke damage to the second chamber and they are hoping to remove it after hearing the encouraging result of Dr Boyo last week.

During 1965-1985 there were no doors on the tomb and there is definite looter damage as it was close to the road. It was art market driven as they went for generic scenes which could not be easily identified as belong to Panehsy. She hopes to get photos on the website. In TT15 5 scenes were similarly cut out and were displayed in the Louvre. She has not been able to locate the missing scenes so if anyone knows of scenes of a bald guy with skinny arms she would like to hear. The style is similar to TT19 is Seti I. The humour is unusual at this time.

Next week the French site manager will show the SCA master pan of the West Bank which has been developed in conjunction with the governor’s plan.