88

Daressy #: 18

Owner: TT 71 Senenmut

Reasons: Inscription and provenience

Transliteration: jmj-rA Snwtj n jmn sn-n-mwt jmj-rA AHt n jmn sn-n-mwt jmj-rA pr n Hmt-nTr HAt-Spst sn-n-mwt jmj-rA aXnwtj sn-n-mwt mAa-xrw

Translation: Overseer of the double granary of Amun, Senenmut, overseer of the fields of Amun, Senenmut, steward of the god's wife Hatshepsut, Senenmut, chamberlain, Senenmut justified.

Date: Hat.

Length: --

Colours: No colours (01-035 in Davies's notebook).

Findspots:

• Many from TT 71 (01-035 in Davies's notebook and 03-067 in Macadam's Red file).

• One brick preserved in the Metropolitan Museum of Art was from near TT 103 (28.3.32).

• Two bricks from Deir el-Medina (Bruyère 1952: fig. 98, nos. 3 and 62).

• Two bricks from TT 71 (Lepsius 1849-1859 [LD III]: 259, Pl. 25bis. l and m).

• Many bricks including cavetto, torus, and normal cuboid ones, were from the slope near TT 71 (Dorman 1991: 69 and Pl. 29).

Remarks: 

• The ascribed owner is identical to that of # 84 and # 261.

• # 84, # 88 # 94, # 111, # 120, and # 122 have vertical lines with the name of the owner at the bottom. Among them, # 84, # 88, and # 120 are dated to the reign of Hatshepsut.

• Titles inscribed in the texts are found elsewhere on Senenmut's monuments, but only this cone mentions the word 'HAt-Spst' in its title (01-035 in Davies's notebook).

• The torus with inv. no. 1608 (see 'Image Gallery' section below), held by the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung, exhibits a slight step on one of its longer sides. This feature is clearly depicted in the plate of LD (Lepsius 1849-1859: Taf. III 25bis m. cf. also here) and is also referenced in the catalogues of previous exhibition (Pries 1987: 336). It is possible that this feature served to align an object placed on top of the torus, or cavetto cornice were place on that  Moreover, my research indicates that the lower portion of the stepped surface is white, and that there are numerous scratch-like marks at angles perpendicular to the long edge. An examination of the photographs available on the Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung's website indicates that the opposite side of the torus lacks a distinct step. However, there are similar linear marks in the same direction as those on the stepped side. These marks are likely traces left either when the torus was installed or by an object placed on top of it afterward. The specific actions that created these marks remain unknown. Alternatively, if a cavetto cornice was installed (cf. Kampp 1996: 69) on the upper portion of the aforementioned step, the lower part would have been uncovered by the installed cornice. This could explain why the lower part became worn over time, thus forming the step. The resulting wear may have been what caused the scratch-like marks. I am uncertain whether the two other tori preserved in the same museum in Berlin, inv. nos. 1609 and 1610 (see 'Image Gallery' section below), had a similar step on their longer sides, as they do not retain their original shape. However, white coloration on the side surfaces and similar scratch-like marks can be observed on them, too.

• The tori with inv. nos. 1908 and 1909 in the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung, which have retained a relatively complete form, do not stand upright when placed, but rather tilt at an angle. It is unclear whether this was an intentional design choice or whether they lost their ability to stand upright over time. In any case, the former leans backward, while the latter tilts forward (toward the stamped side). The significance of this difference is also unknown.

• The item with inventory number 1910 (see the 'Image Gallery' section below) at the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung, appears to have originally been a rectangular brick rather than a torus, as the three areas surrounding the stamped section are not rounded.

• The owner was not the brother of the owner of TT 252 and cone # 120, Senmen.

• See also 05-125 in his DALEX file 1, and 06-025, 026, 040, 049, 087, 102, & 109 in his DALEX file 2.

Image Gallery