Mammals in the iconography of the Temple of Queen Hatszepsut: introduction to the project

Abstract

The project “Mammals in the iconography of the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut”, initiated by the author in the 2011/2012 season, encompasses a detailed documentation of the animals depicted in various parts of Hatshepsut’s temple in Deir el-Bahari as a prerequisite for in-depth research. The study follows a multi-disciplinary approach within faunal analysis, and is complemented with technological observations on the execution of relief representations from the temple. At this stage of the project, a general taxonomic identification of the animal representations is nearly complete and a further detailed study of each taxon has been undertaken. Both complete animals (mainly mammals for now) and animal raw materials were studied in addition to the contexts and scenes in which they appear.