The Middle Kingdom Theban Project. Preliminary report on the University of Alcalà Expedition to Deir el-Bahari:fifth and sixth seasons and study season 2020/2021

The present report presents the archaeological, epigraphic, conservation, and landscape works carried out by the Middle Kingdom Theban Project – a project under the auspices of the University of Alcalá (UAH, Madrid) Expedition to Deir el-Bahari and Asasif – in three campaigns (Fifth Season 2020, Study Season 2021, Sixth Season 2021). After the abrupt interruption of the Fifth Season due to the outbreak of the SARS-COVID 19 pandemic, the team organized a (summer) Study Season (Summer 2021), mainly to complete the analysis and documentation of required materials, and the Sixth Season (Fall 2021), where the focus stood on: i) the excavation of the courtyards of Henenu (TT 313) and Ipi (TT 315); ii) the excavation of the inner sections of TT 313 and E1; iii) the epigraphic analysis of hundreds of relief blocks retrieved from TT 313; iv) the implementation of new conservation protocols for the findings as well as the analysis of the conservation conditions and problems in Dagi’s tomb (TT 103); and v) the detailed analysis of textiles, ceramics, and human remains from TT 315.