The hermitage in Sheikh Abd el-Gurna (West Thebes): excavations, studies and conservation in 2009 and 2010/2011
The hermitage in Sheikh Abd el-Gurna (West Thebes): excavations, studies and conservation in 2009 and 2010/2011

Summary/Abstract: The field seasons of 2009 and the turn of 2010 were focused on multidisciplinary studies and conservation of finds from the Coptic hermitage located in a Pharaonic tomb (MMA 1152) in the locality of Gurna in West Thebes. The objective was a multivaried study of the monks’ everyday life in the 6th through 8th centuries AD , as well as a reconstruction of the history of the tomb from its founding through the Graeco-Roman period. A limited number of artifacts illustrate occasional visits to the ruins in later times by travelers, treasure hunters and finally early 20th century archaeologists. Some limited archaeological excavations were carried out in peripheral areas: in the lowest part of the refuse dump on the rock slope and on the edges of the path running from the site of the hermitage to the neighboring tomb MMA 1151. Conservation of metal vessels and other objects revealed elements of the decoration as well as technological features, aiding in determining their function and clarifying the decoration.

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