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Report on the work of the
University of Cambridge Theban Mission 2001

Nigel Strudwick

The Permanent Committee of the Supreme Council for Antiquities granted permission in June 2001 for the University of Cambridge Theban Mission to continue work in Theban Private Tomb 99 of Senneferi.

I should like to thank Prof. Gaballa Aly Gaballa, Principal Secretary of the SCA and all members of the Committee for agreeing to the request for permission to work in Thebes. In particular I am grateful to all the staff in Abbassiya for enabling this permission to be carried out. In Luxor, I am indebted to Mr Sabri Abdel Aziz, General Director of Upper Egypt and Luxor, along with his deputy Mr Bakhit, and Mr Mohamed el-Bialey, General Director of the West Bank, for their assistance. The inspector attached to the Mission during the season was Mr Abdulrahman Ahmed Hassan, without whom the season would not have been so successful, and we are very grateful to him for all his help and advice.1

Financial backing was generously provided by a variety of sources, in particular the Society of Antiquaries of London, and the Townley Group of the British Museum Friends. The support and good wishes of many others are acknowledged. We are very grateful to the Egypt Exploration Society for the use of the facilities of their Cairo office, and to their representative, Miss Rawya Ismail, for her help and support.

The Mission worked in Luxor from 30 September to 29 October 2001. Members of the mission were: Dr Nigel Strudwick (Field Director), Mrs Helen Strudwick (Assistant Director), Miss Julie Dawson (Conservator), Dr Pamela Rose (Ceramics specialist), Dr Gillian Pyke (Ceramics specialist), Dr Heike Behlmer (Coptic specialist), Mrs April Farmer (Textile specialist), Mr Evan York (Archaeological assistant) and Mr Anthony Middleton (Photographer).

The purpose of this season was to finish post-excavation work on the finds and to register and store them in an appropriate manner. Three other tombs were visited for comparative purposes.1

Epigraphy and architectural documentation (Nigel Strudwick)

Since 1997, plans of the walls have been prepared. This year the last of these were completed, for the pillars in the rear room of the tomb. These plans show the condition of the walls, the location of the scenes, and all useful indications of how the walls were decorated. This work was undertaken by Nigel and Helen Strudwick. A number of extra images for the photographic record of the wall paintings was taken by Anthony Middleton.

1. The following publications on aspects of the tomb have appeared since the 2000 report: N. Strudwick, 'The tomb of Senneferi at Thebes', Egyptian Archaeology 18 (2001), 6-9; P. Rose, 'Pottery from the tomb of Senneferi (TT99)', Egyptian Archaeology 19 (2001), 18-19; N. Strudwick, 'Theban Tomb 99--an overview of work undertaken from 1992 to 1999', Memnonia 11 (2000), 241-66.

© Nigel Strudwick 1997-2018