Date:

Barque Station of Queen Hatshepsut discovered on Elephantine Island in Egypt

Archaeologists have announced the discovery of an ancient building believed to be a barque station from the time of Queen Hatshepsut.

The station, comprising of a number of stone blocks was unearthed by the German Archaeological Institute during excavations on Elephantine Island.

- Advertisement -

Ancient Egyptian barques were a type of boat used from Egypt’s earliest recorded times and are depicted in many drawings, paintings, and relief’s that document the culture. Transportation to the afterlife was believed to be accomplished by way of barques as well, and the image is used in many of the religious murals and carvings in temples and tombs.

Temples often included barque shrines “Stations” in which the sacred barques rested when a procession was not in progress. In these stations the boats would be watched over and cared for by the priests.

According to Dr Felix Arnold – Field director of the mission, the building served as a way-station for the festival barque of the god Khnum.

The building was later dismantled and about 30 of its blocks have now been found in the foundations of the Khnum temple of Nectanebo II. Previous excavations on the site by the Swiss Institute discovered some of the initial remains, but their function has now only just become clear.

- Advertisement -

The building originally comprised of a chamber for the barque of the god Khnum, which was surrounded on all four sides by pillars.
On the pillars are representations of several versions of the god Khnum, as well as other gods, such as Imi-peref “He-who-is-in-his-house”, Nebet-menit “Lady-of-the-mooring-post” and Min-Amun of Nubia.

Several of the blocks contain the inscriptions of Hatshepsut as a woman, suggesting that its construction is most probably during the early years of her reign. Only very few buildings from this early stage of her career have been discovered so far. The only other examples have been found at Karnak.

MINISTRY OF ANTIQUITIES 

- Advertisement -
spot_img
Mark Milligan
Mark Milligan
Mark Milligan is multi-award-winning journalist and the Managing Editor at HeritageDaily. His background is in archaeology and computer science, having written over 8,000 articles across several online publications. Mark is a member of the Association of British Science Writers (ABSW), the World Federation of Science Journalists, and in 2023 was the recipient of the British Citizen Award for Education, the BCA Medal of Honour, and the UK Prime Minister's Points of Light Award.
spot_img
spot_img

Mobile Application

spot_img

Related Articles

3,000-year-old Bronze Age daggers discovered near Kutenholz

A pair of 3,000-year-old Bronze Age daggers have been discovered by archaeologists near Kutenholz, a municipality in the district of Stade, Lower Saxony, Germany.

Major Iron Age discovery made by archaeologists

Archaeologists have uncovered one of the largest and most significant Iron Age hoards ever found in the UK.

Rare sword scabbard discovered by detectorist

A detectorist from the Iława Search Group has unearthed a rare medieval sword scabbard during a survey in a forest near the Polish town of Iława.

2,200-year-old pyramidal structure discovered in Judean Desert

Archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) have discovered a pyramidal structure north of Nahal Zohar in the Judean Desert.

Archaeological mission advances research in the “Bench of the Pharaoh”

A joint Polish-Egyptian archaeological mission has conducted further studies in the tomb of Shepseskaf, located in the Saqqara necropolis near Cairo.

Roman aqueduct discovered during excavations at Rusovce Manor

Excavations at the historic Rusovce Manor in Bratislava have discovered the first known Roman aqueduct system in Slovakia.

Bronze Age stone circle discovered in woodland on Farley Moor

Archaeologists from Time Team, working in collaboration with Forestry England, have discovered a 3,700-year-old stone circle on Farley Moor, located in Derbyshire, England.

Archaeologists make several major discoveries in ancient Liternum

Liternum was a Roman colony established in the late 2nd century BC in Campania, southern-central Italy.