Aa15
a
M17M17
and
tAW19M17tB1
[1]
Maya and Tamyt
in hieroglyphs
Era: New Kingdom
(1550–1069 BC)

TT338 or chapel of Maya is the burial place of the ancient Egyptian artist Maya and his wife Tamyt in the necropolis of Deir el-Medina near modern Luxor, Egypt.[2] Maya was titled "outline-draughtsman of Amun" and was active in the late Eighteenth Dynasty. The chapel was discovered and excavated in 1905-1906 by the Italian egyptologist Ernesto Schiaparelli, near the Tomb of Kha and Merit.[2] The painted interior depicts the funerary procession and feasts of the deceased; the decoration was detached by the restorer Fabrizio Lucarini in 1906 and is housed today in the Museo Egizio in Turin, Italy.[2]

Owner

TT338 belonged to Maya (also transcribed Maï or May), an artist who bore the title "outline-draughtsman of Amun" who was active in the late Eighteenth Dynasty, after the reign of Akhenaten. His wife was named Tamyt.[1][3]

Description

Schematic plan of TT38 tomb

The funerary chapel is situated in the northern cemetery of the workmen's village of Deir el-Medina, immediately east of TT8 and about 1 metre (3.3 ft) downhill of it. It was discovered in 1905-1906 by the Italian Archaeological Mission who removed the chapel's paintings to the Museo Egizio in Turin, Italy.[2] The chapel was once pyramid-shaped but only the vaulted chamber remains; it was likely surrounded by a walled courtyard but nothing remains of the enclosure wall. The tomb is accessed via a shaft in the courtyard and leads to two small rooms which are uninscribed.[3]

The chapel was entirely decorated with funerary scenes. The paintings of this chapel are axceptionally preserved, although not in their entirety.[2] Wall painting was applied a tempera: the mudbrick walls were covered with a plaster of fresh mud and straw, painted after drying.[2] The two long walls have three registers each depicting the funerary procession of the deceased to their tomb, the deceased receiving funerary offerings, and boat journeys to and from Abydos. The back wall had a funerary stele at its centre surrounded by depictions of seated couples and funerary priests.[1]

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b c Porter & Moss 1960, p. 406.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Chapel of Maya". collezioni.museoegizio.it. Retrieved 2025-03-11.
  3. ^ a b Bruyère 1926, pp. 192–193.
  4. ^ "Collection online - Stela of Maya". collezioni.museoegizio.it. Retrieved 2025-03-11.

Works cited

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