EXCAVATIONS OUTSIDE THE MAIN ENTRANCE

While excavations were continuing in the subterranean rooms we also continued to remove debris from the area surrounding the main entrance of the tomb. Because of the huge amount of debris, this was an extremely time-consuming but necessary task, intended to prevent the slippage of debris into the ramp and the entrance portico.

The removal of debris from the area to the East of the entrance was begun in 2000. During the 2001 season the area over the portico and to the West of the ramp was partly cleared.

The archaeological situation above the portico (Fig. 8) proved to be of great interest for the history of the Assasif.

Our excavations exposed the remains of the southern casing mud-brick wall of the ramp leading to the funerary temple of Mentuhotep II. A gap at the base of the wall had been repaired with fragments of ancient mud-bricks.

In order to create the main entrance of the tomb, Harwa’s workmen cut the southernmost part of the roadbed over which the casing wall of Mentuhotep II Nebhepetra was built. The platform is mainly composed of sand and chips of limestone but also includes a flattened heap of silt perhaps from the excavations of the tomb of Djar (TT 366), also from the reign of Mentuhotep II Nebhepetra, which is still visible 150 m to the southwest of the Tomb of Harwa. This data allows us to put in close chronological correspondence, the ramp of the temple and the tomb. The silt heap cuts a layer of yellow sand and chips of limestone. It is possible that, in correspondence with the cut, there would have been a pit. Further research in the area will be undertaken with the aim of clarifying the whole archaeological situation and in order to understand better the 11^th Dynasty in the Assasif, for which data is almost completely lacking at present.

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