epigraphic activities in the Tomb of Pabasa (TT 279)

Following an agreement with Doctor Mohammed El-Soghair and Doctor Mahmud Abd El-Rasek, the Italian Archaeological Mission to Luxor was able officially to work in the tomb of Pabasa (TT 279) as of last summer. The reason for the study of this monument is that the greater part of its decoration represents a precise copy of that of the tomb of Harwa. Owing to its superior state of preservation, the texts in the tomb of Pabasa have already proved useful in identifying some parts of the pillars of the first pillared hall of the tomb of Harwa. It was mainly this process of comparison that led to the formalising of the work of the Italian Archaeological Mission to Luxor on this monument.
Last summer the study and the inventory of the decorated blocks kept in a side room of the Tomb of Pabasa was begun. These had been stored here following restoration work undertaken by the Egyptian Antiquities Service in the 1980s. This work was continued during the winter season. At the same time the texts engraved on the pillars and walls of the pillared hall, and on certain walls of the courtyard were copied.