From the tomb’s immense and incredible architectural structure carved into the mountain, to the magnificent mural paintings done by the ancient artists and the objects inside that are brought to light, our work covers the many aspects and needs of Kenamun’s tomb and his history.

The team’s work is divided into: Photography and video documentation; Historical and Archaeological Research; Conservation and Restoration; and Learning and dissemination.

Historical and Archaeological Research:

We will be investigating and learning more about Kenamun, the people around him and about the time he lived in. This is done by epigraphical work, objects found and ancient and modern sources that tell us more about the times he lived in and about his tomb.

The research also contributes with other projects by historically contextualising Kenamun and his tomb, thus adding and cross-linking information about the 18th Dynasty, the golden age in Ancient Egyptian history, and in particular with the time of Amenhotep II (also called Amenofis II). The Pharaoh that was the son of the Pharaoh Thutmose III and Merytre-Hatshepsut and father of his successor, the Pharaoh Thutmose IV.

Conservation and Restoration:

There is much to do in terms of safety for the team and visitors, conservation so that wall paintings and objects don’t suffer more from weathering and restoration, so that the splendour of the original art work can be respected and appreciated again.

Sculpting a tomb like a cave into a mountain means removing a huge amount of stone from the mountain’s bedrock, that means affecting the mountain’s structure and stability. TT93 has many cracks on the ceilings and there have been cave-ins, as severe as blocking the tunnels that access the underground.

Therefore, architectural and geological conservation is essential for all of the rest of the work to continue. Conservation science is key so that future generations will be able to continue studying and admiring the mural paintings and objects done by such marvellous artists and artisans.

Ancient techniques and materials are our specialty and seeing things through the eyes of chemistry, physics and biology in conservation gives archaeological research a much richer and wider view in archaeological research.

Restoration is always kept to the minimum intervention necessary, but we should also have in mind that we should honour the artists. The balance is met by never inventing anything and doing our best to restore the splendour by bringing back original colours and designs.

Photography and video documentation:

Besides the essential writing and drawing documentation, specialized photography and video are crucial for image documentation to record visual information in a way that is unique to each of these technologies.

Photography allows us to see details that we can only see through potent lenses and capture them for analysis and decision making. It also enables us to go back and compare before and after treatment pictures, as well as being able to continuously compare with future pictures for monitoring post-treatment conditions.

Digital videos allow us to capture spaces and dimensions in their own proportions and also gives us the record in real time of events, such as during findings, treatments being done and visits made to the tomb.

Learning and dissemination: 

A great part of the project is also sharing the knowledge and experience we gain with this project. Students from different subjects are integrated into the work in-situ and what we learn from Kenamun and his tomb will be shared not only within the scientific community, but with the general public.