The tombs of the Nobles Aswan
Tombs of the Nobles: In 2008, the University of Jaén began an ambitious multidisciplinary research project centered on the excavation of the tombs of the governors of Elephantine (a river island in the Nile) buried in what is now known as ‘Qubbet el-Hawa’. The importance of the site and the interdisciplinary nature of the work have received the confidence of the Spanish government in the form of funding for two R+D+i projects since 2010.
So far, some thirty mostly Spanish researchers from the universities of Jaén, Granada, Autónoma de Madrid, Libre de Berlín, and the National Archaeological Museum have participated, although experts from the United States, Italy, and France have also been present.
The research project aims to obtain the maximum information from the archaeological evidence, so the presence of other specialists who in principle do not seem to be related to the field of Archaeology or Egyptology is also very necessary.
Thus, physical anthropologists are in charge of determining the age, sex, and pathologies in the human remains found; thanks to the non-invasive technique called Raman, chemical researchers can determine the composition of the pigments that were used to decorate the burial goods; architects reconstruct and try to explain how the tombs were built; restorers consolidate and recover, as far as possible, the original aspect of the pieces found.
Also, geologists have explained why the tombs were built in these places and how they have affected the stability of the hill; the anthropologist recognizes the species of wood that were used by the ancient Egyptians, determining whether they are imported or local; finally, Egyptologists read the hieroglyphic inscriptions and interpret all the data by relating it to historical sources.
Among the findings, the governors in ancient Egypt were the representatives of the pharaoh in the provinces and, generally, they had wide attributions, from the religious to the economic ones. In this sense, each province had its characteristics.
In the specific case of the region controlled by Elephantine, it was the border between Egypt and Nubia, which made it a place of exchange between the Upper Nile Valley as well as the surrounding deserts. Besides, in what is now the modern city of Aswan there were outcrops of pink granite which, from the beginning of Egyptian civilization, was a highly prized rock for the manufacture of vessels and the construction of monuments.
Excavations at the tombs of Elephantine, a river island in the Nile River.
The University of Jaén has so far excavated six hypogea (tombs dug in the rocks), some of them of enormous dimensions like the tomb of Sarenput II or the one until recently known as the QH33. It has been in this last funerary complex where the most spectacular discoveries have been made.
So far (the excavation has not yet been completed), four intact and two partially looted chambers have been found in this tomb. In one of the latter, the body of Governor Heqaib III, who lived around 1800 BC, was found. However, anthropological analysis of his body showed that he suffered from severe scoliosis (deviation of the spine) which would not at all resemble the statue on display today in the Nubian Museum in the city of Aswan (Egypt).
The discovery of a body of an Egyptian governor is not common, since, in most cases, the tombs are usually looted before. In addition to this ‘stroke of luck’, three burials of people very close to him were found, including a half-brother and probably his wife. The third contemporary of Heqaib III has not been identified so far, although one of the most beautiful copper, silver, ebony, and ivory daggers found in Egypt was found on his body.
The funerary complex of Heqaib III was reoccupied in two later periods (1500 and 600 B.C.) by people who had nothing to do with the ruling family of Elephantine. For the time being, we know that more than two hundred people were buried inside the QH33 hypogeum.
Unfortunately, almost all the mummies were looted in antiquity and even, at the end of the 6th century, the tomb was burned to the ground. Even so, two chambers with eleven burials also dated to the same time appeared intact, which has allowed us to reconstruct the conditions.
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