Exhibition: Hatshepsut in Toronto

The results of the latest researches made by Polish specialists of the Egyptologial-conservational mission in Hatshepsut's temple in Deir el-Bahari, Egypt, were presented on the October 2nd by Dr Zbigniew Szafrański, the deputy chief of the Mediterranean Archaeology Centre at the University of Warsaw. The lecture took place in the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto.

Polish archaeologists have been running archaeological research in Deir el-Bahari since 1961. Prof. Kazimierz Michałowski led them for the first two decades, and he is known as the founder of the Polish school of Mediterranean Archaeology.

During excavation work, they found a previously unknown temple of Totmes the Third, which is placed next to Hatshepsut's temple. Amongst the ruins they found a perfectly preserved monument of the Pharaoh. It can be seen in the Museum of Luxor. Besides regular excavating digs, restoration and conservation work has been undertaken. What is interesting is that many decorative blocks from these temples are in the Royal Ontario Museum.

Many archaeologists worked here before the Poles, but they mainly focused on documenting and excavating rather than preserving. Researchers such as Jean-Francis Champollion copied all the hieroglyphs that were in the main sanctuary of Amun-Ra. True excavating works were started by August Mariette - the founder the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities, then Edouard Naville of the Egypt Exploration Fund, and Herbert E. Winlock from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Looking at the list above you could think that after a few dozen years of excavating nothing interesting could be found. But surprisingly in 2005 under the floor of Hatshepsut's temple Polish archaeologists discovered the grave of Padiamone, a Vizier from the XXV dynasty. Szafrański spoke about other discoveries in Toronto.