Barkal West Group Project

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Barkal West Group: Excavation and documentation

The archaeological works have focused on the extraction of the sand accumulated along years in the western sector. Reference measures have been taken before starting the excavation and when finishing the work. We have photographed the entire excavation process.

In regards to the Bar.26 pyramid, the sand that covered the stairway entrance has been completely extracted, which has allowed us to see the entire substructure of the tomb. The extraction of the sand has allowed us to check the stairway in its whole extension and to have complete access to the inner chambers of the tomb. New photographs have been taken and the entire structure has been photometrically surveyed. We have also made new archaeological drawings of the entire substructure, identifying a total of 39 access steps.

During the excavation and re-study, a small tomb, cut by the construction of the Bar 26 stairway access, has been documented. The partially conserved tomb contained remains of the burial and has been identified as T-6, following the nomenclature used in the earlier campaigns. The remains belong to the skeleton of an infant (under 6 years old) wearing a long necklace of small beads and bracelets around the arms and wrists made of the same material. The tomb was destroyed as a result of the construction of the stepped entrance of Bar. 26 and it was clogged with a compact layer of sand and stones of different sizes. Some of which would correspond to the original closure of the burial chamber of the tomb.

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The entire outer area of the stairway entrance has been cleared, locating the tombs that were excavated in the 1995 campaign. A new map has been drawn with the location of all the identified tombs. A hole of large dimensions has been found next to the start of the stairway entrance, but its function could not be determined. It was filled up only with sand, reaching to a hard layer formed with stones of small size. This layer corresponds to the geological formation that can also be observed in the walls of the pyramid stairway entrance.

In the interior of the tomb, we have cleaned both chambers to be able to proceed with the photometric survey of the structure. The panels that were stored in chamber B and on which the plaster remains collected during the 1995 season were kept, have been moved to the museum (see below).

We have continued with the study of the decoration started last year. All the analysis that had been proposed are considered to be finished, therefore the substructure has been closed. The access has been closed with a mudbrick wall, joined with a layer of mud. In front of the mudbrick closure a second closure has been set using cement blocks, also joined with a layer of mud. This second closure is not attached to the original entrance walls to avoid a possible degradation of the stone. After building the walls, the stairway access has been partially filled, taking special care in covering the entire wall.

As for the area around the superstructure and entrance of Bar.27, during this campaign the area has been cleaned and re-excavated. Also, we have been located the stairway entrance of the pyramid Bar.27 and a whole series of holes around it. Most of these holes are interpreted as looting pits.

We have proceeded to the drawing of all the holes and the entire area has been re-located in a general plan of the western sector. Particularly interesting has been the documentation of two small and very uniform holes located south of the stairway entrance of Bar.27. ​

Also, a small tomb has been located that would have been destroyed by the construction of the pyramid chapel. It partially conserves a small access staircase and part of the funeral chamber.

In the southern area of the western sector a large cut has been located, but for now its definitive function or form cannot be defined, since its excavation and registration of has not been completed. Nor can it be defined for the time being if it is related to the existence or construction of Bar.27 or if it is another funerary structure, in this case, of large size.

Conservation work

The paintings have remained in the same condition they were at the end of the previous campaign. The change of temperature and humidity in the interior of the tomb, although stable, has varied during the campaign due to the total opening of the access and also due to the complete vacuum of the cameras. Nevertheless, its stability has been maintained throughout the campaign. To avoid large variations in the conditions in which the tomb is located we have built a temporary antechamber.

The effectiveness of the consolidation tests of the pictorial layer, carried out during the previous campaign, has been verified.

As mentioned before, the panels stored in the second chamber that contained the remains of decoration that were found detached during the first campaign have been moved to the Barkal museum. An inventory of these pieces has been made, the material has been cleaned, ordered by a criterion of color and size and redistributed in the panels. The most significant fragments have been studied individually, making a record of each of the fragments, with description, weight, composition and detail photo. For the registration, we have followed the guidelines that began to be applied to the samples that are being study in Barcelona. Each of the panels has been closed and all of them have been placed in a single plastic box in the museum's storeroom.

Site protection

We have partially filled with sand all the area of the west sector and repaired the metal fence that surrounds the site.