The tomb of Sennedjem (TT1) in Deir El-Medina. Palaeography

Although of modest proportions, the burial chamber of TT 1 is decorated with many exquisite scenes, and with a wealth of inscriptions in painted hieroglyphs. These hieroglyphs are the subject of the present volume, which aims to classify, describe and explain the individual signs and their forms. The series Paléographie hiéroglyphique covers the entire period during which hieroglyphic texts were made, from the Old Kingdom to the Graeco-Roman Period. As a part of the series, this book is illustrative of a particular stage in the graphic and functional development of hieroglyphs: painted monochrome hieroglyphs in private tombs of the early Ramesside Period. The use and graphic variety of every individual sign is discussed in the commentary, and represented by samples in the palaeographical tables. A general commentary deals with the technique of painting the signs, their relation to other Pharaonic Egyptian scripts, the all-important influence of orientation on the shapes of hieroglyphs, and the mistakes and corrections made by their painter. Finally, a comparison is made between the signs in TT 1 and other tombs at Deir el-Medina that belonged to the workmen who spent their lives constructing and decorating the sepulchres of the Ramesside Pharaohs ... as well as their own.