The ceiling inscriptions of the transverse hall of TT 84 in their spatial-material context, Part II: The bands inscribed in a single stage

The present paper represents the second part of a detailed, multidimensional analysis of the six long ceiling bands of the transverse hall of Theban tomb no. 84 (TT 84), a tomb originally built for Iamunedjeh, first royal herald under the reign of Thutmose III. It offers a new edition of the inscriptions in the west and central bands of the north wing as well as in the central band of the south wing and reveals epigraphic and compositional evidence that speaks for a single-stage execution of these ceiling bands. The study examines the clues that shed light on the strong intertextual relations between these inscriptions, the ceiling texts of several other early and mid-XVIIIth dynasty Theban tombs – TT 343, TT C.3, and TT 93 in particular – and the inscription on Iamunedjeh’s block statue (Luxor J.3). This case study – together with its first part in BIFAO 125 – highlights the importance of complementing philological investigations with the analysis of the spatial-material and socio-cultural contexts when studying ancient Egyptian texts.