2025 Poster Session

This study presents a collaborative effort between the organic conservators team and the imaging techniques team to approach revealing the hidden features of the shroud of “Si-aa.” with The Book of the Dead, dating to the 18th Dynasty (c. 1479–1425 BC) during the reign of King Thutmose III, was discovered in Qurna. Inscription in the left to right compartment in the 44 columns around the boat of Re; the hieroglyphic inscription in the left compartment is the Tb 66, Tb 67, Tb 179, Tb 64, Tb 67, Tb 179 chapters of the "Book of the Dead" . The poor understanding of the textual composition and the totally unskilled and unprofessional handwriting on the linen shroud of a certain Si- aa show that in this case the shroud was a “self- made” copy, most probably written by the owner himself, this suggests that the deceased was of high social level. The textile shows the boat with a curved prow and stern equipped with chambers and oars. woman carries the prow of the boat while the man stands on the boat. The shroud will be displayed for the first time at the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) gallery. During the documentation process, the conservation team observed variation in the textile's color and texture through visual inspection in the boat area, which required cooperation with the imaging techniques team to study this case using non-destructive techniques such as optical microscopy , multispectral imaging, and D-stretch imaging technology. The results revealed the existence of an outline of a hidden woman depicted above the bow of the boat. It is possible that the painter intentionally erased or omitted the depiction of women for reasons that remain unknown, or alternatively, the artist may have made an error by initially drawing the top of the ship, later correcting it by redrawing the bottom, or he didn't finish the drawing process. This study emphasizes the crucial role of documentation using modern non-destructive analytical methods to highlight designs and patterns that have faded or become invisible to the naked eye by highlighting traces of pigment and remaining ink.