Project: Temple & Residence in the Old Kingdom

In 2018, the Tell Basta Project began archaeological fieldwork at the Ka-Temple of Pepi I in Bubastis, located on the  Western Kom. Although the Egyptian archaeologist Labib Habachi discovered the temple in 1939, some parts of this building and some possible earlier  structures remained unexplored. During recent excavation campaigns, remains of an older large building were uncovered beneath Pepi I's temple. This structure featured columned courtyards and extensive facilities for food processing and storage. Due to its architectural design, this building, which showed evidence of repeated redesign, can be interpreted as a provincial palace. Based on ceramic findings, the palace was in use from at least the mid-4th Dynasty until the end of the 5th Dynasty, after which it was abandoned. At the beginning of the 6th Dynasty, Pepi I's Ka-Temple was constructed on the leveled remains of this provincial palace. (Publ. No. 3, 5, 11, 23, 26)