Some Insights on the Boats of Hatshepsut in the Portico of Obelisks

A recent project concerning the Portico of Obelisks in Hatshepsut’s temple at Deir el-Bahari included documenting the decoration at a higher resolution than the 1908 publication by Édouard Naville, yielding interesting linguistic, visual, and historical details regarding Hatshepsut’s boats. The linguistic element concerns the name of a vessel discovered after combining the text on a loose block and an inscription in the reconstructed part of the portico’s wall. A both linguistic and visual detail is the specific hieroglyph used as the determinative for the obelisk barge, probably showing its appearance. The detailed depiction of various types of boats taking part in transporting obelisks is the visual part, which still raises issues concerning the historic accuracy of the scenes. New block identification allowed us to identify the boat name, to confirm some boat structures, and also to confirm the presence of Hatshepsut and Thutmose III in the scene.