pinned.events

The Museum of Prehistory of Valencia presents a new exhibition devoted to the work of an archaeological mission in Luxor, Egypt, centered on the "209" project in Theban Tomb 209. The exhibition, by photographer José Miguel Barrios, documents the careful, sustained work carried out by a multidisciplinary team from the Canary Islands in the Hatasun wadi. Curated by Miguel Ángel Molinero and Alfonso Martín, it follows the team’s day-to-day activity through the photographer’s perspective, showing both the progress of the excavation and life at the camp, including teamwork, physical effort, and intercultural coexistence. Launched in 2012, the archaeological project set out to excavate, document, study, and preserve TT 209, located on the north slope of the Hatasun wadi, a dry ravine on the west bank of the Nile opposite modern-day Luxor, the ancient Waset-Thebes. The tomb dates to the Late Period and was built during the 25th Dynasty, in the 8th century BCE, a little-known phase of Egyptian history associated with the Nubian rulers known as the “black pharaohs.” TT 209 served as the burial place of the family of Nisemro, a high-ranking Nubian official who held the office of Overseer of the Seal in Thebes and appears in a small relief with his dog, Hekenu. Its funerary complex, notable for its striking architecture and rich symbolism, reflects a period in which Nubia and Egypt were deeply intertwined. Through his images, Barrios highlights the scale of the project, from the identification of streets and access routes to the tombs to the recovery of the large courtyard and the terraces of the funerary complex. He also documents the underground chambers, some still intact, whose materials have helped reconstruct rituals as well as the tomb’s later uses and phases of reuse over the centuries. The exhibition also includes exceptional finds such as Phoenician amphorae, ushabti figures, and mummification deposits, evidence of ritual practices and unexpected cultural connections.