Ramesside Inscriptions and Preparatory Sketches in the Western Wall of Portico of Obelisks of Hatshepsut’s Temple at Deir el-Bahari

The representations of all the gods on the western wall of the Portico of Obelisks in Hatshepsut’s temple at Deir el-Bahari were destroyed during the Amarna period and restored under the reign of Ramesses II. In this paper, the inscriptions related to those restorations are commented on, along with a set of dipinti drawn on undecorated blocks below the dado lines. Those dipinti, of varying quality, represent the god Amun. Because of their location and form they were probably ‘restoration guidelines’ for the sculptors re-creating the destroyed images of the god. The paper’s aim is to reconfirm the dating of the restorations in this part of the temple and discuss the possible reasons for the dipinti creation.