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Salvage Epigraphy |
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Provisional drawings of the wall reliefs inside the Hall were made in the 1940s by Harold Nelson, then director of the Epigraphic Survey. Published in 1981 by William J. Murnane, Nelson's drawings were never meant to stand as a permanent record of these important reliefs and inscriptions Until recently, no further work has been done on the wall reliefs. Since Nelson's day, damage to the wall reliefs has accelerated rapidly. The Hypostyle Hall Project recognized the urgent need for "salvage epigraphy" to record reliefs and inscriptions that are most in danger from groundwater and salt damage. A new program of salvage epigraphy was begun by the project in 2000 and continued in 2001-2002. |
Rows of deities on the west wall
from a scene of Ramesses II. The feet of the gods above are in good
condition. The lower row of deities at the base of the wall display advanced
decay from salts.