The precinct area of the Amun temple at Karnak constitutes one of the largest religious complexes of ancient Egypt and was the socio-economic heart of the Pharaonic civilization during 2000 years. Understanding its development remains a top priority for Egyptological research and, from this point of view, disseminating raw information about passed, unpublished excavations at Karnak is of paramount importance to researchers interested in the history of ancient Egypt.
The project, named “PCSX” (Publication of the Excavations of Michel Azim in the courtyard of the Xth Pylon) aims at publishing the final report on the archaeological excavations led 40 years ago (1975-1977) by Michel Azim, French architect and archaeologist, in the courtyard of the Xth Pylon. Indeed, the few published articles on the excavations refer to simple preliminary reports. In the mid-1970s, the search initiated by Michel Azim was one of the first large scale archaeological explorations undertaken in the great north-south processional alley since the work of Georges Legrain at the beginning of the 20th century. Despite its importance, however, this operation remained for the most part unpublished. We propose, in the PCSX projectto resume consideration and interpretation of the archaeological documentation gathered during these three years field investigations for final publication, thanks to the collaboration of the French-Egyptian Center for the Study of the Karnak temples (Cfeetk, USR3172 CNRS/MoA) and the Maison de l'Orient in Lyon, and with the support of the Shelby White and Leon Levy program for archaeological publications. The publication project will be directed by Dr. Guillaume Charloux and Dr. Raphaël Angevin.
A presentation of archaeological data and related studies will soon be published at the following link: https://karnak-csx.huma-num.fr