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A double foundation deposit was found in the souteastern part of the Tuthmosis III Hathor shrine at Deir el-Bahari. The architectural features, a pit with a niche at the bottom, confirm the dating of both of these deposits to the times of Tuthmosis III. An original feature of the southeastern one is the initial circular cavity changed into a semicircular one by the building of a mud-brick wall in the east. Several courses of mud bricks built up the rim of the pit above the rock-carved cavity. The whole structure was plastered inside with mud plaster. The bricks were mostly reused from the Middle Kingdom structure of Mentuhotep II. The content, although disturbed, still consists of organic offerings as well as ceramics, but no inscribed material.

Numerous botanical remains have been found in a recently discovered foundation deposit of Tuthmosis III, in his Hathor shrine at Deir el-Bahari. Identification of 12 plants (cereals, fruits, branches and leaves) is proposed and the exceptional diversity of such finds is considered in relation to the known botanical finds from foundation deposits prior to Tuthmosis III.

The newel posts of the first ramp had lion representations, those of the second one weredecorated with composite falcon statues. It is the purpose of this article to study the survivingarchitectural elements of the ramp newel posts in detail and to explore the function of these elementsin Hatshepsut’s temple cosmology. Rw.ty, the four seated lions of the first ramp, are guarding thepassage from land to the intermediate level of the temple, “begetting” Horus the king, allowinghim to rise in life like the sun in its daily resurrection trip, and this forever and ever. In turn, thefalcon god of the second ramp hovers in protection, as witness and helper in the passage to the thirdand highest level of the temple, where the king will achieve full resurrection through the Amunsanctuary and fly up to the sky as a falcon in its name of MAa.t-kA-Ra. The cartouche raised by theanx sign on the first ramp finds an echo in the Sn sign held by the falcon on the second ramp: theyboth tie and establish the king into his solar renewal destiny, helped by the Dual-lions and Horus ofBehedet, lion and falcon from earth to heaven.

Fragments of several identical women holding sistrum and menat necklaces have been found at Deir el-Bahari. These representations were carved on sandstone, erased and recarved after the Amarna period. Proportions and depiction are here very similar to the msw nsw of Thutmose III at Karnak, where they appear behind the king as he dedicates splendid offerings to Amun-Re on the north wall of the corridor with the Annals. Both scenes are studied and their meaning explored. The fragments, certainly from Thutmose III temple at Deir el-Bahari, may have come from his Hathor shrine.