On some Guardians of the Ptolemaic Temple of Deir el-Medina. A Preliminary Study

The sequence of twelve knife-wielding guardians represented on the external doorjambs of the southern chapel in the temple of Deir el-Medina is subject to a preliminary study that enables associations with some documents from different periods. Even if this group cannot be related to the better-known companies of funerary or temple demons, it shows a certain degree of consistency. This paper constitutes a first step in the study of all the demons of this temple, which will continue as part of the analysis of the whole decoration of the edifice. It also draws attention to a specific set of forty-eight demons who deserve further investigation.