Mark Lehner, Mohsen Kamel, Ana Tavares, Richard Redding, Daniel Jones, James Taylor, Ashraf Abd E... more Mark Lehner, Mohsen Kamel, Ana Tavares, Richard Redding, Daniel Jones, James Taylor, Ashraf Abd El-Aziz, Freya Sadarangani, Yukinori Kawae, Mary Anne Murray, Anna Wodzinska, and Jessica Kaiser report on the results of 2009 field season at the 4th Dynasty Khentkawes Town (KKT) and Heit El-Ghurab settlement sites.
We report on the project history, survey, ceramics, and the Main Street and Gallery III.4 excavat... more We report on the project history, survey, ceramics, and the Main Street and Gallery III.4 excavations of the Giza Plateau Mapping Project in the 4th Dynasty (c. 2500 BC) Heit el-Ghurab settlement site, located about 400 meters south of the Great Sphinx at Giza.
This volume presents the findings of three seasons of excavation in the 1980s at Kom el-Hisn " th... more This volume presents the findings of three seasons of excavation in the 1980s at Kom el-Hisn " the mound of the fortress, " in the northwest Nile Delta. This provincial community was often in the orbit of Memphis, the capital and administrative center of Egypt's Old Kingdom Period. Small areas of occupations of the First Intermediate and early Middle Kingdom periods were also excavated. One of the goals of the excavations was to complement and compare the substantial ancient textual record of this era with Kom el-Hisn's archaeological record because such evidence is sparse for Lower Egypt between about 2500 and 1800 BC. The findings presented here reveal the complexity of small Old Kingdom settlements in the context of the Memphite state organization and shed light on the changing relationships of this administrative center with its provincial communities.Kom el-Hisn's faunal, floral, lithic, and architectural remains are presented and discussed in detail, as are some theoretical and methodological issues relevant to this research.
Excavations at the site of Tell el-Retaba since 2007 have revealed an extensive settlement and as... more Excavations at the site of Tell el-Retaba since 2007 have revealed an extensive settlement and associated material culture dating from the Third Intermediate Period (1070–664 BC). This work represents the only large-scale investigation into domestic archaeology from this period in Egypt and the results offer important insights into aspects of urban life for an under-studied phase of Egyptian history.
In 2021, the Polish-Slovak Archaeological Mission in Tell el-Retaba carried out excavations in th... more In 2021, the Polish-Slovak Archaeological Mission in Tell el-Retaba carried out excavations in the north-eastern part of the site in order to verify the results of a previous geophysical survey. A fragment of the 20th Dynasty defence wall was uncovered, along with settlement remains from the Third Intermediate period.
Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean 30/1, 2021
The clearance of Tomb MMA 28 at Deir el-Bahari
yielded mixed pottery material dating from the Mid... more The clearance of Tomb MMA 28 at Deir el-Bahari yielded mixed pottery material dating from the Middle Kingdom to modern times. The article presents, in chronological order, some of the most characteristic vessels representing each phase (with the exception of the late Roman period, which is to be studied separately). Among them are Middle Kingdom pointed bottles and Marl C jars, New Kingdom double and triple bottles, kernoi, beer jars and blue-painted pottery, as well as Ptolemaic painted pottery
Workshop of the ERC Advanced Grant „The Enigma of the Hyksos“: Changing Clusters and Migration in the Near Eastern Bronze Age, 2019
The first foreign dynasty which ruled Egypt between c. 1640 and 1530 BC was seen by Egyptologists... more The first foreign dynasty which ruled Egypt between c. 1640 and 1530 BC was seen by Egyptologists and historians alike for a long time through a filter of scanty contemporary and posthumous Egyptian as well as antique texts. They rendered the tradition about these rulers in an absolutely biased and distorted way. It is the methods of modern archaeology, which enable to elucidate aspects and parts of history, prehistory and the aftermath of the Hyksos rule in a new light. We want to know from where and when the elite and the people behind the Hyksos rule came from, how they arrived in Egypt and how they settled there and were able to build up their power. We also want to know what the backbone of their economy had been and how they interacted with the rest of Egypt and with whom they entertained their commercial and political contacts. Finally, the question arises, why the Hyksos rule failed in Egypt.
Within this workshop you will hear some of the answers to these questions. We are able to offer evidence that the Western Asiatic population, on which the Hyksos rule rested, came from a different region in the Levant - at least parts of their elite. Temple architecture and burial customs show that the religious inspirations and the concepts of afterlife in the eastern Nile Delta originated from northernmost Syria and northern Mesopotamia. The same can be also concluded from the introduction of the artificial irrigation systems for which new evidence could be collected from Tell el-Dab‘a, a harbour town which became the capital of the Hyksos. It is the site on which excavations between 1966-2011 under the supervision of the speaker produced with more than 80 field- and working-up-campaigns an enormous quantity of evidence on settlement, tombs, palaces, temples and a hoard of material culture which was partly published in 24 volumes but would still need the same amount of publications in the future if circumstances would allow it. Other excavations in the Delta and in the Wadi Tumilat such as Tell el-Retaba, Tell el Maskhuta and Tell el Khilgan contribute to the cultural phenomenon of the Hyksos. This ERC project was able to draw from these excavations but also produced conclusions, which place these archaeological results with the help of international colleagues into a much wider perspective. Our studies in relationship with the Hyksos lead us not only to the Levant but also to the wider cultural background of Mesopotamia and also to Asia minor, and concerning trade also to Cyprus and the Aegean. It seems clear now that the flourishing trading network built up by a Western Asiatic community before the Hyksos Period broke down during their reign, as they were cut off from the resources of Upper Egypt and Nubia and could not offer a barter for their trade with the Levant.
Thin-section petrography was used to examine 36 samples of imported Early Bronze Age Combed
vesse... more Thin-section petrography was used to examine 36 samples of imported Early Bronze Age Combed vessels from Giza, Egypt. The samples come from fragmentary pots found in early Old Kingdom tombs of high officials, and the workers’ settlement at Heit el-Ghurab. Most date to the 4th Dynasty; coeval with the ARCANE Early Central Levant (ECL) 4 and Early Southern Levant (ESL) 5b periods. Results reveal a primary fabric with slight variations, containing material pointing to production centres close to Cretaceous formations outcropping in Central Lebanon, from Beirut and Tripoli. No fabrics from the southern Levant were identified. The results also demonstrate that by the early Old Kingdom, supply-lines to ceramic production centres in the Central Levant, linked to the acquisition of coniferous timbers, largely supplanted the diffuse networks of the Early Dynastic period. Keywords Egypt, Old Kingdom, Levant, trade, ceramics, petrography, Giza
Mark Lehner, Mohsen Kamel, Ana Tavares, Richard Redding, Daniel Jones, James Taylor, Ashraf Abd E... more Mark Lehner, Mohsen Kamel, Ana Tavares, Richard Redding, Daniel Jones, James Taylor, Ashraf Abd El-Aziz, Freya Sadarangani, Yukinori Kawae, Mary Anne Murray, Anna Wodzinska, and Jessica Kaiser report on the results of 2009 field season at the 4th Dynasty Khentkawes Town (KKT) and Heit El-Ghurab settlement sites.
We report on the project history, survey, ceramics, and the Main Street and Gallery III.4 excavat... more We report on the project history, survey, ceramics, and the Main Street and Gallery III.4 excavations of the Giza Plateau Mapping Project in the 4th Dynasty (c. 2500 BC) Heit el-Ghurab settlement site, located about 400 meters south of the Great Sphinx at Giza.
This volume presents the findings of three seasons of excavation in the 1980s at Kom el-Hisn " th... more This volume presents the findings of three seasons of excavation in the 1980s at Kom el-Hisn " the mound of the fortress, " in the northwest Nile Delta. This provincial community was often in the orbit of Memphis, the capital and administrative center of Egypt's Old Kingdom Period. Small areas of occupations of the First Intermediate and early Middle Kingdom periods were also excavated. One of the goals of the excavations was to complement and compare the substantial ancient textual record of this era with Kom el-Hisn's archaeological record because such evidence is sparse for Lower Egypt between about 2500 and 1800 BC. The findings presented here reveal the complexity of small Old Kingdom settlements in the context of the Memphite state organization and shed light on the changing relationships of this administrative center with its provincial communities.Kom el-Hisn's faunal, floral, lithic, and architectural remains are presented and discussed in detail, as are some theoretical and methodological issues relevant to this research.
Excavations at the site of Tell el-Retaba since 2007 have revealed an extensive settlement and as... more Excavations at the site of Tell el-Retaba since 2007 have revealed an extensive settlement and associated material culture dating from the Third Intermediate Period (1070–664 BC). This work represents the only large-scale investigation into domestic archaeology from this period in Egypt and the results offer important insights into aspects of urban life for an under-studied phase of Egyptian history.
In 2021, the Polish-Slovak Archaeological Mission in Tell el-Retaba carried out excavations in th... more In 2021, the Polish-Slovak Archaeological Mission in Tell el-Retaba carried out excavations in the north-eastern part of the site in order to verify the results of a previous geophysical survey. A fragment of the 20th Dynasty defence wall was uncovered, along with settlement remains from the Third Intermediate period.
Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean 30/1, 2021
The clearance of Tomb MMA 28 at Deir el-Bahari
yielded mixed pottery material dating from the Mid... more The clearance of Tomb MMA 28 at Deir el-Bahari yielded mixed pottery material dating from the Middle Kingdom to modern times. The article presents, in chronological order, some of the most characteristic vessels representing each phase (with the exception of the late Roman period, which is to be studied separately). Among them are Middle Kingdom pointed bottles and Marl C jars, New Kingdom double and triple bottles, kernoi, beer jars and blue-painted pottery, as well as Ptolemaic painted pottery
Workshop of the ERC Advanced Grant „The Enigma of the Hyksos“: Changing Clusters and Migration in the Near Eastern Bronze Age, 2019
The first foreign dynasty which ruled Egypt between c. 1640 and 1530 BC was seen by Egyptologists... more The first foreign dynasty which ruled Egypt between c. 1640 and 1530 BC was seen by Egyptologists and historians alike for a long time through a filter of scanty contemporary and posthumous Egyptian as well as antique texts. They rendered the tradition about these rulers in an absolutely biased and distorted way. It is the methods of modern archaeology, which enable to elucidate aspects and parts of history, prehistory and the aftermath of the Hyksos rule in a new light. We want to know from where and when the elite and the people behind the Hyksos rule came from, how they arrived in Egypt and how they settled there and were able to build up their power. We also want to know what the backbone of their economy had been and how they interacted with the rest of Egypt and with whom they entertained their commercial and political contacts. Finally, the question arises, why the Hyksos rule failed in Egypt.
Within this workshop you will hear some of the answers to these questions. We are able to offer evidence that the Western Asiatic population, on which the Hyksos rule rested, came from a different region in the Levant - at least parts of their elite. Temple architecture and burial customs show that the religious inspirations and the concepts of afterlife in the eastern Nile Delta originated from northernmost Syria and northern Mesopotamia. The same can be also concluded from the introduction of the artificial irrigation systems for which new evidence could be collected from Tell el-Dab‘a, a harbour town which became the capital of the Hyksos. It is the site on which excavations between 1966-2011 under the supervision of the speaker produced with more than 80 field- and working-up-campaigns an enormous quantity of evidence on settlement, tombs, palaces, temples and a hoard of material culture which was partly published in 24 volumes but would still need the same amount of publications in the future if circumstances would allow it. Other excavations in the Delta and in the Wadi Tumilat such as Tell el-Retaba, Tell el Maskhuta and Tell el Khilgan contribute to the cultural phenomenon of the Hyksos. This ERC project was able to draw from these excavations but also produced conclusions, which place these archaeological results with the help of international colleagues into a much wider perspective. Our studies in relationship with the Hyksos lead us not only to the Levant but also to the wider cultural background of Mesopotamia and also to Asia minor, and concerning trade also to Cyprus and the Aegean. It seems clear now that the flourishing trading network built up by a Western Asiatic community before the Hyksos Period broke down during their reign, as they were cut off from the resources of Upper Egypt and Nubia and could not offer a barter for their trade with the Levant.
Thin-section petrography was used to examine 36 samples of imported Early Bronze Age Combed
vesse... more Thin-section petrography was used to examine 36 samples of imported Early Bronze Age Combed vessels from Giza, Egypt. The samples come from fragmentary pots found in early Old Kingdom tombs of high officials, and the workers’ settlement at Heit el-Ghurab. Most date to the 4th Dynasty; coeval with the ARCANE Early Central Levant (ECL) 4 and Early Southern Levant (ESL) 5b periods. Results reveal a primary fabric with slight variations, containing material pointing to production centres close to Cretaceous formations outcropping in Central Lebanon, from Beirut and Tripoli. No fabrics from the southern Levant were identified. The results also demonstrate that by the early Old Kingdom, supply-lines to ceramic production centres in the Central Levant, linked to the acquisition of coniferous timbers, largely supplanted the diffuse networks of the Early Dynastic period. Keywords Egypt, Old Kingdom, Levant, trade, ceramics, petrography, Giza
The preliminary report discusses Areas 4, 7 and 9, situated in the western and southern parts of ... more The preliminary report discusses Areas 4, 7 and 9, situated in the western and southern parts of the tell, where 21 occupancy phases (A – G3) have been identified so far. Three structures of an open settlement were unearthed which date to the SIP phase G3. The excavations corroborate the continuity of the SIP settlement to the early 18th Dynasty. Some 19th Dynasty structures were still in use during the 20th Dynasty; the architects of the 20th Dynasty fortress had to take them into consideration. In Area 9 houses of the Third Intermediate Period were uncovered, as well as buildings (including a “tower house”) of the Late Period settlement.
This is a workshop, to be held on the 6th of April 2018 at the 11th ICAANE in Munich. First results of an ERC Advanced Grant "The Enigma of the Hyksos" at the Austrian Academy and the Bournemouth University/UK are presented by an international team of scholars supported by external researchers. The research programme deals with the origin the reasons of immigration, the homogenity or heterogenity of a Western Asiatic communit, living during the late Middle Kingdom and the Second intermediate Period in the eastern Nile Delta. They were responsible for the rule of the Hyksos, a foreign dynasty, which took power in Egypt after the Middle Kingdom around1740 BC. The reearch also concentrates on the rise of power, on the way of rule, on the definition of the material culture of these foreigners, on their cultual interference with the Egyptian culture and on the reasons of their decline and failure to build a stable kingdom. Another subject is the impact of the Hyksos on the Egyptian Culture of the New Kingdom. The research is approached with methods of humanities and of biological sciences.
<http://thehyksosenigma.oeaw.ac.at/news/std-the-enigma-of-the-hyksos-workshop-11th-icaane-2018/>
... more <http://thehyksosenigma.oeaw.ac.at/news/std-the-enigma-of-the-hyksos-workshop-11th-icaane-2018/> This is a workshop, to be held on the 6th of April 2018 at the 11th ICAANE in Munich. First results of an ERC Advanced Grant "The Enigma of the Hyksos" at the Austrian Academy and the Bournemouth University/UK are presented by an international team of scholars supported by external researchers. The research programme deals with the origin the reasons of immigration, the homogenity or heterogenity of a Western Asiatic communit, living during the late Middle Kingdom and the Second intermediate Period in the eastern Nile Delta. They were responsible for the rule of the Hyksos, a foreign dynasty, which took power in Egypt after the Middle Kingdom around1740 BC. The reearch also concentrates on the rise of power, on the way of rule, on the definition of the material culture of these foreigners, on their cultual interference with the Egyptian culture and on the reasons of their decline and failure to build a stable kingdom. Another subject is the impact of the Hyksos on the Egyptian Culture of the New Kingdom. The research is approached with methods of humanities and of biological sciences.
abstract: The present article about the first excavated part of an extensive cemetery of the Seco... more abstract: The present article about the first excavated part of an extensive cemetery of the Second Intermediate Period in Tell el-Retaba is one of the outcomes of the scientific cooperation between the Egyptian rescue excavation mission led by M. Nour el-Din and the joint Polish-Slovak archaeological mission in Tell el-Retaba. Seventeen mud-brick tombs dating to the mid – late 15 th dynasty were unearthed during two campaigns in 2011– 2012. The tomb architecture and the grave goods found with the buried individuals which are presented in this article offer an insight into the burial customs of the inhabitants of Tell el-Retaba during the end of the Second Intermediate Period. Furthermore, they can help us to shed more light on the settlement history and material culture of this still somewhat controversial period of Egyp-tian history.
X European Confernce of Egyptologists. Egypt 2023: Perspective of Research, 12-16.06.2023
The main aim of the paper is to present a very distinctive pottery type
characteristic of the Thi... more The main aim of the paper is to present a very distinctive pottery type characteristic of the Third Intermediate Period and Late Period in Egypt – a chamber pot. David Aston coined the term “chamber pot” to describe pots with a similar shape to modern (almost) toilet vessels. Was Aston right? Yes, according to several pieces of evidence. Bathrooms with toilets were a rare piece of equipment in ancient Egyptian homes. Usually, they were just not present. Physiological needs may have been taken care of on the outskirts of the settlement, but this is very difficult to prove. Chamber pots seem to be a revolutionary solution here. Simple vessels were used directly in the house and emptied outside its walls. Many of these pots were found in Tell el-Retaba in the Third Intermediate Period domestic context. I will present the pots, show their archaeological context, and describe why I think they were actually used as chamber pots.
The Eighth Delta Survey Confernce and Workshop. Ain Shams University, Cairo, 18-20.03.2023
The paper’s main aim is to show a general pattern of pottery found in the Third Intermediate Peri... more The paper’s main aim is to show a general pattern of pottery found in the Third Intermediate Period houses at Tell el-Retaba. A number of Third Intermediate Period houses were excavated at the site indicating a rather organic settlement. Systematic archaeological work revealed that the spaces were occupied over time and went through some significant changes visible in the architecture, which might also indicate changes in the use of their internal rooms. Some comparative studies can be done – based on published material from Third Intermediate Period settlements. Here I would like to show material from the Delta sites such as Kom Firin, Sais, and Tanis. How can internal rooms be described? Is their function clearly defined? Is there a story pottery can tell us? The general pattern seems somewhat similar to overall pottery use also in the domestic context during the New Kingdom, but further research is needed.
Conference: Egypt and the Mediterranean World, The American Research Center in Egypt, Cairo, 20.0... more Conference: Egypt and the Mediterranean World, The American Research Center in Egypt, Cairo, 20.05.2021
Conference: The Past Has A Future!” 2021 – conference of the Faculty of Archaeology of the Univer... more Conference: The Past Has A Future!” 2021 – conference of the Faculty of Archaeology of the University of Warsaw, Warsaw. Session: "Home sweet (?) home. House and Household in the Bronze Age Mediterranean; 26.03.2021
Workshop “Changing Clusters and Migration in the Near Eastern Bronze Age,” Vienna 4th-6th of Dece... more Workshop “Changing Clusters and Migration in the Near Eastern Bronze Age,” Vienna 4th-6th of December 2019
THE TWELFTH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF EGYPTOLOGISTS
MARRIOTT MENA HOUSE, GIZA
CAIRO – EGYPT
Novem... more THE TWELFTH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF EGYPTOLOGISTS MARRIOTT MENA HOUSE, GIZA CAIRO – EGYPT November 3rd - 8th, 2019
The present volume presents the proceedings from the international workshop entitled Egypt and th... more The present volume presents the proceedings from the international workshop entitled Egypt and the Near East – the Crossroads, dedicated to the study of the relations between the two regions. The symposium took place from September 1–3, 2010 at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University in Prague. The main objective of the workshop was to enhance our understanding of the historical processes and the development of the abundant and complex relations between Egypt and the Near East during the period defined by the end of the Chalcolithic Period and the dawn of the Iron Age. In light of this, special attention was given to the region of Syria-Palestine. In order to obtain a well-balanced insight, the subject was discussed both from an archaeological and from a philological point of view. The volume contains fourteen papers, all of them closely related with the topic of the workshop with seven papers based on the study of material culture and archaeological data, and seven papers devoted to the study of written sources. The first group (archaeology and material culture) contains studies devoted to the Egyptian statuary from Qatna (A. Ahrens), to material from a grown settlement of the late Middle Kingdom at Tell el-Dabca (B. Bader), an overview of results of recent excavations at Tell Tweini (J. Bretschneider / A.-S. Van Vyve / G. Jans) and Tell el-Farkha (M. Czarnowicz), a study of the predynastic Egyptian influence in the Jordanian site of Tall Hujayrat al-Ghuzlan (F. Klimscha); an essay on religious symbolism in the Southern Levant in the Bronze Age according to iconography (F. Lippke) and finally, an analysis of the Levantine combed ware from Heit el-Ghurab (A. Wodzińska / M. Ownby). As for the second group of texts (written evidence) the volume contains the following papers: a reappraisal of the tale of Wenamun in the context of Ancient Near Eastern law (Ch. Brinker), a revision of the chronology of the Amarna letters sent by Aziru, the ruler of Amurru (Cordani); a detailed revision of relations between Egypt and Ḫatti set into the context of Ancient Near Eastern chronology (E. Devecchi / J. Miller), a linguistic analysis of the terminology used to refer to the king in Egyptian and Hittite texts from Ramesside period (J. Mynářová); a study of historical topography concerning the location of the toponym Qode (Z. Simon); a reconstruction of the translation processes in the production and reception of the Amarna letters (H. Tarawneh) and finally, an analysis of the relations between Egypt, Kush and Assyria before the battle of Eltekeh (S. Zamazalová).Format: 272 x 210 mm, 350 pages, hardcover, in English.
Report on ceramic material from area GIII3 from Old Kingdom Giza.
Report commissioned by Ancient ... more Report on ceramic material from area GIII3 from Old Kingdom Giza. Report commissioned by Ancient Egypt Research Associate Inc.
Report on ceramic material from area AA from Old Kingdom Giza.
Report commissioned by Ancient Egy... more Report on ceramic material from area AA from Old Kingdom Giza. Report commissioned by Ancient Egypt Research Associate Inc.
Report on ceramic material from area RAB from Old Kingdom Giza.
Report commissioned by Ancient Eg... more Report on ceramic material from area RAB from Old Kingdom Giza. Report commissioned by Ancient Egypt Research Associate Inc.
Report on ceramic material from area ETH from Old Kingdom Giza. Report commissioned by Ancient Eg... more Report on ceramic material from area ETH from Old Kingdom Giza. Report commissioned by Ancient Egypt Research Associate Inc
NOW AVAILABLE ON OPEN ACCESS cut and paste the following URL into your browser https://www.tandfo... more NOW AVAILABLE ON OPEN ACCESS cut and paste the following URL into your browser https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00758914.2019.1664197 Thin-section petrography was used to examine 36 samples of imported Early Bronze Age Combed vessels from Giza, Egypt. The samples come from fragmentary pots found in early Old Kingdom tombs of high officials, and the workers’ settlement at Heit el-Ghurab. Most date to the 4th Dynasty; coeval with the ARCANE Early Central Levant (ECL) 4 and Early Southern Levant (ESL) 5b periods. Results reveal a primary fabric with slight variations, containing material pointing to production centres close to Cretaceous formations outcropping in Central Lebanon, from Beirut and Tripoli. No fabrics from the southern Levant were identified. The results also demonstrate that by the early Old Kingdom, supply-lines to ceramic production centres in the Central Levant, linked to the acquisition of coniferous timbers, largely supplanted the diffuse networks of the Early Dynastic period.
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yielded mixed pottery material dating from the Middle Kingdom
to modern times. The article presents, in chronological order,
some of the most characteristic vessels representing each phase
(with the exception of the late Roman period, which is to be
studied separately). Among them are Middle Kingdom pointed
bottles and Marl C jars, New Kingdom double and triple bottles,
kernoi, beer jars and blue-painted pottery, as well as Ptolemaic
painted pottery
Within this workshop you will hear some of the answers to these questions. We are able to offer evidence that the Western Asiatic population, on which the Hyksos rule rested, came from a different region in the Levant - at least parts of their elite. Temple architecture and burial customs show that the religious inspirations and the concepts of afterlife in the eastern Nile Delta originated from northernmost Syria and northern Mesopotamia. The same can be also concluded from the introduction of the artificial irrigation systems for which new evidence could be collected from Tell el-Dab‘a, a harbour town which became the capital of the Hyksos. It is the site on which excavations between 1966-2011 under the supervision of the speaker produced with more than 80 field- and working-up-campaigns an enormous quantity of evidence on settlement, tombs, palaces, temples and a hoard of material culture which was partly published in 24 volumes but would still need the same amount of publications in the future if circumstances would allow it. Other excavations in the Delta and in the Wadi Tumilat such as Tell el-Retaba, Tell el Maskhuta and Tell el Khilgan contribute to the cultural phenomenon of the Hyksos. This ERC project was able to draw from these excavations but also produced conclusions, which place these archaeological results with the help of international colleagues into a much wider perspective. Our studies in relationship with the Hyksos lead us not only to the Levant but also to the wider cultural background of Mesopotamia and also to Asia minor, and concerning trade also to Cyprus and the Aegean. It seems clear now that the flourishing trading network built up by a Western Asiatic community before the Hyksos Period broke down during their reign, as they were cut off from the resources of Upper Egypt and Nubia and could not offer a barter for their trade with the Levant.
vessels from Giza, Egypt. The samples come from fragmentary pots found in early Old Kingdom
tombs of high officials, and the workers’ settlement at Heit el-Ghurab. Most date to the 4th Dynasty;
coeval with the ARCANE Early Central Levant (ECL) 4 and Early Southern Levant (ESL) 5b periods.
Results reveal a primary fabric with slight variations, containing material pointing to production
centres close to Cretaceous formations outcropping in Central Lebanon, from Beirut and Tripoli. No
fabrics from the southern Levant were identified. The results also demonstrate that by the early Old
Kingdom, supply-lines to ceramic production centres in the Central Levant, linked to the acquisition
of coniferous timbers, largely supplanted the diffuse networks of the Early Dynastic period.
Keywords Egypt, Old Kingdom, Levant, trade, ceramics, petrography, Giza
yielded mixed pottery material dating from the Middle Kingdom
to modern times. The article presents, in chronological order,
some of the most characteristic vessels representing each phase
(with the exception of the late Roman period, which is to be
studied separately). Among them are Middle Kingdom pointed
bottles and Marl C jars, New Kingdom double and triple bottles,
kernoi, beer jars and blue-painted pottery, as well as Ptolemaic
painted pottery
Within this workshop you will hear some of the answers to these questions. We are able to offer evidence that the Western Asiatic population, on which the Hyksos rule rested, came from a different region in the Levant - at least parts of their elite. Temple architecture and burial customs show that the religious inspirations and the concepts of afterlife in the eastern Nile Delta originated from northernmost Syria and northern Mesopotamia. The same can be also concluded from the introduction of the artificial irrigation systems for which new evidence could be collected from Tell el-Dab‘a, a harbour town which became the capital of the Hyksos. It is the site on which excavations between 1966-2011 under the supervision of the speaker produced with more than 80 field- and working-up-campaigns an enormous quantity of evidence on settlement, tombs, palaces, temples and a hoard of material culture which was partly published in 24 volumes but would still need the same amount of publications in the future if circumstances would allow it. Other excavations in the Delta and in the Wadi Tumilat such as Tell el-Retaba, Tell el Maskhuta and Tell el Khilgan contribute to the cultural phenomenon of the Hyksos. This ERC project was able to draw from these excavations but also produced conclusions, which place these archaeological results with the help of international colleagues into a much wider perspective. Our studies in relationship with the Hyksos lead us not only to the Levant but also to the wider cultural background of Mesopotamia and also to Asia minor, and concerning trade also to Cyprus and the Aegean. It seems clear now that the flourishing trading network built up by a Western Asiatic community before the Hyksos Period broke down during their reign, as they were cut off from the resources of Upper Egypt and Nubia and could not offer a barter for their trade with the Levant.
vessels from Giza, Egypt. The samples come from fragmentary pots found in early Old Kingdom
tombs of high officials, and the workers’ settlement at Heit el-Ghurab. Most date to the 4th Dynasty;
coeval with the ARCANE Early Central Levant (ECL) 4 and Early Southern Levant (ESL) 5b periods.
Results reveal a primary fabric with slight variations, containing material pointing to production
centres close to Cretaceous formations outcropping in Central Lebanon, from Beirut and Tripoli. No
fabrics from the southern Levant were identified. The results also demonstrate that by the early Old
Kingdom, supply-lines to ceramic production centres in the Central Levant, linked to the acquisition
of coniferous timbers, largely supplanted the diffuse networks of the Early Dynastic period.
Keywords Egypt, Old Kingdom, Levant, trade, ceramics, petrography, Giza
Dynasty. Some 19th Dynasty structures were still in use during the 20th Dynasty; the architects of the 20th Dynasty fortress had to take them into consideration. In Area 9 houses of the Third Intermediate
Period were uncovered, as well as buildings (including a “tower house”) of the Late Period settlement.
This is a workshop, to be held on the 6th of April 2018 at the 11th ICAANE in Munich. First results of an ERC Advanced Grant "The Enigma of the Hyksos" at the Austrian Academy and the Bournemouth University/UK are presented by an international team of scholars supported by external researchers. The research programme deals with the origin the reasons of immigration, the homogenity or heterogenity of a Western Asiatic communit, living during the late Middle Kingdom and the Second intermediate Period in the eastern Nile Delta. They were responsible for the rule of the Hyksos, a foreign dynasty, which took power in Egypt after the Middle Kingdom around1740 BC. The reearch also concentrates on the rise of power, on the way of rule, on the definition of the material culture of these foreigners, on their cultual interference with the Egyptian culture and on the reasons of their decline and failure to build a stable kingdom. Another subject is the impact of the Hyksos on the Egyptian Culture of the New Kingdom. The research is approached with methods of humanities and of biological sciences.
This is a workshop, to be held on the 6th of April 2018 at the 11th ICAANE in Munich. First results of an ERC Advanced Grant "The Enigma of the Hyksos" at the Austrian Academy and the Bournemouth University/UK are presented by an international team of scholars supported by external researchers. The research programme deals with the origin the reasons of immigration, the homogenity or heterogenity of a Western Asiatic communit, living during the late Middle Kingdom and the Second intermediate Period in the eastern Nile Delta. They were responsible for the rule of the Hyksos, a foreign dynasty, which took power in Egypt after the Middle Kingdom around1740 BC. The reearch also concentrates on the rise of power, on the way of rule, on the definition of the material culture of these foreigners, on their cultual interference with the Egyptian culture and on the reasons of their decline and failure to build a stable kingdom. Another subject is the impact of the Hyksos on the Egyptian Culture of the New Kingdom. The research is approached with methods of humanities and of biological sciences.
characteristic of the Third Intermediate Period and Late Period in Egypt
– a chamber pot. David Aston coined the term “chamber pot” to describe
pots with a similar shape to modern (almost) toilet vessels. Was Aston
right? Yes, according to several pieces of evidence.
Bathrooms with toilets were a rare piece of equipment in ancient Egyptian
homes. Usually, they were just not present. Physiological needs may
have been taken care of on the outskirts of the settlement, but this is very
difficult to prove. Chamber pots seem to be a revolutionary solution here.
Simple vessels were used directly in the house and emptied outside its
walls.
Many of these pots were found in Tell el-Retaba in the Third Intermediate
Period domestic context. I will present the pots, show their archaeological
context, and describe why I think they were actually used as chamber
pots.
at Tell el-Retaba. A number of Third Intermediate Period houses were excavated at the site indicating a rather
organic settlement. Systematic archaeological work revealed that the spaces were occupied over time and went
through some significant changes visible in the architecture, which might also indicate changes in the use of their
internal rooms. Some comparative studies can be done – based on published material from Third Intermediate
Period settlements. Here I would like to show material from the Delta sites such as Kom Firin, Sais, and Tanis. How
can internal rooms be described? Is their function clearly defined? Is there a story pottery can tell us? The general
pattern seems somewhat similar to overall pottery use also in the domestic context during the New Kingdom, but
further research is needed.
MARRIOTT MENA HOUSE, GIZA
CAIRO – EGYPT
November 3rd - 8th, 2019
Report commissioned by Ancient Egypt Research Associate Inc.
Report commissioned by Ancient Egypt Research Associate Inc.
Report commissioned by Ancient Egypt Research Associate Inc.