balamun148_1.html

BALAMUN, T. EL- [148]

Note: a set of web pages about the excavations directed by Jeffrey Spencer for the British Museum at Tell el-Balamun is available at http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/research_projects/excavation_in_egypt.aspx

British Museum concession since 1991. A large and relatively intact mound marking the site of ancient Smabehdet, also known in the New Kingdom as Paiuenamon, with a temple enclosure on the south and high occupation mounds to the north and west. The west mound is Roman with occupation down to beginning of 6thC AD; the east mound mainly dynastic. Temple foundations of Sheshonk III, Psamtik I and Nekhtnebef, dated by foundation-deposits, have been discovered, with enclosure walls of the Ramesside Period and dynasties 26 and 30. Part of the Ramesside temple enclosure-wall was cut by the tomb of a Lower Egyptian Vizier named Iken, dating from the reign of Osorkon I. More elite tombs of Dynasty 22 were found at the front of the Ramesside temple of Amun, to left of axis, in 1999. These were built of stone and contained some burials with falcon-mask coffins. In 2003 a Roman street was discovered through the middle of the site. The whole of the temple area has been magnetically mapped by a team led by Dr Tomasz Herbich of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
Previous work by Howard Carter in 1913 (MSS in Griffith Institute, Oxford) and Francis Ghattas for Mansura University in 1977-78.
Excavation at the front of the Nekhtnebef temple, 2004

Part of the temple enclosure wall of dynasty 26
Part of the Roman street

Foundation deposit plaques of Psamtik I
Foundation deposit plaques of Nekhtnebef

The elite cemetery
Shabti-figures of the Vizier Iken

British Museum concession since 1991. A large and relatively intact mound marking the site of ancient Smabehdet, also known in the New Kingdom as Paiuenamon, with a temple enclosure on the south and high occupation mounds to the north and west. The west mound is Roman with occupation down to beginning of 6thC AD; the east mound mainly dynastic. Temple foundations of Sheshonk III, Psamtik I and Nekhtnebef, dated by foundation-deposits, have been discovered, with enclosure walls of the Ramesside Period and dynasties 26 and 30. Part of the Ramesside temple enclosure-wall was cut by the tomb of a Lower Egyptian Vizier named Iken, dating from the reign of Osorkon I. More elite tombs of Dynasty 22 were found at the front of the Ramesside temple of Amun, to left of axis, in 1999. These were built of stone and contained some burials with falcon-mask coffins. In 2003 a Roman street was discovered through the middle of the site. The whole of the temple area has been magnetically mapped by a team led by Dr Tomasz Herbich of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Previous work by Howard Carter in 1913 (MSS in Griffith Institute, Oxford) and Francis Ghattas for Mansura University in 1977-78.	Excavation at the front of the Nekhtnebef temple, 2004
Part of the temple enclosure wall of dynasty 26	Part of the Roman street
Foundation deposit plaques of Psamtik I	Foundation deposit plaques of Nekhtnebef
The elite cemetery	Shabti-figures of the Vizier Iken