| Visited
by J and P Spencer in 1990: a low black mound with a Late Predynastic to
Early Dynastic cemetery. Surface sherds and flints of Dyn. 1. Part covered
by modern cemetery.
Munich survey: Muller,
in RdE 27:180-194; id., 'Zur Archaeologie der Vor und Frühgeschichte
des Deltas', in Reineke (ed) Acts of First ICE Cairo, 483-7; Italian
survey 1987: Chlodnicki in Bull GIECE 13, 24-5: late Pre- and Early
dynastic sherds, as well as Roman red-slip wares. See map in Brink, NDIT,
173; Fattovich Report of 1987 Field Season, (unpub. MS), 7-8, 94;
Chlodnicki and Fattovich in CRIPEL 14 (1992), 45-53; Krzyzaniak,
in L. Krzyzaniak and M. Kobusiewicz (eds.) Late Prehistory of the Nile
Basin and the Sahara, 271, 277.
Excavations for SCA
by Inspector Salem Baghdadi in 1988-2002, found 85 mud-brick tombs of Archaic
Period, see 'Digging Diary' in EA 17 (Autumn 2000). A clay seal-impression
with the name of an official, Itjet, was found, with pottery and stone
vases of typical 1st - 2nd dynasty types.
Information collected
by Renee Friedman and Paul Buck, 1992
Site Type:
ca. 62350m2 (ca 290x215m) max height above fields is about 6 m; silt and
sand hill containing Late Predynastic settlement and cemetery now divided
into three mounds.
Condition:
Disturbed, partially
levelled in south; now three mounds with large depression in middle. Mound
1 is east sector of original site, sand gezira some 2-3m high occupied
by modern village; Mound 2 is 1-1.5 hectares, 3-4m high and was south sector
of original site composed of very dark soil with dense vegetation and is
still intact. Mound 3 covered 3.5 hectares and is 5-6m high and was west
sector of original site now occupied by Moslem cemetery.
Finds: Late
Predynastic potsherds, stone bowl fragments including siltstone, lithics.
Major concentration of PD/ED artifacts are north end of Mound 3. Low density
of artifacts on Mound 1. Pottery datable to SD 64-84=Nagada III-Dynasty
1 including bread pots of L ware and red burnished bowls. Roman red
slip pottery also recovered.
Finds made during
canal building, excavating about 5m deep in 1973-4. Found rectangular siltstone
palette (Munich Sammlung. Inv 5892), beads of carnelian and lapis (5893).
Found 2 more palettes in 1974 (6002, 6003), and a fragment of a round palette
(6004). A barrel shaped vase of serpentine imitating Maadi pottery form
(6001). Predynastic to Dyn 0 (Muller 1975). Additional finds from the site
now also in Munich: 3 rectangular palettes (AS 6035), shield shaped palette
(AS6020), 2 round palettes (AS 6063 6019), fish-shaped palette (AS6064).
Pottery AS6062: small fine cylindrical vase; pottery of dark brown clay
AS6056, 6057, one with potmark. Alabaster AS 6070 roll rim jar and handles,
AS 6077, cylindrical vase, granite vase AS6013, calcite vase; Olivine gabbro
fancy vase 6017, 6018. Flint figurine AS 6021. Fayence ape statuette AS
6016. All datable to Nagada IIIa1-a2 (Muller 1979).
References:
Egyptian government
1915. Liste des Tells et Koms à Sebakh. L'Institut Francais
d'Archéologie Orientale. Cairo, 11.
Chlodnicki, M. et
al 1992: ‘The Italian Archaeological Mission of the C.S.R.L.-Venice to
the Eastern Nile Delta: A Preliminary Report of the 1987-1988 Field Season’,
in Cahiers de Recherches de l'Institut de Papyrologie et d'Égyptologie
de Lille 14: 51-53.
Chlodnicki, M. 1988:
‘Pottery from the Archaeological Survey of the Eastern Nile Delta, Egypte-interim
Report’,
Bulletin du Liaison 13:24-5.
Fattovich, R. 1987:
Italian
Archaeological Mission to the Eastern Nile Delta, Egypt. Report of 1987
Field Season. Unpublished MS: 7-8, 94.
Krzyzaniak, L. 1989:
‘Recent archaeological evidence on the earliest settlement in the eastern
Nile Delta’, in L. Krzyzaniak and M. Kobusiewicz (eds.) Late Prehsitory
of the Nile Basin and the Sahara. Poznan: 271, 277.
Muller, H. 1974 ‘Neuerwerbungen’,
Munchner
Jahrbuch der Bildenden Kunst 25 (1974), 215-6; id. vol. 27 (1976),
225-227.
Muller, H. 1975,
‘Neue Frühgeschichtliche Funde aus dem Delta’ in RdE 27:180-194.
Muller, H. 1976 Staatliche
Sammlung Agyptischer Kunst, Kataloge 2nd ed, Munich: 28-30, 35-37.
Muller, H. 1979 ‘Zur
Archaeologie der Vor und Frühgeschichte des Deltas’ in Reineke (ed)
Acts
of First ICE Cairo: 483-7. |
Photographs
taken 1990 © Patricia and Jeffrey Spencer
Above and below: Recent and eroded
Islamic tombs on the mound
Above and below: Sparse vegetation
on the mound; Islamic tombs in the distance
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