Egypt Archaeology

The archaeological activity in Egypt during the last decade has seen the continuation of some major works in now traditional areas, such as the Polish excavations in Alexandria and Athens, or the Swiss and French excavations at the immense Kellia complex in the Delta, or the Austrian ones in Tell Dab’a or the French ones in Tanis, or the Italian ones in al-Fayyūm and Antinoe, or, at the opposite end of the Egypt, the recoveries and returns of materials and complexes from the Franco-Egyptian Center of Karnak. In addition, in this decade, there has been an increase in foreign missions that flank or are framed by the Egyptian Antiquities Organization (EAO), which have added investigations entrusted to modern technologies (computers, lasers, etc.) to the traditional excavation. More than on the results of these consolidated companies,

In Lower Egypt, the ” La Sapienza ” University of Rome excavated the predynastic settlement of Ma῾adi.

In the Eastern Delta, the Munich Museum explored a proto-dynastic cemetery (Dynasty O) in Menshiet Abu Omar which provided material similar to that known for the Valley, and therefore evidence of a common culture. The situation is confirmed by recent Italian excavations. In the region of the necropolis of ancient Memphis, in Saqqara, in addition to the great French restoration works of the pyramid complexes, English excavations have innovated on the usual archaeological landscape (centered on the ancient kingdom and the late age), highlighting the necropolis of new kingdom, where they found the tomb of the one who would become the pharaoh Horemheb and whose reliefs had long since been dispersed among various museums. Still in the Memphite necropolis, German excavations at Dahshur have yielded important results for the history of the pyramid which can now be safely attributed to Snefru; dates inscribed on the blocks allow you to get an idea of ​​the timing of its construction.

In the Middle Egypt, perhaps the most notable event is the resumption of the archaeological investigation in the Tell al-῾Amarna area by the English. It reveals minute but significant details of the urban organization of an Egyptian city. Houses of modest importance, fences for cattle breeding, everyday objects of small people for a definite age (late 18th dynasty) and for sufficiently large areas – as is not the case for other Egyptian cities – are here recoverable thanks to the precocious and total abandonment of the locality by its residents. For Egypt 1997, please check aristmarketing.com.

In Upper Egypt the Theban region continues to be the protagonist of archaeological activities. In the Karnak complex, the ninth pylon continued to provide reuse materials, among which the blocks from the destroyed temple at Aten of Amenhotep iv were particularly important.. Also important for the history of the sanctuary were the discoveries of material connected with the first setting of the temple between the Middle Kingdom and the beginning of the 18th dynasty, which took place in the courtyard behind the current shrine. These various materials, which cannot be relocated to their original location, have been conveniently displayed in a special open-air museum setting in the Karnak temple itself. This interest in a better interpretation of situations already known also appears in many works of the Theban necropolis, as in the methodical arrangement of the Valley of the Queens by the French, which led to a revision of monuments so far just explored, or in that carried out by the Germans in the mortuary temple of Seti ito Qurna, which highlighted the plan and history of the monument. In this spirit we must also see the Polish reconstruction work on the temple of Hatshepsut in al-Dayr al-Baḥarī and the restorations undertaken on behalf of the EAO of the tomb of Queen Nefertari: a first experimental site from which to start a more general rescue work paintings of the Theban tombs.

In this perspective, the transfer of the Philae architectural complex from its original site to the nearby islet of Agilkia in the lake between the two Aswan dams should also be seen. It was thus removed from the flood, and, if it became a bit of a museum piece from the archaeological reality that it was, it was thereby saved from decay. The most interesting novelty of this period, alongside these enrichments in the territory and in the traditional terms, is the archaeological importance that the region of the western oases, al-H̱ārğa and al-Daẖla has assumed. The relations of this peripheral region with the Egyptian state structure from the Memphite to the Roman age have been clarified, with documentation that has suffered relatively little from subsequent settlements. See table

Roman, Coptic and Islamic settlements. – The excavations relating to more recent eras (late classical and Islamic period) are also of considerable interest.

The Roman and Coptic culture and settlements can be found in a large part of the Egyptian territory, even if the greatest concentration is attested in the Delta: an exemplary excavation was carried out by the Poles at Kom ad-Dikka, where a thermal structure was unearthed used from the 4th to the 7th century and numerous remains of houses, useful for identifying the original topography of the city of Alexandria. Strongly threatened by an agricultural development project is the Kellya site, made the subject of a detailed investigation of both surface and trenches by a Swiss group from the University of Geneva; the study of the urban agglomeration of Qusūr al-‘Izeyla and of the many neighboring monastic structures offers an excellent image of the local architectural evolution from the 5th to the 8th century. Not far away is Qusūr alRubayyat, where one of the first Egyptian monasteries is being studied by the French Institute of Oriental Archeology in Cairo. To complete the summary of the archaeological activities that operate in the various cultural spheres of the country, it is also necessary to dwell on the Islamic period often not privileged by local authorities: in Cairo, Fatimid-era mosques are restored, including that of al-Aqmar from 1125 now almost completely rebuilt inside. An important work was carried out by the Americans in Fusṭāṭ, the first Muslim settlement in Egypt, located in the present outskirts of the capital. G. Fanfoni continues the restoration work of the French Institute of Oriental Archeology in Cairo. To complete the summary of the archaeological activities that operate in the various cultural spheres of the country, it is also necessary to dwell on the Islamic period often not privileged by local authorities: in Cairo, Fatimid-era mosques are restored, including that of al-Aqmar from 1125 now almost completely rebuilt inside. An important work was carried out by the Americans in Fusṭāṭ, the first Muslim settlement in Egypt, located in the present outskirts of the capital. G. Fanfoni continues the restoration work of the French Institute of Oriental Archeology in Cairo. To complete the summary of the archaeological activities that operate in the various cultural spheres of the country, it is also necessary to dwell on the Islamic period often not privileged by local authorities: in Cairo, Fatimid-era mosques are restored, including that of al-Aqmar from 1125 now almost completely rebuilt inside. An important work was carried out by the Americans in Fusṭāṭ, the first Muslim settlement in Egypt, located in the present outskirts of the capital. G. Fanfoni continues the restoration work of the in Cairo, Fatimid-era mosques are restored, including that of al-Aqmar from 1125, now almost completely rebuilt inside. An important work was carried out by the Americans in Fusṭāṭ, the first Muslim settlement in Egypt, located in the present outskirts of the capital. G. Fanfoni continues the restoration work of the in Cairo, Fatimid-era mosques are restored, including that of al-Aqmar from 1125, now almost completely rebuilt inside. An important work was carried out by the Americans in Fusṭāṭ, the first Muslim settlement in Egypt, located in the present outskirts of the capital. G. Fanfoni continues the restoration work of the takiyya of the Mevlevi dervishes in Cairo, an interesting monument of an Islamic mystical brotherhood.

Finally, we should not forget the efforts of the Egyptian government aimed at guaranteeing greater availability to the public of works of art: in 1984 the Greco-Roman museum in Alexandria was reopened after a long period of renovations; an open-air museum containing numerous architectural elements was inaugurated in 1986 within the enclosure of the great temple of Karnak (see above); the extension of the museum of al-Uqṣur (Luqsor) – which also sees the Italian participation – is in the planning stage to house the sculptures of the 18th dynasty recently found under the homonymous temple. The reopening of the room of the royal mummies, including that of Ramesses II, which has already been closed for ten years by the will of al-Sādāt, seems imminent at the Egyptian museum in Cairo.