Tell er-Retaba (Egypt)
Dates of work: 12 August–18 September 2008
Team:
Director: Dr. Sławomir Rzepka (Institute of Archaeology, University of Warsaw)
Deputy director: Dr. Jozef Hudec (Aigyptos Foundation)
SCA Representatives: Mahmoud Ahmed Mahmoud, Mustafa Hassan Mahmoud
Archaeologists: Veronika Dubcová (University of Trnava), Karolina Górka, BA, Sylwia Gromadzka, BA, and Łukasz Jarmużek, BA (all three Institute of Archaeology, University of Warsaw)
Ceramologist: Dr. Anna Wodzińska (Institute of Archaeology, University of Warsaw)
Geophysicists: Tomasz Herbich (Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology, Polish Academy of Sciences), Marcin Jakub Ordutowski (Institute of Archaeology, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin)
Photographer: Radoslav Soth, BA (University of Paris–Sorbonne Paris IV)
The second season of the joint Polish-Slovak archaeological mission was devoted to excavations in Areas 1 and 2, located in the northern part of the site. A fragment of the northern defenses was excavated in Area 1, giving insight into wall construction techniques and wall phasing. A number of features, like a furnace and fireplace, were recorded despite heavy disturbance of the stratigraphy by sebbakhin pits. Explorations in Area 2 revealed a mud-brick structure of evident domestic function. An interesting array of finds came from ash deposits which filled the abandoned building. These included a cartouche plaque with the throne name of a ruler from the Third Intermediate period, scarab, iron blade, terracotta figurine, loom-weight, lead net-sinker and bone spatulas. The second major objective of the season was the continuation of the geophysical survey of the site using different methods and different equipment. The northern defence wall of the Ramesside fortress along with two gates was traced. Mapping revealed that the area inside the fortress was not empty as previously assumed by W.M. Flinders Petrie.
[Text: PAM]