Gebelein Archeological Project
Dates of work: 8 February–14 March 2016
Team:
Director: Wojciech Ejsmond, archaeologist (University of Warsaw)
Field Director: Julia M. Chyla, archaeologist, GIS specialist (University of Warsaw)
SCA representatives: Mohammed el-Amir Mohammed Ahmed
Archaeologists: Taichi Kuronuma (Tokyo Metropolitan University)
Egyptologists: Mina Ilić (University of Nis), Vincent Oeters (Friends of Saqqara Foundation), Daniel Takács (University of Warsaw), Lawrence Xu-Nan (University of Auckland)
Archaeologist/epigrapher: Dawid F. Wieczorek (Institute of Archaeology, University of Warsaw; Institute of Mediterranean and Oriental Cultures, Polish Academy of Sciences)
RTI specialist/archaeologist: Piotr Witkowski (independent researcher)
Conservator: Arkadiusz Ostasz (freelance)
All periods of Egyptian history are represented at Gebelein and it encompasses many kinds of archaeological site found in the Nile valley (that is, cemeteries, settlements, fortifications, temples, rock quarries etc.). The area was a significant centre in the history of ancient Egypt, but its exact role and the reasons for its importance still awaits explanation. That is why the Gebelein Archaeological Project was initiated. The field survey of Gebelein, which started in 2014, aims to recognise the topography of the area and the degree of destruction of the sites and to locate archaeological remains as well as to determine their interpretation and dating. This report outlines the results of work conducted during seasons 2014, 2015 and 2016, which encompassed the archaeological and epigraphic field surveys, geophysical prospection as well as work conducted in the rock-cut chapel of Hathor.
Acknowledgments
The season was supported financially by the University of Warsaw Foundation and the Consultative Council for Students’ Research at the University of Warsaw. Team members received research scholarships from the Polish Centre of the Mediterranean Archaeology University of Warsaw. Daniel Takács would also like to thank the International Visegrad Fund for enabling his work at the site.
Text: Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean 26/1
Contact
Wojciech Ejsmond wojtek.ejsmond@wp.pl