Berenike (Egypt)
Dates of work: 16 September–16 October 2017
Team:
Director: Iwona Zych, archaeologist, small finds specialist (PCMA UW)
SCA representative: Mahmud Ahmed Husein (Red Sea Inspectorate)
Archaeologists and specialists: Renata Kucharczyk (ancient glass specialist), Joanna Rądkowska (Harbor Temple study), and Marek Woźniak (all PCMA UW)
Surveyor: Andrzej Szeszko (freelance)
The January–February season in 2017 had to be cancelled due to a delayed permit issue. A study season was organized at the site in the fall. A core team comprised grant holders completing grant-related research on finds stored on-site, the team’s glass specialist and a surveyor preparing a hypsometric map of the site.
Three research grants funded by the National Science Center of the Republic of Poland, two from Berenike and one from Aynuna, Saudi Arabia. Ongoing research grants:
- Iwona Zych, MA “Religious practices and beliefs in the “Red Land”: religious building complexes and cult objects from the port of Berenike as a manifestation of the religiousness of the population of the Egyptian Red Sea coast and Eastern Desert from the mid 3rd century BC to the early 6th century AD” (NCN Preludium 7: UMO-2014/13/N/HS3/04400)
- Marek Woźniak, MA “From military base to international emporium: the nature and functioning of the Hellenistic port of Berenike on the Red Sea” (NCN Grant Preludium 9: 2015/17/N/HS3/00163)
- Prof. Michał Gawlikowski “Infrastructure of the international trade in the Red Sea area in the Roman period” (NCN Harmonia 6: UMO-2014/14/M/HS3/00795)
Text: Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean 27/1
Contact
E. Sidebotham: ses(at)udel.edu
I. Zych: i.zych(at)uw.edu.pl