Report on the 35 Season of Excavation and Restoration on the Island Of
2006 Report on the 35 th Season of Excavation and Restoration on the Island of Elephantine 1
Report on the 35 th season of excavation and restoration on the island of Elephantine *
BY DIETRICH RAUE , C ORNELIUS VON PILGRIM , F ELIX ARNOLD , R OBERTA CORTOPASSI , E. E NDENBURG ,
EVA -MARIA ENGEL , J ULIA GRESKY , J ANA JONES , P ETER KOPP , A LEKSANDRA KOZAK , N IKOLAOS ROUMELIS ,
MICHAEL SCHULTZ , S TEPHAN J. S EIDLMAYER AND A. V ELDMEIJER
I. Area XXIV-XXX-XXXI: The central part of the town of the Third Millennium BC (fig. 3, Pl. I)...... 3 II. Area XXXIV: Southern extension of the earliest necropolis of Elephantine (Pl. II) ...... 5 III. Temple of Khnum in the New Kingdom and the Late Period (Pl. III-IV)...... 5 IV. Temple of Khnum: Ptolemaic Pronaos...... 6 V. Temple of Khnum: Houses of the Late Antique Period...... 7 VI. Minor investigations in Area II and VII: settlement of the 2 nd and 1 st millennium BC (Pl. V)...... 7 VII. Small Finds from the settlement of the 3 rd and 2 nd millennium BC: Weapons (fig. 4) ...... 8 VIII. Seal Impressions of the Old Kingdom (fig. 5-6)...... 14 IX. Leather objects ...... 16 X. Textiles of 3 rd , 2 nd and 1 st Millennium BC...... 17 XI. Textiles of 1 st Millennium AD...... 19 XII. Human skeletons ...... 19 XIII. Rock inscriptions (Pl. VI-VII)...... 20
The 35 th season of the German Institute of Archaeology and the Swiss Institute for Architectural and Archaeological Research on Ancient Egypt at Elephantine was carried out from October 31 st 2005 till April 20 th 2006.
The work on the finds collected in past seasons was continued. The small finds, pottery from the Old Kingdom, Nubian pottery, seal impressions of the Old Kingdom, pottery of the Greek-Roman and Late Roman Period, lithic finds, textiles as well as human and animal bones were studied. The epigraphic documentation of the Graeco-Roman temples of Satet and Khnum, as well as the survey on rock-inscriptions, was continued.
Restoration work focussed on the central part of the town of the Third Millennium BC . Small scale investigations were carried out in the building complex of the late Old Kingdom, in the temple of Khnum and its later occupation, the strata of the Middle Kingdom opposite the Festival Courtyard, and the occupation levels of the late 2 nd Millennium south of the sanctuary of Heqaib (fig. 1-2).
* Participants were D. Raue, C. von Pilgrim, F. Arnold, Auenmüller, A. Blöbaum, R. Colman, R. Cortopassi, A. von den Driesch, E. Endenburg, E.-M. Engel, P. Ferschin, J. Gresky, Th. Hikade, M. Hoffmann, Ch. Kitagawa, P. Kopp, O. Kozak, A. Jonas, J. Jones, E. Laskowska-Kusztal, M. Lehmann, I. Milosavljevic, A. Paasch, J. Peters, B. von Pilgrim, M. Rodziewicz, E. Rodziewicz, N. Roumelis, M. Schultz, St. Seidlmayer, A. Veldmeijer, C. Vormelker, M. Weber und P. Windszus. The Inspectorate of Antiquities was represented by the chief-inspectors Karima Fahmy Mohammed, and the inspectors Wafaa Mohammed Ezza and Shatli Ali Abd el-Azim Ali. To them, as well as to the general director of Aswan, Mohammed el-Bialy, we would like to express our sincere thanks for their kind support and cooperation.
fig.1: Map of Aswan, scale 1:50000 (from E.G.S.A. sheet NG36B3b).
fig.2: Elephantine Excavations 2005/2006, scale 1:2000: 1. Area XXXI, building complex of the Old Kingdom and Middle Kingdom in the area of the courtyard of the temple of Khnum; 2. Area XXXIV, southern extension of early necropolis; 3. Temple of Khnum: pronaos and house K19; 4. Area VII, strata of Middle Kingdom opposite of festival courtyard; 5. Area II, strata of the Third Intermediate Period.
I. Area XXIV-XXX-XXXI: The central part of the town of the Third Millennium
BC (fig. 3, Pl. I)
In the eastern part of the courtyard of the temple of Khnum, two gaps in the pavement of about 6 by 3,5m and 3 by 2,5m were examined this season. The continuation of the stratum XVIII, the building complex of the
The entrance to the rooms is over a stone threshold from the south. There follow three rooms with very thick (0.75 - 0.8m) walls that are extraordinarily well plastered. One of the doorways measures 1.2 m in width: double that of an ordinary interior door in this stratum.
Unfortunately there is no further information about the function of these rooms to date. Except for small amounts of pottery, no further finds came to light in this building.
In addition, beehive-cellars were dug in the 1 st Intermediate Period in almost every room, destroying the initial occupation layers of the building. A completely preserved example of such a cellar was found, measuring 1.4 m in height and 1.65m at its maximum diameter. Slight traces of stratification seem to attest the proper cleaning of the rooms during the period of their use. This seems to be typical for administrative units and rooms with an official character in general.
fig.3: Elephantine, Area XXX/XXXI/XXIV, building complex of the late 3 rd millennium BC
1 For previous work in this area in the strata of 6 th dyn., see D. Raue, in G. Dreyer et al., Stadt und Tempel von Elephantine – 28./29./30. Grabungsbericht , MDAIK 58 (2002), 162 ff. and G. Dreyer et al., Stadt und Tempel von Elephantine – 31./32. Grabungsbericht , MDAIK 61 (2005), 23 ff.; see also: Report on the 32 nd , 33 rd and 34 th season , ASAE (in press).
II. Area XXXIV: Southern extension of the earliest necropolis of Elephantine (Pl. II)
During the preparation of the southern extension of the town of the Old Kingdom for future display to visitors, natural sink-holes in the granite bedrock were examined. In one of them (Pl. II), a burial dating to the 1 st Dynasty was discovered 2. In a hole of about 1,3m diameter and 2m depth, a woman approximately 25 years old was found buried in a coffin made of papyrus stems. She was buried on her left side, with her head to the south and facing towards the west.
A pottery vessel and a wooden cosmetic spoon were part of her funerary equipment. Furthermore, she wore a necklace and bracelets made of bone beads. The coffin was placed on a mat.
On top of the coffin of this primary burial, a second person was buried on an identical mat. This was a 25 year old male, laid in contrast to the female burial with his head to the north, on his right side, facing towards the east.
A little jar, identical to the pottery vessel found next to the female burial, was found close to him. The most interesting feature of this burial was a heap of barley, on which the head of the corpse rested. This special way of providing a source of food in the afterlife does not seem to be attested elsewhere so far.
It is probably due to the lure of this large amount of cereal that hundreds of rats and mice subsequently entered the hole, followed by dozens of snakes as well. None of them found their way out again but they did considerably disturb the burial arrangement. During the 2 nd Dynasty, the cover of the hole was removed and the hollow space filled up with building debris to prepare the ground for the construction of the town enclosure of the later Early Dynastic Period.
D. Raue
III. Temple of Khnum in the New Kingdom and the Late Period (Pl. III-IV)
After an interruption of nearly two years, the Swiss Institute resumed investigations at the Khnum Temple of the New Kingdom and Late Period. The main goal of the work was the recovery of further reused blocks of the earlier temple from the southern and south-eastern foundation wall of the Ptolemaic pronaos. After the meticulous study and recording of the construction techniques of the pronaos, about 127 stone blocks were recovered (Pl. IV-V). The majority of the blocks belong to a temple of Psametik II and will contribute substantially to a future reconstruction of that temple 3. 21 undecorated and 34 decorated blocks can be attributed to the temple of the 18 th dynasty. Three blocks, however, decorated in sunk relief on one side and in raised relief on the other side, may belong to another, hitherto unknown, building of the 18 th dynasty. Measuring only 66 cm in width the blocks are of a much smaller size than all the known blocks of the Khnum Temple of the New Kingdom. All three blocks belong to the same scene depicting on one side the Pharaoh (Thutmosis IV) slaying the enemies. It might be assumed that these blocks belonged to a separate chapel once located in the western part of the temple precinct or – more plausibly - to the outer wall of the Contra-Temple.
2 The remains of the two individuals have been studied by M. Schultz, J. Gresky, A. Kozak and N. Roumelis. 3 Cf. C. von Pilgrim in: G. Dreyer et al., Stadt und Tempel von Elephantine – 31./32. Grabungsbericht , MDAIK 61 (2005), 23 ff., pp. 43-44.
After completing the work the foundation trenches were backfilled and the reconstruction of the pronaos was started.
Since the first sand-filled foundation trenches of the Khnum Temple of the 18 th dynasty had been identified in 1998, it was possible by specific sondages to reconstruct the general ground plan of the temple 4. The only part of the temple where excavations have never been completed is under the eastern colonnade of the Roman courtyard. In order to conclude the fieldwork in the temple this area was cleared and studied during the last season. The foundation of the colonnade had been robbed almost completely in the late-Byzantine Period, but some remaining blocks remained to be recorded. On the western side of the former foundation trench of the Roman colonnade two further foundation trenches and a tree pit were discovered. According to the known ground plan of the temple, these features probably belong to an earlier stage of the temple in the 18 th dynasty and might indicate the existence of a colonnade in front of the temple.
C. von Pilgrim
IV. Temple of Khnum: Ptolemaic Pronaos
A major aim of the past season was to finalize the documentation of the Ptolemaic pronaos of the Khnum Temple. In order to complete the ground plan, the northwestern corner of the pronaos was excavated. As earlier studies have already suggested, great differences can be observed between the construction of the northwest and the southwest corner of the pronaos 5.
Unlike in the south, the sand-filled foundation trench of the northern segment of the inner enclosure wall of Nektanebos II had been lined with brick walls, making its subsequent integration into the foundation of the Ptolemaic pronaos easier than in the south. Surprisingly, the depth of the foundation trench changes during its course, being deeper in the east than in the west. How far the construction of the inner enclosure wall had progressed in this segment during the reign of Nektanebos II could not, however, be established with any certainty.
The dismantling of the foundations of the southern wall of the pronaos yielded not only many interesting blocks from earlier buildings, but also allowed a detailed study of construction techniques to be made. The sequence of laying the blocks and the use of saws in fine-tuning the fit of the joints between blocks could be studied in detail. The location of the holes for levering blocks was influenced by a wish to retrieve the levers once the blocks had reached their final position.
While marks indicating the final position of blocks are frequent, lines indicating the outline of the walls are rare (and inaccurate) in the foundation of the pronaos, suggesting that the position of the foundations was not properly surveyed during the building process.
F. Arnold
4 Cf. C. von Pilgrim, op. cit. , pp. 38-42. 5 W. Niederberger, Elephantine XX. Der Chnumtempel Nektanebos' II . AV 96, Mainz 1999, 58-71; C. von Pilgrim, in: Dreyer et al., op. cit. , pp. 51-55.
V. Temple of Khnum: Houses of the Late Antique Period
An additional aim of the season was to clarify further the stratigraphy in the area of the Khnum temple from Roman to Early Medieval Period 6. Excavation work in the south, west and north of the temple complemented a comprehensive study of the Late Antique pottery begun this season 7.
To the south of the temple the investigation of a long stratigraphic sequence, which had accumulated between the house of the priests (K19) and the southern side entrance of the temple house, was continued. For the most part, the results of the last season were confirmed. Layers at the bottom of the sequence could be attributed to various building activities in the temple and the house of the priests. The first phase of the house of the priests (K19) can now be dated to the early Ptolemaic period, and the second phase (K19A) to the early Roman period, possibly to the time of Emperor Augustus. One new discovery was a wall which seems to have formed part of a courtyard in front of house K19. After the completion of the building activities, the ground level remained stable for a long time and no further material accumulated. Subsequently, various layers of rubbish were deposited in the area including a layer containing ostraca, papyrus fragments and writing utensils from the time of the temple’s use. One remarkable find was a layer of charcoal, burnt relief fragments, and pieces of temple furniture originating from the plundering of the temple at the end of the Fourth Century A.D.
In the Fifth Century (stratum 01A) a diorite mason established his workshop in the area, constructing several yards (house K20). After the dismantling of the inner enclosure wall of the temple, the mason continued to work in the area, but without rebuilding the enclosure walls of the workshop (stratum 01B and 02). In the Ninth Century, the area was integrated into the large building complex “o” (stratum 03). To the west of the temple, several layers inside house M10 were excavated in order to enlarge the pottery sample of stratum 01B. Several coins were found which will help to date the pottery more accurately.
To the north of the temple, the small house T41 was investigated. The house was built during the Sixth Century over the remains of the inner enclosure wall (stratum 01B). The building comprised one room on the ground floor and a staircase leading to a second storey. In the floor of the room two small cellars were constructed, probably for storage. At first, the northern wall of the pronaos served as the back wall of the house. When the pronaos was dismantled about 550 A.D., the back wall of the house had to be rebuilt. The sequence of phases of house T41 has consequences for the dating of other neighboring buildings. For example, the building T43, possibly a Christian chapel, must have been completely rebuilt during the second phase of T41, in the late Sixth Century.
F. Arnold
VI. Minor investigations in Area II and VII: settlement of the 2 n d and 1 s t millennium BC (Pl. V)
In the northern districts of the town investigations concentrated on some limited areas of the Middle Kingdom (Area VII) and Third Intermediate Period (Area II).
6 For previous work see F. Arnold, Elephantine XXX. Die Nachnutzung des Chnumtempelbezirks , AV 116, Mainz 2003. 7 Conducted by Meike Weber (Munich).
Final excavations in the building lot opposite the Nile Festival Courtyard and to the north of House 75 filled a gap in the stratigraphical sequence of the quarters beside the main street during the Middle Kingdom 8. After completion of documentation, the trenches were backfilled in order to allow for restoration of the adjoining buildings in the forthcoming season.
Stratigraphical investigations were continued in the domestic quarters to the west of the Heqaib Sanctuary 9. Work focussed on a building of the Third Intermediate Period. East of the central courtyard of the house a doorway was uncovered where two fragments of a doorjamb were reused as a threshold (Pl. V). The inscription on the front side of the post gives the titles of Seti II.
C. von Pilgrim
VII. Small Finds from the settlement of the 3 r d and 2 n d millennium BC: Weapons (fig. 4)
Although Elephantine is located on the border with Nubia, until now there are only about 20 weapons (or fragments of weapons) known from the settlement and the early dynastic fortress. In general it is not always possible to distinguish weapons from tools. The most important sources for the determination of their function are models and representations in tombs that show how the implements were used. As these sources do not, however, include every shape it is not possible to establish the function of these objects in every case. Another problem is the distinction between weapons used for hunting or war and ceremonial weapons.
a) Copper axe: One of the three copper and bronze axes found on Elephantine was quite probable a weapon 10 . It has a symmetrical blade in the shape of a circular segment with three holes in the straight side. At the top and bottom of the blade are two hook-like ends (fig. 4.1). An axe that is quite similar to this piece is preserved in the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, complete with its 77 cm long wooden shaft 11 .
This blade was inserted in a slot at the end of the shaft and then two copper tubes were forced onto the ends of the blade. Finally the blade was fixed by lashing leather strings through the holes and around the ends. This type of axe was used from the 11 th dynasty till the Second Intermediate Period 12 . Representations in tombs
8 Cf. C. von Pilgrim, in: Kaiser et al., Stadt und Tempel von Elephantine – 23./24. Grabungsbericht , in: MDAIK 53 (1997), 152 ff. 9 For previous work see B. von Pilgrim in: Dreyer et al., Stadt und Tempel von Elephantine – 31./32. Grabungsbericht , in: MDAIK 61 (2005), 58 ff. 10 Exc.-No. 21012b, copper/bronze, corroded, Middle Kingdom. 11 Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Mus. E 14/1950. E. Kühnert-Eggebrecht, Die Axt als Waffe und Werkzeug im alten Ägypten , MÄS 15, Berlin 1969, 25, 104 and pl. IX.5. 12 Cf. A. Hamadi and Sh. Farid: Excavations at Kôm el-Hisn (Season 1943) , ASAE XLVI (1947), 107 and pl. XXXI; id., Excavations at Kôm el-Hisn (Season 1945) , ASAE XLVI (1947), 198 and pl. LVI; id., Excavations at Kôm el-Hisn. Third Season , ASAE XLVIII (1948), 301 and pl. VII; W.M.F. Petrie: Diospolis Parva. The Cemeteries of Abadiyeh and Hu , EEF 20, London 1901, 41 and pl. XXXII.1; Gizeh and Rifeh , 14, pls. XII and XIII; Gurob , 7 f. and pl. XII.74; G. Steindorff: Aniba. Erster Band, Mission Archéologique de Nubie 1929-1934, Glückstadt and Hamburg 1935, 114 and pl. 70.6; Tarkhan I and Memphis V, 23 and pl. VI.11-13.
13 E.g. Beni Hassan II, pls. V and XV; B. Jaroš-Deckert: Grabung im Asasif 1963-1970, Bd. V: Das Grab des Jnj-jtj.f. Die Wandmalereien der XI. Dynastie , AV 12, Mainz 1984, pls. 14 and 17; BM Stelae V, pl. 2. 14 E.g. Meir I, pl. III, P. Lacau: Sarcophages antérieurs au nouvel empire I, Le Caire 1904, pls. XVII, XI, fig. 198; Riqqeh and Memphis VI, pl. XXIV. 15 E.g. Beni Hassan II, 33 and pl. XXIX.
b) Stone axes: Four axes were found at elephantine which were made out of stone. A fragment of a serpentine axe with a slightly flattened edge dates to between the late 5 th dynasty and the early 6 th dynasty (fig. 4.2.) 16 . In contrast to this piece three stone axes of the late 12 th dynasty possess a clearly much sharper edge 17 .
In the past stone axes were mostly taken for prehistoric finds, even if they appeared in later contexts 18 . H.
JUNKER , for example, mentions a blade that was found in a Middle Kingdom tomb in Qubaniya-North, not far from Elephantine. According to him it was „sicher aus der Frühzeit stammend und hierher übernommen“ 19 . As on Elephantine, many stone blades have been found in later contexts elsewhere, such as at Aniba, Buhen, Mirgissa and Shalfak 20 . Most of these blades originated from Nubia: especially from fortresses. There must be a relationship between these blades and the Nubian soldiers that were enlisted in the Egyptian army since the 6 th dynasty 21 .
c) Daggers: An ivory fragment of a dagger handle was found dating to the late 12 th dynasty (fig. 4.3). It was a part of a dagger whose hilt was split at its end to mount this ivory piece. It was fixed to the middle of the hilt by two inlaid metal tangs. Such dagger pommels were in most cases made of hippopotamus ivory 22 ; rarely were they made of wood 23 , or (like another piece from Elephantine) of stone24 . In the latter example, the arch is much thinner and the tangs in the middle are not inlaid (fig. 4.4) 25 .On Middle Kingdom sarcophagi these 26 daggers are called b(3)gs(w) or m(3)gs(w) .
16 Exc.-No. 20313b, serpentine, late 5 th – 6 th dyn. 17 Exc.-No. 19602S/b-6, dark stone, late 12 th dyn.; Exc.-No. 18502A-4, dark stone, late 12 th dyn.; Exc.-No. 19606P/e-5, dark stone, late 12 th dyn. A precise identification of the stone was not possible. 18 E.g. Petrie, Prehistoric Egypt , p. 24 and pl. XXVII; H. Junker: Vorläufiger Bericht über die zweite Grabung der Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien auf der vorgeschichtlichen Siedlung Merimde-Benisalâme , in: Anzeiger d. phil.-hist. Klasse d. Akad. d. Wissensch. in Wien Nr . V-XIII, 1930, 62 ff.; Fouilles Franco-Polonaises I, 102, no. 2 and pl. XXVI.1. 19 H. Junker: Bericht über die Grabungen der Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien auf den Friedhöfen von Kubanieh-Nord. Winter 1910-1911 , Wien 1920, 152 and Blatt 16, fig. 21. 20 E.g. W.B. Emery, H.S. Smith and A. Millard: Excavations of Buhen I. The Fortress of Buhen: The Archaeological Report , EES 49, London 1979, 130 and pl. 44.346, 528 and 1157; Arch. Survey of Nubia 1908-09 , pl. 38b; Steindorff, loc. cit., pp. 116, 219, pls. 16c1 and 94; Dunham, Second Cataract Forts II, 128, 162, pls. LXII.A.3/1 and LXXXVI.C; G.A. Reisner: Excavations at Kerma IV, Harvard African Studies VI, Cambridge, Mass., 1923, pl. 62.2.1-5, 8-13. 21 Cf. Goedecke, Königl. Dokumente , 62-63; Urk . I, 104, 13 ff.; P.C. Smither: The Semna Despatches , JEA 31 (1945), 3-10. 22 Fouilles Franco-Polonaises II, no. 692, 130 and pl. XXIII; Fouilles Franco-Polonaises III, 322 and pl. XLVII.4; Emery, loc. cit. , 87, 153 and pl. 55.782 (Durham 1964.140); H.-Å. Nordström: Excavations and Survey in Faras, Argin and Gezira Dabarosa , Kush X (1962), 39 and pl. VIII b; Steindorff, loc. cit. , 115 and pl. 70.1; T. Säve-Söderbergh: Middle Nubian Sites , SJE 4, Uddevalla 1989, pl. 56.2; M.É. Chassinat: Une Tombe involée de la XVIII e dynastie découverte aux environs de Médinet el-Gurab dans le Fayoum , BIFAO I, 1909, 227 and pl. II.3; Petrie, Diospolis Parva , 52 and pl. XXXII.17; Gizeh and Rifeh , pl. 12; A. Hamadi and Sh. Farid: Excavations at Kôm el-Hisn (Season 1943), ASAE XLVI (1947), 107 and pl. XXXI. 23 F.W. von Bissing: Ein thebanischer Grabfund aus dem Anfang des Neuen Reiches , Berlin 1900, 4 and pl. 3.5. 24 Exc.-No. 27602T/a-2, travertine, 17 th dyn. Cf. the quarzite dagger pommel in the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden (Inv.-Nr. F 1938/10.40). S. Petschel and M. Falck (Hrg.): Pharao siegt immer , Bönen 2004, 130. 25 Cf. Fouilles Franco-Polonaises III, pl. XLVII.4. 26 P. Lacau: Sarcophages antérieurs au nouvel empire II, Le Caire 1906, 160 f.
WOLF tried to analyse the development of their shape, but because he included not only daggers from closed contexts, the typology is not very precise 27 . A piece at the beginning of his series, ostensibly found in the 28 tomb of Sesostris III, was particularly problematic . WOLF took over PETRIE ’S dating, but this dagger was actually found in a rubbish dump and therefore cannot be dated by context 29 . Because of the presence of 13 th dynasty tombs at Dahshur this dagger may be of more recent date and might fit in this case better into the series.
Generally only a few daggers of this type are known from closed contexts. Additionally, they are quite often the only find in a tomb and therefore cannot be dated by other grave goods 30 . To these sparse finds can be added the representations on sarcophagi, reliefs and models 31 . The oldest representation of such a dagger is in the tomb of Heqaib 32 . It is in his belt and has a shape that is still common in the 12 th dynasty 33 . The handle of this type is wide and ends in a slightly projecting pommel inserted in short, wide wings. The hilt wings enclose the blade to about 1/7 of its length.
From the Hyksos Period on, the hilt wings become shorter and narrower, the knob is more protruding. By contrast, two wings enclose the now more convex shaped blade up to ¼ of its length. It seems that this shape continued, as the typical Middle Kingdom shapes of the blade and the handle can be seen on two later daggers. These are a dagger with the inscription of King Sw3d-n-Rc 34 and a dagger from the reign of Amenophis III 35 . Richly decorated pieces like the one with the inscription of King Sw3d-n-Rc and another example from the treasure of Ahhotep I indicate that some of the daggers served as ceremonial weapons. On the other hand an older representation in a tomb in Meir shows their use in a hunting scene 36 .
d) Arrows: Some pointed wooden sticks from Elephantine were arrowheads (fig. 4.7-8) 37 . One end was fitted into a reed shaft and this is often faceted. The oldest of these pieces dates to the 2 nd Dynasty. In the tombs of the 1 st Dynasty at Abydos, in addition to flint and quartz crystal arrowheads, a large number of arrowheads made of ivory 38 and wood 39 was found. Their sections were circular, oval or angular. Other wooden arrowheads
27 W. Wolf: Die Bewaffnung des Altägyptischen Heeres , Leipzig 1926, 40 ff. and 68 ff. 28 Petrie, Tools and Weapons , 29 and pl. XXXIII.6. 29 Dahchour II, 97. 30 E.g. El Arabáh , pl. XVI; Arch. Survey of Nubia 1909-10, 139, fig 208. 31 Hayes, Scepter I, 284, fig. 186. 32 J. de Morgan, U. Bouriant, G. Legrain, G. JÉquier and A. Barsanti: Catalogue des Monuments et Inscriptions de l’Égypte Antique 1.1., Vienne 1895, 151. 33 P. Lacau: Sarcophages antérieurs au nouvel empire I, Le Caire 1904, pl. XLIII.255-258. 34 Petrie, Diospolis Parva , pl. 32.17. 35 F.W. von Bissing, loc. cit. , pl. 3.5; Wolf, loc. cit. , p. 69. 36 Meir I, pl. VII. 37 E.g. Exc.-No. 9911, wood, 2 nd dyn.; Exc.-No. 16108T-5, wood, late 12 th dyn. 38 Petrie, RT II, pls. XXXII.37, XXXIV.27-49, XXXVII.15-17, XL.12-13, XLI.38-41, XLII.67 and XLIII.5-8; Petrie, Tombs of the Courtiers , 4 and pl. II. 39 Petrie, RT II, pls. XXXIV.50-51, XL.11 and XLIII.9.
40 are known from the tomb of Hemaka . The tips are often coloured with red ochre. PETRIE assumed that this red colouring should have had the magical effect of leading the arrow into the blood of the creature being hunted 41 .
Because the ivory arrowheads were all from royal tombs it might be that wooden ones were the norm 42 . Middle Kingdom finds also demonstrate the use of wooden arrowheads 43 . Representations on sarcophagi show, in addition to rhombic arrowheads 44 and transverse points 45 , pointed arrows whose heads were probably made out of bone or wood 46 .
Different arrows with arrowheads of wood, horn and silex were found in the 18 th Dynasty tomb of Maiherperi 47 . In these examples, a wooden fore shaft was set into the reed shaft. 48 The connection between the reed and the shaft was made with a lashing. Probably these finds made up a set of hunting weapons, because the club-shaped arrowheads among them were used for fowling. A representation of hunting with wooden arrowheads can be found in the tomb of Kenamun 49 .
The use of wooden arrowheads might also explain the absence of silex arrowheads at the early dynastic fortress on Elephantine 50 . Most of the wooden examples may have been burnt as firewood after they were broken during use or they may not be preserved for other reasons. Another possibility is the use of fish bones as arrowheads. A lot of fish-barbs were found on Elephantine, but there is no clear evidence that they were used as arrowheads. On the other hand, in the tomb of Hemaka, arrows with fish bone tips have been found 51 and they are clearly shown in the Middle Kingdom sarcophagi representations 52 .
One bronze arrowhead that has been found dates to the New Kingdom (fig. 4.5.). It is so badly corroded, however, that it is hardly possible to distinguish its original shape 53 . Another fragment of an arrow is a v-shaped
40 Emery, Hemaka , 45 ff. 41 Petrie, RT II, 34-35. 42 E.g. Tarkhan I and Memphis V, 25, pls. IX.14-18 and X.7. 43 Dahchour I, 108 and fig. 255; É. Chassinat and Ch. Palanque: Une campagne de fouilles dans la nécropole d’Assiout , MIFAO 24, Le Caire 1911, 18 and pl. II.3; Gizeh and Rifeh , 20 and pl. X F; B.T. Trope, St. Quirke and P. Lacovara: Excavating Egypt , Atlanta 2005, 189, no. 147A. 44 Lacau, op. cit. , pl. XLI.215, 218-219. 45 Lacau, op. cit. , pl. XLII.239-240. 46 Lacau, op. cit. , pl. XLI.220. 47 M.G. Daressy: Fouilles de la vallée des Rois, Catalogue général des antiquités égyptiennes du musée du Caire N os 24001- 24990 , Le Caire 1902, 34 ff. and pl. XII. 48 Wolf, op. cit. , 85 and fig. 57. 49 Davies, Ken-Am ūn I, pl. LIII. Compare also the representations on the sarcophagi: Lacau, loc. cit., pl. XLII.238 (=CG 28094 (63)). 50 Th. Hikade: Die lithischen Industrien des Alten Reiches auf Elephantine , MDAIK 58 (2002), 305-322. 51 Emery, Hemaka , 45 f. Compare also the predynastic example from Maadi: A. von den Driesch, Untersuchungen der Tierknochen , in: U. Hartung et al.: Vorbericht über die neuen Untersuchungen in der prädynastischen Siedlung von Maadi, MDAIK 59 (2003), 193 f. 52 Lacau, op. cit. , pl. XLI.220. 53 Exc.-No. 23602K/a-2, copper/bronze, corroded, New Kingdom.
e) Javelin: A badly corroded lancelet head of a javelin was found in the layers of a 17 th Dynasty context (fig. 4.9.) 56 . According to parallels it must have originally had a long tang, but this is not preserved 57 .A javelin with such a head has been found in the fill of the tomb of Senenmut 58 . It has a length of about 1,40 m and was made with a wooden handle and a reed shaft. The handle extends 1/3 of the length of the weapon and ends in a small ball-shaped pommel of ebony or ivory. The first 15 cm of the pommel is wrapped with red and yellow bark stripes to create a decorative handle. A representation of this kind of javelin can be seen in a lion hunting scene at Medinet Habu 59 , and other representations are connected with military scenes 60 .
f) Butt of a lance: A bronze butt was found dating to the early 18 th Dynasty (fig. 4.10.) 61 . This was stuck on the lower end of a lance to protect it and provide the opportunity to stick the lance shaft into the ground without damage.
62 A similar piece of unknown provenance was published by PETRIE . It seems that there are no parallels older than the Late Period. However, butts can be seen in representations dating from the Middle Kingdom onwards 63 .
g) Harpoon: A barbed harpoon was found, dating to the middle of the 12 th Dynasty, which was clearly used for hunting (fig. 4.11.) 64 . Of this composite weapon, only the bronze head with a square section and a single barb are preserved.
In contrast to fish spears the heads of harpoons are fixed to a rope. At the other end of this rope is a float 65 . The head itself is loosely fitted into the shaft and detaches itself when an animal is hit. The float gives the hunter the possibility of following the animal underwater and avoids the loss of the harpoon due to missing the animal or if it works loose from the animal’s body.
Barbed harpoons were used for the hunting of hippopotami and crocodiles. Hippopotamus bones from the settlement of Elephantine dating to the Old and Middle Kingdom show that the nutritious meat of hippopotami
54 Exc.-No. 18613H/b-10, wood, New Kingdom. 55 Davies, Ken-Am ūn I, pl. LIII. 56 Exc.-No. 17606K-3, copper/bronze, corroded, 17 th dyn. 57 E.g. Petrie, Tools and Weapons , pl. XLII 183. 58 A. Lansing and W.C. Hayes: The Museum’s Excavation at Thebes , BMMA II, January 1937, 12 and fig. 22; Hayes, Scepter II, 212. 59 W. Wreszinski: Löwenjagd im Alten Ägypten , Leipzig 1932, fig. 39. 60 E.g. Lepsius, Denkmäler III, Bl. 127 and 130. 61 Exc.-No. 18602E-1, copper/bronze, corroded, 18 th dyn. 62 Petrie, Tools and Weapons , pl. XL.179. 63 Beni Hassan I, pl. 16; W. Spiegelberg and A. Erman: Grabstein eines syrischen Söldners aus Tell Amarna , ZÄS 36 (1898), 127 and pl. 17. 64 Exc.-No. 16103K-2, copper/bronze, 12 th dyn. 65 E.g. Vandier, Manuel IV, fig. 430.
The hunting of crocodiles is, after the Predynastic Period, 67 only represented once in an illustration in a Book of the Dead dating from the 18 th Dynasty 68 . Written sources mention it mainly in Dendera and Edfu 69 .
h) Throwing stick: A wooden throwing stick is dated by its archaeological context to the 18 th Dynasty (fig. 4.12) 70 . It has a circular handle which ends in a pommel. The opposite side has an oval section and is, in the last third of its length, slightly curved. In Egypt the throwing stick was mainly used for hunting, especially for fowling 71 . Egyptian soldiers are very rarely represented with this weapon, unlike Semitic and Nubian soldiers 72 .
Conclusions: To account for the relatively small number of weapons found at Elephantine, the conditions of preservation have to be taken in consideration. There are many finds of organic material at Elephantine, but their preservation is in different areas of the island with better conditions of preservation. Weapons made from organic material will not necessarily have been preserved. Additionally, broken pieces of weapons, or disused weapons, might have been disposed of outside the settlement or used as fuel. Because of the relatively high value of copper and bronze and simple available techniques of recycling this material most of the bronze weapons must have been melted down and the metal reused.
A determination of the distinction between military or hunting weapons is furthermore possible only in some cases, because most types of weapons were used for a variety of different purposes. In general, however, the inventory does not possess a distinctive military character.
P. Kopp
VIII. Seal Impressions of the Old Kingdom (fig. 5-6)
Cylinder seals are used for sealing bullae or jar stoppers: objects with convex surface. In most cases only a small part of the entire text of a seal is preserved. For a reconstruction of any text found on a seal, several fragments are usually needed and a complete survey of the surviving material is necessary. The study of the cylinder seal impressions found at Elephantine dating to the Old Kingdom was resumed in spring 2006. The material examined consists of four groups: a) recent finds of the 27 th -35 th season (ca. 300 fragments); b) fragments that were published by J.-P. Pätznick (665 fragments) 73 ; c) unpublished fragments from 1 st -26 th season
66 J. Boessneck and A. von den Driesch, Studien an subfossilen Tierknochen aus Ägypten , MÄS 40, München/Berlin 1982, 91. 67 E.g. J. De Morgan: Recherches sur les origines de l’Égypte I, Paris 1896, 162, fig. 488.23. 68 S. Wenig: Das Grab des Soldatenschreibers Hwj , in: Festschrift Ägyptisches Museum Berlin , Berlin 1975, 241-242 and pl. 32c. 69 Hopfner, Tierkult , 131 ff. 70 Exc.-No. 17603Z/a-4, wood, 18 th dyn., e. g. Hayes, Scepter I, p. 284 and fig. 181. 71 See B. George: Die altägyptischen Wurfhölzer , in: Bulletin Medelhavsmuseet 15 (1980), 15, n. 32. 72 Beni Hassan I, pl. 30; Dahchour I, pl. XX; Wresz., Atlas I.23; Wresz., Atlas II.7-8, 164. 73 For previous work on that material, cf. J.-P. Pätznick, Die Siegelabrollungen und Rollsiegel der Stadt Elephantine im 3. Jahrtausend v. Chr. Spurensicherung eines archäologischen Artefaktes , BAR International Series 1339, Oxford 2005.
(several hundred fragments); d) 12 fragments from House 2, belonging to the depositions of the first sanctuary of Heqaib and other high-ranking persons of the Old Kingdom 74 .
fig.5: Seal impression with horus-name of Snofru, from Area XXX.
fig.6: Seal impression with title of an overseer of Elephantine, 4 th dyn., from Area XXX.
74 A. Dorn, Les objets d´un dépôt de sanctuaire (hwt-k3) à Éléphantine et leur utilisation rituelle , in : L. Pantalacci / C. Berger-el-Naggar, Des Néferkarê aux Monthouhotep , Travaux de la maison de l´orient et de la méditerranée 40, Lyon 2005, 129-143; id., Die Funde aus dem älteren Hq3-jb-Heiligtum auf Elephantine , unpubl. Lizensiatsarbeit, Universität Basel, 2000; C. von Pilgrim, The Practise of Sealing in the Administration of the First Intermediate Period and the Middle Kingdom , in: CRIPEL 22 (2002), 161-172.
The primary focus of this year’s work was the recently found group of 300 fragments which can be dated from the Late 2nd Dynasty to the reign of Pepi I. Among them, several fragments are from an administrative seal of King Snofru (fig. 5).
Besides mentioning his horus-name, the seal also contains the overseer’s title within the fortress of Elephantine- the latter written inside an oval ring. Another seal-impression of the early 4 th Dynasty attests to the name of the “fortress” at Elephantine (fig. 6).
The investigations of the forthcoming season will mainly deal with palaeographical and lexicographical problems and aim to answer crucial questions as to the provenance of the finds, and the function and the social context of the authorities responsible for making the seals.
IX. Leather objects
Research on the leather finds from Elephantine during March 2006 focussed, as in previous seasons, on the description of all known leather finds from the site (with an emphasis on their material technology) photographic documentation, basic conservation and packing. In total 28 specialist numbers have been given to the material, often sub-divided into groups.
As in previous seasons, all newly discovered remains are fragmentary, although there are a few examples of almost complete footwear. However, these were always broken into pieces. Most of the material is fragile and needs careful handling. Although the detailed analysis and study of comparanda will only start when all the finds have been described (a task to be completed next season), a few finds are worth mentioning here. All these examples are pieces of footwear, the most important leather objects in the Elephantine assemblage.
Largely complete sandals of probably Late Roman date are EL-072c (Exc.-No. 290), EL-073a (Exc.-No. 640) and EL-076 (Exc.-No. 3113). EL-072c is a small sandal consisting of an insole and a tread sole. The heel is slightly constricted in shape, while the sandal increases in width towards the front (the front most part is not preserved). The pre-strap is inserted through two slits in the insole; the tread sole has no slits and obscures the insertions, thus protecting the strap from wear. The soles are sewn together with leather tongue stitches along the perimeter and with one row longitudinally down the centre. The insole is decorated with circular motives. EL- 073a is an incomplete sandal, consisting of one sole. A long pre-strap protrudes at the constriction of the heel. This is wound with a strip of leather, which ends in an eye and includes another (comparable?) protrusion as well as the back strap. The last example is EL-076 which is a small sandal consisting of one thick sole. The heel is rounded and slightly constricted. Towards the front the width increases. The outer edge runs with a smooth curve towards a pronounced big toe. The pre-strap is of a normal design but here it is pulled through the thickness of leather, without going completely through it; a construction not often encountered. The straps are attached to the pre-strap in usual way.
The above examples prove once again the importance of the Elephantine leather assemblage. Next season, the research will focus on the description of the remaining items, as well as the identification of the leather and the process of making leather from hide.
Veldmeijer/ E. Endenburg
X. Textiles of 3 r d , 2 n d and 1 s t Millennium BC
During March-April 2006, an examination of previously unstudied textiles from the administrative building complex of the Old Kingdom (from the 29 th , 30 th and 31 st seasons) was completed, and material excavated from this area during the 32 nd , 33 rd , 34 th , and 35 th seasons was also studied. A collection of textiles from former excavations 75 was sorted and examined, beginning with finds from the 14 th campaign. Miscellaneous fragments from excavations as early as the 11 th season were also studied.
The material consists of small fragments of linen, mostly mud-covered, fragile and generally degraded, which required extremely careful handling to avoid disintegration. Where possible, technical details such as spin direction, yarn count and diameter, and fibre type were recorded with the aid of a Leica MZ6 stereomicroscope, with a magnification range between 6.3x and 64x. The textiles from the Old and Middle Kingdom palace continue to show evidence of reuse, as previously reported 76 . This is consistent with their location in the workshop areas, in the bakery and in debris layers. The reused textiles were divided according to their probable secondary use based on function, e.g., textile stoppers for jars, twisted lamp wicks, and applicators for the red and yellow slip used in the production of bread moulds and bread. Hems and seams on many of the fragments identified their primary use as clothing or household items, and provided information on sewing methods.
Textiles from two intact, wrapped First Dynasty burials from the 35 th campaign provided rare and valuable information on early textile technology. The textiles were a good, medium quality, an assessment based on the ratio of the number of yarns per square centimetre to the diameter of the yarns. Although there were no ultra-fine textiles amongst them, they were extremely evenly woven and the preparation of the flax fibre was excellent. The yarns were well spun, with a medium twist and a generally even diameter. They were mostly single, spun in the ‘S’ ( \ ) direction, typical of Egyptian textiles from approximately Naqada IIb77 . Before this time all Egyptian yarns, beginning in the early Neolithic, were spun in the ‘Z’ direction ( / ) and were then doubled by twisting them together in the ‘S’ direction. On visual inspection, these First Dynasty yarns all appeared to be doubled, single ‘S’ spun yarns. However, under magnification it became clear that the majority of the yarns were singles, spun in the new ‘S’ direction. The bundles of individual fibres in the yarn had begun to separate at the crown of the yarn, giving the impression of two ‘S’ spun yarns twisted together. This was a feature of most of the textiles from both burials. It had been reported that mid-First Dynasty textiles from Tarkhan were woven of “doubled” yarns 78 , but this assessment may not be entirely accurate in the light of the evidence from Elephantine.
The female burial (35101 F/k) was covered with a large linen shroud (Textile A) that extended over the edges of the papyrus coffin. It was draped, folded and tucked over and around the body, and appears to have been doubled over at least once. This was especially apparent from several layers which adhered to arm and leg bones. It was golden brown, very evenly woven, medium quality linen.
75 M. Ziermann, Elephantine XVI . Befestigungsanlegen und Stadtentwicklung in der Frühzeit und im frühen Alten Reich , Mainz 1993. 76 J. Jones, in: Dreyer et al., Stadt und Tempel von Elephantine , 31./32. Grabungsbericht , in: MDAIK 61 (2005), 128-132. 77 Id., Pre- and Early Dynastic Textiles. Technology, Specialisation and Administration during the Process of State Formation , in: B. Midant-Reynes and Y. Tristant, (eds) Proceedings of the International Conference “Origin of the State. Predynastic and Early Dynastic Egypt”, Toulouse, 5 th to 8 th September, 2005 , Leuven 2006 (in press). 78 W.W. Midgley, in: W.M.F. Petrie & E. Mackay, Heliopolis, Kafr Ammar and Shurafa , London 1915, 49.
A crescent-shaped object of tightly modelled, blackened textile lay in the pelvic region of the body. Microscopic examination showed that it was probably made from the same textile as the outer shroud. A 2cm length of a very fine rolled hem was visible. Visually the textile appeared to be finer than it actually was because of the shrinkage of the yarns, either due to the corrosive effects of body fluids, or to impregnation with some unidentified substance that enabled the shape to be modelled. The function of this object is not known.
A small quantity of a second textile (B) also appears to have been used in the wrapping process. Although visually it appears to be the same quality as Textile A, it has some minor differences: the yarns are slightly thicker and the thread count is slightly lower. Closer examination shows that it was probably woven to the same specification and quality as Textile A, but on a different loom, or by a different weaver. It is darkly stained, with knots and ties consistent with having been wrapped loosely around body parts. Sections of a finely stitched rolled hem remain, indicating re-use of a household object or garment. This textile appears to be similar, if not identical, to one of the wrappings from the male burial (35101 F/h Textile C). The possibility of use of the same textile in both burials is still the subject of enquiry, in consultation with the physical anthropologists who unwrapped the burials.
The male (35101 F/h) was more elaborately wrapped, with approximately three times more textiles than the female. At least three different quality textiles have been identified. Textile A, a golden-yellow medium quality, was draped over the upper body, extending from the lumbar region to cover the contracted arms. It was carefully folded to form loose horizontal pleats. A fine, rolled and whipped, hem was visible on one long edge and one short edge of the textile. A decorative band approximately 4 cm wide was at the weft (narrow) end of the textile. A decoration of ‘eyelets’ appears to have been produced by the insertion of a supplementary weft of a fibre such as wool, which has since deteriorated to leave no trace. Alternatively the ‘wool’ may have been removed before burial, or the ‘eyelets’ may have been formed by the insertion of a rod during weaving, or even beading. In one section of the draped cloth, the pleated folds were held in place by loose stitching with cabled thread. This textile may have originally been a cloak.
Textile B, a slightly coarser but also evenly woven textile, was tightly wrapped and knotted around the limbs. Some body parts were individually wrapped, whilst others (such as the head) were simply covered. The colour is variable, from light to dark, according to the degree of impregnation by body fluids and balsams. A length of 2.5 cm wide, twisted weft fringe was found on one of the larger fragments. This textile comprises the largest quantity.
Textile C was clearly a reused garment, indicated by finely stitched rolled hems, fine tucks and seams, including a length of plain seam with two edges sewn together, one of which was fringed. It was medium quality, similar to Textile A. Although it is impossible to reconstruct the garment from the available fragments, the fringed edge and fine tucks show similarities to elements of the First Dynasty dress from Tarkhan Mastaba 2050 (Petrie Museum, University College London UC 29614). The garment may have been laid over the lower part of the body, as well as being cut up to wrap some of the body parts. This is the textile that may have also been used in the female burial (35101 F/k Textile B). It comprises the second largest quantity.
Textile D comprised small fragments of a very fine, clean textile, otherwise unaccounted for in the wrappings. It is possible that it was intrusive, from the debris above the burials.
Textile E was pieces of a coarse, loosely woven, reddish-brown textile. It was assumed to be the remnants of the grain sack that had been placed under the head of the body, and had been dispersed by rats.
The linens showed signs of impregnation with bodily fluids and/or some type of balsams. The only exception was Textile A, which was very clean except for small sections where it had been tucked under the body. The possibility was raised that the body had been de-fleshed before burial because of the apparent wrapping of the spine, with the textile extending between the vertebrae.
However, traces of desiccated skin and body tissue were found attached to fragments of Textile B that had been removed from the bones. Although colour differentiation clearly indicates application of balsams, there was no trace of resins in the wrappings of either body.
A final season’s study is required to complete the analysis of Middle and New Kingdom material from earlier missions, and Late Period material from recent excavations.
J. Jones
XI. Textiles of 1 s t Millennium AD
The second study mission on Roman, Byzantine and Early Islamic textiles took place from the 15 th of March to the 7 th of April 2006 79 . The purpose of the 2 nd mission was to study the fragments found during the two last seasons’ excavations in the housing area of the Khnum temple, and the textiles found during previous excavations. 501 fragments (textiles and cords) were examined and cleaned.
Wool is the prevailing fibre (383 fragments); only 63 pieces in linen have been found and they seem to come from specified locations and strata. Tabby weave is largely prevailing, but many of them have weft bands. Compared with the results of the 1 st mission, fewer checked tabbies and fewer tapestries were found, but a larger range of techniques were identified. For example, twills, diamond twills, samite (compound twill), taqueté (compound tabby), and a fragment of embroidered tabby were all present. The difference between the results of the 1 st and the 2 nd mission is not accidental, but must be due to chronological and locational differences.
After the 1 st mission in 2003, contact was made with other teams working on textiles from similar sites such as Mons Claudianus. Lise Bender-Jorgensen and Ulla Mannering kindly responded and gave us the information on their database. Up to now, the Elephantine textile database contains 962 entries, and the large number of fragments found within a limited well-stratified area will allow important information on Upper Egypt textiles to be collected.
R. Cortopassi
XII. Human skeletons
The work on the skeletons found in the island necropolis of Elephantine during the 7th-11 th and 21 st season was continued in spring 2006. Most burials can be dated to the late Old Kingdom. In total, the remains of 107 individuals have been studied. Among them are 14 children, 10 juveniles and 83 adults (44 females, 21 males, 42 undeterminable).
Sinusitis maxillaris (inflammatory processes) is once again frequently found with adults and may occur among children. In most cases the inflammatory process of the sinus was provoked by respiratory disease and in
Fractures of long bones (e.g. fibula radius and ulna) and of the hands and feet, as well as fractures of ribs, are common pathological features. Skull-traumata were found among men, women and, for the first time, among children as well.
Severe degenerative disease of the spinal column and of the joints of long bones (as well as of the hands and feet) were observed probably due to physical strain. Dental caries was not common, although periodontal diseases were frequently observed (many apical abscesses).
M. Schultz, J. Gresky, O. Kozak, N. Roumelis
XIII. Rock inscriptions (Pl. VI-VII)
From 20.12.2006 till 7.1.2007 the recording of rock inscriptions was continued. The focus was laid this year on inscriptions in the southern glacis of the old centre of Syene and inscriptions that are related to inscriptions appearing on Elephantine. These texts are found to both sides of the ancient road leading from Syene/Aswan to Shellal, now situated between the TV-Station of Aswan and the Nubian Museum. They have already been studied by the mission in past seasons, and this year’s work consisted of corrections and additions to the facsimile drawings.
The corpus contains about 50 texts, half of them dating to the Middle Kingdom, the other half datable to the New Kingdom. In several cases, inscriptions from these two periods were made at the same spot, the one covering the other. The epigraphical study was able to decipher most parts of the preserved inscriptions and will contribute considerably to the so far rather poor understanding of these texts.
As suggested after last season’s work 80 , the majority of inscriptions of the Middle Kingdom were made by members of the army, amongst whom were officers of different ranks. The context for these inscriptions is, on the one hand, the protection of trade routes in the region of the first cataract and, on the other hand, the military expeditions that were made to Lower Nubia.
The inscriptions of the New Kingdom were made by a wider variety of persons and professionals. The viceroys of Nubia are the highest ranking officials that can be identified in this group of texts. Merimes, Iuni and Hori, holders of this office in the 18 th Dynasty and in the Ramesside Period, are attested. Their subordinates, people engaged in working the quarries of Aswan, and finally representatives of the local priesthood also used the rocks on the way to Shellal for mainly short texts consisting of a name and title and abbreviated prayer formulas. These prayers differ from those datable to the Middle Kingdom: the earlier texts are close to the
79 For previous work see R. Cortopassi, Coptic Textiles, in: D. Raue et al., Report on the 33 rd season of excavation and restoration on the island of Elephantine , in: ASAE (in press). 80 For previous work see St. Seidlmayer, Rock inscriptions , in: D. Raue et al., op.cit , in: ASAE (in press).
The inscriptions of the New Kingdom differ considerably from these. The texts are mainly directed to Amun and the triad of Elephantine, and sometimes Mut and Khonsu are also incorporated. The depiction of officials is generally in the attitude of praying (Pl. VII) in front of these gods or adoring the royal cartouches. This change should be interpreted within the context of general shift in beliefs towards the late 2 nd millennium BC.
A second group of inscriptions, found much closer to the river south of the Old-Cataract hotel, was also examined. A couple of inscriptions, datable from the Middle Kingdom to the Late Period, have already been described in earlier publications. Most of these texts were duplicated and a preliminary analysis proved that the texts are still poorly understood and documented. Consequently, these texts shall be the object of further investigation in the forthcoming season.
This season’s work illustrated, once again, how crucial such texts are for the understanding of the complementary rock-inscriptions on Elephantine Island. The different social groups in the various branches of civil and military administration, the personnel of the quarries and the cults of the large island sanctuaries are all present in both groups of texts and thus form a single contextual unit.
Stephan J. Seidlmayer
Abstract
During the 2005/2006 season at Elephantine excavation work focussed on the area of the temple of Khnum and some other minor investigations. Additional evidence for building complexes of the 6 th dynasty, Middle Kingdom settlements, and habitations of the Third Intermediate Period was gathered. The architectural history of the Khnum Temple continued to be examined, with special attention being paid to the houses south of the temple. Additionally, the study of finds (small finds, pottery of the Roman and Late Roman Period, lithics, textiles, leather objects, human skeletons, animal bones and botanical finds) was continued. Restoration work concentrated on the building complex of the late Old Kingdom.
Pl. I: Area XXXI / courtyard of temple of Khnum- rooms of the building complex of stratum XVIII and its usage in the earlier 1 st Intermediate Period.
Pl. II: Area XXXIV - burial of 1 st Dynasty.
Pl. III: Temple of Khnum - blocks of the New Kingdom and Late Periods
Pl. IV: Temple of Khnum - blocks from the sanctuary of the 18 th Dynasty.
Pl. V: Area II, doorjamb of Seti II.
Pl. VI: Aswan, road to Shellal - rock inscription of a military officer, seated like the deceased in front of offering table, Middle Kingdom.
Pl. VII: Aswan, road to Shellal - rock inscription of the priest Bakenchonsu, adoring the triad of the temple of Karnak, Amun-Mut-Khonsu, New Kingdom.