NEKHEN NEWS Published for The Friends of Nekhen Volume 19 Fall, 2007 A New Pillared Hall at HK6 In This Issue Hierakonpolis 2006/2007 . 2 Fort Fantastic . 18 From Pillar to Post at Hierakonpolis . 3 Return to the C-Group: the Nubian Cemetery in 2007 . 20 Nothing is More Permanent Than a Posthole . 4 Who Was Buried in the C-Group Cemetery? . 23 Name That Plant: Identifying Incised Sherds From HK25 . 6 The World of Leather . 24 The Columned Hall at HK6 and Other Wonders . 7 Beer Capital of the South? Excavations at HK24B . 25 The Falcon Has Landed: Falcons in “The City of the Falcon” . 9 Okey-dokey! Big Pots and More Kilns at HK11C . 26 Eggciting Results . 10 Beer After Sheep? HK11C Squares A6-A7 in 2007 . 28 A Short History of Ostrich Eggs . 12 Another First for Hierakonpolis: Zombie Attack! . 29 Wine Drinking at HK6 . 13 A Contingency Plan for a Solanum Headless at Hierakonpolis . 14 Outbreak at Hierakonpolis . 29 Mapping 2007: Bigger and Better . 15 Mouse Patrol II . 30 Color Pages . 16 Membership . 31 43203_Nekhen News.indd 1 1/10/07 15:07:43 Hierakonpolis 2006/2007 Time Line Period Date BC Badarian 4400–4000 Naqada I 4000–3800 Naqada II 3800–3300 Naqada IIIAB 3300–3050 Unifi cation/Narmer 3050 Dynasty 1 3000–2890 Dynasty 2 2890–2686 Old Kingdom 2686–2160 First Intermediate 2160–2055 Middle Kingdom 2055–1650 Second Intermediate 1650–1550 New Kingdom 1550–1069 Third Intermediate 1069–656 Late period 664–332 Ptolemaic 332–30 Roman 30–AD395 The localities investigated this season. Thank you, thank you, thank you! NEKHEN NEWS is published for The Friends of Nekhen Th is season of remarkable discoveries and accomplishments would not have been possible without the generous support of the follow- ing friends and institutions, hailing from around the globe: Renée Friedman Director, Hierakonpolis Expedition Tom and Linda Heagy, Johnny Barth, David and Crennan Ray, Editor of the NEKHEN NEWS Francis Ahearne, Richard Fazzini, Ben and Pamela Harer, the Harer Email: [email protected] Dept. of Ancient Egypt & Sudan Family Trust, Carol McCanless, Dolores Schiff ert, the World Monu- The British Museum ments Fund administered Annenberg Program for Endangered Cultural London, WC1B 3DG, UK Tori Muir Spot-on Creative Heritage in the Developing World, Th e National Geographic Society, the Friends of Nekhen Design/Layout Middle East Studies Email: [email protected] Wenner-Gren Foundation, the Social Science and Humanities Research University of Arkansas Council of Canada, the Antiquities Endowment Fund of the American 202 Old Main All photographs copyright Fayetteville, AR 72701 USA Hierakonpolis Expedition Research Center in Egypt, the Michela Schiff Giorgini Foundation, the unless otherwise indicated. Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, the Takanashi Foundation for Arts and Archaeology, Archaeology Magazine and last but not least, www.hierakonpolis.org our many Friends of Nekhen. Th ank you one and all! Vol. 19 2007 2 443203_Nekhen3203_Nekhen News.inddNews.indd 2 11/10/07/10/07 15:07:5015:07:50 From Pillar to Post at Hierakonpolis — by Renée Friedman What a Season! Running non-stop from November 16, For a change, neither postholes nor industrial vats were 2006 to March 29, 2007, it was a long one to be sure, found at HK27C, the Middle Kingdom Nubian C-Group but it was never boring. With the variety of sites inves- cemetery, but within the 37 new tombs uncovered this tigated, ranging from predynastic season there was plenty to keep us pottery kilns to C-Group cem- enthralled (see pages 20-23). Al- etery, and the marvellous things though we were rarely the fi rst ones they contained, it is hard to pick a there, the burials in this unique ne- favorite. Although unique, each in cropolis still contained leather gar- their own way, amongst them there ments, decorated sandals, exquisite were some recurrent elements, for jewelry and much more. We can example, wood architecture. From now claim the largest collection pillar to post(hole) and everything of C-Group leather garments in in between, no predynastic local- existence, and preliminary study ity was free from them. Th e most showed they hold some remarkable impressive examples (even if only surprises (page 24). as negative impressions) were As the information gathered found at HK29B, where co-direc- from the various localities over the tor Th omas Hikade and his UCB years starts to come together into team explored more of the hefty a more coherent whole, now more enclosure wall that once surround- than ever, Hierakonpolis is becom- ed the early ceremonial precinct ing greater than the sum of its (pages 4–6). When it comes to part. Helping us get a grip on the architecture, the elite cemetery at Big Picture is our new topographic HK6 didn’t disappoint either, but Getting the measure of the C-Group. map, which now links the site all it never does. Excavations there re- the way to the river and beyond vealed not only a large hall outfi t- b b b b b (page 15). ted with 24 columns (cover), but Topping off the season was also a bevy of beautiful artefacts, the Fort, where things are really including another recruit for our coming together. Our methods army of fl int animals and a suit- and material now tried and test, able new addition to our collection the progress made this season is of “fi rsts”—Egypt’s earliest falcon! nothing short of breath-taking. (see pages 7–13). You won’t recognise the old dear, Th e other theme running as completion of the major gap through the season was industry. fi lls on the west wall have shaved Unprecedented insights into predy- at least two millennia off of its ap- nastic food and pottery production pearance. But this is more than just on an industrial scale were provided cosmetic surgery, it is really mak- by continued investigations back ing a diff erence and not a moment in the wadi at HK11C in squares too soon as we also discovered (see B4–5 and A6–7 and new work in- pages 18–21). stigated at HK24B, close to the des- To all the many Friends and ert’s edge. Although the identity of funding bodies that made this ex- the cereal-based food product made The thrill of discovery: the new ibex at HK6. hausting but exhilarating season in such vast quantities remains to possible, I wish to express my grati- be determined, comparison of the three sites reveals some tude for allowing us the privilege to work at such an im- surprising similarities in predynastic pyrotechnology along portant and always amazing site. Th ank you again for your with some very intriguing diff erences (pages 25–28). support and trust. Vol. 19 2007 3 443203_Nekhen3203_Nekhen News.inddNews.indd 3 11/10/07/10/07 15:07:5115:07:51 Nothing is More Permanent Than a Posthole — by Thomas Hikade, University of British Columbia Th e archaeological truism of the title, coined by the German prehistorian and “discoverer” of the posthole, Carl Schuchardt (1859–1943), has become a real motto for the UCB team working at HK29B, the area just to the northeast of the ceremonial center at HK29A. Last season we discovered a group of ten enormous postholes (Nekhen News 18: 4–5), so large that they are even visible from space! Seemingly ar- ranged in an oval, beside them we came across the upper part of a foundation trench for a long wall aligned almost parallel with the oval court at HK29A, making it quite likely that at HK29B we have found the enclosure for the precinct around this important complex. In December 2006 we resumed our work in the area of the large postholes with the aim of fully excavating the trench. Following the wall trench in both a northwest Rick Coleman recording one of many posthole at HK29B. and southeast direction, at the bottom we found a series of postholes measuring around 30–40cm in diameter and at least 40m and was composed of two sections of almost sunk up to 40–50cm deep into the trench fl oor. Given their equal length. Th e southern section contained a series of size, it is safe to say that what they formed was no simple 32 smaller postholes that ended with a large posthole in picket-fence but, in fact, a major palisade. Although the square FVIII. Th e northern section of the palisade con- deposits were disturbed and eroded at both the north and tinued along the same alignment, but was shifted to the south end, our excavations show that the palisade ran for northeast by about 1m. Th is section contains 23 clearly visible postholes. While the postholes were not as obvious at its north end, it was possible to detect that the founda- tion trench made a sharp, almost 90º turn and ended in a large posthole in square HXI. Th is layout fi nds a close parallel in the gateway entrance into the HK29A courtyard and further suggests this could be the outer entrance to the large sacred space encompassing that establishment. In addition to all of the postholes in the wall trench itself, to the east of it many large postholes were found. Th ere are now at least 19 large postholes adjacent to the northern section of the palisade in squares G IX–X and F IX–X, and several more to the south, but in contrast to what we believed in 2005, they do not create a recognizable pattern. Th e large postholes generally have a diameter of 90–100cm at the top and about 80cm at the bottom, with a depth from the modern surface of up to 140cm.