Mersa/Wadi Gawasis 2007-2008 Kathryn A. Bard and Rodolfo Fattovich With contributions by: Mohammed Badr, Ksenija Borojevic, Claire Calcagno, Alfredo Carannante, Duncan FitzGerald, Rainer Gerisch, Christopher Hein, Giulio Lucarini, Ilaria Incordino, Elsayed Mahfouz, Andrea Manzo, Pasquale Musella, Tracy Spurrier, Stefano Tilia, André J. Veldmeijer, Sally Wallace-Jones, and Chiara Zazzaro Introduction In December 2007-January 2008 the Archaeological Expedition of the University of Naples “l’Orientale” (UNO), Naples, and the Italian Institute for Africa and Orient (IsIAO), Rome, in collaboration with Boston University (BU), Boston (USA) conducted the seventh field season at the site of Mersa/Wadi Gawasis, Red Sea (Egypt), under the direction of Prof. Rodolfo Fattovich (UNO/IsIAO) and Prof. Kathryn Bard (BU). The team in the field included Italian, American, Egyptian, British, German, Austrian, and Dutch personnel with different areas of specialization (archaeology, nautical archaeology, epigraphy, geoarchaeology, geology, paleoethnobotany, malacology, and topography). 1 Mr. Ayman Hendy Amin represented the Supreme Council of Antiquities in the field, and greatly supported our fieldwork. The site of Mersa/Wadi Gawasis is located 23 km to the south of the modern port of Safaga, on the top and along the slopes of a fossil coral terrace, which delimits the lower Wadi Gawasis to the north. Former excavations along the western slope of the terrace provided evidence of the use of Mersa Gawasis as the pharaonic port used for voyages to Punt from the early Middle Kingdom to the early New Kingdom (see Bard and Fattovich 2007, Fattovich and Bard 2007). In 2007-08 investigations were conducted only in the western sector of the site (Wadi Gawasis), and focused on the western slope of the coral terrace and the so-called “harbor area” between the wadi and the southeastern slope of the terrace. Ten samples of charcoal, wood and shells were collected to be submitted to the IFAO Radiocarbon Laboratory, Cairo, for a radiometric dating, which is in progress. Geology, and Archaeozoology M. Badr, A. Carannante, D. FitzGerald and C. Hein 1 Expedition members in 2007-08 were: Prof. Kathryn Bard, archaeologist; Prof. Rodolfo Fattovich, archaeologist; Mr. Mohamed Badr, geologist; Dr. Claire Calcagno, maritime archaeologist; Dr. Alfredo Carannante, malacologist and geoarchaeologist; Prof. Otto Cichocki, dendrocronologist; Dr. Andrea D’Andrea, computer specialist; Mr. Carlos de La Fuente, photographer; Prof. Duncan FitzGerald, geologist; Mr. Rainer Gerisch, paleobotanist; Mr. Christopher Hein, geologist; Mr. Giancarlo Iannone, computer specialist; Ms. Ilaria Incordino, Egyptologist; Dr. Giulio Lucarini, lithic analyst; Prof. Elsayed Mahfouz, epigrapher; Mr. Pasquale Musella, conservator; Ms. Tracy Spurrier, archaeologist; Mr. Stefano Tilia, surface surveyor; Dr. André J. Veldmeijer, rope analyst; Dr. Sally Wallace-Jones, ceramic analyst; Mr. John Wallace-Jones, ceramic illustrator; Dr. Chiara Zazzaro, archaeologist. Geological investigations were conducted in order to assess the structural stability of the caves and demonstrated that the coral terrace exhibits a complex system of fractures which will have to be carefully monitored for preservation of the site. Coastal geological investigations were conducted along the wadi bed and the base of the southern and western slopes of the terrace. These investigations support the hypothesis that the mouth of Wadi Gawasis was originally a lagoon. Geoarchaeological investigations in the harbour area provided evidence of a sequence of sea beaches which were occupied during the Middle Kingdom. Geology M. Badr Introduction Mersa/Wadi Gawasis lies along the Red Sea coastal plain, a relatively narrow (2-15 km wide) zone lies between the Precambrian basement rocks and the Red Sea shoreline. It is composed of Phanerozoic rocks of Quaternary, Tertiary and Cretaceous clastic and carbonate formations that are unconformably overlaid by the Precambrian metavolcanics, metasediments, and intrusive rocks comprising the Red Sea Hills. For approximately 25 million years, this region has been subjected to syn- and post rift sedimentation along the Red Sea rift zone. The substrate encompassing the occupation site developed during the late Quaternary in the proximity to coral reefs and shallow-water carbonate and clastic sedimentation under arid conditions of the Red Sea coastal plain. Wadi Gawasis is located approximately 500 m from the present shoreline. The site consists of topographically subdued Quaternary deposits. The strata are sub- horizontal to gently eastwardly dipping; Pleistocene reef terraces are overlain by the Holocene fluvial and colluvial deposits, creating a narrow plateau along this stretch of the Red Sea coastline. This plateau is drained by westerly flowing, highly infrequent discharge events from Wadi Gawasis. Stratigraphy Late Pleistocene / Early Holocene facies in the study area are represented by a series of carbonate reef strata interbedded with siliciclastic deposits. Three or four distinct siliciclastic / coral terraces, each up to 15 m thick, were identified in the study area. A NNW-SSE trending fault scarp forms a prominent marine cliff, located between 10 and 16 m above mean sea level, where the caves are located. The stratigraphy of the Quaternary (Pleistocene and Holocene) facies at the site can be subdivided into the following stratgraphic units: 1) Early conglomerate terrace 2) Calcareous sand 3) Raised coral reef limestone 4) Alluvial conglomerate terrace 1) Early conglomerate terrace: This unit is multicolored, partially compact, with a variable thickness and uneven contacts with adjacent units. The various clasts that compose this unit are derived from the neighboring basement and pre-Quaternary rocks. These clasts are poorly sorted, matrix-supported, composed of rounded to well rounded pebbles, cobbles or boulders, up to 25 cm in diameter. The matrix is calcareous sand, silt and mica. 2) Calcareous sand: The calcareous sand unit is up to 1.5 m thick, yellow-grey in color, partially compact, and coarse- to very coarse–grained with occasional pebbles. It consists of semi-consolidated quartz, pink and white feldspars, dark grey to green mafic ferro- magnesium minerals and mica, cemented by carbonate. This unit is argillaceous at the base becoming calcareous toward the upper part of the sequence. 3) Raised coral reef limestone: The coral reef limestone is yellowish white to yellow in color, hard, porous and caverneous associated with an uneven surface. Carbonate-rich fossils (coral reefs, molluscs, echinoids, and shell fragments) as well as algae and rock fragments are often found within this unit. A 1-m thick conglomerate forms the base of this unit. Coral reefs are structures produced by the organic secretion of aragonite (a form of calcium carbonate). The ancient raised coral reefs of Wadi Gawasis are located above the present shoreline and were elevated to their present position above mean high water either by local crustal movements (uplifted) or by lowering of the sea level (these hypotheses are developed more fully by FitzGerald and Hein, this report). 4) Alluvial conglomerate terrace: The alluvial conglomerate terrace unevenly overlies the uppermost part of the coral reef limestone. It is composed of subangular to subrounded clasts, derived from local Precambrian basement and late Mesozoic and Cenezoic sedimentary rocks, in a sand with silty clay matrix. Quaternary sediments were deposited in a brackish or highly saline marine environment. Structural Geology Mersa/Wadi Gawasis is located within a fault/fracture system associated with the Red Sea rift. The faults have two primary orientations: NNW-SSE to NW-SE and NE-SW Caves 2, 3, 4 and 5 were structurally investigated. They are extremely dissected by five major fractures dating to the late Pleistocene/early Holocene, and are associated with about four additional minor fractures (Figure 1). The predominant trend is NW-SE. They are characterized by several bifurcations at different heights with orientations ranging from 10 o and 85° for the same fracture. Several masses and blocks have experienced gravity collapse as a result of weaknesses associated with these intersecting fractures. In some locations, these fractures intersect the subhorizontal bedding at the studied outcrop breaking apart units and leaving these sections precariously perched. As an example of the present situation, slight movements were observed forming a narrow space between the fractured blocks along a secondary NNE-SSW fault/fracture plane. Coastal Geology D. FitzGerald and C. Hein Introduction Coastal geological studies were conducted at the Mersa/Wadi Gawasis archaeological site from 3-10 January, 2008. The primary objective of this work was to determine the geologic setting of the Wadi Gawasis site at the time of occupation, 4000 years before present (BP). Field studies accomplished during the 2006-07 field season concluded that a bay once existed in the area presently occupied by Wadi Gawasis. The occupation site is located south of the coralline cliffs along the margin of the paleo-bay (see Fattovich and Bard 2007: Paleoenvironment). During this first field season, 28 augers cores were taken along eight transects (3-4 holes per transect, generally spaced ~10 m apart). Eight of these were cored in pre-excavated archaeological pits and the other 20 auger holes were cored in ~1m 3 pits pre-dug before augering. From these studies, a coralline/beach rock surface