Gebelein Archaeological Project 2019: Pathyris and the cemeteries in East Gebelein and the Chert Survey in West Gebelein Wojciech Ejsmond1 Julia M. Chyla2 Piotr Witkowski3 Abstract: Fieldwork in early 2019 by the Gebelein Archaeological Dawid F. Wieczorek4 Project encompassed surveys of two cemeteries situated south 5 of the ancient town of Per-Hathor/Pathyris in the area of the Daniel Takács 6 Eastern Mountain of Gebelein. One of these is dated to the Old Arkadiusz Ostasz Kingdom and the First Intermediate Period, the other tentatively Elżbieta Ostasz7 to Fatimid times. The third survey searched for local chert Lena Tambs8 sources on the Western Mountain, investigating a local tradition Sylwia Buławka9 of lithic tool production. Vincent Oeters10 Fatma Farag Abdelhay11 Keywords: Gebelein, Pathyris, survey, GIS, Ptolemaic, Fatimid 1 Institute of Mediterranean and Oriental Cultures, PAS 3, 6, 7, 11 Independent researchers 2 The Gebelein Archaeological Project strives to augment Antiquity of Southeastern Europe Research Centre, University of the understanding of the archaeological topography of Warsaw the area of the Eastern Mountain through archaeological 4 Polish Centre of Mediterranean field studies of the remains of the town of Pathyris, epi- Archaeology, University of Warsaw graphic work on a nearby rock-shelf and in the rock-cut 5 Faculty of Oriental Studies, chapel dedicated to Hathor, and a ground survey of the Department of Egyptology, University southern part of the mountain where the Southern and of Warsaw 8 DFG RTG 1878, Institute for African Islamic cemeteries are located. The Chert Survey on the Studies and Egyptology, University of Western Mountain of Gebelein initiated a study of local Cologne chert sources combined with an investigation of a local 9 Institute of Archaeology and tradition of lithic tool production. Conservation work Ethnology of the Polish Academy of progressed on the rock-cut chapel dedicated to Hathor. Sciences 10 KU Leuven / Ghent University Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean 28/2 PAM 28/2 (2019) Ejsmond et al. 2019: 215–237 DOI: 10.5604/01.3001.0013.6887 Team Dates of work: 11 February–7 March 2019 Director: Wojciech Ejsmond, archaeologist (PhD Candidate, Antiquity of Southeastern Europe Research Centre, University of Warsaw) MOA representative: Adel Mousa Ahmed Ali (Inspectorate of Esna) Archaeologists: Sylwia Buławka (Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology, Polish Academy of Sciences); Julia M. Chyla, GIS specialist (Antiquity of Southeastern Europe Research Centre, University of Warsaw); Fatma Farag Abdelhay (independent researcher); Dawid F. Wieczorek, epigrapher (Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology, University of Warsaw) Egyptologists: Vincent Oeters, archaeologist (KU Leuven/Ghent University); Lena Tambs, archaeologist, papyrologist (DFG RTG 1878, Institute for African Studies and Egyptology, University of Cologne); Dániel Takács (Faculty of Oriental Studies, Department of Egyptology, University of Warsaw) Conservator: Arkadiusz Ostasz (freelance) Architect: Elżbieta Ostasz (freelance) Photographer: Piotr Witkowski, archaeologist (freelance) Acknowledgment This publication is the outcome of a research project in fulfillment of scholarships awarded to Sylwia Buławka, Julia M. Chyla, Wojciech Ejsmond, Dawid F. Wieczorek and Dániel Takács by the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology of the University of Warsaw, financed by the National Agency for Academic Exchange and conducted in Egypt. The field research was financed by the Polish Centre of the Mediterranean Archaeology University of Warsaw, University of Warsaw Foundation, Stichting Mehen, and generous donations through crowd-funding at www.pomagam.pl. Wojciech Ejsmond, Julia M. Chyla, Piotr Witkowski ... and Fatma Farag Abdelhay research & Fieldwork Methods The archaeological survey was conducted temple enclosure, which were the subject with the use of a mobile Global Navigation of a reconnaissance in 2018 (Ejsmond, Satellite System (GNSS) tool, with Geo- Wieczorek, and Wieczorek 2018: 237–242), graphic Information System (GIS) applica- and the habitation district investigated tions in order to document the positions this year; 2) a rock-shelf with Pharaonic and to gather detailed information about inscriptions located east of the temple; and archaeological features. The GIS application 3) Southern and Islamic cemeteries, both ArcPad was used in combination with the located in the southern part of the hill. mobile measuring tool MobileMapper 20 During initial fieldwork (Ejsmond et (Ejsmond et al. 2015; 2017: 240–243). As a al. 2017: 240–243), the Eastern Mountain result, a map with locations of archaeologi- (like the Western one) was divided into cal features and finds was produced. The Rocks, numbered from I to IV from north archaeological features received numbers to south. In 2019, Rock II was further sub- compliant with the system used in previous divided, changing the initial numbering, seasons (see Ejsmond et al. 2017: 241–243). but to avoid confusion the following desig- To increase the precision of recording nations were introduced: Rock II a (north- selected archaeological features, geodetic ern) and Rock II b (southern) [Fig. 1]. reference points were established in 12 locations [Fig. 1, Table 1] with the use of Per-hathor/Pathyris a TotalStation Sokkia CX 105 and Sokkia The town of Per-Hathor, better known GSR2700 IS. Further measurements of under its Greek name Pathyris, is at- archaeological features were taken with tested since the Predynastic period the use of a Leica TS06 Plus. (Ejsmond forthcoming; Ejsmond et al. Most of the graffiti were documented forthcoming b) and throughout most by photography and drawing, which how- of the pharaonic periods (Fraser 1893: ever was fraught with difficulty, mainly 496–500). It was a nome capital from due to the fragility of the rock, the rough the 2nd century BC to 88 BC (Łajtar and cracked surface, coupled with un- 2012: 171), when the town was taken by favorable lighting conditions. A Canon rebels (for the history and region, see e.g. 750D (24 megapixels) was used to record Vandorpe and Waebens 2009: 11–51; Fiore the images, supplemented with differ- Marochetti 2013: 2–6). Some of the latest ent lenses (EF-S 18-55mm f/3,5-5,6 IS and surviving documents from the site relate EF-S 60 mm f/2,8 macro USM), a tripod, to the Thebaid revolt of 88–85 BC (for a Fomei Panther 600 mini flash, and this revolt, see e.g. Véïsse 2004: 64–73; a stick (see Ejsmond et al. 2017: 243–245). Fischer-Bovet 2014: 108–109). The town remained loyal to the Ptolemaic rulers surveys and was promised military aid, but be- The archaeological and epigraphic survey cause written records cease abruptly in of the Eastern Mountain was focused the fall of 88 BC, it is assumed that Pa- on three general areas: 1) the town and thyris did not survive this riot. PAM 28/2 (2019) 217 EGYPT Gebelein Archaeological Project 2019: Pathyris and the ceneteries in East Gebelein... Key A = GE Area 7 (Southern Necropolis), geodetic reference points 1, 2, 3 B = Area 6 (Islamic Necropolis) C = Temple of Hathor D = Town of Per-Hathor (Pathyris) E = Rock shelf with graffiti F = Rock-cut chapel of Hathor, geodetic reference points 4, 5, 6 G = Geodetic reference points 7, 8, 9 H, I, J = flint survey areas K = Geodetic reference points 10, 11, 12 L = Coptic Chapel Fig. 1. Gebelein field survey in 2019; geodetic reference points in Table 1 (Gebelein Archaeological Project | map J.M. Chyla) 218 Wojciech Ejsmond, Julia M. Chyla, Piotr Witkowski ... and Fatma Farag Abdelhay research & Fieldwork The site must still have held some reli- Ibn Mammātī from 1209 (Ibn Mammātī gious importance in the Roman period. It 1991: 109). Another source (al-Udfūwī, AD is mentioned (as the ‘City of Aphrodite’) 1347) refers to it as “Pepweah” (Udfūwī: in Strabo’s list of cities located south of 9–10). While Ibn al-Ǧayʿān (AD 1412–1480) Thebes in the early 1st century AD (Stra- refers to it as “Gebelein” and claims it bo XVII.1.47), and a stela dedicated to belonged to the Diwan of Sultan, in the Isis of Pathyris from the reign of Trajan Mamluk state it was actually under the (January 11, AD 109) was found in the control of al-Amīr Yashbak min Mahdī ruins of the town (Milne 1905: 40–41, al-Dawādār (Ibn al-Ǧayʿān: 191). Pl. 5; Vandorpe and Waebens 2009: 50). The remains of the Ptolemaic town of Blemmyan kings took residence in the Pathyris are located in the northwestern area during the 6th century AD (Eide et part of Rock IIa on the Eastern Moun- al. 1998: 1202). However, the later history tain and consist of concentrations of mud of the place has not been studied yet. It is bricks and potsherds. The site was exca- believed that the archaeological remains vated, mainly by the Italian Archaeologi- of the domestic district reflect the layout cal Mission of the Museum of Egyptian of the town from the late Ptolemaic pe- Antiquities in Turin, but no satisfying riod (Bergamini 2003). documentation has been published. Gio- After the Arab conquest of Egypt, vanni Bergamini made a generic plan of during Fatimid times, Pathyris was in the the town on the basis of unpublished Qus province (al-Qalqashandī: 497). It was sketches and photographs from the Ital- mentioned as “Gebelein” in the account of ian excavations (Bergamini 2003: Figs 5 Table 1. Coordinates of geodetic points established in the winter of 2019 PAM 28/2 (2019) 219 EGYPT Gebelein Archaeological Project 2019: Pathyris and the ceneteries in East Gebelein... Fig. 2. Plan of Pathyris, georeferenced on a 2013 satellite image of the northern part of the Eastern Mountain; letters are correlated with Bergamini’s detailed plan (plan after Bergamini 2003: Figs 5, 9; Gebelein Archaeological Project | processing J.M. Chyla) 220 Wojciech Ejsmond, Julia M. Chyla, Piotr Witkowski ... and Fatma Farag Abdelhay research & Fieldwork and 9), to which the current fieldwork a brief visit to the area.