5000+ year-old Neolithic village discovered in the Nile Delta

The Egyptian-French mission at the Tell el-Samara site in the Dakahlia governorate in the middle of the Nile Delta has recently uncovered one of the oldest villages ever discovered in the Nile Delta.

Dr. Aiman Ashmawi said that the joint mission between IFAO and the Ministry of Antiquities excavated the remains of a Neolithic settlement, which occupation lasted til the 2nd dynasty at the lower level of the El-Samara site. 

He also added that the importance of this discovery that Neolithic period’s findings are not matched or known in delta except for the site of Sais. 

Dr. Frederic Guyot, head of the mission said “The mission has discovered several storage magazines which contained a large number of animal bones and botanical remains as well as pottery and stone tools which confirms the existence of settled societies in in Delta’s wetland since 5th millennium B.C.”

Dr. Guyot also said “The information collected since 2015 from the site give us a unique opportunity to know more about the life style of the prehistoric communities once lived in Delta thousands of years before the unification of the two lands and the beginning of the Egyptian recorded history.”

Dr. Nadia Khedr (Director of Lower Egypt Antiquities) said “Continuing the excavation next season as well as the analysis of the organic materials discovered will give us the chance to gain a better knowledge of the prehistoric societies in Lower Egypt and more on the origin of agriculture in Egypt.” 

 You can check the mission's 2016 season's full report HERE

#Egypt #Archaeology #Egyptology #IFAO #Neolithic 

Ancient Egyptian 5000-year-old Brewery Discovered

The Egyptian archaeological mission working at Ghazala antiquities in Dakahlia governorate at the site of Tell Ferkha discovered human and animal burials.

Dr. Ayman Ashmawi, head of the Egyptian Antiquities sector, said that the burials, one belongs to a sighthound dog most likely “Sloughi” and dated to Pre-Dynastic period of Naqada III (3200-3000 B.C).

It is known that those type of dogs were owned by wealthy personals as they were depicted on Pre-Dynastic palettes chasing gazelles.   

The other one is human burial is a one mudbrick room and it is the first of its kind to be discovered in the western part of the site and it is dated to Pre-Dynastic period (Naqada III). The remains of a human found in the squatting position with funerary practices including alabaster and pottery pots.

Several remains of foundations of mudbrick structures were also discovered to the west of the site and it is believed that they were used as workshops during Naqada II period until the 1^st Dynasty.

Dr. Ashawi also added that the mission discovered two more sites for beer production in addition to the 5 previously discovered one by the Polish mission which has been working at the site since 1998 which emphasises the importance of Tell El-Farkha in beer production as it is the only site in lower Egypt to have beer production facilities discovered and dated to Pre-Dynastic period.

EMS-89615 Egyptian wooden model of beer making in ancient Egypt, located at the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in San Jose, California.

The discovery includes several stone pots and tools such as knives.   

For more information about the previous work at Tell el-Farkha, check the Polish mission site HERE

#Egypt #Delta #TellFatkha #TellGhazal #Egyptology #Archaeology #NaqadaIII #Dogmummy #BeerFactory #AncientEgyptianBeerFactory 

Egyptian Team Discovers Roman Temple in Western Desert

The Egyptian archaeological mission working at the site of Haj Ali, which is 350 meters from Gebel Al-Mawta (Mountain of the dead), in Siwa oasis successes to discover a Roman temple dated back to the reign of the Roman emperor Antoninus Pius (138-161 A.D)

Dr. Aiman Ashmawi, head of the Egyptian Antiquities department, said “The discovered temple of huge limestone foundations in rectangular shape measured 40 meters from north to south and 8.5 meters from east to west. The entrance is in the northern side with small two rooms on each side.

The entrance leads to a courtyard of 25 meters in length then another room leads to the sanctuary. The temple surrounded by enclosure wall measures 71 meters by 56 meters.”

Abd El-Aziz Demiry, General Director of Matrouh and Siwa Antiquities, said “One of the most important discovered parts is a limestone block with inscriptions in Greek topped with a ledge shows the sun disc surrounded with cobras.

The inscriptions helped in defining the name of the emperor. The block measures 5 meters by 1 meter and found in 3 parts.”

Mr. Demiry also added that the block is in good condition and it was transferred to the storeroom in Siwa to conduct the necessary preservation needed.  

#Egypt #Egyptology #Archaeology #Siwa #Oasis #RomanTemple #Discovery #EmperorPius

German-Egyptian team discovers thousands of fragments in old Heliopolis

The Egyptian-German-Mission at Matariya/Heliopolis, uncovered a collection of 4500 fragments from King Psamtek I colossus discovered last year and now at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir.

Dr. Aiman Ashmawy (Head of the ancient Egyptian Antiquities) and head of the mission from the Egyptian side, said that at Souq el-Khamis area in Matariya, the mission succeeded to uncover a collection of 4500 fragments of the quartzite colossus of king Psamtek I. The He explains that these fragments along with those found last season have reached a total number of 6400 fragments which allow the visualization of the original form of the colossus before its destruction in antiquity.

Dr. Ashmawi added that the new fragments confirmed that the colossus depicted a standing king but with the unusual feature of the left arm in front of the body. A very carefully carved scene on the back-pillar shows the kneeling King Psamtek I in front of the creator-god Atum of Heliopolis. The majority of the fragments were found in a pit south of the pedestal of the statue, that have been left open probably during the Fatimid era when the temple walls were dismantled to be used in other buildings. As Dr. Aiman Ashmawy explained, the colossus statue’s fragments will be brought to the Egyptian Museum.

Dr. Dietrich Raue, Head of the German mission said the mission continued its work at the site of the temple of Nektanebo I (380-363 BC). A large number of fragments that belong to a quartzite gate of Ramses II (1279-1213) and Nektanebo I were found. The geophysical survey had indicated a number of areas with a large number of fragments of the former temple.

In this area, according to Dr Raue, some exceptional fragments were found, among them: a frieze of falcons, a part of a gate of Merenptah (1213-1201 BC) as well as parts of a colossal Ramesside sphinx of red granite. It seems evident that Nektanebo I added his building to a major temple of earlier date.

The excavation work in the Ptolemaic workshop area was continued and led to the discovery of new room units of the mid-ptolemaic area. Some fragments point again to the reuse of pharaonic temple equipment of the 2nd and 1st millennium BC. This season’s work included archaeobotanical and archaeozoological studies.

#Egypt #Cairo #Heliopolis #DietrichRaue #LuxorTimes #Nekhtanebo #PsamtikI

Ramesses II colossus discovered in old Heliopolis

The Egyptian-German mission working at Matariya, old Heliopolis, unearthed two Ramesside statues during the ongoing Spring season at Suq el-Khamis temple.

The mission of University of Leipzig in cooperation with Ministry of Antiquities is co-directed by Dr.Aiman Ashmawi and Dr.Dietrich Raue.

The statues are; one of the upper part of a limestone statue of Seti II measures about 80 cm high. 

Seti II cartouche 

 

Seti II upper statue part with inscriptions on the back reads "Mri.(f?)   Di.f snb n (hr).f  mr.f" Also the cartouche of Seti II appears on the shoulder.

The second statue is quartzite probably for Ramesses II. The statue parts were discovered so far doesn't have any inscriptions to indicate who does it belong to but it was discovered in the front of Ramesses II temple gate. The unearthed statue blocs show that it measures approx. 8 meters height including the base.

The discovered statues were submerged a meter deep in underground water.   

This morning, Dr. Khalid El=Enany attended the lifting of the parts of the colossus of Ramses II.

Dr. Khalid El-Enany, Minister of Antiquities, told Luxor Times that the one the statue is completely lifted, it will be moved to the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) to be included in the museum which is expected to open partially during 2018.

The minister also said that there will be a temporary exhibition at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir very soon to show the antiquities which were discovered recently at the site of Suq el-Khamis.

#Egypt #Cairo #Archaeology #Egyptology #GEM