This summer, teams from Durham worked as part of the Delta Survey project in the north Nile Delta, where a further 9 sites were surveyed.
This summer, teams from Durham University led by Dr Penny Wilson travelled to Egypt to take part in the Delta Survey project, which is directed by the Egypt Exploration Society. The project was designed to assess the condition of less well-known archaeological sites in Lower Egypt. A multidisciplinary endeavour, the sites are documented through mapping, geophysical survey, pottery recording and photography in order to create a record of their archaeological material and risks. The 120 sites already visited in the far north will form a publication for Kafr el Sheikh province.
Jar reconstructed from fragments. Photo: P. Wilson.
A Durham team also continued excavations at Sais (Sa el Hagar), a long-standing project. Work was completed on the smashed pottery foundation for a large wall and the reconstruction and recording of the pottery continued. A sand pile and small bowls containing fish may also have been part of a foundation deposit for the new wall. The earlier settlement was also uncovered further, revealing a circular structure filled with rubble and a number of rubbish pits, one of which was sealed down with four large stones. Amongst the residual finds were fragments of cobra figures, quadrupeds, game pieces and a bone arrowhead as well as many lithic tools.
Both projects are carried out thanks to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Egypt.
Find out more:
Learn more about the Delta Survey Project.
See the archive data for the long-standing Sais Project.
Learn more about the work of Dr Penny Wilson.
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