Excavations at Umm al-Ma', Qatar. Preliminary Report on the Second Season 2008/2009. Unpubl. Report for QMA, Doha 2009 (original) (raw)
Related papers
Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies, 50, 2020
The complex of ten Umm an-Nar tombs at the site of QA 1 is one of the objectives of a joint Omani-Polish research project carried out in the micro-region of Qumayrah situated in the interior of north-western Oman, c.60 km to the south-east of the archaeological site of Hili in the UAE. Excavations focused first on the Umm an-Nar tomb QA 1-1. The tomb interior included four chambers delimited by two cross walls; two of these chambers were targeted for full excavation from 2016 to 2018. They yielded an abundance of human skeletal remains with associated grave-goods, the vast majority of which were securely dated to the Umm an-Nar period. There is an intriguing issue related to the tomb’s floor and the distribution of bone deposits. Most human remains were recovered in areas where the stone-paved floor was missing. It can thus be assumed that that QA 1-1 most likely represents an Umm an-Nar use of the structure that included remodelling the interior of the tomb itself to create more space for successive burials. This remodelling consisted mainly of dismantling a large area of the floor. The discovery of a stone-paved floor, which extended only to the front part of one of the excavated chambers, and a narrow paving along its walls, may indicate an internal division of the chamber into a ‘vestibule’ and an appropriate burial space, along with communication passages.
Egitto e Vicino Oriente, 2020
This paper presents the preliminary report of the 2018 season of the expedition of the University of Pisa in the area of tomb M.I.D.A.N.05, at Dra Abu el-Naga (Theban Necropolis). The work focused on the archaeological investigation of two small tombs, T1 and T2, previously discovered during the 2010 season on the northern side of the forecourt of M.I.D.A.N.05 and probably contemporary or slightly later than the latter. During the 2018 campaign, the chapel of T1 and most of the first room of T2 were excavated, revealing two different life-stories, which depend on the events and transformations which affected M.I.D.A.N.05 and its forecourt through the centuries. T1, soon sealed by debris and flash-floods, proved to have been solely used in the New Kingdom. Between the end of the Eighteenth and the early Nineteenth Dynasty, the tomb was occupied by the “Chief of the mrw-servants of Amun”, Nany, whose name appears on some sandstone fragments of a lintel and on a beautiful but regrettably fragmentary pair statue, found in pieces. T2 is larger and probably composed of two rooms. It remained accessible for many centuries, until the flood deposits filled it, covering a layer containing at least ten burials, partly cut by robbers’ pits. Only scanty elements of the funerary assemblages were found with the bodies, but various painted plaster fragments, pertaining to anthropoid coffins, date the re-use of the tomb to the Third Intermediate Period.
TT 14 and MIDAN.05 must be set in their proper environment and considered in tight connection with it. This area of Dra Abu el-Naga necropolis, likewise many other spots of the Theban region, are known to have suffered from ancient times the devastating effects of occasional flash-floods. These ruinous events arise from the rare but vigorous and sudden rain storms which sometimes strike the desert situated West of the area of the Theban necropolis. The waters collect on the desert highlands and flow into the various natural channels (widian) which pour the floods onto the rocky slopes and the plain of the necropolis 1 . The big wadi known as Khawi el-Alamat 2 , which cuts the hill of Dra Abu el-Naga slightly to the north of TT14 and MIDAN.05 , is the main responsible for the flooding and the damages occurred in many tombs of the area, especially those situated at the base of the hillside. Modern and ancient evidence 3 , as well as archaeological and geological observations 4 agree on the violence and strength that these floods were able to, and still could, express, washing away whatever is in their path and dragging great amounts of mud, limestone chips and debris. The discovery of the passage which connected the two tombs in ancient times ) affected and slightly modified our first evaluation of the deposits which we found inside the rooms of TT 14. The existence of new burial spaces on a higher level than those of TT 14 must of course be taken into serious account. In fact, part of the materials discovered in the funeral chambers of TT 14 were carried by the waves of mud and rubble flooding first into MIDAN.05 and from there down the passageway and into TT 14. The inner rooms of the latter therefore contain what had been intentionally laid there as burial equipment for the original interments, part of the funerary materials of MIDAN.05 as well as items coming from the outside which were washed through the access points to the two tombs. The great strength of the flooding mud waters in this low-lying sector of the necropolis was not, however, the only disturbing and damaging event suffered by the archaeological deposits of the two tombs. As is almost always the case in the Theban necropolis, and in many other Egyptian historical sites as well, in this funerary complex too the human activity has changed, often extensively, the way things had been in the preceding periods. The two original rock-cut tombs have been reused as burials for long time, and that often involved deep changes to their original architectonic layout. In addition to this "internal" disturbance factor, as we may call it, there is clear evidence of the upsetting changes brought about by "external" disturbance elements, namely the recurring plunders, both ancient and modern.
New Egyptian tomb type found at Abusir South? Report on the excavations of mud brick complex AS 103
Prague Egyptological Studies XXI, 2018
In the autumn season of 2017, four mud brick structures designated as AS 103 were excavated in the area of the south-eastern part of the New Kingdom temple (AS 70–73). It is a complex of four corridor chapels/tombs (in an area of 15.0 × 12.7 m), with single or composed niches in the western inner walls. One of the niches in Corridor Chapel 1 was cased with red-painted wooden planks. Shafts were detected in front of the niches, a fairly uncommon phenomenon in Egyptian tomb architecture. The term “hollow tomb with a shaft below a niche” is being proposed for this new tomb (sub)type. A preliminary study of the pottery leads to the conclusion that the tombs were built from the east to the west, with Corridor Chapels 4, 3 and 2 built successively in the Third Dynasty and Corridor Chapel 1 in the Fifth Dynasty. Even though they were funeral -structures, not many burials were excavated: the remains of a single human body have been found. The structures did not contain many finds, either. However, four white limestone offering basins were uncovered in situ. One of them was inscribed with the female name Nfr.t-jw=s. It is evident that the excavations have brought to light new insights into burial practices of non-elite people of the Old Kingdom period. In the context of Abusir South, AS 103 represents the first thoroughly excavated complex of such a type of tombs. Based on preliminary probing, similar structures are very likely located nearby, continuing in all directions. Keywords: Abusir South – Old Kingdom – mud brick tomb – corridor chapel – niches – human burial – pottery – offering basin – wooden casing
co-authored with S. Fetler, in: A. Amenta, Chr. Greco, H. Guichard (eds.), Proceedings of the First Vatican Coffin Conference, June 19th-22nd, 2013, Città del Vaticano 2017, pp. 451-462, 2017
Since 2006 the German Archaeological Institute Cairo (DAI) has been investigating K93.12, the tomb of the High Priest of Amun, Amenhotep. The rock tomb constitutes the southern part of the large double tomb complex K93.11/K93.12 which was originally cut in the 18th dynasty and reused in the 20th dynasty by the High Priest of Amun Ramsesnakht and his son and successor Amenhotep. After the New Kingdom K93.12 was repeatedly reused as a burial ground until the 25th dynasty. In the course of seven excavation seasons the remains of these burials have been discovered in great quantities, above all fragments of wooden coffins and of cartonnage mummy cases. A selection of this material is presented and discussed in detail. The short introduction gives an outline of the complex archaeological situation observed at the site. The coffin material forming the central topic of this paper is thus presented in its archaeological context in terms of location and condition as well as the associated burial inventory. The findings do not only reflect the tomb’s history of use and reuse, but also allow to conclude on the motivation for chosing the site as a burial ground after the New Kingdom. The paper concentrates on two main groups of material: the remains of the coffin(-set) of the High Priest Amenhotep (temp. Ramses XI) which were discovered in the main burial chamber of K93.12. It forms one rare example of a 20th dynasty coffin displaying, moreover, the peculiarity of a granite imitating decoration which, so far, is unique for the late New Kingdom. Another focus is put on two groups of objects: Firstly, an ensemble of five cartonnages (including the one of a child) of the early 22nd dynasty. They were assembled from ca. 300 fragments found among the plundered burial inventories of the main shaft. Secondly, a group of wooden coffins dating to the end of the 21st/early 22nd dynasties (types III and V of Niwinski’s typology). Up to now the ongoing excavation has brought to light 19 lids scattered in the inner forecourt of K93.12 where they had been dumped in the course of an antique plundering. Their extremely fragile condition poses a special challenge since both the conservation treatment and also the epigraphic documentation has to be effected on the spot. The examination of the coffins and mummy cases from K93.12 is an ongoing research and conservation project. Besides the in-depth study of technological and iconographical aspects of the objects proper also their archaeological significance is of major importance as they are components of the “use-life” of a key monument at Dra’ Abu el-Naga.