Grabungen des Österreichischen Archäologischen Instituts Kairo in Tell el-Dab'a/Avaris: Das Areal R/III. 1. Vorbericht (Herbst 2010 bis Frühjahr 2011) (original) (raw)
Related papers
In: M. Bietak & S. Prell (eds.) The Enigma of the Hyksos Volume I ASOR Conference Boston 2017 − ICAANE Conference Munich 2018 – Collected Papers, 2019
Balance weights have not received much attention within the archaeology of ancient Egypt. Weights dating from the Middle Kingdom are mainly flat and rectangular; the common unit is called dbn and weighs c. 13–14 grams. The metrological system changed in the New Kingdom to a dbn of c. 90–95 grams, subdivided into ten qdt. Not only the system but also shape and material were subject to change as weights dating to the New Kingdom are often sphendonoids and frequently consist of dark iron oxide as a distinctive material, not used in Egypt for weights before the Second Intermediate Period. As such shapes and material were common for weights in Syria and Mesopotamia since the Early Bronze Age, it is a likely hypothesis that the fundamental change in Egypt can be linked to the rule of the Hyksos. This assumption is further supported by the fact that the dbn of the New Kingdom, divided by twelve, corresponds with the ‘Syrian shekel’ of c. 9–9.5 g. This weight unit was widely used in the eastern Mediterranean and facilitated international trade in the Late Bronze Age. Excavations at Tell el-Dabʿa/Avaris produced about 50 weights dating to the Second Intermediate Period and the early New Kingdom. They are made of iron oxide, are often sphendonoids and confirm the use of shekel weighing system, both ‘Syrian’ and ‘Mesopotamian’ (c. 8.1–8.5 grams). One assemblage, consisting of two sets of weights, derived from a richly furnished tomb in Area A/I, dating to the Hyksos period (Stratum D/3, Middle Bronze Age IIB–C). As the tombs of this area remained unpublished, they are introduced entirely within the scope of this article. The weights from Tell el-Dabʿa contribute to the understanding of the time of the Hyksos as a period in which many innovations reached Egypt from the east, and consisted not only of tools for warfare (e.g., chariot, composite bow), but also of tools for trade.
Bibliothek und Archiv des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts Kairo (DAIK)
Theke Aktuell, 2009
In memoriam Bärbel Winter und Ursula Perkow-Als ich vor sechs Jahren vom Neckar an den Nil gezogen bin, um die Bibliothek des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts zu leiten, wäre ich vielleicht kläglich gescheitert, wenn ich nicht Bärbel Winter als Ausbilderin gehabt hätte, die mich lehrte, auch bei "krummen Knochen" nicht zu verzweifeln. Bibliothekarisch verdanke ich ihr alles, wie viele andere "Winterkinder" auch. Ihr und meiner langjährigen Chefin, Frau Dr. Perkow, die mir auf ihre leise, zurückhaltende Art großzügige Toleranz entgegenbrachte, möchte ich diesen Artikel widmen.
Einblick in die Stadt Avaris – Areal R/III in Tell el-Dab'a
Area R/III in Tell el-Dab'a has been the subject of recent archaeological investigations in the ancient city of Avaris. The documentation and evaluation of the material culture and the architectural features in area R/III are still in progress.