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Area A/IV
by Irmgard Hein |
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Between 1989 – 1991 excavations led by M. Bietak
and J. Dorner took place in Area A/IV, located north of
the excavation house.
Egyptian Antiquities Department had sent Ali Amreya, Ibrahim
Soliman and Hisham Mohamed as representatives.
The plot includes several squares which contained levels
from Str. Abs. H – A, although evidence of Str.
C is, by and large, missing (pic.
1), (cf. Hein, 1992). |
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The earliest levels
In 1991 the earliest levels were detected in squares g/4-6
located southeast of the modern cemetery: simple houses
including fire-places and stands for water jars. According
to the ceramics, they belong to Str. H or possibly even
Str. I, chronologically corresponding to the end of the
12th Dynasty (dating according to K. Kopetzky).
In the squares to the southeast (h/3-7 and j/4-5) settlement
relics with small houses from the later levels Str. G
and F (>>Chronology)
were found, which belonged to the 13th Dynasty. An almost
square shaped house with four rooms was detected, as well
as another house with two rooms (pic.
2). Courtyards, small lanes and a street separate
the units. |
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Tombs in area A/IV
Tomb pits cut into the settlement layers from above. According
to the burial goods, they belong to Str. F – E/1
(end of 13th Dynasty – early Hyksos level), but
the floor level of the pits was not preserved wholly intact.
The tombs show typical features of the Syro-Palestinian
influenced culture of the Eastern Nile Delta which was
established in this area during the 13th Dynasty and the
Second Intermediate Period (>>cf.
also the tombs in area A/II).
The tombs are made of mud brick and consist of one chamber
of different sizes. They might have contained single or
multiple burials, as is also known from area
F/I or A/II.
Almost every tomb had been plundered, but they still contained
some remarkable finds, like figural decorated Tell el
Yahudiya Juglets or small stone beads (cf. Catalogue,
1994).
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A/IV- h/6+7, tomb 4-5:
tomb with two chambers (pic.
14). The larger chamber revealed two burials. We assume,
from white traces of thin lime plaster arranged in a rectangular
shape around the bodies, that both of them were buried
in a single sarcophagus. In the smaller chamber to the
north, offering goods were placed, including meat pieces
set out on plates (pic.
15).
In front of the tomb, a double donkey burial was found.
A set of game stones had been left on the roof of the
chamber. It consists of six small limestone figures, six
tetrameter in shape, six small, flat bone cylinders, decorated
bone sticks and astragalis (pic.
16). |
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A cylinder seal of Amenemhat III
(pic.
17 - cylinder seal and pic.18
- cast)
One object found in the vicinity of a tomb is a cylinder
seal with the cartouche of the royal name of king Amenemhat
III. (Hein, 2003). It comes from a context which also
contained one seal impression, a schist mould for tools,
like a chisel, a harpoon and a narrow-blade axe. The pottery
from the context is typical of Str. F (late 13th Dynasty
– early Hyksos Period). |
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The later levels and the pool
The settlement layers were cut off to the south by an
expansive pool which is bound to belong to a later period.
The structure is likeliest to belong to the Sutekh district
of Piramesse. We may be dealing here with a sacred lake
(cf. Bietak, 1990).
Limestone blocks, found in situ at the northern edge of
the pool, can be interpreted as parts of a staircase leading
into the basin. The basin itself shows two construction
phases. The outer bank of the basin, the first phase into
which the staircase falls, was reinforced with compacted
loam, mixed with numerous limestone chips (pic.
19 - map,
G. Wiplinger). |
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The finds from this basin filling are diversified
in nature and show a wide spectrum of dating, making these
latest finds reliable dating indicators (pic.
20 and pic.
21).
The pottery found in the filling comes from the backfill
out of the disturbed settlement below, such as fragments
of painted Middle Cypriot II pottery. A small biconical
jar with burnished surface, showing Syro- Palestinian
influences, has its origins in the local ceramic tradition
from the early Hyksos Period (Str. E).
The smaller basin placed inside represents the second
phase (rel. str. c/1). This one shows bank reinforcement
only by solid loam layers, as we could see clearly in
the profile. This basin was about 30 ms (~ 60 cubits)
wide; the full length was not explored. From this fill
comes a Canaanite jar (see below) which belongs typologically
to the Late Bronze Age II, which is widely prevalent in
Egypt, for instance from the Amarna Period onwards (late
18th Dynasty) (>>Tell el-Amarna).
Some limestone fragments were also found, e.g. a relief
fragment with a tall, standing human figure holding a
stave, as well as parts of moulds and pipes, indicating
a metal production centre somewhere in the area. A clay
seal impression, probably of a North Syrian cylinder seal,
was also found (Collon 2006, Hein 2006).
After the second basin had been refilled (rel. str. b),
a small rectangular building was erected at the spot,
on a clean sand bed foundation. (rel. str. a /2 –
3). This building belongs probably to the Late Period.
The publication of the area is currently in preparation
(status 2005). |
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Bibliographie:
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Hein, I.
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| 1992 |
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Two Excavation Areas from Tell el-Dabca.
Preliminary Abstracts. Sesto congresso internazionale
di egittologia, Atti, Vol. 1, Torino 1992, 249-253. |
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| 2003 |
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Ein Zylindersiegel mit dem Namen des Nj-m3ct-Rc
aus Tell el-Dabca.
In: R.M. HASITZKA/J. DIETHART/G. DEMBSKI (Hgr),
Das Alte Ägypten und seine Nachbarn (FS Helmut
Satzinger), Kremser Wissenschaftliche Reihe 3, Krems,
77 – 86. |
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| 2006 |
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Die Fundpositionen zweier syrischer
Siegelabformungen aus Tell el-Dabca.
Im Druck |
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| 1994 |
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Catalogue: "Pharaonen und Fremde",
194. Sonderausstellung des Histor. Museums der Stadt
Wien (6.9. - 25.10.1994, Volkshalle des Wiener Rathauses) |
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Literatur:
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Bader B.
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| 2001 |
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Tell el-Dabca XIII, Typologie und Chronologie
der Mergel C-Ton Keramik. Materialien zum Binnenhandel
des Mittleren Reiches und der Zweiten Zwischenzeit.
UZK ÖAW XIX. Wien 2001. |
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Bietak M.
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| 1990 |
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Zur Herkunft des Seth von Avaris.
Ä&L I, 9-16. |
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| 1991a |
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Tell el-Dabca V, Ein Friedhofsbezirk
mit Totentempel der Mittleren Bronzezeit im östlichen
Nildelta. (Unter Mitarbeit von Christa Mlinar und
Angela Schwab). Untersuchungen der Zweigstelle Kairo
des Österreichischen Archäologischen Institutes
in Kairo. Wien. |
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| 1991b |
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Egypt and Canaan during the Middle Bronze Age.
BASOR 281, 28?72. |
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Collon D.
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| 2006 |
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New Seal Impressions from Tell el-Dabca. In: Czerny/ Hein /Hunger/ Melman/ Schwab (Eds.), Timelines, Studies in Honour of Manfred Bietak, vol. II, 97 – 101. |
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Hein I.
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| 2006 |
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Die Fundpositionen zweier syrischer Siegelabformungen aus Tell el-Dabca.
In: Czerny/Hein/Hunger/Melman/Schwab (Eds.), Timelines, Studies in Honour of Manfred Bietak, vol. II, 135–148
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Maguire L. C.
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| 1995 |
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Tell el-Dabca, the Cypriote
Connection. In: Davies, W.V. & Schofield, L.
(eds.) Egypt, the Aegean and the Levant, London,
54–65. |
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Müller V.
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| 1996 |
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Opfergruben der Mittleren Bronzezeit in Tell el-Dabca.
Teil I: Auswertung und Deutung. Teil II: Katalog.
Dissertation Georg-August Universität zu Göttingen
(MS, unpubliziert). |
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