Saïs Report, 2012
Saïs Report, 2012
Washing pottery by the mission’s Saïs team. (C. Knipe.)
Introduction
The work of the Sais Mission in 2012 comprised three main phases covering the regional and local aims of the research of the project:
1. Delta Survey work in the area of Lake Burullus, Kafr el Sheikh.
Boat and house in Lake Burullus.
2. Detailed survey at Tell Mutubis (Kom el Ahmar), Kafr el Sheikh.
Southern and eastern sides of the mound at Tell Mutubis.
3. Excavation 12 at Kom Rebwa, Sais.
Multiple image of cobra figure found in excavations in 2012.
Work was conducted by the following teams and at the following times. The Egypt Exploration Society/Durham University Missions acknowledges the collaboration of Dr Mohammed Abd el Rifaat and Mrs Heidi Ahmed Rageb and Ms Hind Ramadan from the Kafr el Sheikh MSA office and of Mamdoua Abas Atem and Doaa Ali Youssef in the Tanta Office. As always our colleagues at Sa el Hagar — Ahmed Bilal and Sais el Assal – provided guidance and advice which was vital to the work. We would like to thank the Water Police of Lake Burullus based at Shakhlouba and Baltim for the provision of motor-boats and sailors in the work on the lake and the tourist police in Tanta and the site guards throughout Kafr el Sheikh who were unfailingly kind and helpful. The Cairo administration in the MSA of Dr Mohamed Ismail and Mr Hani Abu al Azzaz were as ever efficient and supportive as was Mrs Faten Saleh in the Egypt Exploration Society office. Thanks are also due to the local authorities in Sa el Hagar and the El-Bishe family for our accommodation.
The Delta Survey was conducted from 21st March to 5th April 2012 by Penny Wilson, Rebecca Bradshaw, Ashley Hayes, Fatma Keshk and Hind Ramadan. We’d also like to thank the Water Police of Lake Burullus who took us to the more remote sites with patience and efficiency. A brief summary of the work can be found in Egyptian Archaeology, 41 (2012), 18-20..
Funding was provided by the Delta Survey Special project of the British Academy.
Work at Tell Mutubis (Kom el Ahmar) was carried out from 8th to 26th April 2012 by Penny Wilson, Claire Malleson, Ahmed, Esmaiein and Reda El Bishe, Rebecca Bradshaw, Ashley Hayes, Fatma Keshk, Benjamin Pennington, Mikaël Pesenti, Hind Ramadan and Aude Simony.
The work was sponsored by the members of the EES who contributed towards the special Amelia Edwards Project fund for Mutubis and we’d like to thank them all, for every contribution no matter how great or small!
The Mutubis team and neighbours who looked after us so well.
Work at Sais was carried out from 25th August to 21st September 2012, by Penny Wilson, Hossam Abd el Moneim Gad, Osama Mohamed Bakr, the El Bishe team, Sameh Youssri El-Shamy, William Fairbrother, Mohamed Ibrahim Harb, Clive Knipe, Anouk Lafortune-Bernard, Esmeralda Lundius, George Wing and Doaa Ali Yussef. Funding Madame Faten Saleh in the Egypt Exploration Society office. Thanks are also due to the local authorities in Sa el Hagar and the El-Bishe family for our accommodation.
Funding was provided by Durham University and the North East Ancient Egypt Society and we thank the Hieroglyphs classes and Heba abd el Gawad for their support.
The Saïs team.
Summary
The work centred at Sais in 2012 has continued the Mission policy of regional survey and focused excavation work at Sal el Hagar. This season we have accomplished the following:
1. Survey of 17 sites in the Lake Burullus area.
2. Begun an intensive survey at Tell Mutubis. It is hoped that the results of this work will enable future efficient and intensive gathering of information about this and other sites in the Delta, in order to preserve the histories of the towns and their people.
3. Continued excavation at Sais where the possibility of finding the pre-Saite capital city has increased and offers the opportunity to understand the history of Sais during the Third Intermediate Period more fully.
4. Continued cooperation with the Ministry of Antiquities in direct training and dissemination programmes both in Kafr el Sheikh and Sa el Hagar in order to benefit the Egyptian people.
End of the work in 2012.