We are continually amazed at the size of el-Amra and the variety of periods represented there. However, there have been multiple trials and tribulations in our work (some of which we will not mention here, following the idea that discretion is the better part of valor), not the least of which was our EDM (the major piece of equipment needed for surveying) malfunctioning.
Jane and Melinda contemplated kicking the machinery, but managed to keep themselves under control for the couple of days of troubleshooting which were required to find out that the problem was due to a faulty cable. A cable is on its way from the US to Cairo now, but in the meantime we’re
manually crunching numbers in the field to make due. Since the Polish magnetometry team is arriving Saturday afternoon, we were in a bit of a panic about being able to lay out an area for them to start surveying. In the meantime, Antonio has been collecting and processing pottery, which has started to become overwhelming already, though we’ve only been collecting from one of the three cemeteries so far.
El-Amra is predominantly known for its predynastic activity, being a type site for a division of that period (originally called the “Amratian Period” after the name of the site, though most scholars now call it the Nagada I Period). However, it has some earlier activity and a lot of later activity too, including Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom use of the cemetery. The area
s with later tombs have not been previously excavated (at least not officially), but we have already found evidence for these periods form surface collection.
6 comments:
So how do you tell if the pottery is ancient or not from recent past? Are there certain types of creation techniques that were used in different eras that aren't used today still?
Amratian Period...is this from one of the many Pharaohs? I'm at work and can't get to my shelf to see if I can find the name.
I'm loving your posts!!
Monica,
The Amratian Period is the same as the Nagada I period, a division of the Pre-dynastic (i.e., before Egypt was united by a king). There are many sites out there that will give you a timeline and some background, but I don't have any links on hand (and can't search effectively on this slow dial-up!).
A lot of pottery changed overtime, especially the types left in graves. They vary by shape, fabric, building techniques, decoration, etc. These types of criteria can also tell you if pottery is modern or ancient (especially the types of fabric and technologies used). I don't think I can explain in more detail than that on here because it really takes some specialized knowledge/training to recognize types and their respective periods.
Hello to Jane in Egypt,
It is amazing to see a picture of you in Egypt.
Rosemary from New Jersey
Nice pole-holding form demonstrated by Ms. Hill there! Tell that Spaniard to lay off the Shisha !
Happy belated birthday-"Dr. Yusuf"
Who is this mysterious Dr. Yusuf?
Does Antonio ALWAYS have his hand on his hip in pictures, or is it just me?? I'm thrilled to see that the dig is going well!!!
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