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| Equinox sunrise over Silsila |
Third week into the spring season and the current survey
team has experienced everything and anything from nature’s great forces – with lightning
and thunder storms, rain and sand storms at the same time – to great
achievements in the (historical!) very first archaeological attempt of setting
up a classification system on site for both pottery and lithic industries. It goes
without saying that we all have had a fabulous time, busy and full of new
important information, and fantastic because of the positive, energetic and
knowledgeable combination of team members!
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| The survey team first half of spring season |
Since our last blog post Sarah has continued with her
ceramic analysis, not only recording material from the Main Quarry (which was
the main aim for this spring season), but also from the area known to the
Silsila team as ‘Pottery Hill’. This latter area has been a concern since we
begun working on site back in 2012, mainly since it is constantly threatened by
environmental forces (wind erosion, etc.), but also because it is a habit for
tourists to pick up bits and pieces only to later drop them in areas out of
context. As always the Romans made their presence known at Silsila, and at
Pottery Hills they revealed a few interesting and intriguing new pieces to the
large jigsaw puzzle that Silsila offers, but as expected Pottery Hill revealed
also Ramesside activity, and bits and bobs from both later and earlier periods.
The intention is to continue to explore this area in more detail in the near
future, to clear some of the huts/stone shelters from blown in sand and thus
learning more about the ancient quarrymen and their organization.
 |
| Sarah, Mohammed and our posted policeman on top of a spoil heap |
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| Sarah and Mohammed sorting pottery |
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| Sarah demonstrating the importance of pottery for General Director of Kom Ombo, Abd el Menum |
With Sarah, John, Ahmed, Mohammed and Shihad working on
recording pottery and general topographical features at Pottery Hill, I (Maria)
continued the Rock Art survey in this area and was pleased to note how the
Epipalaeolithic rock art locations expanded and revealed even more material
this season! As part of this survey, lithic material was documented from a
ground survey, and is currently cataloged, classified and studied with the hope
of establishing a somewhat clearer chronological picture of how life was at
Silsila for our Upper Palaeolithic and Epipalaeolithic ancestors. The wadis
revealed more bushy tailed giraffes (Predynastic) and a preliminary pattern
could be established for prehistoric activity in the area in and around Pottery
Hill.
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| Morning haze over one of many Prehistoric rock art locations at Silsila |
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| Acetate copying Epipalaeolithic rock art |
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| sorting lithic material during a cold and windy afternoon |
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| John and Ahmed discussing rock art |
Before entering our fourth week of surveying Silsila, during
which we will be joined by the great Professor James Harrell and his visiting
archaeologist friend Robert Mittelstaedt, we now look forward to the upcoming
conference in Aswan this weekend, organized by UNESCO and the Italian Embassy:
The Southern Gate of Egypt, for which the preliminary schedule is found below the images.
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| Lunchtime... |
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| The Silsilian survey home |
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| Traditional Silsilian lunch - oh, what would we do without the eggs?! |
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| happy lunch time! |
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| field visit to Ras-Ras |
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| Ras-Ras |
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| Our Carter |
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| the beauty of the Nile |
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| Full moon rises |
INTERNATIONAL
CONEFERENCE
The Southern Gate of Egypt
22 & 23
March 2014, Aswan , Nubia
Provisional Agenda
Saturday, 22 March 2014
8:30 a.m. Registration
of participants
9:00 -
9:30 a.m. Opening Session
Master of
Ceremony: Hosny Abdel Rehim, Director of the Nubia Museum
9:00 – 9:10 a.m. H.E. Prof. Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim,
Minister, Ministry of State for Antiquities (tbc);
9:10 – 9:20 a.m. H.E. Maurizio Massari, Ambassador of Italy in Egypt
9:20 – 9:30 a.m. Bechir Lamine, Director of UNESCO Cairo
Office and UNESCO Representative in Egypt
9:30 –
11:30 a.m. Plenary Session
Moderator: Franco
Porcelli Scientific Advisor, Embassy of Italy
Rapporteur:
9:30 – 9:50 a.m. Francesca Tolve, CNR, International Relations
Office, “CNR and the International dimension: Strategies, Instruments and
Actions for Cooperation”
9:50- 10:10 a.m. Giuseppina Capriotti Vittozzi, Maurizio Fea, Stefano
Gusmano, Chris Stewart, CNR, Institute for Ancient Mediterranean Studies, “The
Southern Gate of Egypt
10:10- 10:30 a.m. Mahmoud El Shendidy, Director of Nubia
Fund, MSA, Mohamed Abd Elhady, Cairo
University “Applying preventive
conservation methodology in the management of archaeological sites in Egypt
10:30- 10:50 a.m. Fathi Abu Zaid, Head
of Inspectorates, “Foreign Archaeological Missions: Integration or collision”
10:50 – 11:10 a.m. Rageh Mohamed, Director of the Documentation Center
“The future Role of the Documentation Centered at the Nubia Museum
11:10 – 11:30 p.m. Overall discussion for the Plenary Session
11:30 – 11:50 p.m. Coffee Break
11:50 –
13:50 p.m. Session I: Management of Archaeological
sites and the role of local community
Moderator: Dr Ali Asfar, Director of the
Department of Egyptology, Ministry of States for Antiquities
Rapporteur:
11:50 –
12:10 p.m. Massimo Cultraro,
CNR, Institute for Archaeological and Monumental Heritage, “Narrating Archaeology:
the Italian experience in the field of Virtual Museums
12:10 –
12:30 p.m. Tamar Teneishvili,
UNESCO Cairo, “Community based managements of World Heritage Sites – UNESCO cases
studies and best practices”
12:30 –
12:50 p.m. Heleni Porfyriou, CNR,
Institute for the Conservation and Enhancement of Cultural Heritage, “Harmony
between people, heritage and nature. The UNESCO Historic Urban Landscape
approach”;
12:50 –
13:10 p.m. Ahmed Ali, Nubian
Union Federation Culture Center (to be confirmed the title);
13:10 –
13:25 p.m. Ahmed Faraman, “Economic
sufficiency of the archaeological sites in Aswan”
13:25 –
13:40 p.m Dr. Abdou A.O.D.
El-Derby, Conservation and Management of Ancient Egyptian Sites in Upper
Egypt
13:40 – 14:00 p.m. Overall discussion for the Session I
14:00 – 15:00 p.m. Lunch Break
15:00 –
18:30 p.m. Session II: Archaeological
Sites and Environmental Challenges
Moderator: Badawi Ismail, South Valley
University
Rapporteur:
15:00 –
15:20 p.m. Dr. Wafaa M. Amer,
Faculty of Science, University of Cairo, “Invasive plants to Philae Temple Complex
15:20 –
15:50 p.m. Dr. Magdi M.Ali,
Aswan University, “Impacts of Dams and water level changes on archaeological
sites in Egypt
15:50 – 16:10 p.m. Marina
Baldi, CNR, Institute of Biometeorology, “Assessment of weather-related
impact on Cultural Heritage - The Aswan
16:10 –
16:30 p.m. Samir Ghabbour,
Cairo University, “The Southern Gate of Egypt
16:30
– 16:50 p.m. Coffee Break
16:50 –
17:10 p.m. Andrea Angelini, CNR,
Institute of technologies applied to cultural heritage, “Modelling the past
through the digital tools: Herkuf's Tomb in Aswan
17:10 –
17:30 p.m. Essam H. Mohamed,
South Valley University, “Environmental study to affect deterioration
factors on Nubian sandstone monuments in Aswan
17:30 –
17:50 p.m. Dr. Sayed Abdou A.
Salem, Geology Department, Faculty of Sciences, Aswan University, “Rising
Water Table Threatens El Fatimiyah Cemetery – Aswan City””
17:50 – 18:10
p.m. Dr. Ali Abdel-Motelib,
Abdel-Hamid El Manwi, “Some emphases on geological constraint and
hazards affecting Philea Temple , Aswan
18:10 –
18:20 p.m. Dr. Hagag Nasr, “Protective
zones of Southern Egypt”
18:10 – 18:30 p.m. Overall discussion for the Session II;
Discussion will be followed by Expert Meeting for the preparation of the
Concept note “Environmental challenges in Archaeological sites”
Sunday, 23 March 2014
9:00 a.m. – 13:00
p.m. Session III: Presentations
by the archeological missions in the Aswan
Moderator: Tamar Teneishvili, UNESCO Cairo;
Rapporteur:
9:00 – 9:20 a.m. Stephan
Seidlmayer, German Archeological Institute, “Work of the German
Archaeological Institute (Cairo ) in the Area of Aswan
9:30 – 9:50 a.m. Ralph
Bodenstein, German Archeological Institute, “The tombstones of the
Islamic necropolis of Aswan
9:50 – 10:10 a.m. Fahmy
Mahmoud, Aswan Inspectorate, MSA, “Rescue excavation in the ancient city
of Aswan 25”
10:10 – 10:30 a.m. Philipp
Speiser, German Archaeological Institute, “The Fatimid
Cemetery of Aswan
10:30 – 10:50 a.m. Adel
Kelany, MSA, “Archaeological Risk Map for the Aswan
10:50– 11:10 p.m. Maria
Gatto and Arturo Curci “The Aswan-Kom Ombo Archaeological
Project: archaeology, heritage management and the local communities”
11:10 – 11:40 a.m. Coffee
Break
11:40– 12:00 p.m. Pamela
Rose, British Mission , “Qasr Ibrim: a
site on the verge of destruction” & “Recent work at Hisn al-Bab, Aswan
12:00– 12:20 p.m. Maria
Nilsson, “Gebel el Silsila: challenges, awareness and management”
12:20– 12:40 p.m. Cornelius
von Piligrim, Swiss Mission
12:40– 13:00 p.m. Alejandro
Jimenez Serrano, presented by Kathryn Piquette, University of Jaen, “The
Spanish Mission in Qubbet el-Hawa: archaeology, conservation and site
management project”
13:00 - 13:10 Kathryn
Piquette, “At a Crossroads: Planning a Joint British-Egyptian Rescue
Mission in the Aga Khan-Wadi Samaan Area”
13:10– 13:30 p.m. Wolfgang
Müller, Swiss Institute for Architectural and Archaeological Research on
Ancient Egypt in Cairo “The Birket Damas Area (Area 2) – All the history
of Aswan
13:30 – 14:00 p.m. Ahmed
Mansour, “Philae Island, Open Museum of Writings, Survey of Ancient
Writings Heritage in Egypt”;
14:00 – 15:00 p.m. Lunch
Break
15:00 – 15:20 p.m. Essam
Elsaeed, “Vision for Digital Documenting Rock Inscriptions in Aswan
15:20 – 15:50 p.m. Dr.
Hisham Elleithy, General Director of the Scientific Publication Department,
Ministry of Antiquities (title to be confirmed)
15:50 – 16:10 p.m. Dr.
Amer El-Ahraf , Dr. Shokry El-Kantiry, , “Description
and Analysis of Environmental and Public Health in Ancient Egypt: Implications for the future of Egypt and a
Call for Indigenous Egyptian Scientific and Social Bases for Action”
16:10 – 16:30 p.m. Linda
Borrmann (DAI), Heba Saad Harby (MSA) and Mahmoud Mamdouh Mokhtar (MSA), “Survey
and salvage epigraphy of rock cut graffiti and inscriptions in the area of
Aswan – A co-operative project of the Ministry of State for Antiquities and the
German Archaeological Institute”
16:30 – 16:50 p.m. Overall
discussion for the Session III
16:50 – 17:00 Coffee
Break
17:00p.m. – 17:45 p.m. Session
Reports by Rapporteurs
17:45 – 18:30 Conclusion
and recommendations
Moderators: Ali Asfar, Franco Porcelli, Tamar Teneishvili
Poster’s Session:
Medhat Ibrahim, National Research Centre of Egypt – “Spectroscopy
Department, Effect of salinity on the molecular structure of soil of
Archaeological Sites: spectroscopic and modeling approach”;
Nageeb Rasheed, Abdo A. O. D. El-Derby, Atiat A.
Montaser, Fatma A. E. Abdallah, “Environmental Pollution in Egyptian
Ancient Epochs”;
Hassan Khesbak, Ahmed Kamel and Kamal Tolba, “Applications
of FTIR Spectroscopy/Raman Microscopy in Archaeology and Art Preservation/Restoration”;
Mohamed Hassan, Radwa Zaki “Dr. Soad Maher’s
Efforts in Reading and Documenting the Islamic
Tombstones in Aswan
Mishael
S.M. Morkos: “South
Valley University The Impact of environmental factors on Coptic Icons in Upper
Egypt”
A.M.
Sallam a M.F.Ali, B. Ismail “Diagnosis and investigation strategies in the Coptic mural paintings
IN QUBBET EL HAWA MONASTERY in Aswan
Mohamed A. Hamdan, Giulio Lucarini, Barbara Barich,
Geology Department, Cairo University, McDonald Institute for Archaeological
Research Cambridge University, University of Rome “La Sapienza ”, “Source of
pigments of Neolithic rock art of Wadi Sura area, Gilf Kebir, South Western
Desert, Egypt
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