Excavating Pit 6 in Square 1

IMG_2119Excavations at SAV1E have reached a state where we spend most of our time clarifying small details and cleaning specific areas and features.

Simultaneously with work in both, the northern and southern extensions of our squares in SAV1E, we started today excavating pit 6 in Square 1. Similar to the circular pit 5, it is located just west of the eastern wall of Building A. IMG_2056

Feature 6 is much larger than e.g. pit 17 in Square 2. Its filling consisted so far only of clean sand containinDSC_4067g very few pottery sherds. But going deeper today, we found a lot of mud brick debris in its southern part, two stone tools made in quartz (hammer stones) between the collapsed bricks as well as a small amount of pottery (comprising both early 18th Dynasty and Post-New Kingdom material).

We still haven’t reached its base, so its size and especially the depth remains uncertain. It was cut into the pebble surface also used for setting the walls of Building A and is most likely contemporaneous to our main structure at SAV1E.

Feature 15 again…

Work focused today primarily on feature 15. We removed most of the mud brick debris, obviously collapsed into the structure from its eastern wall.

DSC_3980Cleaning is still not finished, but the outline of the exposes eastern half of the building has become clearer: not only on the eastern side, but also in the North and South, the bricks are lined at the interior with red bricks. feature 15 02 feb

Although the ones which appeared in the South-western corner might have been secondary burnt, attesting firing activities within feature 15, the better preserved ones at both the Eastern and Northern side appear completely fired. This would definitely suggest a Post-New Kingdom date which is also probable from the finds so far – the filling material comprises a lot of 18th Dynasty ceramics, but also Post-Meroitic and especially Medieval material. Some Christian sherds were found among and also below the collapsed bricks.

As far as a functional interpretation is concerned, it is notable that we discovered some charcoal and ashy sand in the western area. The current hypothesis is therefore that feature 15 represents some kind of installation for cooking and/or a firing place – probably set into Building A at a later time, after the New Kingdom.

Processing Finds from SAV1E

While there was no fieldwork today, we used this Friday to continue the processing of finds and ceramics. After 4 weeks at SAV1E, a total amount of 12 176 pottery sherds have been analysed – from the total 36 % are 18th Dynasty in date (4375 pieces). SAV1E-P18

Bread moulds, beer jars, dishes and plates are the most common types. The beer jars (cf. picture to the right) are especially numerous and seem to have been made in a local Nile clay variant.

Some of the small dishes found at SAV1E show a nice splash decoration with red paint inside like the rim sherd illustrated here – this pattern is well known from Egypt and predominantly originates from the reign of Thutmose III. SAV1E-P20.9-04 in

 

Small finds and objects are still rather rare at SAV1E – as reported, we have a number of reused sherds, a clay weight, pounders and other stone tools, especially grinding stones. Some of the latter were found directly in the sandy remains filling the negative outline of the outer walls of Building A. SAV1E-120-01

In the north-eastern corner of Square 2, we discovered from the lowest level of bricks a small fayence ring bead, probably of New Kingdom date.

All in all, we have traces of grinding, bread making, possibly fishing and storage facilities at SAV1E – typical domestic activities in Egyptian towns, of which some are also commonly associated with temples and cultic activities. With two more weeks of fieldwork in our excavation area, we attempt contextualising SAV1E and its architectural and material remains further.