Egypt
British Museum (Neal Spencer)
With photos. Posted 17th November 2010.
- Update Re Amara West: A Pottery Kiln?
The British Museum Shadia Abdu Rabo, National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums, Sudan and Neal Spencer, British Museum Towards the end of the season, working in layers beneath house E13.8, we found a circular kiln – our first at Amara West....
- More From Amara West Excavations
If you are not already signed up to the Amara West blog I do sincerely recommend it - they still have a couple of weeks of the season left and update the blog regularly. Here are a sample of recent posts, all with lovely photographs. British Museum -nice...
- Amara West Blog Up And Running
British Museum If you enjoy following excavation blogs you won't be disappointed by this one. Here's one of the early posts, but they have been posting consistently since then, and their blog provides an excellent example of how good a blog can...
- More Discoveries At Amara West
British Museum (Charly Valance) Exerpt: With some great photos, as usual. Lovely to see things coming along nicely at Amara West, whilst everything goes on hold in Egypt. In my second season at Amara West – I spend the rest of the year as a field archaeologist...
- Shopping For Equipment For Fieldwork In The Sudan
British Museum (Neal Spencer) With departure for Sudan only weeks away, we’re putting together the final preparations for our fourth season of fieldwork at Amara West. Flights are booked, visas obtained, inoculations accumulated – and we have defined...
Egypt
Return to Amara West
British Museum (Neal Spencer)
With photos. Posted 17th November 2010.
Amidst the chaos, heat and dust of our building work at the dig house, we finally managed a short visit to the archaeological site of Amara West itself earlier this week, to see whether much change is evident from the end of our excavation season in late February.
During the season our daily commute consists of a 10-minute journey downstream in a small launch with outboard motor – the return journey takes 20 minutes as the boat contends with the Nile current.
Motor-launch for the commute to Amara West.
The boat is usually laden with workmen, equipment and of course ancient pottery and artefacts being brought back to the expedition house for study and storage.
The site is much as we left it in February, though windblown sand has started to cover up the buildings we excavated.
View over Amara West, with stone architecture from the Governor’s Residence on the surface
Amara West is buffeted by strong northerly winds most of the year, sometimes so strong we have to stop work for the day. This wind, and the sand it brings, is largely responsible for the good preservation of the New Kingdom houses and other buildings.
Shadia Abdu Rabo, antiquities inspector, with Neal Spencer, in 20th dynasty house (about 1100 BC).
We also know the sand was a problem in ancient times, as the inhabitants took measures to keep it out of houses as the outside ground level rose.
20th dynasty villa, excavated in 2009, now almost covered with windblown sand.
We’re now at an advanced stage of planning next season’s excavation priorities for the town – to continue in the group of mid-sized houses near the governor’s residence, and to start work in the smaller houses at the southern end of the town.
Excavations will begin in eight weeks time.
- Update Re Amara West: A Pottery Kiln?
The British Museum Shadia Abdu Rabo, National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums, Sudan and Neal Spencer, British Museum Towards the end of the season, working in layers beneath house E13.8, we found a circular kiln – our first at Amara West....
- More From Amara West Excavations
If you are not already signed up to the Amara West blog I do sincerely recommend it - they still have a couple of weeks of the season left and update the blog regularly. Here are a sample of recent posts, all with lovely photographs. British Museum -nice...
- Amara West Blog Up And Running
British Museum If you enjoy following excavation blogs you won't be disappointed by this one. Here's one of the early posts, but they have been posting consistently since then, and their blog provides an excellent example of how good a blog can...
- More Discoveries At Amara West
British Museum (Charly Valance) Exerpt: With some great photos, as usual. Lovely to see things coming along nicely at Amara West, whilst everything goes on hold in Egypt. In my second season at Amara West – I spend the rest of the year as a field archaeologist...
- Shopping For Equipment For Fieldwork In The Sudan
British Museum (Neal Spencer) With departure for Sudan only weeks away, we’re putting together the final preparations for our fourth season of fieldwork at Amara West. Flights are booked, visas obtained, inoculations accumulated – and we have defined...