The Asyut project: sixth season of fieldwork (2008)

Originalveröffentlichung in: Studien zur Altägyptischen Kultur 38, 2009, S. 113-130 The Asyut Project: Sixth Season of Fieldwork (2008) Jochem Kahl / Mahmoud El-Khadragy / Ursula Verhoeven / Ahmed El-Khatib / Chiori Kitagawa Abstract The sixth season of fieldwork in the ancient necropolis of Asyut (Gebel Asyut al-gharbi) focused on L evel 7 including the forecourt of Tomb Nl 3.1, Tomb V, Tomb Nl 1.1, the Tomb of the Dogs, surveying Level 3 to 5 (from Tomb I up to Tomb HI) and the mapping of the necropolis. From 19th August to 25th September 2008 the Egyptian-German joint mission o f Sohag University and the Johannes Gutenberg-Universitat Mainz conducted its sixth season o f fieldwork1 in the ancient necropolis o f Asyut situated in the western mountains (Gebel Asyut al-gharbi). 2 In addition, the mission studied objects in the magazine at Shutb from 19th August to 25th September 2008.3 Fieldwork focused on L evel 7 including the forecourt o f Tomb N13.1, T o m b V , T o m b N11.1, the T o m b o f the Dogs, surveying L evel 3 to 5 (from Tomb I up to Tomb III) and the mapping o f the necropolis. Mapping o f the necropolis (Fig. 1) continued surveying the middle part o f Gebel Asyut algharbi. The survey helped clarify the position o f a dogs' tomb which was mentioned by early travelers (cf. below). In addition, a small concentration o f cat bones on L evel 5 was observed. W o r k also continued in T o m b V . While carrying away more than four metres o f standing debris, small parts o f wall decoration were detected. T o m b N l 1.1 was partly cleaned for use as a magazine for the mission's equipment after closing the gebel. T o m b N l 1.1 consists o f a row o f three pillars and five shafts as well as an unfinished shaft. Based on a naming mistake by H. W . Muller, this undecorated tomb was erroneously named T o m b o f Iti-ibi in Egyptology. 4 ' During the fieldwork we received full cooperation and encouragement from the Supreme Council of Antiquities. Thanks are due in particular to the Chairman, Prof. Dr. Zahi Hawass, to the Head of the Archaeology Sector, Mr. Sabry Abdel-Aziz, to the Director General of Asyut, Mr. Abd El-Satar Ahmed Mohamed, and to the Head of the Foreign and Egyptian Missions Affairs and Permanent Committee, Mr. Magdy el-Ghandour. We also thank R.S. Curtis and R.B. Parkinson for correcting our English. 2 For previous work cf.: J. Kahl/M. El-Khadragy/U. Verhoeven, in: S AK 3 7,2008,199-218 with further literature inn. 1; M. El-Khadragy, in: SAK 37, 2008,219-241; J. Kahl/U. Verhoeven, in: Sokar 16,2008,68-73; J. Kahl, in: ZAS 135, 2008, 180-182; U. Verhoeven, in: D. Kessler et al. (eds.), Texte - Theben - Tonfragmente. Festschrift furGiinterBurkard, A A T 76, 2009, 434-441; U. Verhoeven, in: ZAS 136, 2009 (in print). 3 Members of the mission were: Prof. Dr. Mahmoud El-Khadragy, Sohag University, field director; Prof. Dr. Jochem Kahl, University of Mainz, field director; Prof. Dr. Ursula Verhoeven, University of Mainz, project director; Prof. Ahmed Ali El-Khatib, University of Sohag, botanist; Dr. Sameh Shafik, epigrapher; Dr. Hesham Faheed Ahmed, Egyptologist; Dr. Abdel-Naser Yasin, Islamic studies; Dipl. Ing. Manja Maschke, surveyor; Meike Becker, M.A., Egyptologist; Nadine Deppe, M.A., archaeologist; Chiori Kitagawa, M.A., zooarchaeologist; Magdalena Patolla, M.A., anthropologist; Monika Zoller-Engelhardt, M.A., Egyptologist; Hytham Aly Madkour, Egyptologist; Ibrahim Kedees, Egyptologist; Mohamed Al-Shafey, Egyptologist; Mohamed Helmi, Egyptologist; Yasser Mahmoud, Egyptologist; Eva Gervers, student of anthropology, Andrea Kilian, student of Egyptology, L aura Sanhueza-Pino, student of Egyptology Veronika Wagner, student of Egyptology Ammar Abu Bakr, draughtsman. The accompanying inspectors were: Mr. Emad Bostan Ata, Madame Nadja Naguib and Mr. Ahmed Abd-Alrahim Abd-Almagid. 4 E.g. D. Wildung, Sesostrisund Amenemhet: Agypten im Mittleren Reich, 1984, 154. 114 J. Kahl etal. Fig. 1: Map o f Gebel Asyut al-gharbi (Manja Maschke/Ulrike Fauerbach) SAK38 Fig. 2: Level 7, Tomb N13.1, site plan (Manja Maschke) 116 J. KsMetal. SAK38 Level 7 Cleaning of Level 7 to the south brought some small Old Kingd om/First Intermed iate Period / Mid d le Kingdom tombs to light (Fig. 2) and increased the number of small structures which are known in front and to the south of Tomb N13.1 from 49 (last season) to 67 (this season). Male and female adults as well as children were buried there. The tombs can roughly be divided into two groups: tombs of the late Old Kingdom and tombs which might be contemporaneous to Tomb N13.1 (i.e. temp. Mentuhotep II). The first mentioned tombs consist of a vertical shaft, sometimes opening out into a small chamber which is hewn into the western and/or southern wall of the shaft. The last mentioned tombs consist of a small horizon­ tal chamber in which one or two vertical shafts are cut. Roads, paths or steps which could help to understand the ancient system of ways on level 7 of the necropolis have not yet been found. Ancient quarrying activities in front of Tomb N 13.1 destroyed possible hints for stairways or ramps. Tomb I (PI 0.1) The restorers Mr. Ahmed Abd-Aldayem Mohamed, Mr. Hellal Okeli Atalla, Mr. Khaled Gomaa and Madame Abir Mohamed Ali Mosa cleaned paintings in Tomb I (P10.1; Tomb of Djefai-Hapi I, temp. Sesostris I). Due to their restoration work hitherto unknown paintings and inscriptions in the first corridor could be studied and facsimiles made. Also a facsimile of Mortuary Liturgy no. 7 was made.5 The Mortuary Liturgy was intended to secure the tomb owner's existence after death. In opposition to funerary texts, this text did not serve the dead as a text to be read in the hereafter, but was meant for the use of the living, i.e. the mortuary priest performing the rites in the tomb.6 The only known parallel to this text is recorded in the 18th Dynasty tomb of Senenmut in Thebes (TT 353). There, it is written on the East wall, either side of the entrance, thus situated on a wall of the accessible cult chamber. This location might correspond to the liturgy's actual use in ritual.7 Mortuary Liturgy no. 7, as far as it is preserved in the Tomb of Djefai-Hapi I, consists of different parts. Some of them are already known as Pyramid Text Spells 94-95 and 220-222 as well as Coffin Texts Spells 723 and 751; others - with the exception of TT 353 - were hitherto unknown. It is highly probable that the whole composition of Mortuary Liturgy no. 7 dates back to the Old Kingdom. Mortuary Liturgy no. 7 covers the eastern part of the northern wall of the first passage. The ceiling of the passage is painted with blue stars. Mortuary Liturgy no. 7 superimposes a former decoration in the Tomb of Djefai-Hapi I. Traces of pictorial decoration and of texts are still visible; among others, a sculptured scene depicting the tomb owner's statue situated in a shrine and standing in a boat. The reason for this change in decoration might have been the high prestige to refer to such a mortuary liturgy which originated in the royal sphere. s J. Kahl, SIS 380-418: Eine Textid entifizierung, in: GM 139, 1994, 41-42; J. Assmann, Egyptian Mortuary Liturgies, in: S. Israelit-Groll (ed.), Studies in Egyptology Presented to Miriam Lichtheim I, 1990, 23; P.F. Dorman, The Tombs of Senenmut. The Architecture and Decoration of Tombs 71 and 353, PMMA 24, 1991; J. Assmann, Altagyptische Totenliturgien I: Totenliturgien in den Sargtexten des Mittleren Reiches, 2002, 469-515. 6 Assmann, Mortuary Liturgies, 2. 7 Assmann, Mortuary Liturgies, 23. 2009 The Asyut Project: Sixth Season of Fieldwork (2008) 117 During the work in the magazine at Shutb, progress could be made in studying and drawing small objects from the previous seasons, especially shells, offering trays, cartonage and coffin fragments. A part of the plant remains was also studied (cf. below: Ahmed El-Khatib). J.K./M.Kh. Tomb N13.1: graffiti During this year the hieratic graffiti from the New Kingdom continued to be collated and measured.8 Examination confirmed the reading of the name of the author of the Loyalistic Teaching as the vizir Kairsu, who is known from P. Chester Beatty IV and a Saqqara relief.9 A systematic inventory list was made of the almost 50 secondary drawings and carvings, identifying several groups of motifs such as gods (a head of Hathor in red ink), persons, mammals, ships and miscellaneous others. U.V. Tomb of the Dogs Gebel Asyut al-gharbi was used in different ways during the last five millennia: e.g. as a necropolis for Asyuti people (since the Old Kingdom at the latest), as a quarry (since the Middle Kingdom at the latest), as a destination for school excursions (during the New Kingdom), as a dwelling room for anachoretes (Coptic Period), as a construction area for monasteries (Coptic Period), and as a military area (in modern times). To reconstruct the different functions of Gebel Asyut al-gharbi and its changes, its use as an animal necropolis has also to be examined. Old travelogues report on burials or mummies of animals.10 Even today, mummified remains are lying on the surface of Gebel Asyut al-gharbi. Surveying Gebel Asyut al-gharbi for animal remains will help to determine those parts of the gebel, where animals were buried. In addition, it is to be expected that there were different burial grounds for different animals. This season's aim was to determine the exact position of a dog/jackal necropolis, especially of a large dogs' tomb. Old travelogues, as well as local people, gave us infor­ mation not only about the existence but also about the location of this tomb, so a survey should add further circumstantial evidence for its exact position (cf. below: Chiori Kitagawa). According to old travelogues, one can distinguish two large dogs' tombs. One should be situated in the area between Tomb I and Tomb IV, the other near the Salakhana Tomb. The last mentioned dogs' tomb was detected only in 1889, the former one seems to have been visible and accessible a long time ago, but is currently completely hidden by surface debris caused by heavy rainfalls during the second half of the Twentieth Century AD. During the Eighteenth Century, travellers reported on animal mummies in Gebel Asyut algharbi. In 1792, the English traveller William George Browne, noted burials of dogs, ibises, and cats. He also questioned the reason of this burial custom. He concluded that either the animals were thought to be holy or that they should accompany their owners in the beyond: 8 Two individual graffiti on the west wall are now published by U. Verhoeven, in: D. Kessler et al. (eds.), Texte - Theben - Tonfragmente. Festschrift fur Giinter Burkard, A A T 76, 2009, 434-441. 9 U. Verhoeven, in: ZAS 136, 2009, 87-98. 10 M. Becker, in: J. Kahl, Ancient Asyut: The First Synthesis after 300 Years of Research, The Asyut Project 1, 2008, 148-149. 118 J. Kahl etal. SAK38 W.G.Brownes Reisen in Afrika, Egypten und S yrien, in den Jahren 1792 bis 1798. Aus dem Englischeniibersetztundmit Anmerkungen versehen vonM.C. Sprengel (Berlin-Hamburg 1801) 107-108: In dem Gebiirge oberhalb Assiut giebt es verschiedene merkwiirdige Holen, die sehr gerdumig, zugleich auch mit Hieroglyphen und emblematischg, Figuren verzieret sind. Einige scheinen Grabmdlen gewesen zu seyn, denn manfindetdaselbst noch einige Ueberbleibsel von jenen irde Gejdfien, in welchen man den Leichnamen nicht nur Ibisse, sondern auch Hunde, Katzen, und an dergleichen Thiere beyzusetzenpflegte, entweder weil man dieselbenfur heilighielt, odersie deswe umbrachte, damit sie ihren abgeschiedenen Gebietern, oder Gebieterinnen, in jener Welt Gesells leisten sollten. In einer dieser Holen sind, aufier dem Eingange, drey in den aus Quadersteinen bestehenden Felsen gehauene Zimmer befindlich, von welchen das erste sechszig Fufi lang und dre Fuji breit, das zweyte sechszig Fufi lang und sechs undzwanzig Fufi breit, das dritte aber nur sechs zwanzig Fufi lang, undfiinfund zwanzig Fufi breit ist. Weiter oben auf dem Gebirge giebt es einig andere Holen, die noch geraumiger sind als die oben erwahnten. In andern Gegenden dieses ndmlichen Gebiirges siehet man viele blofi aus dem Grobsten gearbe Hohlungen, die ehedem S teinbriiche waren, deren man sich aber nachmals zu andern Absichte bediente. Einige gebrauchte man zu Grabstdtten, wie sich aus verschiedenen noch vorhandene Aschenkriigen schliefien lasst, die auf eine ganz besondere Art mit Erdharz verpicht sind; andere aufderNordseite lagen, undfolglich sehr kiihl waren, mochten zu Sommerwohnungen gedienet hab In 1799, the French Expedition systematically surveyed Gebel Asyut al-gharbi for the first time. In addition to describing monumental tomb architecture, the civil engineers Rene Edouard Devilliers du Terrage and Jean Baptiste Prosper Jollois also mentioned remains of wolfs/jackals, cats, predatory birds, and eventually monkeys: Devilliers/Jollois, in: Description de VEgypte. Tome quatrieme, Antiquites-descriptions (Paris 1821) 153-154: Dans tous les hypogees de Syout, on voit un grand nombre de cases oil les momies etaient autrefo renfermees. Nous avons meme trouve, dans plusieurs, des fragmens de ces momies, particulierem de loups on de chacals, dejeunes chats, ainsi qued'oiseaux depreie qui avaient encore leursplumes II nous mena vers le has de la montagne dans un endroit oil il avait fait un trou dans le decombres nous y vimes une grande quantite de momies d 'animaux presque toutes brisees et deposees par l horizontaux entre des nattes. Nous avons rapporte quelques-unes de ces momies, parmi lesquelle y avait des oiseaux de proie, des chats, peut-etre aussi des singes. La plupart etaient des chacals o des loups. The difficult distinction between wolfs, jackals and dogs often hindered the correct zoological identification of the canine remains. During the Nineteenth Century, several travellers mentioned animal remains at Asyut in their travelogues. In 1826, Edward William Lane described rudely cut grottoes in which mummies of jackals, birds and other animals were found: Edward William Lane, Description of Egypt. Notes and views in Egypt and Nubia, made during the years 1825, —26, —27, and —28: Chiefly consisting of a series of descriptions and delineations of the monuments, scenery, &c. of those countries; The views, with few exceptions, made with camera-lucida. Edited and with an introduction by Jason Thompson (Cairo 2000) 268: Many of the grottoes here are very rudely cut; and evidently have never been adorned with sculptur Most of the larger excavations contain square pits, descending to sepulchral chambers, which have 2009 The Asyut Project: Sixth Sea son of Fieldwork (2008) 119 been ra nsa cked. At the mouth of one of these I saw several mummies, broken in pieces: they were human mummies; a nd to such, most probably, these tombs were chiefly devoted; but mummies of ja cka ls and other beasts and birds have been found in them. Some, a nd perhaps all, of these grottoes will soon be entirely destroyed. I found workmen employed in blasting the rock, a t the entrances of several of the ancient excavations. John Gardner Wilkinson also referred to animal remains: Gardner Wilkinson, Modern Egypt and Thebes: being a description of Egypt (1843) 87: In the smaller caves and excavated recesses of the rock in various parts of this mountain, the remains of wolfmummies are frequently met with; which is perfectly consistent with thefact of the wolf having been the sacred animal of the place, a nd with the name given to the town by the Greeks. Id., ibid., 88: On the lower part ofthe hill arefive standing statues, in high relief. Many ofthe burnt bones I observed were of wolves; a nd it is probable tha t most of the smaller caves were intended for depositing the mummies ofthose sacred animals ofLycopolis, which have since been purposely or accidentally burnt. In 1848, an anonymous American traveller wrote about mummies of dogs, jackals, and wolves inspired by Asyut's Greek name Lykopolis, he thought, as many other travellers did, that the wolf was also worshipped in Asyut: (Anonymous), Journal of a Voyage up the Nile, made between the months ofNovember, 1848, and April, 1849. By an American (Buffalo 1851)46-47: Here was the capital of the Lycopolite nome, where the worship of the wolf and mummies was kept up—some say the dog, but doubtless it was the jackal, partaking of the nature of both. The paintings on the tombs abound with representations ofthem, and the pits arefilled with their mummies; a strange and sickening idolatry, which Egyptian scholars, who conceive idolatry was only symbolical, may well note. It was the worst specimen of animal worship. Wolves andjackals abounded here, a nd were the curse of the people; they feared them, a nd worshipped them. Id., ibid., 49: Here, in earlier times, even in such beauty ofnature, men worshipped and embalmed the wolf, and the dog, a nd the jackal, because they feared them as the destroyers of their flocks. Referring to animal mummies which lay tumbled about among the rocks, Florence Nightinga le, in her unique metaphorical manner, described the plundering of the Asyut necropolis in 1849: Florence Nightinga le, Letters from Egypt. A Journey on the Nile 1849-1850. Selected a nd Introduced by Anthony Sa ttin (London 1987) 63: Numbers ofheads and tails ofmummy-jackals were lying about their rags, —for Lycopolis was sacred to Anubis, a jackal-headed god, who was the god of Death in its good sense, — dea th in the sense of regeneration and resurrection. It was his office to preside over the dying moments, to carry away the escaping Psyche from the bed ofdeath to the presence of his father Osiris, whose name the new-born y/vxrj then took, a nd under which name it entered Paradise. Anubis was, in the same sense, the god of Time. But Time itself now lay dead; and the mummies, so carefully put under his protection, a ll lay tumbled about among the rocks. It was curious to see these things, to which a reverencefor life, or even for where life had been, under any form, had given birth, — a reverence so great that, even in the a nima l, life was sacred, — to see now, not only the mummy-animals, but even the skeleton ofa human being, a young woman, 5000years ago so reverentially caredfor, now handled by our childish Arabs, pulled to pieces, a nd thrown at one another's heads. 120 J. K a h l e t al. SAK38 S e v e r a l s c h o l a r s a n d travelers r e f e r r e d t o m u m m i f i e d a n i m a l s at A s y u t d u r i n g the f o l l o w i n g decades.11 A l t h o u g h travelers had reported o n a n i m a l m u m m i e s but not precisely o n animal tombs, the G e r m a n E g y p t o l o g i s t , H e i n r i c h B r u g s c h , w a s t h e first t o g i v e a c l u e t o t h e e x i s t e n c e o f a large d o g s ' t o m b a n d its l o c a t i o n . I n 1853 h e v i s i t e d A s y u t a n d s a w a l a r g e d o g s ' t o m b i n the v i c i n i t y o f the t o m b o f D j e f a i - H a p i I ( T o m b I; P10.1). H e i n r i c h B r u g s c h , Re ise be richte Maj e stat e d s Konigs nomm ee n n Die wiss e nschaftlich e n e rhalte ne n N e kropolis kdpfig e n aus Ae gypte n. Fri e drich wie [in Grab I; Anm. J.K.J woher denn auch ihre griechische Dieses Grab, mdchtige befindet, e b el hr e n in dessen Ndhe sich eine nennen die Eingeborenen auf Be fe hl 1853 mich, dass die Alte rthume e Se in r und 1854 unt e r- Bezeichnung Grotte Antar's Stadt, zu we lche r Siut Me ss. Sie war de m i. „dem Wdchter der Strassen "] gewidmet und Wolfe heilig, Thierclasse in de n Jahre n L( e i p z i g 1 8 5 5 ) 102: de m Nilthale noch je tzt, so auch im graue ste n Gott Tap-he ru[d. wdhr e nd e in e r e G schri ee b n IV. von Pre usse n nach e e R is Inschrift e n g e hort e , Wilh e lm di e schakal- undihr warenHunde, Schakale Lykopolis, "Wolfsstadt" stammte. mit Thiermumien der obenbezeichneten Stall. T w e n t y - e i g h t y e a r s later, C r o w n P r i n c e R u d o l f o f A u s t r i a a l s o l o c a l i z e d the b u r i a l p l a c e o f d o g s t o t h i s area: 1 2 K r o n p r i n z R u d o l f v o n O s t e r r e i c h , Eine Ossiut, die grofite und ansehnlichste Orientreise. alten Namen Siaut, eine schakalskopfige Samtliche Thiere vom Hundegeschlecht Benennung der Stadt Lykopolis, das einen Vorsprung Korper der lybischen der erwdhnten Thierclasse Dynastie erwdhnten angehdrten. Epoche Gottheit (Anubis) waren ihr geweiht, „ die Wolfsstadt". den Zeiten der MIL I. B a n d ( W i e n 1 8 8 1 ) 2 0 9 - 2 1 0 : Stadt Ober-Egyptens, Gebirgskette aufgefunden, herruhren fuhrt ihre heutige Bezeichnung nach hatte hier einst ihre Tempel und vor allem der Wolf, daher die griechische In den Hdhlen des hinter Ossiut liegenden bildet, werden noch heute die wohl in dichter Ndhe beruhmter Gebirges, einbalsamirten Grabkapellen, (um 2200 vor Chr. Geb.) und vornehmen dem Altdre. welche Hofbeamten aus der I n 1889, an e x c a v a t i o n c o n d u c t e d b y M o h a m e d H a l f a w e e brought to light a d o g / j a c k a l necropolis c l o s e t o the T o m b o f a n o t h e r D j e f a i - H a p i ( n o t T o m b I a n d I I ) . It s e e m s q u i t e p l a u s i b l e that D j e f a i H a p i I I I , o w n e r o f the S a l a k h a n a - T o m b , is this p e r s o n . T h e A m e r i c a n b u s i n e s s m a n a n d t r a v e l l e r C h a r l e s E d w i n W i l b o u r ( 1 8 3 3 - 1 8 9 6 ) reported o n this e x c a v a t i o n : J e a n C a p a r t ( e d . ) , Travels Wilbour March in Egypt [ December 1880 to May 1891]. Letters of Charles Edwin ( B r o o k l y n N . Y . 1936) 528: 22, 1889 considerable ... Omar excavation, told me of new work quite grandiose, in the mountain which Mohammed Halfawee, was making. It is only a few rods north of the end of the causeway, cemetery, and thirty or forty feet up. A narrow north side of which are two rock chambers, way cut through and took me after noon with permission from perhaps one third of the way to the rock leads to an open place, the door of the farthermost to a Grebaut, being inscribed on the in the name of 11 (Anonymous), Journal o f a Voyage up the Nile, made between the months o f November, 1848, and April, 1849. B y an American, 1851, 46-^17; Aegypten. Reisebilder aus dem Orient. Dem Hochgebornen Herrn Grafen Joseph Breunner hochachtungsvoll gewidmet, nach der Natur gezeichnet und herausgegeben von Ludwig L ibay, 1857: L . L ibay; neu herausgegeben von D. Magdolen 2006; G. Ebers, Aegypten in Bild und Wort dargestellt von unseren ersten Kiinstlern beschrieben von Georg Ebers, Bd. 2, 1880, 205; P.F. Kupka, Wiener „Papyri". Skizzen aus Jungund Al taegypten, 1894, 138-139. 12 Rudolf from Austria referred to tomb chapels, which were dated to Dynasty 13 during his time (e.g. Tomb I). 2009 The Asyut Project: Sixth Season of Fieldwork (2008) 121 the same Hap-jefwhose two tombs have been a wonderfor many years.13 Why two ? And now it is, Why three? Two or three broken steles have been foundand an offering table with name ofHap-jef. Digging is only begun on the north side of the place. Above six feet ofsand is a four or five foot layer ofjackal mummies in pots, some of which are ornamented. Their shape and decoration is wonderfully varied. One had aface with protruding tongue; many had raised work. I remember too, a hawk-headed Sphinx with the beginning ofa Demotic inscription. Tofinish the workMohammed Halfawee thinks would take two hundred pounds. Sophie Rohe, who also travelled in 1889 with a Boston family to Asyut, corroborated Wilbour's report: Sophie Rohe, DreiMonate in Egypten. Reiseerinnerungen, (Kaiserslautern 1892) 54: Immer noch an Mumienteilen vorbei schritten wir wieder bergab und kamen zu einem erst entdeckten Grabe, mit dessen Blofilegung man gerade beschd ftigt war. Gerne hd tten wir der Erbffnung eines Raumes beigewohnt, d en seit mehr als 3000 Jahren vielleicht kein menschlicher Fuji betreten; aber trotzdem man die Thiir schon sah, musste erst der aus Schutt und Hundsmumien in Vasen bestehende Hiigel vorn und daruber sorgsam abgetragen und eine Kommission von Kairo abgewartet werden, ehe man das Geheimnis ergrunden konnte. So gingen wir denn unseres Weges weiter, froh, wenigstens einige gerade ans Licht befbrderte Vaschen und Ndpfchen als Andenken erhandelt zu haben. Summarizing the old travelogues, two large burial places for dogs/jackals can be roughly located. The one situated near Tomb I, the other near the Salakhana-Tomb. The Asyut Project started this season to clarify the exact position of this Tomb of the Dogs which is situated near Tomb I. According to information from local people, a large architectural structure with dog burials was visible between Tomb I and Tomb IV several decades ago, which confirmed Brugsch's localization of the Tomb of the Dogs. Consistent with these sources, the tomb must be situated on level 4 in Gebel Asyut al-gharbi. Surveying this area in a wider radius attested to its position on level 4 (cf. below: Chiori Kitagawa). The tomb is buried by several meters of debris which seems to have been caused by rainfall. Among the objects found during the survey in the debris of the Tomb of the Dogs, a lotiform chalice fragment (Fig. 3; S08/st751) must especially be mentioned. The preserved rim fragment of a blue-green faience chalice allows us to reconstruct the decoration of the upper part of the vessel. It has a block border, sepals and petals, and in the gaps, papyrus. Similar vessels are known from the late New Kingdom and the Third Intermediate Period and especially worth mentioning for comparison is the lotiform chalice Louvre E 11349 bought in Cairo in 1913.14 Some lotiform chalices are said to be from Hermopolis, because they were purchased in the late Nineteenth Century at Tuna el-Gebel.15 The Asyut chalice fragment raises the question of whether there could have possibly been a faience workshop at Asyut. J.K. 13 14 15 I.e. Tomb I and Tomb II. G.A.D. Tait, in: JEA49, 1963, pi. Xffl.l. F.D. Friedman (ed.), Gifts of the Nile. Ancient Egyptian Faience, 1998, 224. 122 J. Kahl et al. SAK38 I I Fig. 3: Faience chalice (S08/st751) The fauna Alth ough materials from the surface survey in the central part of the Gebel Asyut al-gharbi16 th e study of animal remains in Egyptian archaeology h as gradually increased since the 1980s, there are several debatable issues wh ich still need answering. One of th ese issues is the canine gods, i.e. Anubis, Khenty-Imentiu, Duamutef, Sed and Wepwawet, which were worshipped in ancient Egypt.17 Th e animal species depicted in ancient Egyptian representations sometimes puzzle us since ancient Egyptian artisans tended to follow a conventional, somewh at stylised meth od of representation. Alth ough th e jackal is, for instance, often associated with th e god Anubis, its identity is disputed, as indeed it is for oth ers with several previous research ers' suggestions ranging between dog, wolf, jackal or fox.18 Two of such gods, namely Wepwawet (Upuaut) and Anubis, were worsh ipped in ancient Asyut (siwti, Lycopolis). Th ey are known as canine gods; however from their depictions, it is hard to identify which canine species were con­ cerned.19 16 The author would like to thank to A. von den Driesch (Munich) for her valuable comments on this paper and J. Peters (Institut fur Palaoanatomie und Geschichte der Tiermedizin, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Miinchen) for his kind advice and support on zooarchaeological work on the site. 17 Cf. D. Kessler, in: LA VI, 575-587, s.v. Tierkult; D. Kessler, Die heiligen Tiere und der Konig I: Beitrage zu Organisation, Kult und Theologie der spatzeitlichen Tierfriedhofe, A A T 16, 1989, 18-34, 106-107, 171-172, 257-277, fig.l; T. DuQuesne, The Jackal Divinities of Egypt I: From the Archaic Period to Dynasty X, 2005; T. DuQuesne, Anubis Upwawet, and Other Deities: Personal Worship and Official Religion in Ancient Egypt, 2007. 18 Cf. J. G. Wilkinson, Manners and customs of the ancient Egyptians m, 1837, 157-161,258,274-279; Davies, Ptahhetep and Akhethetep, 18, pi.VI; E. Meyer, in: ZAS 41,1904,97-107; L. Lortet/C. Gaillard, La faune momifiee de VAncienneEgypte, 1905,249-250; Abydos, 108-110; Emery, Archaic Egypt, 127; W.J. Darby/P. Ghalioungui/L. Grivetti, Food: The Gift of Osiris I, 1977, 245-246; D.A. Mackenzie, Egyptian Myth and Legend, 1978, 75; D.J. Osborn/I. Helmy, The Contemporary Land Mammals of Egypt (Including Sinai), Feldiana Zool. N.S. 5, 1980, 367; E. Brunner-Traut, Die Alten Agypter, 1974, 160, fig. 52; D.J. Osborn, The mammals of Ancient Egypt, 1998, 56, 68, 75-79; M. Rice, Swifter than the Arrow. The Golden Hunting Hounds of Ancient Egypt, 2006, 125-180. " Cf. N. Durisch, in: BIFAO 93, 1993, 210. 2009 The Asyut Project: Sixth Season of Fieldwork (2008) 123 Mummified canine as well as other different animal species, such as cattle, cat, ibis and birds of prey, from Asyut were sporadically reported in previous studies.20 Successive fieldwork in Gebel Asyut al-gharbi, therefore, may be able to give us an opportunity to reconstruct not only the usage of canine species but also the comprehensive human-animal interactions in Gebel Asyut al-gharbi in the past. Methodology In this season the surface survey, particularly focusing on animal remains and pottery, was conducted in the central part of Gebel Asyut al-gharbi (Fig. 4). A great number of fauna remains and other artefacts were scattered on the surface. They would have been derived from different past human activities such as the reuse of the pharaonic necropolis by Copts,21 the plundering and perhaps past explorations.22 Animal remains may also have been derived from food refuse littered by people who used/lived in the gebel in the past. The main aim of the survey in 2008 was not only to corroborate the location of Tomb of the Dogs in the gebel whose locus was roughly known but also to study archaeozoological and recent animal remains that help us to understand the history of the site. It was, therefore, chosen to include the area of concentration of animal remains scattered on the surface of the ground. In order to distinguish the differences in frequencies and species among scattered animal remains, the area was divided horizontally into four different levels (level 3a, 3b, 4 and 5)23 and also vertically into two parts (survey line 1, 2 and 3, fig. 4). 20 Cf. Jollois/Devilliers, in: Description de 1'Egypte, 153; Wilkinson, Manners and customs, 27; G. Ebers, Cicerone durch das alte und neue Agypten. Ein Lese-und Handbuch far Freunde des Nillandes II, 1886, 162-163; L. Lortet/C. Gaillard, La faune momifiee de l'Ancienne Egypte II, 1909,259-286; C. Gaillard, in: ASAE 27, 1927, 33-42; Kessler, Die heiligen Tiere, 22; S. Dcram/N. Iskander, Non-Human Mummies, 2002, CG 24048-24056; 29504-29903 (selected); 51084-51101; 61089, 2002, 4; Becker, in: Kahl, Ancient Asyut, 148. 21 Cf. J. Cledat, in: ASAE 9,1908,213-223; E. Chassinat/Ch. Palanque, Une campagne de fouilles dans la necropole d'Assiout, MIFAO 24, 1911, 2-3; M. El-Khadragy/J. Kahl, in: SAK 32, 2004, 234. 22 Cf. Kahl, Ancient Asyut, 28-29. 23 Although they corresponded approximately to the geological stages, level 3 was divided further in two parts, 3a and 3b, for the convenience of separating the relatively wide area of level 3. Horizontal levels for the survey corresponded with the geological layers along which rock-cut tombs were hewn in antiquity (cf. R. Klemm/D. Klemm, Geological Report (on occasion of a visit at Gebel Asyut in 2005), 2006 (unpublished); J. Kahl/M. ElKhadragy/U. Verhoeven, in: SAK 34, 2006, 242; Kahl, Ancient Asyut, 59-60). 124 J. Kahl et al. Gebel Asyut al-gharbi , survey area The Asyut Project 2008 Topography based on Survey of Egypt .... m <-> app. level 2 opp. level 3a app. 82 level 3b opp. 91 - 103m <-> level 4 app. 102 - 111m <-> app. level 5 app. 123 - 126m <-> - 88m <-> app. 82 - 88m AMSL 91 - 103m AMSL app. 102 - 111m AMSL 123 - 126m AMSL app. .... m AMSL Fig. 4: Survey area, central part of Gebel Asyut al-gharbi (Manja Maschke) SAK38 2009 The Asyut Project: Sixth Season of Fieldwork (2008) 125 The macroscopically-visible fauna materials on the surface were picked up as many as possible together with diagnostic pottery.24 They were hand-picked level by level and labelled with the study numbers according to the sub-sectioned area to associate the materials for more detailed study. The study numbers given to the surface survey were from S08/st601 to S08/st659 (Tab . 1). Level 5 4 3b 3a Stud}'numbers (st) from the surface survey:pottery (tipper) / animalremains (low er) S08/st613,st614,st616,st628 S08/st615. st617. st618, stfj 19, st625. st626. st629 S08, st602. st631, st633, st635. st637. st639, st64L S08,st601, st603, st604. st610, st630. st632. st634. st636. st638, st640 S08/s(611. st612. st642, st645, st648. st651. st653. S08/st605. st606. st609. st643. st644, st649, st650, st652, S08/st64Z st655. st657, st659, S08/st607. st608. st646, st654, st656, st658 Table 1: Vertical levels and study numbers of surface survey for pottery and animal remains on the central part of Gebel Asyut al-gharbi in 2008 Faunal remains were studied and recorded on site (Geb el Asyut al-gharb i) with the aid o f comparative specimens o f dog Canisfamiliaris, goldenjackal Canis aureus, red fox Vulpes vulpes, and some b ird and fish species b rought from the Staatssammlung fur Anthropologic und Palao- anatomie Miinchen. 25 The numb er o f fragments o f each identified species is shown in Tab le 3 as the primary data. Measurement data help us to identify osteological remains among species sharing similarmorphologicalcharacteristics and/or to study the size variation o f intra-species, which could b e due to sexual dimorphism, types o f animal and/or the ecology at that time. If measuring points on retrieved specimens were preserved, they were measured according to standard estab lished b y v o n den Driesch. 26 Teeth wear (eruption and ab rasion), conditions o f alveolar (whether they are closing/closed), state o f epiphysial fusion, presence and size o f horn, presence o f os penis, morphology o f pelvis and canine size were also recorded for any corresponding taxa, when possib le, to see the population structure (age and sex). Features which could b e macroscopically ob served on bones, such as cut-marks, traces o f fire and pathologies, were also noted. In this report only the b rief overview on animal taxa and frequencies will b e shown. The data concerning the measurement, population structure and other features are now b eing processed, and will b e pre­ sented in our future publication(s). 24 Pottery retrieved from the survey has been under study by L. Sanhueza-Pino who took charge of the survey on pottery. "The author would like to thank to H. Obermaierand the Staatssammlung fur Anthropologie und Palaoanatomie Miinchen for the kind permission for the loan of comparative osteological specimens for the Asyut Project. 26 A. von den Driesch, A Guide to the measurement of animal bonesfromarchaeological sites, Peabody Museum Bulletin 1, 1976. J. Kahl et al. 126 Preliminary result on fauna SAK38 m aterials In this f ield season a part o f the f auna materials collected f rom the surf ace survey was studied, especially focusing on the area in which the T o m b o f the Dogs was expected in level 4 (S08/st601, st603 and st604), 3b (the area below the T o m b o f the Dogs; S08/st605, st606 and st609) and 3a (the area below the T o m b o f the Dogs; S08/st607 and st608), and the area in which the concentration o f animal remains was observed near Deir el-Meitin in level 5 (S08/st615 and st617). Bone con­ centra tions were spotted clearly in three parts of the surveyed area, namely in front o f the expected T o m b o f the Dogs in level 4, "dog rema ins concentra tion 1" in level 3 b27 a nd "dog rema ins concentra tion 2 " in level 5 (see Fig. 4: 0 . 1 1 , 0 . 1 0 a nd P. 13). In genera l, the condition o f bone preservation wa s good. If not exposed to direct sunlight a nd blea ched, the colour o f bones differed from light yellow to dark brown. Remnant soft tissues and/or skins which were attached on surface and particularly around the epiphyses o f single bones as well as articulated bones, were still observed. Accordingly, fa una l remains with such details could ha ve been derived from mummified a nima ls. Ta ble 2 shows the number o f animal rema ins by cla sses studied in this season: the areas o f the concentra tion o f a nima l rema ins were situa ted nea r Deir el-Meitin (level 5) a nd a round the expected T o m b o f the D o g s (a nd a djoining a rea : ca . 70m in front of the expected T o m b o f the Dogs). Mollusc, fish, bird a nd reptile rema ins a re present in sma ll numbers, while the la rge ma jority o f a nima l rema ins a re ma mma ls. Mollusc rema ins include a fra gment o f rubens arcuata2S Corbicula Cham bardia from the expected T o m b o f the Dogs a rea (level 4) a nd two specimens o f flum inalis from Deir el-Meitin (level 5), both o f which were o f the freshwater species. A s for the fish rema ins, there a re seven sa mples o f freshwa ter species, a ll retrieved from Deir elMeitin (level 5): one Synodontis schall (cleithrum), one Bagrus sp. (cleithrum), four Cla riida e (neurocra nium fra gments and pectoral spines) and one hates niloticus (vertebra ). Bird remains are still under study, however one complete femur retrieved in level 4 a t the expected T o m b o f the D o g s a rea wa s identified a s a n imperia l ea gle Aquila heliaca. One ca ra pa ce fra gment o f Trionyx triunguis w a s observed in level 3b a t the a rea below the T o m b o f the Dogs. Level Number 5 S08/gt615, st617 Deir el-Meitin area 4 S08/stS01, st603, st604 Tomb of tiie Dogs a rea 3b 3a S08/st605, 1*606. s»609 S08/st607, #60$ Tomb of the Doas Tomb of die Does a rea below a rea below Mollusc j 1 0 0 Fish 7 0 0 0 Bird -> 5 0 0 Reptile 0 0 1 0 Mammal 4789 418 116 21 Total 4800 424 i n 21 Table 2: Numbers of animal remains collected and studied in this season Faunal remains from the "dog remain concentration 1" were not yet studied in this seasoa C. r. arcuata is also known as Aspatharia rubens. 2009 The Asyut Project: Sixth Season of Fieldwork (2008) 127 The graph and table 3 show the breakdown of the relative frequencies and numbers of animal taxon. Due to the very similar morphological features and size overlaps between dogs and golden jackals, it was usually difficult to separate osteological remains of these two species. To separate golden jackal cranial bones from those of dogs, the criteria set by Osborn and Helmy29 were used as markers. Since the criteria for distinguishing postcranial bones of dog and golden jackal are not yet well established, the above-mentioned comparative specimens were referred to, although most of them were categorised as "dog/golden jackal" at this stage. Therefore, a study on their postcranial skeletal parts will be one of the future research plans of this project. At the current stage of the study, however, osteological remains of Canidae (dog, golden jackal and red fox) retrieved at the site were divided in the following categories: dog, dog/golden jackal (specimens which are indeterminable and should be studied further), golden jackal, red fox, dog/red fox (small dog or red fox) and Canidae (those which belong to golden jackal/dog/red fox, but are difficult to determine due to fragmentations and lack of diagnostic parts). As seen in the graph, the majority of remains belongs to canine species at the expected Tomb of the Dogs area in level 4, which accounts for nearly 60%. On the contrary, far less canine remains, 10% of the whole mammal remains, were retrieved from the area below the expected Tomb of the Dogs in level 3b. In level 3a, below the Tomb of the Dogs area, canine remains consist of 50%; however, this may much relate to the very small sample size (N=16). At Deir el-Meitin, materials from level 5 were studied. This indicates that an extremely high percentage of the remains, 96% of all identified mammal bones, was derived from canine species. Other identified mammal species provides only 4%; three-quarters of them are derived from small cat species.30 Concerning the other mammal species, domestic animals such as cattle, sheep/goat and donkey are present (follwing Table 3). A large number of them belongs to cattle, some of which had traces of fire on the bone surface (1% of cattle bones from level 3b, 88% from level 4 and 6% from level 5). One camel bone was retrieved in level 3a below the expected Tomb of the Dogs area. Graph: relative frequences of die identified cat & canine remains among the identified mammal remains from die survey in Gebel Asyut al-gharbi Le ve l 5: S08/st615 & »1617. Level 4: S08/*S01, sK.03 &S1604. Level 3b: S08M605. S1606 & stS09, Level 3a: S0S st607 & stSOS 13 Cat 0% Canida e 25% • Othe r mammal species 50% Osborn/Helmy, Contemporary Land Mammals of Egypt, 360-371. Mostly wild cat Felis silvestris and/or domestic cat F. catits. 75% 100% 128 J. Kahl el a!. S A K3 8 As mentioned above, canine species were the mostfrequentlyobserved mammal bones at the areas of bone concentration (level 4 infrontof the expected Tomb of the Dogs and level 5 near Deir el-Meitin). Table 3 shows the number of identified specimens (NISP) and the minimum number of individuals (MM).31 NISP: Number of identified specimens, MNI: Minimum number of individuals 5 Tax on / Level Dog Canisfamiliaris JNiar 518 6 Golden jackal Canis aureus Dog / Golden jackal 2864 Red fox Vulpes vulpes 47 Dog / Red fox 11 Canidae 244 110 Cat Felis sp. Donkey Equus asinus 3 Cattle Bos Taurus 33 Camel Camelus dromedarius 0 Goat Capra hircus Sheep Ovis aries Sheep / Goat Unidentified mammal Mammal total 0 4 15 934 4789 4 MINI 48 2 78 7 2 27 6 1 2 0 0 1 1 - N15>r MNI 33 0 111 3 3 78 0 1 128 0 0 5 25 31 418 3a 3b 6 0 7 2 1 5 0 1 2 0 0 1 2 NISP M M NISP MNI 2 0 5 0 0 2 0 0 69 0 2 4 7 25 116 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 1 1 0 0 2 0 0 6 0 0 4 1 0 1 2 5 21 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 Table 3: Numbers of mammal remains retrieved from the survey at Deir el-Meitin (level 5) and the expected Tomb of the Dogs (level 4, 3b and 3a) Among the identified canine species (dog, golden jackal or red fox), dog was the most common species and a small number of red fox was also observed. Golden jackal was also identified although in very small quantity (N=6) from the area of Deir el-Meitin. Identification of golden jackal presented in Table 3 is based on cranial parts, therefore more jackal bones could be expected from the materials in the category of "dog/golden jackal". On the other hand, a large number of bones in the "dog/golden jackal" category would probably be derived from dogs, given the fact that many neonatal/infantile bones, several bones withfracturedand healed traces, and some old individual mandibulae whose alveolar bones were closing/closed (due to lost teeth) were included among the retrieved samples. These features observed on osteological remains could point to the domestic status that dogs would have been reproduced in dog keeping ground(s) near the gebel,32 31 There is an opinion that a calculation (MNI) normally underrepresents the real number of animals in archaeozoological samples (A. Gautier, in: C. Grigson/J. Clutton-Brock (eds.), Animals and Archaeology 4, Husbandry in Europe, BAR Series 227, 1984, 237-251; A. Gautier/S. Hendrickx, in: C. Becker et al. (eds.), Historia Ammalium ex Ossibus, Beitrage zur Palaoanatomie, Archaologie, Agyptologie, Ethnologic und Geschichte der Tiermedizin, Festschrift fur Angela von den Driesch zum 65. Geburtstag, 1999, 170-171), of which the author shares the same view. Hence, although MNI is presented as one of the data in Table 3, it will not be discussed in detail here. 32 By way of comparison with other animal keeping places at other ancient Egyptian sites (cf. Herodot, Historiaell, 153; J. Vercoutter, in: L A I , 338-350, s.v. Apis), the dog keeping ground could have been placed in the field(s) belonging to the Anubis/Wepwawet temple in Asyut (cf. Durisch, in: BIFAO 93, 1993, 218-219; Becker, in: Kahl, Ancient Asyut, 148-149). The Anubis-temple was supposed to be situated in the vicinity of Gebel Asyut al-gharbi (Kahl, Ancient Asyut, 49, 69, fig. 103), while the Wepwawet-temple was in the western part of modern Asyut (Kahl, Ancient Asyut, 44, fig. 5). 2009 The Asyut Project: Sixth Season of Fieldwork (2008) 129 hence young dog s that could not survive in the provided reproducing g round(s) would have been broug ht to the gebel, their final resting -place. The presence o f dogs that could survive for a while in spite o f bone fractures and lost teeth also provide us with clues on the keeping of these individuals. In addition to the survey, cleaning at the area in front o f the expected T o m b o f the Dogs in level 4 was started in this season. From here at least one mummified bird and three mummified canines were retrieved. The wrapping material o f the three mummified canines were already torn in the debris, hence their contents were exposed in varying degrees. Those three wrappings contained one adult male dog (S08/st715), one neonatal dog /jackal (S08/st727) and two individuals o f infantile dog /jackal (S08/st733) respectively. A frag ment o f old Italian newspaper was found very close to the spot where the mummified adult dog (S08/st715) lay. This points once ag ain to the activities o f the Italian archaeologist Schiaparelli at the site.33 Other single bones of birds, canines and other mammal species were scattered around the same area. In some publications on mummified canines from Asyut, it was reported that dogs bore traces o f strang ulation.34 Such traces could not be observed on the mummified adult male individual (S08/st715). Instead, itmust have suffered from the osteoarthritis in its lumber vertebrae (spondylo­ sis deformans) which would have caused pain and eventually resulted in difficulty getting food pro­ vided at the dog keeping ground. No clear evidence of killing in other mummified young canines (S08/st727 and st733) could be found. This issue, however, will now be studied with caution. Concerning the dating, since there has been no direct connection between animal remains and pottery up until now, the exact dating o f the faunal remains is still debatable. Concluding remarks T o sum up the preliminary result o f this season's survey, canine bones were mostly retrieved from the "dog bone concentration 2 " near Deir el-Meitin in level 5. It is still equivocal from where these bones at "dog bone concentration 2 " were brought. Considering the long history o f the gebel, these materials may have been moved multiple times from their originally buried location by different human activities. Although the number o f retrieved canine remains was less in level 4 at the expect­ ed T o m b o f the Dogs area, a significant number o f canine remains as well as mummified canine remains (still in wrapped condition) were found. This result could correspond to the location of the T o m b o f the Dogs which was described in the travelogues in the 19th and 20th century35 and accordingly, the spot that we have forecasted for the past few years. Further analysis o f the data retrieved from the survey in 2008 would enrich the preliminary result. A l o n g with the ongoing analysis o f osteological materials, more comprehensive research questions, such as the animal keeping ground, the mummification technique o f animals in Asyut and so on, are still to be studied. Studying the rest o f the surveyed materials and continuation of the survey will be planned next season. Cleaning o f the expected T o m b o f the Dogs area will also be continued. Further work will yield more materials and will help us to understand the diversified use o f Gebel Asyut al-gharbi in the past. 33 C.K. Cf. Kahl, Ancient Asyut, 28, 32. Lortet/Gaillard, La faune momifiee de l'Ancienne Egypte II, 283; A. Charron, in: RdE 41, 1990,211; Durisch, in: BIFAO 93, 1993, 219, n. 32; Becker, in: Kahl, Ancient Asyut, 148. 35 See previous section in this paper Kahl. 34 130 J. Kahl et al. SAK38 Plant Remains Found in the Tombs of Gebel Asyut al-gharbi An archaeo-botanical investigation was conducted at Gebel Asyut al-gharbi during AugustSeptember 2008 as an activity of the action plan of an Egyptian-German cooperation of Sohag University (Egypt) and Mainz University (Germany) in the sixth season of fieldwork. Visible plant objects were gathered during the excavation of Tombs III, IV, and N13.1 of the First Intermediate Period/11th Dynasty. These tombs have been reused during the later periods and also visited by numerous scholars. In addition, they were partly destroyed during the last centuries. The objective of this inspection was to retrieve plant macro remains to identify the plant taxa, and to reconstruct possible human activities associated with plant processing, and their origin. During the inspection, the plant objects were collected from around the corpses within the coffins, baskets and mats. Inspection of 1080 objects showed that they represent the two main categories of plant kingdom, gymnosperms and angiosperms. Magnified lens eye binocular light microscopes and scanning electron microscopy were used to examine the objects. The identified objects included seeds, fruits, flowers, reeds, rushes, tree remains and worked-wood. The majority of seeds were to native plant species such as date palm, doum palm, barsah, cordia, and common olive. Other authors previously described all of these species as ancient ones, which were considered the main components of the plant communities during the Pharaonic period. Nowadays, the majority of these species are rare and comprise the eradicated flora of Egypt. Other recorded seeds belonged to foreign species characterizing the floras of the neighbouring areas, i.e. Lebanon, Turkey, Syria, and Asia. These included peach, plum, almond, walnut, and Turkish hazel. Fruit objects are represented by those of cypress, Jericho Balsam and Christ-thorn. The inspected samples included only one floral object of Asteraceae type calling marigold. The woody type plant remains were of acacia, tamarisk, date palm, Christ-thorn, willow, sycamore fig, pine, and oak; cereal type of broom-corn; vegetable type of onion, crop type of flax and fruit type of grape vine and fig. These remains were found as detached plant branches in the debris. Originally, these objects were elements of the local flora, except date palm which was introduced from India during the ancient period. The inspected worked-wood objects were dominated by those of local trees such as acacia, willow, tamarisk and sycamore. Other types, of low presence value, in the worked-wood objects were from trees of cypress, ebony and cedar that had been either traded or cut from places very remote from Egypt such as Asia Minor, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, India, Sri Lanka, Somalia, and Greece. The inspected worked-wood objects denoted that both local and exported types were used for construction, manufacturing of coffins, farm tools, and furniture. Reeds and rushes are among the botanical elements recorded during the inspection of the tombs. Reeds were represented by common reed and papyrus plants. Sharp grass and cat's tail represent the rushes component in the inspected objects. These plant objects were found as the bulk materials for basketry, construction and the manufacture of mats. A.Kh. Korrekturzusatz zu SAK 37, 2008, S. 201-204 (Beitrag Ursula Verhoeven): Durch ein Versehen ging auf S. 204 oben die Autorenangabe U.V.(Ursula Verhoeven) zum Abschnitt Tomb N13.1: graffiti verloren.