A metrological study of the Late Roman Fort of Umm al-Dabadib, Kharga Oasis (Egypt)

This article contains a first metrological analysis of the Late Roman Fort of Umm al-Dabadib, built at the beginning of the 4th century AD at the outskirts of the Kharga Oasis, in the Egyptian Western Desert. This site is currently under study by the Italian Archaeological Mission to Umm al-Dabadib; after completing the 3D survey of the building, the team moved to the study of its dimensional patterns. The resulting 3D model was tested for the use of Roman and Egyptian units of measurement, and revealed that the building was planned and built according to the Egyptian Reformed Cubit. The Fort of Umm al-Dabadib, therefore, currently represents the latest attestation of the use of the Egyptian cubit in architecture

Were the Fibonacci Series and the Golden Section known in ancient Egypt?

The Fibonacci series and the Golden Section have often been used to explain the proportions of ancient Egyptian art and architecture. All such theories, however, are based on our modern mathematical system. They have never been examined in the realm of ancient Egyptian mathematics as we understand it from studying the surviving mathematical sources. This article analyses the compatibility of the Fibonacci Series with ancient Egyptian mathematics and suggests how an ancient scribe could have handled it. The conclusion is that concepts such as φ and the convergence to φ have little in common with the surviving ancient Egyptian mathematical documents and that they are quite far from the ancient Egyptian mentality

North Kharga Oasis Survey 2004. Preliminary Report: Ain Tarakwa and Ain el-Dabashiya

The goals of the North Kharga Oasis Survey (NKOS) have been to identify, record and survey the major archaeological sites of the northern part of Kharga Oasis. The work of the final season in the first cycle of exploration of the area focussed on the sites of Ain el-Tarakwa and Ain el-Dabashiya, and the Darb Ain Amur, the desert route between Ain Umm el-Dabadib and Ain Amur. In the former areas the survey recorded two temples, several tombs, an animal cemetery, and a variety of buildings, including a church. The Darb Ain Amur survey yielded many rock-art sites, as well as several locations that marked the route between the two springs

New Kingdom Activities in the Kharga Oasis: the Scribe User-hat Travels Westwards

Note on the hieroglyphic inscription mentioning the New Kingdom scribe User-hat, found by the North Kharga Oasis Survey along the ancient caravan route connecting the oases of Kharga and Dakhla

North Kharga Oasis Survey 2003. Preliminary Report: Umm el-Dabadib

This article contains a first description of the results of the third season of the North Kharga Oasis Survey, that in 2003 focussed on the late-Roman site of Umm el-Dabadib, in the Kharga Oasis. An introductory paragraph on the methodology that has been adopted to survey such a complex site is followed by a description of the archaeological remains, which includes three main settlements, called Northern, Eastern, and ‘Fortified’, a Coptic church, a temple decorated in Egyptian style, ten cemeteries, seven underground aqueducts and large patches of ancient cultivations. The majority of the standing remains date to the third and fourth century AD, but there is evidence that the site had been occupied at least from the Ptolemaic Period

Towards the Egyptian Charter for Conservation of Cultural Heritages

The notion of “Cultural heritage” is quite modern compared to other humanistic fields developed in the last century. Conservation as a science has emerged and took shape during international conventions and treaties in many places in Europe and developed various frameworks to recognize the heritage and its value but based on “Eurocentric bias” criteria. The fact of sharing universal values and common practices during the age of globalization had a significant impact on conservation actions in contexts utterly different from western societies and don’t share the same historical or cultural dimensions. Therefore, this study traces the history of the evolution of conservation in the west from two perspectives; the historical one and the developing methodologies, and the philosophies behind the main theories in conservation. Cultural heritage is a reflection of the identity of the society and its past; thus, this study outlines the development of conservation practices in Egypt within the international approaches in a chronological order to investigate the social response and the impact of the political and cultural influence of the cultural consciousness of the society and the conservation actions in the Egyptian context. Furthermore, to investigate the contribution of international charters in developing national policies in Egypt

EMERGENCY SURVEY OF REMOTE AND ENDANGERED ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES

The paper describes the survey activities of the late Roman archaeological site of Umm al-Dabadib (Egypt). The interesting casestudy can be taken as an example in case of emergency surveys, as this method allows the complete 3D acquisition of a vast and complex area in a very short time and with the aid of simple instruments

Survey, conservation and restoration in Egypt’s Western Desert: combining expectations and context

This article discusses the necessity to combine theoretical expectations and practical context in the case of logistically challenging projects, such as the multidisciplinary study of the Late Roman archaeological site of Umm al-Dabadib, located in an remote position at the outskirts of the Kharga Oasis, in Egypt’s Western Desert. This Italo-Egyptian project must conform and respond to rules and regulations from both countries, and faces the problem of identifying the most efficient methodologies to obtain a long-lasting result in an extremely complex environmental context. This article contains a description of the current trends in the management of mud-brick remains in the Egyptian desert environment, and a discussion on the methodology that the will be adopted at Umm al-Dabadib

Living in a fringe environment: three Late Roman settlements in the Kharga Oasis (Egypt's Western Desert)

This article presents a comparative analysis of three Late Roman sites located at the northern outskirts of the Kharga Oasis in Egypt's Western Desert: Umm al-Dabadib, Ayn al-Labakha, and the Gib/Sumayra Complex. These were part of the district of the Oasis Magna, which included the oases of Dakhla and Kharga. An analysis of their layout, including both shape and extent, is followed by an evaluation of their absolute and relative positions. These data are then compared to the administrative and historical contexts within which the three sites flourished. Both administrative and economic aspects are considered, as well as the presence of the army. The complex picture that emerges suggests that these three sites played several roles at the same time and were part of a large-scale strategic design that encompassed not only the Kharga Oasis but the entire Western Desert