The Italian-Egyptian Project of Study and Conservation of the Monastery of Abba Nefer, Manqabad (Asyut): Third Campaign

The article illustrates the results of the 2014 archaeological campaign at Manqabad

Preliminary Report on the Second Season of the Italian Archaeological Mission in the Eastern Desert of Egypt

The article presents the results of the first season of fieldwork of the Italian Archaeological Mission in the Eastern Desert of Egypt. In the area of Wadi Gasus, structures of the ‘Graeco-roman station’ have been mapped and documented; fragments of saggars, pointing to the production of Egyptian blue on the site, have been identified, as well as remains of a well (hydreuma) at the bottom of the wadi. A new mining site has also been identified in the area: although working areas and huts do not show signs of repairs or modifications, the site might have been exploited over a long period of time. Analysis of the data resulting from older publications are also presented, in order to gain a deeper knowledge of the evidence than the present conditions of the sites might allow. In the meantime, the possibility that long known sites might be exploited for resources different than previously supposed is also envisaged. Rosanna Pirelli analyses in particular the contents of two groups of Pharaonic inscriptions - one from the Middle Kingdom and one from the 26th dynasty – discovered between the first decades of the 19th century and first half of the 20th century – which are very important to reconstruct the Pharaonic exploitation of this area during the different periods. The consultation of manuscripts and publications of 19th century explorers (Burton and Wilkinson in particular) and the confrontation with the results of the archaeological survey give the author the opportunity to clarify the archaeological and historical context of both the groups of inscriptions and to recover part of the 26th dynasties texts, unpublished and neglected since long time

Il “Direttore delle Truppe Straniere” nei testi Faraonici del Medio Regno

L’articolo analizza il titolo egiziano “mr iaAw” nel Medio Regno, riesaminando la relativa documentazione testuale e le informazioni provenienti dalle recenti indagini archeologiche in varie aree di confine (Elefantina, Sinai, Mar Rosso). \ud Lo scopo è quello di cercare di definire – alla luce delle nuove acquisizioni – il significato più corretto da attribuire al titolo: “Direttore delle truppe straniere” o “Soprintendente dei traduttori”?\ud A tal fine, se ne ripercorre la storia dall’Antico Regno fino alle sue ultime attestazioni, mettendo in relazione i contesti in cui compare e le grafie con cui viene espresso, per attribuire una datazione più chiara ad alcuni documenti. \ud Il confronto dei risultati dell’analisi filologica con le recenti acquisizioni in ambito storico, induce a riprendere e rivedere le interpretazioni di Fischer, Goedicke e Bell

Sun temple of Nyuserre in Abu Ghurab: Report of the 2017 season

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Sun temple of Nyuserre in Abu Ghurab: Report of the 2017 season

The article presents the results of the 2017 archaeological season in the sun temple of Nyuserre in Abu Ghurab. The works especially focused on three areas, namely the central obelisk, the alabaster altar, and the accumulation of limestone blocks in the south-western corner of the temple. Besides the documentation of these archaeological remains, an in-depth architectural analysis of the above-mentioned structures has been carried out, in particular as regards the obelisk area. In fact, as already noticed in other contributions, the 3D reconstruction of this part of the temple provided by Borchardt is not convincing for a number of reasons. A new reconstruction of the latter part of the temple has therefore been proposed, based on several archaeological, architectural and historical elements. This reconstruction involves not only the architecture of the obelisk but also the original aspect of the altar area, which is strictly connected to the obelisk as regards the cult practice and the overall temple symbolism. Another objective of the mission was to lay the foundations to a new phase of investigation of the area outside the temple, in particular of the area to the south-east of the sun temple of Nyuserre where the analysis of data coming from satellite remote sensing and historical cartography seems to indicate the possible existence of archaeological remains so far unexplored. Starting from this year, the mission has also become a joint ItalianCzech expedition within the framework of a wider research project (The Rise and Development of the Solar Cult and Architecture in Third Millennium BC Egypt – GAČR project no. 17-10799S), launched in January 2017 at the Czech Institute of Egyptology, Charles (https://cegu.ff.cuni.cz/en/ research/grants/the-rise-of-solar-cult/)

Ricerche italiane e scavi in Egitto: R.I.S.E.

Il volume raccoglie i rapporti di scavo e i risultati dell'attività archeologica italiana in Egitt