Investigating the Predynastic origins of greywacke working in the Wadi Hammamat

The Wadi Hammamat greywacke quarries in the Eastern Desert are the source of some of Egypt’s most important cultic objects, such as the ceremonial palettes of the Predynastic to Early Dynastic period. Research of the quarrying region has usually been polarised between Egyptological attention to the wealth of inscriptional data, with more sporadic investigations made by geologists and archaeologists of the quarries and other material culture. The Wadi Hammamat Project is first of its kind to undertake a holistic, multi-disciplinary study of the quarry landscape, its initial objective being to understand the linkages between changes in resource procurement and emerging social complexity in early monumental states. Focussing on the first phases of elite stone production in the Predynastic, this article discusses our discovery of the Predynastic to Early Dynastic quarries and adds fresh data to Debono’s 1949 investigations of a greywacke workshop in the Bir Hammamat region. Investigating the origins of raw materials brought into the quarries and workshops has been the main basis for our understanding of the social dynamics surrounding early stone production in the area. These investigations have illuminated the extent to which the quarry landscape was a central place of interaction between local and regional social networks, either directly or indirectly involved in stone crafting. The article also assesses how these networks were central to the flow of materials into the quarries, as well as outwards in terms of finished products. It further looks at the extent to which more intensive production of stone vessels, by the Early Dynastic, may have impacted on these networks, and therefore what we can deduce in terms of ideas about the increasing centralisation of stone-working by elites in the run-up to state formation.Les carrières de grauwacke du Ouadi Hammamat dans le désert Oriental sont la source de certains des plus importants objets de culte de l’Égypte, comme les palettes cérémonielles de la période pré- et protodynastique. Les recherches menées dans cette région se sont surtout focalisées sur la richesse des données épigraphiques, avec des études plus sporadiques de géologues et d’archéologues sur les carrières et autres questions touchant à la culture matérielle. Le Wadi Hammamat Project est le premier de son genre à entreprendre une étude globale et multidisciplinaire de cette région de carrières, son objectif initial étant de comprendre les liens entre les modifications des sources d’approvisionnement et le développement de la complexité sociale des premiers états émergents. Cet article est consacré aux découvertes que nous avons réalisées dans les carrières pré- et protodynastiques. Il s’intéresse aux premières phases de production de pierres destinées à l’élite du Prédynastique et complète les données initiales fournies par Debono en 1949 lors de la prospection d’un atelier de grauwacke dans la région de Bir Hammamat. Enquêter sur l’origine des matières premières utilisées dans les carrières et les ateliers a été le principal élément qui a permis une meilleure compréhension de la dynamique sociale entourant les débuts de la production de pierre dans cette région. Ces recherches révèlent de quelle manière le paysage de carrière était le lieu central des interactions entre les réseaux sociaux fonctionnant à l’échelle locale ou régionale, directement ou indirectement impliqués dans l’artisanat de la pierre. Elles montrent également la place de ces réseaux concernant la distribution des matériaux à al fois au sein des carrières et vers l'extérieur pour les produits finis. Cet article évalue enfin l’impact sur ces réseaux de la production plus intensive des vases en pierre durant la période protodynastique, et les conséquences d’une centralisation accrue des élites sur le contrôle de l’artisanat de la pierre durant la période de formation de l’État.Bloxam Elizabeth, Harrell James A., Kelany Adel, Moloney Norah, El-Senussi Ashraf, Tohamey Adel. Investigating the Predynastic origins of greywacke working in the Wadi Hammamat. In: Archéo-Nil. Revue de la société pour l'étude des cultures prépharaoniques de la vallée du Nil, n°24, 2014. Prédynastique et premières dynasties égyptiennes. Nouvelles perspectives de recherches. pp. 11-30

MRI is it complementary or mandatory to ultrasound in classification of different congenital anomalies of female reproductive tract?

Aim of work: To assess the added value of MRI compared to US in diagnosis of Mullerian duct anomalies and its subtypes thus guiding proper management plans. Patients and methods: From October 2014 to March 2015 we prospectively evaluated 50 female patients, ranging in age from 15 to 40 years. They were referred for US and MRI assessment of clinically suspected Mullerian duct anomalies. Results: Final diagnosis of patients includes: 8/50 (16%) cases were classified as class I, 10/50 (20%) cases were classified as class II, 22/50 (44%) cases were classified as class III, 5/50 (10%) cases were classified as class IV and 5/50 (10%) cases were not MDA. MRI was superior to US, with reported diagnostic accuracy of 100%. Conclusion: The use of diverse imaging modalities, in conjunction with clinical information, provided important clues to the diagnosis of MDAs. The imaging work-up for MDAs usually begins with ultrasound. Although it might have been suffice to detect the presence of a uterine abnormality, MRI was generally needed to classify the abnormality into a specific MDA category

Placenta previa; MRI as an adjunct to ultrasound in assessment of suspected placental invasion

Objective: Evaluate adding MRI to ultrasound in imaging of placenta previa with suspected placenta accreta. Patients and methods: evaluation of 23 pregnant females presenting with placenta previa was done. The age ranged from 20 to 39 years (mean = 30.9). All of the patients were subjected to ultrasonography (US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the pelvis at gestational age of 25–37 weeks prior to elective delivery. Results: 11 out of 23 patients were proved placenta accreta based on surgical and pathological reports. US suggested diagnosis of placenta previa/accreta in 8 patients and placenta previa without accreta in 15 cases. 7/8 was true positive (87.5%) & one was false positive (12.5%) with sensitivity 63.64%, accuracy 78.26%, and specificity 91.67%. MRI has suggested diagnosis of placenta previa/accreta in 8/23 & placenta previa with no accreta in 15/23 patients. MRI was found to give true positive results in 8/8 patients proved to be accreta. MRI gave true negative in 12 patients (80%) & false negative in 3 (20%) with sensitivity 72.73%, accuracy 86.96%, and specificity 100%. Conclusion: Combining MRI and ultra sound provide more diagnostic information and may reduce unnecessary interventions with favorable outcome. Keywords: Ultra sound, MRI, Placenta previa, Placenta accret