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PCMAfieldmissionsandprojectsin2011
PCMAFIELDMISSIONSANDPROJECTSIN2011
Teeventful“ArabSpring”of2011,whichinEgypttooktheformofthe25JanuaryRevolution
andthedownfalloftheMubarakregime,compromisedseveralfieldprojectsthatwereeither
unabletocarryouttheirfieldworkorhadtheirprogramsrestrictedorcurtailed,mostlyowing
tocancellationsonthepartofteammembersaswellasindividualpeople’sdecisionstoevacuate.
TeBerenikeProjectcontinuedthefieldworkbuthadtocancelmostofthestudyseason.
AtDeirel-Bahari,severalconservatorscutshorttheirstay.Otherprojectsplannedforlater
intheyearrantheircoursemoreorlessasusualthankstothecourageousanddetermined
stanceoftheSupremeCouncilofAntiquitiesofcialsfromtheForeignMission’sAfairs
Department,Dr.MohamedIsmailandMr.HanyAzmyAbdelaziz.InSyria,thepolitical
situationdeterioratedrapidly,causingsecurityissuesforemost.TePalmyraTarifProject
completeditsworkinMarchandthelastprojectinthefieldwasTellQaramelinMay.Te
remainingPCMAexcavationswereallcancelledandremainsuspendedinviewofthesituation.
InLebanon,theprojectinChhimwasnotcancelled,butitwaslimitedtoastudymissionin
viewofthevolatilityofthesituation.
EGYPT
ALEXANDRIA,KOMEL-DIKKA,seeinthisvolume.
BERENIKE
Fieldworkin2011,carriedoutforemostinthenortheasternpartofthesouthwesternbayofthe
EarlyRomantown,wasaimedatestablishingbeachlevelsandinvestigatingpossibleharbor-
relatedstructures.Coupledwithageoarchaeologicalaugerholesurveyintheareaofthebay
(twotransectswithatotalof64augerholeswithindividualdepthrangingfromlessthan2m
to5m),theinvestigationsdemonstratedthatthebayhadoperatedmostlikelyasanatural
shelteredlandingplaceandnotasaregularharbor.Telandscape,asrevealedbythreetrenches
dugwithintheboundariesofthebay,musthaveconsistedofshelter-likeenclosureswithlight
wallandroofstructures,housingdiverseindustrialinstallations.
Furtherworkintheharbortemenosareainvestigatedthefillofasunkensquarefeature
(6mby6m)discoveredinthepreviousseason.Amidstthetumbletherewasanaltarstone
inscribedtoDomitianandapparentlybearingevidenceofdamnatiomemoriae.Explorationof
thelateHellenisticandEarlyRomantrashdumps,locatedgenerallynorthoftheharborbay,
revealedinoneofthetrenchestheburialofahound,wrappedinamatandcoveredwithpieces
ofahalvedamphora(Dressel5)(firsthalfof1stcenturyAD).Severalcatskeletons,including
naturallymummifiedremains,onestillwithanironcollararoundtheneck,aswellasremainsof
dogs,birds,amonkeyandahuman,werediscoveredinthesametrench(1stto3rdcenturyAD).
AdocumentationstudyoftheGreatTempleofBerenike,theso-calledSerapisTemple,was
launched,bringingtolightfroma5thcenturyADcontextapalm-sizedstonehybridfigurineof
theEgyptiangodSobek.
SeealsoZych,I.,Rądkowska,J.,CrespoLiñeiro,I.,Sidebotham,S.E.,“Te“SquareFeature”
intheharbor:ExcavationsinBerenike2010-2011”
,inthisvolume,andPCMAon-line
Newsletter2011.
Datesofwork:2January-17February2011
Co-directors:ProfessorStevenE.Sidebotham,archaeologist,numismatist(Universityof
Delaware),IwonaZych,archaeologist(PCMAUW)
Sub-projects:SerapisTempleProject(headMartinA.Hense);WadiGemal/SikaitSurvey
(headJean-LouisRivard)
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PAM23/1:Research2011
