Updates from the 2010 season of the Minufiyeh Expedition are now being posted by the project director, Dr Joanne Rowland: http://minufiyeh.tumblr.com/
The Minufiyeh Archaeological Survey forms part of the Egypt Exploration Society’s Delta Survey and was begun in 2005 with the purpose of investigating the chronological and spatial distribution of prehistoric and Pharaonic sites across this central Delta province. The project has conducted a program of drill coring and geophysical survey at selected sites in addition to a series of test trenches for archaeological evaluation at the SCA registered site of Quesna.
Thus far, the project has visited 50 potential archaeological sites over five seasons and has located archaeological material ranging in date from the Palaeolithic to the Ottoman periods. The most commonly found material dates to the Late Period, Ptolemaic and Roman periods. The spatial distribution of sites suggests they were located along ancient river branches, a hypothesis which is being tested through geological analysis of drill core samples taken from across the region.
During the current season Dr Rowland and her team will be working in the Quesna archaeological area (including Kufur Raml, Minshat Damallu, Sharanis (Markaz Quesna)), at Kom el-Ahmar (Markaz Minuf), and in the region directly alongside the Rosetta branch of the Nile from Kafr Dawud in the north to el-Khatatbah in the south. Dr Rowland will also continue the ground survey in Minufiyeh province.
The expedition intends:
1) To continue the examination into the use of the site of Quesna a) through test trenches in the cemetery and sacred falcon necropolis, b) by cleaning and mapping the area of the falcon gallery excavated in the 1990s, and c) by gathering additional evidence for the location of settlements on the low ground around the gezira (using test pits, geophysical survey and drill coring).
2) To further investigations into the location of a possible sanctuary at Kom el-Ahmar (Markaz Minuf) by geophysical survey and drill coring.
This seasons work builds on the 2009 season which was partly funded by the Amelia Edwards Group (see under 'Gebel Ramla'). The results of the 2008 and 2009 seasons were published in the most recent volume of the Journal of Egyptian Archaeology: Rowland, J et al, ‘The Delta Survey: Minufiyeh Province, 2008-9’ JEA 95 (2009), 35-49.
The following article on the Quesna cemetery was published in the Society’s colour magazine, Egyptian Archaeology:
Rowland J and Zakrzewski, S, ‘Quesna: The Ptolemaic and Roman cemetery’ EA 32 (2008), 15-17.
The 2010 season is supported by the EES, the Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies and The John Fell (OUP) Fund.