31st
Quesna and Minufiyeh
Joanne Rowland is now discussing her EES work at Quesna and, for the Delta Survey, in Minufiyeh Governorate. Jo is currently working and is describing her current work investigating several tells in the Quesna region, field-walking and taking drill cores.
The main site of the project is Quesna which is founded on a large sand gezira, where the SCA had previously excavated an extensive Late Period mausoleum. In 2009 the team also trialled using Ground Penetrating Radar which can give deeper results and which showed that the mausoleum continues, as expected to the north.
In 2010 investigation of a faint trace on the magnetic map, proved to be the edge of a mud-brick mastaba of the early Old Kingdom (see Jo’s article in EA 38). Finding an Old Kingdom monument wasn’t entirely unexpected since Quesna is known to have existed then and was closely linked with the multi-period neighbouring site at Tell Atrib. Since the mastaba didn’t show up well on the magnetic survey Jo is hopeful that further GPR work might reveal other early monuments. Jo will be returning in the summer to continue excavations and study at Quesna.
Even earlier remains have been identified by the team at el-Khatatbah on the edge of the western desert where the ground is covered with lithics, dating from the Palaeolithic to Neolithic periods. Sherds on the surface date to Predynastic, New Kingdom and Ottoman times.
Jo finished by describing the work she is currently undertaking, at Kom Usim, field-walking and taking a 4m drill core. Only a small part of the tell is still uncultivated but the original extent can be seen on GoogleEarth images.
