1st
Several Protodynastic and Early Dynastic cemeteries
Starting the last session of the two-day Workshop and Selim Gabr Baghdady is about to talk about his excavations at a number of early cemeteries at Minshaat Ezzat, Tell el-Samara and Tell el-Daba ‘el-Kanan’, all in Daqhaliya Governorate. Randa is again helping with translation into English and we’re very grateful to her for doing this during the Workshop.
Selim is describing first the extensive cemetery at Minshaat Ezzat where rich protodynastic tombs, containg fine stone vessels, flint knives and slate palettes were found. One of the palettes is a large ceremonial one, decorated with animal scenes, similar to examples which have been found in Upper Egypt while one of the knives has a handle inscribed with the serekh of the Horus Den (Udimu). He is now comparing objects found at five similar sites in the area, including the three in the lecture title.
Moving on to Tell el-Daba (south of Mansura - not Avaris) Selim started work there in 1998, excavating graves ranging in date from the Protodynastic Period to Roman times. The earliest graves date to the Naqada II-III Periods. The brick graves contain contracted burials with varying numbers of pots, palettes and beads.
At Tell Samara two- or three-chambered brick tombs were found, one chamber being for the burial, the other(s) for the grave goods. The tombs were situated on the sub-soil water-level which was a great problem during the excavation.
