Härtung, U; Ballet, P; Effland, A; French, P; Hartmann, R; Herbich, T; Hoffmann, H; Hower-Tilmann, E; Kitagawa, C; Kopp, P; Kreibig, W; Lecuyot, G; Lösch, S; Marouard, G; Ner-Lich, A; Pithon, M; Zink, A
From autumn 2006 until spring 2008, the investigations of the German Archaeological Institute, Cairo, and the University of Poitiers project at Buto (Tell el-Fara'in) were continued by further excavations, systematic surveys and studies on the material from previous seasons. Excavation work carried out by the German Institute focused on the most north-western part of the site (trenches J1-3, J8, Ji 1, J13) and on the area north of the modern village of Sekhmawy (trenches E0-E17). The University of Poitiers project continued work at the north-eastern slope of Kom A (trenches P 5 and P 6) and started trial investigations on the so-called "English Kom" in the northeast of Buto (area P 10), in the middle of the site (area P 7) and on the southern Kom C (area P 9). In the north-western part of Buto, the investigations of four large rectangular structures were continued which had previously become visible on the magnetic map. Recent work revealed that only the southern-most structure is a matter of a casemate-like building foundation. The three northern structures (No. 1-3) consist only of a frame wall without any partition of the interior, sunken c. 3 m into the ground. All three structures seem to have been originally filled with clean sand. In case of the northern Structure 1 the sand filling was visible already from the capping of the frame wall. During recent work, in both other structures, of which the upper parts are heavily disturbed, the sand filling came to light in greater depth. Unfortunately, the high water-table prevented to reach the floors of these chambers. Hence, the function of these structures is not yet fully clarified but it seems most likely that they constitute large tombs of the Saite period. The structures superimpose buildings dating to the Old Kingdom and to the Third Intermediate Period. Whilst the Old Kingdom structures have not yet been further investigated, surprisingly, in trench J2 two elite tombs of the Third Intermediate Period were discovered. Although the burial chambers have been partly destroyed by the foundation of the Saite building mentioned above, the burials proper were found undisturbed. The mud brick chamber of the northern tomb (J2/89) measures c. 4.60 x 3 m and was completely filled with sand. Situated in the middle of the chamber, a granite sarcophagus contained the burial of an adult man who was buried together with his cat. Additionally, the sarcophagus was whelmed with c. 1800 kg of small sea shells. The lid of the sarcophagus turned out to be usurped from a Ramesside official, Paraemheb, who was scribe of the king and overseer of the cattle of Amun. As lower part of the coffin, a granite block from a building of Pepi I was used, carefully hollowed for the actual burial. Besides two smashed pottery vessels on the floor of the chamber, in its northeastern corner fragments of c. 250 faience shabtis were found, most probably originally stored in a wooden box which is not preserved. Due to the location of the burial below the ground water level, no organic materials have survived and all metal objects of the tomb equipment were found badly corroded or even partly decomposed. The existence of a second wooden coffin, which must have been decorated, is only indicated by discolorations inside the granite sarcophagus and by numerous scattered tiny pieces of gold foil. Here and there it was possible to trace the pattern of the net of faience beads in which the burial resp. the mummy was enwrapped. The further equipment of the burial comprises lapis-lazuli, copper and silver objects, often covered with gold foil. A pair of bracelets is of special interest because they bear the incised names of Iuput II on their inner sides. This is the first occurrence of this name in the western Nile Delta, and it sheds some new light on the political developments in this region during the late 8th century BC. The valuable tomb equipment leaves no doubt about the high social status of the buried person who may well have been a high official or even a hitherto unknown local prince of Buto. A seco d elite burial (J2/67) was found immediately to the south. Although the tomb chamber was completely destroyed by the foundation of the Saite building, the anthropomorphic limestone sarcophagus (with the burial of an adult man, a small child and a green cat) seems to have been considered and was obviously not removed. Later, the pressure of the surrounding mud brick walls seems to have caused the crash of the northern wall of the sarcophagus which fell inside and smashed the burials. Like in J2/89, the sarcophagus was covered with a heap of shells and a layer of clean sand, and also the general equipment of the burial resembles that of the other tomb. These newly discovered elite tombs underline the special relevance of this area of ancient Buto which had been already assumed when several objects connected to the cult of Osiris were found during the previous campaign. The excavation north of the village of Sekhmawy revealed another Saite building of which only the foundation is preserved. It measures c. 17 x 17 m and it is constructed in the typical way with the interior subdivided into several chambers. According to the pottery evidence, the building was erected in the ist half of the 6th century BC. Three of the foundation chambers contained round silos, and three other cells yielded multiple burials. The secondary use of the chambers for funeral purposes dates to the late 6th century and indicates the abandonment of the building at this time. In two of the chambers three resp. four individuals were buried (Eo/22 and Eo/167) and a third chamber contained even 20 burials (Ei 5/18). Although the skeletons were rather badly preserved the remaining tomb equipment, consisting of pottery vessels and kits of faience amulets, provides a good deal of information on Late Dynastic burial customs. The building superimposes scanty occupation remains of the Third Intermediate Period and parts of an administrative building complex of the ist and 2nd Dynasties of which several rooms were excavated. The general survey was continued by geomagnetic measurements carried out by T. Herbich in the south-western part of Buto. The new investigations cover ca. 5.4 ha and allow now to trace the course of a huge Ptolemaic enclosure wall over a distance of c. 400 m. Inside the enclosure, several building structures became visible, whilst the area outside of this complex turned out to be rather densely covered by slag and fragments of burnt bricks which prevent the recognition of conspicuous structures. Only on the north-eastern edge of the investigated area several anomalies (indicated as black dots) seem to point to the existence of a battery of kilns. The area was subsequently investigated by the University of Poitiers project. As a second part of the survey, 23 new drillings were carried out in the south-western part of Buto to gather further information about the extend and thickness of occupation layers. Including these new drillings, the investigations of the western half of the site of Buto is completed and first preliminary results concerning the topography and the development of the settlement during different periods of its existence can be presented. For the reconstruction of the ancient landscape, additional drillings were carried out by M. De Dapper (University of Gent) in the cultivation adjoining Buto to the west. Of special interest is the connection between settled areas, ancient water courses and Nile inundations which are indicated by different layers of clay, silt and sand. In cooperation with the German Institute, the University of Poitiers project (conducted by P. Ballet) dedicated to industrial activities during Hellenistic and Roman times was continued with excavations, several sondages and with a pedestrial survey, focusing on the collection of surface material, with the aim to recognize the functional division of the Ptolemaic/Roman town of Buto, and to identify places of the different kinds of industrial production. The excavations in trenches P 5 and P 6 on the north-eastern slope of Kom A revealed early Ptolemaic settle ent structures including remains of houses and a crossing of streets. Several building phases with domestic activities alternate with periods of abandonment in which the streets were used as a dump place. In this way, the stratigraphic sequence illustrates the changes in the organization of a Ptolemaic living quarter until it was finally used for the construction of pottery kilns in early Roman times. In a trial sondage on the southern Kom (Kom C, area P 7), parts of several buildings were excavated, constructed subsequently from the Late Dynastic until the Ptolemaic period. The pottery found with these structures, especially amphorae, point to a middle class status of the inhabitants. The Greek influence, which is mirrored in the local pottery and terracotta figurines production, as well as in imports, provides an interesting insight into the preferences of the inhabitants of Buto during the Ptolemaic period. At the so-called "English Kom", a small mound in the north-eastern part of Buto between Kom A and the temple area, where a Ptolemaic/Roman bathhouse and pottery kilns have previously been excavated by the EES expedition in the 1960's, some parts of the area were cleaned (area P 10) to evaluate the potential of the continuation of investigations in future. In the depression between Kom A and Kom C, the area where anomalies had become visible on the magnetic map of the recent geophysical measurements was checked by a trial trench (P 9). Although no kilns were found, a huge amount of vitrified bricks and limestone chips, completely or partly burnt, points to activities in connection with fire.