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<li><a href="#mound-i" id="toc-mound-i" class="nav-link active" data-scroll-target="#mound-i"><span class="header-section-number">2.1</span> Mound I</a>
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<li><a href="#sec-2.3" id="toc-sec-2.3" class="nav-link" data-scroll-target="#sec-2.3"><span class="header-section-number">2.3</span> Test Trenches on Mound I</a>
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<h1 class="title"><span id="sec-chapter-2" class="quarto-section-identifier"><span class="chapter-number">2</span> <span class="chapter-title">Topographical and Architectural Survey of Mounds I-V</span></span></h1>
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<p>Nicola Aravecchia </p>
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</header>
<p><strong><em>This is an online digital edition from ISAW Digital Monographs. The print edition of this work can be consulted at <a href="https://isaw.nyu.edu/publications/isaw-monographs/ain-el-gedida">https://isaw.nyu.edu/publications/isaw-monographs/ain-el-gedida</a></em></strong></p>
<section id="mound-i" class="level2 page-columns page-full" data-number="2.1">
<h2 data-number="2.1" class="anchored" data-anchor-id="mound-i"><span class="header-section-number">2.1</span> Mound I</h2>
<p id="p1">
Mound I, where both the Egyptian and the international missions conducted intensive archaeological investigation, was, for the sake of clarity in the documentation, artificially divided into two separate areas: area A, corresponding to the southern part of the hill investigated by the SCA in the mid-1990s, and area B, to the north of area A and roughly occupying two thirds of the whole mound (<a href="#plt-2.1" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.1</span></a>, <a href="#plt-2.2" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.2</span></a>).
</p>
<section id="sec-2.1.1" class="level3 page-columns page-full" data-number="2.1.1">
<h3 data-number="2.1.1" class="anchored" data-anchor-id="sec-2.1.1"><span class="header-section-number">2.1.1</span> Area A</h3>
<p id="p2">
Although no documentation survives from the original investigation of area A, the topographical and architectural survey that was carried out by our team resulted in a significant amount of information on the buildings located in the southern half of mound I (<a href="#plt-2.3" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.3</span></a>, <a href="#plt-2.4" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.4</span></a>).
</p>
<div class="page-columns page-full"><p id="p3">
In this sector, the settlement gives the impression of having developed from a smaller, centrally located core of buildings into a larger complex extending toward the edges of the mound. The highly irregular layout shows that several rooms were not built following a systematic plan. It seems, instead, that they were constructed at different times, with mud bricks often laid out in a very poor construction technique and with the walls of the later structures abutting the outer walls of the earlier buildings.<a href="#fn1" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref1" role="doc-noteref"><sup>1</sup></a> Unambiguous archaeological evidence was found for this addition of architectural features to earlier structures, which were often subject themselves to heavy alterations (as, for example, in room A6, discussed below). It is not possible to say if area B to the north reflects a similar situation and comparable patterns of development and expansion, as it remains largely unexcavated. Instead, area A, in which most rooms had been the object of complete or partial excavation in the 1990s, allows a more comprehensive picture of the topography of mound I in its southern part.
</p><div class="no-row-height column-margin column-container"><span class="margin-aside">p. 38</span></div></div>
<div id="plt-2.1" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.1-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.1.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-1" title="Plate 2.1: Plan of buildings on mound I."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.1.jpg" title="Plate 2.1: Plan of buildings on mound I." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.1-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.1: Plan of buildings on mound I.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div class="page-columns page-full"><p></p><div class="no-row-height column-margin column-container"><span class="margin-aside">p. 39</span></div></div>
<div id="plt-2.2" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.2-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.2.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-2" title="Plate 2.2: View of mound I (to S)."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.2.jpg" title="Plate 2.2: View of mound I (to S)." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.2-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.2: View of mound I (to S).
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div id="plt-2.3" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.3-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.3.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-3" title="Plate 2.3: Plan of area A in the southern half of mound I."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.3.jpg" title="Plate 2.3: Plan of area A in the southern half of mound I." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.3-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.3: Plan of area A in the southern half of mound I.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div class="page-columns page-full"><p></p><div class="no-row-height column-margin column-container"><span class="margin-aside">p. 40</span></div></div>
<div id="plt-2.4" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.4-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.4.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-4" title="Plate 2.4: Aerial view of mound I-area A (to NE)."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.4.jpg" title="Plate 2.4: Aerial view of mound I-area A (to NE)." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.4-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.4: Aerial view of mound I-area A (to NE).
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<p id="p4">
Further evidence for the existence of a multi-phased process of renovation and alteration of architectural features at the site is offered by the discovery, in a few rooms of area A (more extensively in rooms A9 and A25), of foundation trenches belonging to earlier walls.<a href="#fn2" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref2" role="doc-noteref"><sup>2</sup></a> The trenches were hidden below compacted mud floors, which were laid out as the last stage of architectural alterations taking place in those rooms. These changes seemingly entailed not minimal restorations of walls, but rather drastic variations in the layout and, possibly, in the dimensions of the rooms, involving the destruction of earlier walls and the building of new, and often differently oriented, ones.
</p>
<div class="page-columns page-full"><p id="p5">
No easily identifiable domestic units were recognized in area A. Two sets of partially excavated rooms (A35–A37 and A38–A40), located along the southeastern edge of mound I, have a particular layout, consisting of two roughly square rooms built next to each other and opening onto a larger rectangular space. This spatial arrangement is quite similar to that of another set of rooms identified during the excavation of a test trench in the northern half of the hill (rooms B1–B3, cf. below). In the latter case, the large rectangular courtyard opens onto an additional set of two square rooms, but it is not possible to know if this was also the case for rooms A35–A37 and A38–A40, since the area occupied by these spaces was excavated only in part. Rooms B1–B3, and the two unexcavated rooms to the north, were identified as a relatively small and compact building of a domestic, residential nature, even though its overall arrangement of rooms does not seem to reflect standard types of domestic architecture in Greco-Roman Egypt generally or in the Dakhla Oasis in particular.
</p><div class="no-row-height column-margin column-container"><span class="margin-aside">p. 41</span></div></div>
<p id="p6">
In most instances, the rooms surveyed in area A do not belong to small, separate buildings, but are rather interconnected to form a complex network, which extends throughout the southern part of the hill. More in detail, the topographical map of mound I reveals the existence of a large cluster of interconnected spaces in the northwestern part of area A and including rooms A5–A7, A9, A10–A11, A13 (and possibly A14–A15 to the east of passage 8). This very large set of spaces is, in fact, connected, through a very narrow corridor (A29, located in the southeast corner of room A6) and space A30, to rooms A25 and A31–A32 in the middle of area A (with evidence of staircases leading to roofs or an upper story). From the same narrow space A30, one could also enter room A27 and from there reach rooms A28, A26 (which seems to have been the main entrance into the latter set of rooms), and A24 (opening also onto A22 and A23) in the southern part of the mound. The only building that seems to have been, at least in its latest occupational phase, physically separated from the surrounding spaces of this packed built-in environment, is located just south of the church (room B5) and consists of rooms A17–A21 (and possibly A16 and A33, although these are completely filled with sand and their relationship with the surrounding spaces could not be ascertained). The building was accessible only through a doorway set in the north wall of room A19 and opening onto the area in the proximity of the church complex.
</p>
<p id="p7">
Three main passageways defined access to and movement within this sector: one vaulted corridor (B11), running from east to west and dividing area A from the church complex and area B; a narrower north–south corridor (A8) leading from a large, centrally located kitchen (A6) to the vaulted passageway (B11) and therefore to the area of the church complex and the rest of mound I; finally, a long north–south street (A34) in the southeastern part of mound I, separating the main cluster of buildings of area A from the smaller sets of rooms located toward the southeastern edge of the mound (rooms A35–A37 and A38–A40 mentioned above).<a href="#fn3" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref3" role="doc-noteref"><sup>3</sup></a>
</p>
<p id="p8">
More firmly identifiable as magazines are a set of three rooms (A2–A4) (<a href="#plt-2.5" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.5</span></a>).<a href="#fn4" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref4" role="doc-noteref"><sup>4</sup></a> The existence of these (and presumably other) fairly large storage areas, their proximity to a wide kitchen centrally located (A6), and the general arrangement of most rooms of area A, forming a network of interconnected spaces, point to their overall utilitarian function and to their use by a community, instead of belonging to separate family households.
</p>
<div class="page-columns page-full"><p id="p9">
As mentioned above, among the several rooms excavated by the Egyptian mission between 1993 and 1995 in area A, a few were selected for their particular architectural interest, in order to create a representative sample. During the 2006 excavation season, they were cleared of the windblown sand that had partially re-filled them and all their architectural features were documented. A discussion of these rooms follows.
</p><div class="no-row-height column-margin column-container"><span class="margin-aside">p. 42</span></div></div>
<div id="plt-2.5" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.5-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.5.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-5" title="Plate 2.5: View of storage rooms at the south end of mound I (to E)."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.5.jpg" title="Plate 2.5: View of storage rooms at the south end of mound I (to E)." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.5-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.5: View of storage rooms at the south end of mound I (to E).
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<section id="room-a2" class="level4 page-columns page-full">
<h4 class="anchored" data-anchor-id="room-a2">Room A2</h4>
<p id="p10">
Room A2 is located in the southwest corner of mound I. It measures approximately 5.6 m north–south by 3.3 m east–west, with walls that are preserved to a maximum height of 1.42 m (north wall AF1) (<a href="#plt-2.3" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.3</span></a>, <a href="#plt-2.5" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.5</span></a>, <a href="#plt-2.6" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.6</span></a>, <a href="#plt-2.7" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.7</span></a>). This space was accessed from a small courtyard through a doorway (AF5; width between the jambs: 0.7 m) placed in the south wall (AF4) toward its east end; remains of a rectangular niche are visible in the middle of the north wall at about 80 cm above gebel. A large basin of unfired clay (AF9), of about 1 m in diameter, is set at floor level in the same corner of the room, surrounded by scanty remains of a beaten clay floor (AF8) (<a href="#plt-2.6" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.6</span></a>, <a href="#plt-2.7" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.7</span></a>).<a href="#fn5" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref5" role="doc-noteref"><sup>5</sup></a> The basin was probably used as a storage bin, as no traces of firing activities were found within or outside this feature, arguing against its identification as an oven or hearth.
</p>
<div class="page-columns page-full"><p id="p11">
Room A2 was originally barrel-vaulted, with the vault springing at a rather low height (about 1.4 m) from the floor, which made the room quite unsuitable for living purposes.<a href="#fn6" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref6" role="doc-noteref"><sup>6</sup></a> Indeed, this space is the westernmost of three narrow, rectangular rooms (A2–A4) that may have functioned as small storage areas. These were later additions to the adjacent rooms to the north, as pointed to by the east and west walls (AF2 and AF6 respectively) of room A2 (as well as the east and west walls of room A4) abutting an east–west oriented wall (including AF1 as its westernmost segment) to the north, against which the south wall (AF15) of room A5 was built.
</p><div class="no-row-height column-margin column-container"><span class="margin-aside">p. 43</span></div></div>
<div id="plt-2.6" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.6-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.6.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-6" title="Plate 2.6: Plan of room A2."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.6.jpg" title="Plate 2.6: Plan of room A2." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.6-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.6: Plan of room A2.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div id="plt-2.7" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.7-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.7.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-7" title="Plate 2.7: View of room A2 (to NE)."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.7.jpg" title="Plate 2.7: View of room A2 (to NE)." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.7-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.7: View of room A2 (to NE).
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div class="page-columns page-full"><p></p><div class="no-row-height column-margin column-container"><span class="margin-aside">p. 44</span></div></div>
<div id="plt-2.8" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.8-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.8.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-8" title="Plate 2.8: Plan of room A5."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.8.jpg" title="Plate 2.8: Plan of room A5." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.8-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.8: Plan of room A5.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div id="plt-2.9" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.9-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.9.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-9" title="Plate 2.9: View of room A5 (to E)."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.9.jpg" title="Plate 2.9: View of room A5 (to E)." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.9-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.9: View of room A5 (to E).
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div class="page-columns page-full"><p></p><div class="no-row-height column-margin column-container"><span class="margin-aside">p. 45</span></div></div>
</section>
<section id="room-a5" class="level4">
<h4 class="anchored" data-anchor-id="room-a5">Room A5</h4>
<p id="p12">
Room A5 is located to the north of storage spaces A2–A3 (<a href="#plt-2.3" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.3</span></a>). It is a rectangular room, measuring about 3.2 m north–south by 6.5 m east–west, and has mud-brick walls preserved to a maximum height of about 2 m (east wall AF13) (<a href="#plt-2.8" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.8</span></a>, <a href="#plt-2.9" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.9</span></a>). Originally, two doorways gave access to this space. One doorway (AF14), originally arched, is located at the south end of the east wall and opens onto a large kitchen centrally placed (A6 on the plan of area A). Remains of a stub (AF21) protruding into the room and of the threshold, which has a width of ca. 0.65 m, are still visible, although heavily weathered. The second doorway (AF11), which shows evidence of a stone lintel supported by two protruding jambs, is set at the east end of the north wall (AF10) and leads into room A9 (width between the preserved jambs: ca. 0.6 m).
</p>
<p id="p13">
Vault springs are still partially visible on the long and fairly low (approximate height of 1.4 m) north and south walls.<a href="#fn7" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref7" role="doc-noteref"><sup>7</sup></a> Three rectangular niches are inserted in the south wall, set at about 80 cm above ground level. Their width varies between 53 and 59 cm and their average depth is ca. 70 cm. The back wall of the niches is, in fact, wall AF1, running east–west to the south of room A5 and forming the north boundary of room A2.<a href="#fn8" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref8" role="doc-noteref"><sup>8</sup></a>
</p>
<p id="p14">
The floor of room A5 (AF19),<a href="#fn9" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref9" role="doc-noteref"><sup>9</sup></a> quite uneven as it slopes toward the door on the north wall, was found in very poor condition, with only few visible traces of a leveled layer of gray-brown clay. A drain, made with a large fragment of a ceramic vessel (possibly an amphora or a keg), is still partially <em>in situ</em> in the west wall (AF17) of the room, at floor level, set within a north and south facing consisting of stone cobbles (<a href="#plt-2.10" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.10</span></a>).
</p>
</section>
<section id="room-a9" class="level4 page-columns page-full">
<h4 class="anchored" data-anchor-id="room-a9">Room A9</h4>
<p id="p15">
Room A9 is a large rectangular space located to the northeast of room A5 (<a href="#plt-2.3" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.3</span></a>). It measures 5.25 m north–south by 3.5 m east–west and has mud-brick walls that are preserved to the considerable height of 2.6 m (east end of north wall AF53) (<a href="#plt-2.11" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.11</span></a>).
</p>
<div class="page-columns page-full"><p id="p16">
Four doorways open onto this room: one (AF54; width between the jambs: 90 cm) is set at the west end of the north wall and leads into room A13; another (AF101; width: 68 cm) is located at the north end of the west wall (AF58) and was once the only access into square room A11; along the same wall, but further south, is a third doorway (AF102; width: ca. 70 cm), which opens onto room A10; the fourth opening (AF11) is set at the west end of the south wall (AF57) and leads, as seen above, into room A5. The north and south doorways, both defined by side jambs built within, and part of, the same walls, show a higher degree of complexity and craftsmanship than the two doors along the west wall. The latter were, in fact, built within a double wall, consisting of the west wall of room A9 and the east wall of rooms A10–A11, which were seemingly built at a later time than A9.
</p><div class="no-row-height column-margin column-container"><span class="margin-aside">p. 46</span></div></div>
<div id="plt-2.10" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.10-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.10.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-10" title="Plate 2.10: Remains of drain set in the west wall of room A5."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.10.jpg" title="Plate 2.10: Remains of drain set in the west wall of room A5." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.10-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.10: Remains of drain set in the west wall of room A5.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div id="plt-2.11" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.11-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.11.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-11" title="Plate 2.11: Plan of room A9."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.11.jpg" title="Plate 2.11: Plan of room A9." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.11-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.11: Plan of room A9.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div class="page-columns page-full"><p></p><div class="no-row-height column-margin column-container"><span class="margin-aside">p. 47</span></div></div>
<div id="plt-2.12" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.12-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.12.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-12" title="Plate 2.12: East wall of room A9."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.12.jpg" title="Plate 2.12: East wall of room A9." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.12-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.12: East wall of room A9.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<p id="p17">
The room was originally covered by a barrel-vaulted roof. The vault was oriented north–south and is now preserved only in the lowest courses of the vault springs above the east and west walls.<a href="#fn10" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref10" role="doc-noteref"><sup>10</sup></a> East wall AF55 rises to a considerable height above the east vault-spring, pointing to the existence, in antiquity, of an upper story.<a href="#fn11" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref11" role="doc-noteref"><sup>11</sup></a> The presence of a stairway in room A6, to the southeast of A9, further supports this possibility.
</p>
<p id="p18">
Two roughly square niches, measuring ca. 50 by 50 cm and 37 cm deep, are set into the east wall, at about 1 m above ground level (<a href="#plt-2.12" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.12</span></a>). Both are framed by a thick band of white gypsum, as customary in the oasis. The northern niche has a stone lintel still <em>in situ</em>, while the upper part of the southern niche shows signs of heavy damage. Another niche, sharing similar width and depth as the other two but with a recessed round top, is inserted in the north wall, at a distance of about 72 cm from the wall’s east end. It is also framed by a roughly square band of white gypsum.
</p>
<p id="p19">
The original floor (AF61)<a href="#fn12" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref12" role="doc-noteref"><sup>12</sup></a> of beaten clay, laid on gebel, is largely missing, with most visible remains located to the north of the doorway opening onto room A5. An L-shaped foundation trench (AF62), filled with a course of mud bricks (AF63), is still visible at ground level in the northeast corner of the room. This feature is presumably associated with an earlier structure, the walls of which were leveled when the compacted mud floor of A9 was laid.
</p>
<div class="page-columns page-full"><p></p><div class="no-row-height column-margin column-container"><span class="margin-aside">p. 48</span></div></div>
<div id="plt-2.13" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.13-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.13.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-13" title="Plate 2.13: Aerial view of rooms A14–A15 (to W)."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.13.jpg" title="Plate 2.13: Aerial view of rooms A14–A15 (to W)." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.13-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.13: Aerial view of rooms A14–A15 (to W).
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div id="plt-2.14" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.14-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.14.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-14" title="Plate 2.14: Plan of rooms A14–A15."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.14.jpg" title="Plate 2.14: Plan of rooms A14–A15." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.14-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.14: Plan of rooms A14–A15.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div class="page-columns page-full"><p></p><div class="no-row-height column-margin column-container"><span class="margin-aside">p. 49</span></div></div>
<div id="plt-2.15" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.15-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.15.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-15" title="Plate 2.15: West wall of room A14."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.15.jpg" title="Plate 2.15: West wall of room A14." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.15-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.15: West wall of room A14.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
</section>
<section id="rooms-a14a15" class="level4 page-columns page-full">
<h4 class="anchored" data-anchor-id="rooms-a14a15">Rooms A14–A15</h4>
<p id="p20">
Two interconnected rooms were cleared in the north part of area A, that is, rooms A14 and A15 (<a href="#plt-2.3" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.3</span></a>). A14 is a rectangular space, larger than room A15 and located to the north of it. A14 measures 4 m north–south by 3.5 m east–west, with walls standing up to 2.6 m (east wall AF32) (<a href="#plt-2.13" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.13</span></a>). A15 is a roughly square space that measures 2.6 m north–south by 3 m east–west, with walls preserved to the maximum height of about 2.45 m (east wall AF25) (<a href="#plt-2.14" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.14</span></a>).
</p>
<p id="p21">
Room A14 is located immediately to the southwest of church B5 and is accessed via a north–south oriented passageway (A8) that connects the area of the church complex to the core of area A, particularly a large kitchen centrally placed in the southern half of mound I (i.e., rooms A6–A7). From A8, one could enter room A14 through a doorway (AF36; width: 74 cm) set in the middle of the room’s west wall (AF35) (<a href="#plt-2.15" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.15</span></a>). The remains of the doorway consist of a mud-brick threshold and one protruding jamb built on the south side, which also shows evidence for the placement of a door in antiquity. The sill was found at a considerably higher level than the floor, suggesting that at least a couple of steps once led into the room. Another doorway (AF23; width between the two preserved jambs: 75 cm), located at the west end of the south wall (AF33), allowed passage into room A15. No other door exists in this space, which was therefore accessible only through room A14.
</p>
<div class="page-columns page-full"><p id="p22">
The two spaces were originally barrel-vaulted, with both vaults oriented east–west. Their remains, as well as traces of the mud bricks and potsherds filling the space between the two vaults, are still visible.<a href="#fn13" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref13" role="doc-noteref"><sup>13</sup></a> The floors of both rooms (AF39<a href="#fn14" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref14" role="doc-noteref"><sup>14</sup></a> in room A14 and AF29<a href="#fn15" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref15" role="doc-noteref"><sup>15</sup></a> in room A15), now largely destroyed, consisted of levelled clay, with inclusions of iron pan, laid out on gebel. The cleaning of room A14 revealed a few traces of mud bricks at floor level, placed just south of the west doorway. It was not possible to verify if these mud bricks belonged to an earlier wall that was razed when the floor of room A14 was laid out, although it seems likely.
</p><div class="no-row-height column-margin column-container"><span class="margin-aside">p. 50</span></div></div>
<div id="plt-2.16" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.16-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.16.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-16" title="Plate 2.16: Traces of inscription on the east wall of room A14."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.16.jpg" title="Plate 2.16: Traces of inscription on the east wall of room A14." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.16-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.16: Traces of inscription on the east wall of room A14.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<p id="p23">
Room A14 has two arched niches set into the west wall, to the north and south of the doorway, at about 1.3 m above ground. The north niche (width: ca. 55 cm; depth: ca. 45 cm) is framed by a square band of whitewash above mud plaster, while the niche to the south (width: ca. 45 cm; depth: ca. 40 cm) was only covered with mud plaster. The arch framing the top of this niche is slightly recessed into the wall. Another niche (width: ca. 60 cm; depth: ca. 25 cm) is located in the south wall of room A15 at ca. 1 m above ground level. It is architecturally more complex than the other two niches of room A15. It has a roughly round top, but it is set within a slightly recessed square frame, plastered with mud, which has horizontal slots set within its upper and lower edge (possibly for now-disappeared stone or wood elements). Room A15 has only one niche (width: ca. 60 cm; depth: ca. 40 cm). It is placed in the middle of the west wall (AF28), at ca. 1.3 m above ground level. It has a recessed round top and is framed by a thick (about 30 cm) band of white gypsum plaster (now largely disappeared) on top of mud plaster.
</p>
<p id="p24">
Two horizontal recesses, each more than 1 m long and ca. 20 cm deep, run above the two niches in the west wall of room A14, at a height of about 2.40 m above ground level (<a href="#plt-2.14" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.14</span></a>). They were both coated with mud plaster. The west wall of room A15 seems to reflect a similar situation, although the two segments of the recess are in poorer condition. The considerable height of these features, which makes them difficult to reach, and their shallow depth make their original function particularly difficult to identify.
</p>
<div class="page-columns page-full"><p id="p25">
Traces of white plaster with three uncial Greek letters [<em>ΗΠΑ</em>], written in dark red ink, were found on the east wall of room A14;<a href="#fn16" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref16" role="doc-noteref"><sup>16</sup></a> however, it was impossible to discern the meaning of the inscription or its original extent; even the language (Greek or Coptic) is uncertain (<a href="#plt-2.16" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.16</span></a>).
</p><div class="no-row-height column-margin column-container"><span class="margin-aside">p. 51</span></div></div>
<div id="plt-2.17" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.17-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.17.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-17" title="Plate 2.17: Plan of room A25."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.17.jpg" title="Plate 2.17: Plan of room A25." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.17-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.17: Plan of room A25.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<p id="p26">
The north and south walls of rooms A14–A15 (i.e., AF30, AF33, and AF26) abut walls to the east (AF32 and AF25) that seem to belong to older buildings and therefore testify to earlier construction phases. Reflecting the pattern of topographical development that was noticed in several other instances in area A, both rooms A14 and A15 reveal the growth of the built environment (more obvious in the southern half of mound I) from a central core of buildings to a larger and more complex network of structures, which reached the outer edges of the mound.
</p>
</section>
<section id="room-a25" class="level4 page-columns page-full">
<h4 class="anchored" data-anchor-id="room-a25">Room A25</h4>
<p id="p27">
Another room, A25, was cleared of sand and recorded in the central part of area A, more to the east (<a href="#plt-2.3" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.3</span></a>, <a href="#plt-2.17" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.17</span></a>).<a href="#fn17" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref17" role="doc-noteref"><sup>17</sup></a> It measures ca. 3.90 m north–south by 3.60 m east–west and the maximum height of its walls is 2.48 m (south wall AF44). The room was once covered by a barrel-vaulted roof oriented north–south; scanty remains of the vault were detected on both the east and west walls.<a href="#fn18" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref18" role="doc-noteref"><sup>18</sup></a> The east face of the east wall is substantially higher than the vault spring of room A25, pointing to the existence of a now-lost upper story.
</p>
<div class="page-columns page-full"><p id="p28">
In its latest occupational phase, room A25 was accessed through two doorways. One (AF45), ca. 90 cm wide and still bearing traces of a mud-brick threshold and holes (possibly door sockets), is set at the west end of the south wall and opens onto room A27 to the south. The second opening (AF47; width between the jambs: 60 cm) is placed at the south end of the west wall and leads into room A31. This doorway was heavily restored and rebuilt as an arched passageway in the mid-1990s. Originally, a third doorway (AF43) was set into the east wall at its north end and opened onto room A24 to the east. At some point in antiquity, the opening, which had a considerable width (ca. 1.15 m), was sealed through the construction of a poorly made mud-brick partition wall (AF43), which is recessed by ca. 20 cm compared to the east wall of the room (<a href="#plt-2.18" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.18</span></a>).
</p><div class="no-row-height column-margin column-container"><span class="margin-aside">p. 52</span></div></div>
<div id="plt-2.18" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.18-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.18.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-18" title="Plate 2.18: Bricked-in doorway on the east wall of room A25."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.18.jpg" title="Plate 2.18: Bricked-in doorway on the east wall of room A25." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.18-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.18: Bricked-in doorway on the east wall of room A25.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div id="plt-2.19" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.19-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.19.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-19" title="Plate 2.19: View of room A25 from above (to SE), with traces of earlier walls below floor level."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.19.jpg" title="Plate 2.19: View of room A25 from above (to SE), with traces of earlier walls below floor level." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.19-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.19: View of room A25 from above (to SE), with traces of earlier walls below floor level.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div class="page-columns page-full"><p></p><div class="no-row-height column-margin column-container"><span class="margin-aside">p. 53</span></div></div>
<p id="p29">
A niche is set into the east wall, to the south of the bricked-in opening. It has a rectangular shape, with a width of 58 cm and a depth of ca. 25 cm. The niche, whose stone lintel is still <em>in situ</em>, is framed by a poorly preserved rectangular band of whitewash. A ledge, built at about 1.15 m above floor level, runs along the entire width of the south wall. Both the wall and the sill are part of the same construction episode; the function of the latter feature, however, is not known beyond doubt.
</p>
<p id="p30">
Consistent traces of a compacted mud floor (AF49)<a href="#fn19" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref19" role="doc-noteref"><sup>19</sup></a> are still visible in the northwest corner of the room; more to the east, the excavation revealed the foundation trench (AF50) and the first course of a wall (AF51, with a maximum preserved length of 2.35 m) precisely oriented north–south, at an angle compared with the northeast–southwest orientation of room A25 and belonging to an earlier building (<a href="#plt-2.19" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.19</span></a>).
</p>
<p id="p31">
Other remains of early walls (AF96 and AF97) were found in the southeast corner. They partly run under the east and south walls of the room, following the same orientation, and partly protrude into the room itself, covered by the preparatory layer (DSU1)<a href="#fn20" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref20" role="doc-noteref"><sup>20</sup></a> of later floor AF49 (contemporary to the last occupational phase of room A25). One complete oval lamp (inv. 615), several pottery sherds, as well as complete and almost complete vessels (including a small globular flask—inv. 609—and a bowl—inv. 612), were found below this floor level. Their analysis led to a fourth-century dating for the entire assemblage. It is possible that these vessels and sherds had been deposited there to flatten the uneven geological surface (including the remains of earlier architectural features) before the floor was laid out. Two heavily worn bronze coins were also brought to light within this fill: one (inv. 503) is dated to 313, while the other (inv. 504) was minted between 315 and 318. The general surface clearance of the room revealed two additional bronze coins (inv. 501, dated to 324, and inv. 502, minted in 326), as well as three ostraka (one in Coptic and two in Greek). One (inv. 10) is an account of donkeyloads in four lines, while the other two (inv. 8 and 17) are incomplete and of unclear content.<a href="#fn21" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref21" role="doc-noteref"><sup>21</sup></a> Based on palaeographic evidence, the three ostraka are dated to the fourth century, in line with the information provided by coins and ceramics.
</p>
<div class="page-columns page-full"><p></p><div class="no-row-height column-margin column-container"><span class="margin-aside">p. 54</span></div></div>
<div id="plt-2.20" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.20-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.20.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-20" title="Plate 2.20: View of rooms A6–A7 (to E)."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.20.jpg" title="Plate 2.20: View of rooms A6–A7 (to E)." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.20-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.20: View of rooms A6–A7 (to E).
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div id="plt-2.21" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.21-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.21.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-21" title="Plate 2.21: Plan of rooms A6–A7."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.21.jpg" title="Plate 2.21: Plan of rooms A6–A7." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.21-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.21: Plan of rooms A6–A7.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div class="page-columns page-full"><p></p><div class="no-row-height column-margin column-container"><span class="margin-aside">p. 55</span></div></div>
</section>
<section id="rooms-a6a7" class="level4 page-columns page-full">
<h4 class="anchored" data-anchor-id="rooms-a6a7">Rooms A6–A7</h4>
<p id="p32">
A significant effort was made, in 2006 and 2007, to fully document room A6 and the adjacent space A7, centrally placed in the southern half of mound I—slightly to the west—and to the northeast of the three narrow rooms (A2–A4) preliminarily identified as magazines (<a href="#plt-2.3" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.3</span></a>, <a href="#plt-2.20" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.20</span></a>). The location of rooms A6–A7, their dimensions, and their wealth of architectural features and installations make these spaces a meaningful case-study.
</p>
<p id="p33">
Room A6 was partially excavated by the Egyptian team in the 1990s and is identifiable beyond doubt as a kitchen.<a href="#fn22" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref22" role="doc-noteref"><sup>22</sup></a> It is a rectangular space, measuring about 4 m north–south by 7 m east–west, and has walls preserved to a maximum height of ca. 2.20 m (in its northeast corner, wall AF91) (Pl. 2. 21). The room was once accessible through two main doorways. One opening, ca. 1.05 m wide, is set between the northwest and the northeast walls (AF57 and AF26 respectively) and opens on a long, narrow passage oriented north–south (A8), which in turns leads to a passageway (B11) running northwest–southeast to the area of the church complex.<a href="#fn23" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref23" role="doc-noteref"><sup>23</sup></a> The other doorway (AF14) is located at the south end of the west wall (AF13) and, as discussed above, gives access to room A5. A third, narrow passage exists at the east end of the south wall (AF86). It is 58 cm wide and opens onto a very narrow space (A29), against whose walls numerous traces of ash were detected. This space might have been used, perhaps, as a dump for the ash cleared from at least some of the ovens found in room A6.
</p>
<p id="p34">
At the time of its investigation, the floor level was not identified within the room, as it seemed to have suffered heavy disturbances.<a href="#fn24" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref24" role="doc-noteref"><sup>24</sup></a>
</p>
<p id="p35">
The scanty remains of a low mud-brick wall (AF87), running north–south and parallel to the west wall of the room, cut A6 roughly in half. Its original function is unknown. Among the visible courses of this wall, which was laid out in English bond, a bricked-in section was noticed, about 140 cm wide, which seems to have belonged to an earlier opening that was sealed at some point in antiquity. This wall once abutted the south wall of room A6, although today the latter is slightly slanted toward the south and thus detached from the former.
</p>
<p id="p36">
A staircase (AF95) is set against the northeast wall. It was originally built above a stratified deposit of many thin layers rich in ceramic and organic inclusions (<a href="#plt-2.22" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.22</span></a>). The upper section of the stairway is oriented north–south and is supported by a north–south wall and a vault built with mud bricks laid out as stretchers on edge. Above the vault are four stone steps embedded in mud mortar. The staircase continues with a lower section that is oriented east–west and consists of three (remaining) steps.
</p>
<div class="page-columns page-full"><p id="p37">
The available archaeological evidence suggests that originally the staircase was built just as one flight of steps oriented north–south. Indeed, to the south of the deposit supporting the upper section of the staircase, and projecting from it, is a mud-brick rectangular feature that may be the poorly preserved remains of the lowest part of the original stairway. A second construction episode involved the addition of the east–west flight of steps, whose lowest end is almost completely missing. The result was a staircase running, in its upper section, north–south and then turning clockwise, obstructing almost completely the passage into corridor A8. This testifies to the fact that, during at least the latest phase of occupation of room A6, the doorway/ passage into A8 was no longer in use.
</p><div class="no-row-height column-margin column-container"><span class="margin-aside">p. 56</span></div></div>
<div id="plt-2.22" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.22-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.22.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-22" title="Plate 2.22: Staircase in room A6."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.22.jpg" title="Plate 2.22: Staircase in room A6." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.22-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.22: Staircase in room A6.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<p id="p38">
To the east of the stairway, two partition walls were constructed with a very poor construction technique: one (AF92) running east–west from the staircase and the other (AF93) set against the north sector of the kitchen’s east wall (AF90, with the southern end of AF91 in the northeast corner). A secondary room (A7, measuring ca. 1.60 m north–south by 2.10 m east–west) was thus created against the northeast corner of A6, separate from the kitchen and accessible only through the vault supporting the highest ramp of steps (and built in phase with the staircase).<a href="#fn25" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref25" role="doc-noteref"><sup>25</sup></a>
</p>
<p id="p39">
The high walls of room A6, all showing rather poor and hurried craftsmanship, bear no trace of vault springs or sockets for the placement of beams supporting a flat roof. Either the roof and the highest courses of the walls collapsed, leaving no sign of its original existence, or this space was actually an open courtyard, as one might surmise from the very poor craftsmanship of many of its walls and the rather central placement of the staircase. The possible absence of a roof is also suggested by the existence of at least three ovens built at some point here (<a href="#plt-2.23" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.23</span></a>, <a href="#plt-2.24" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.24</span></a>).
</p>
<div class="page-columns page-full"><p id="p40">
Two circular bread ovens (AF83 and AF84) are located in the northwest sector of the kitchen; one is still partially <em>in situ</em>, while the other lies to the south of its original location; it fell in 2005, probably as a result of the collapse of part of the staircase to the east.<a href="#fn26" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref26" role="doc-noteref"><sup>26</sup></a> The former appears to belong to the “Later Type” of ovens, following S. Yeivin’s classification, or “Type II-Subtype a”, according to D. D. E. Depraetere: that is to say, a circular ceramic oven, built on a raised earth platform and surrounded by mud-brick partition walls.<a href="#fn27" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref27" role="doc-noteref"><sup>27</sup></a> Parts of another round oven (AF88) were found <em>in situ</em> in the southeast sector of the kitchen. Behind AF88 are the remains of a long rectangular installation (AF89), which consists of a wall and part of a vault. A circular opening, measuring ca. 55 cm in width, cuts through the wall from north to south. The original shape and function of this installation is unknown.<a href="#fn28" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref28" role="doc-noteref"><sup>28</sup></a>
</p><div class="no-row-height column-margin column-container"><span class="margin-aside">p. 57</span></div></div>
<div id="plt-2.23" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.23-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.23.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-23" title="Plate 2.23: Aerial view of rooms A6–A7 (to SW); arrows point to the remains of ovens."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.23.jpg" title="Plate 2.23: Aerial view of rooms A6–A7 (to SW); arrows point to the remains of ovens." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.23-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.23: Aerial view of rooms A6–A7 (to SW); arrows point to the remains of ovens.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div id="plt-2.24" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.24-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.24.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-24" title="Plate 2.24: Plan of rooms A6–A7."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.24.jpg" title="Plate 2.24: Plan of rooms A6–A7." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.24-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.24: Plan of rooms A6–A7.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div class="page-columns page-full"><p></p><div class="no-row-height column-margin column-container"><span class="margin-aside">p. 58</span></div></div>
<div id="plt-2.25" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.25-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.25.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-25" title="Plate 2.25: View of mound I-area B (to NW) before excavation."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.25.jpg" title="Plate 2.25: View of mound I-area B (to NW) before excavation." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.25-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.25: View of mound I-area B (to NW) before excavation.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div id="plt-2.26" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.26-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.26.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-26" title="Plate 2.26: Plan of area B in the northern half of mound I."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.26.jpg" title="Plate 2.26: Plan of area B in the northern half of mound I." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.26-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.26: Plan of area B in the northern half of mound I.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div class="page-columns page-full"><p></p><div class="no-row-height column-margin column-container"><span class="margin-aside">p. 59</span></div></div>
<p id="p41">
The archaeological evidence shows that room A6 went through several construction phases, which involved most walls of the room and the staircase. As mentioned above, room A6 was located in a rather central position and led, through a narrow passageway (A8)—at least before the latter was blocked by the lower end of the staircase—to an area in the proximity of the church. The dimensions of the kitchen and the presence of at least three ovens suggest that the facility served a fairly large group of people, although they do not shed light on who these people were.
</p>
</section>
</section>
<section id="area-b" class="level3 page-columns page-full" data-number="2.1.2">
<h3 data-number="2.1.2" class="anchored" data-anchor-id="area-b"><span class="header-section-number">2.1.2</span> Area B</h3>
<p id="p42">
Before the beginning of excavations in 2006, a systematic surface clearance of mound I revealed a network of several buildings, various in size and often interconnected, extending throughout most of area B (<a href="#plt-2.25" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.25</span></a>). Although the layout of area B gives the impression of a rather confused arrangement of space, traces of more regular planning can be easily identified (<a href="#plt-2.26" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.26</span></a>). A network of perpendicular streets, dividing the northernmost part of the hill into quadrants, can be detected to a certain extent. Sets of interconnected rooms (unexcavated), sometimes opening onto spaces that seem to have been inner courtyards, were built against each other to form larger, roughly rectangular blocks divided by the streets. Rooms B1–B3, investigated as a test trench in 2006, reflect a similar spatial arrangement, although with additional rooms.
</p>
<p id="p43">
The results of archaeological investigation in this area (concerning, in particular, rooms B1–B3) point to its identification as a possible residential area, with the smaller groups of rooms-plus-courtyard as domestic units. The southern part of area B, especially the sector occupied by the church complex and the spaces adjacent to it, reflects a more irregular layout. However, this might be due, at least in part, to the substantial and multi-phased rearrangement of space that involved the area of the church complex, as proved by its archaeological investigation.
</p>
<div class="page-columns page-full"><p id="p44">
A remarkably large structure, rectangular in shape, lies toward the northern edge of mound I (<a href="#plt-2.27" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.27</span></a>). Although it was not excavated, its outline was partially visible above ground level. It consists of two rectangular rooms measuring ca. 3 m north–south by 4 m east–west and sharing one of the longer walls. It was not possible to determine, without excavation, if they were originally interconnected. The two rooms are located at the center of a wide, rectangular structure measuring ca. 16 m north–south by 12 m east–west.
</p><div class="no-row-height column-margin column-container"><span class="margin-aside">p. 60</span></div></div>
<div id="plt-2.27" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.27-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.27.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-27" title="Plate 2.27: View of large square structure—likely a pigeon tower—(to NW)."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.27.jpg" title="Plate 2.27: View of large square structure—likely a pigeon tower—(to NW)." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.27-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.27: View of large square structure—likely a pigeon tower—(to NW).
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<p id="p45">
The state of preservation of these walls seems to be rather poor, and parts of their outline could not be mapped during the survey. This does not imply that the missing wall segments (especially in the middle of the south side and toward the northern end of the west side) indicate the precise location of doorways into the complex; indeed, the walls might simply be preserved at a lower level in those points. Only a thorough archaeological investigation could shed light on the building’s outline, the interrelationship of its architectural features, and the precise location of its entrance/entrances. A preliminary analysis of the available evidence suggests an identification of the complex as a pigeon tower, surrounded by a large rectangular courtyard.<a href="#fn29" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref29" role="doc-noteref"><sup>29</sup></a> Pigeon towers were a typical feature of the oasis landscape in Roman times and during Late Antiquity, as shown by the D.O.P. survey of ancient farmhouses and villages of Dakhla.<a href="#fn30" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref30" role="doc-noteref"><sup>30</sup></a> In particular, the remains of a <em>columbarium</em> were discovered and investigated in recent years by Colin Hope at the site of Kellis, not far from ʿAin el-Gedida.<a href="#fn31" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref31" role="doc-noteref"><sup>31</sup></a> Located within an open area in the northern part of the site, and possibly associated with a group of three large residences to the east and southeast, this pigeon tower consists of two adjoining structures of rectangular shape and similar dimensions, each of them further divided into two roughly equal rooms. Considerable ceramic evidence was collected of pigeon nesting jars, once set into the upper walls of the tower. The overall layout of the Kellis <em>columbarium</em> closely resembles that from ʿAin el-Gedida, although the former is of a substantially bigger size.<a href="#fn32" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref32" role="doc-noteref"><sup>32</sup></a>
</p>
<div class="page-columns page-full"><p id="p46">
Ten meters west of the pigeon tower, three rooms (B1–B3) were identified as part of a larger structure that included two additional rooms and that was possibly identified as a residential unit. Test trenches were conducted in this area and involved the excavation of rooms B1–B3. Another room (B4) was chosen and excavated, as part of preliminary test trenching, to the southwest of rooms B1–B3. During the investigation, remains of earlier walls were brought to light, suggesting that the room, as well as the building of which it was part, underwent substantial modifications. The room was used as a domestic midden in its latest phase.<a href="#fn33" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref33" role="doc-noteref"><sup>33</sup></a>
</p><div class="no-row-height column-margin column-container"><span class="margin-aside">p. 61</span></div></div>
<p id="p47">
To the west of room B4, a large complex of eight rooms (B17–B24), uncovered in 2008, lies along the western edge of the mound, only a few meters away from the cultivated fields. An examination of the walls and their relative chronology points to different construction phases for the complex. The archaeological evidence allowed the identification of the complex as a ceramic workshop, built reusing features that comparative analysis allowed us to recognize as part of an earlier mud-brick temple.<a href="#fn34" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref34" role="doc-noteref"><sup>34</sup></a>
</p>
<p id="p48">
About twenty-five meters to the southeast of rooms B17–B24, and immediately to the north of area A, lies the complex excavated between 2006 and 2007.<a href="#fn35" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref35" role="doc-noteref"><sup>35</sup></a> It consists of a church (B5), a large gathering hall (A46), two rooms (B6, B9), an entrance/passageway (B7), and a staircase (B8), all developing to the north of the church. An additional room (B10), identified as a kitchen, was excavated immediately to the west of room A46, although not connected directly with the church complex.
</p>
<p id="p49">
Two more sectors, along the southern and eastern ends of the church complex, were investigated in 2008. They include an east–west passageway (B11), a north–south street (B12), a crossroad (B13), a kitchen and a pantry (rooms B14–B15). The discussion of the archaeological remains pertaining to the church and its neighboring rooms will be the subject of chapters 3–5.
</p>
<p id="p50">
Notwithstanding the intense work carried out between 2006 and 2008, especially in the area of the church complex, a large number of buildings remain unexcavated in area B. Therefore, discerning the general architectural layout of this part of the site and identifying the possible phases of its development are a very complex matter. The site plan, created with the data obtained during the topographical survey, offers several pieces of information. However, a simple reading of walls that are visible only at their higher end, without their proper and complete excavation, can be misleading in terms of the interpretation of their architectural relationship with each other. In fact, the depth of preservation of most features often makes doorways difficult, if not impossible, to identify, because the walls above their lintels are not readily distinguishable from other parts of the walls. As a consequence, it is not sufficient to shed light on the construction process of the buildings surveyed at ground level. Nonetheless, a great deal of information was collected during the excavation of large sectors of this part of mound I, considerably adding to the understanding of ʿAin el-Gedida’s typology of buildings, construction techniques, phases of expansion, and overall development of the site.
</p>
<div class="page-columns page-full"><p></p><div class="no-row-height column-margin column-container"><span class="margin-aside">p. 62</span></div></div>
<div id="plt-2.28" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.28-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.28.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-28" title="Plate 2.28: Plan of mounds II-IV."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.28.jpg" title="Plate 2.28: Plan of mounds II-IV." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.28-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.28: Plan of mounds II-IV.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div id="plt-2.29" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.29-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.29.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-29" title="Plate 2.29: View of mound II (to SW)."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.29.jpg" title="Plate 2.29: View of mound II (to SW)." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.29-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.29: View of mound II (to SW).
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div class="page-columns page-full"><p></p><div class="no-row-height column-margin column-container"><span class="margin-aside">p. 63</span></div></div>
</section>
</section>
<section id="mounds-ii-v" class="level2 page-columns page-full" data-number="2.2">
<h2 data-number="2.2" class="anchored" data-anchor-id="mounds-ii-v"><span class="header-section-number">2.2</span> Mounds II-V</h2>
<p id="p51">
Excavations were not carried out on mounds II-IV, located to the south of the main hill, or on mound V, a few hundred meters to the northeast of mound I, where the visible remains of architectural features are rather limited. Nonetheless, a topographical survey was carried out on all mounds in 2006–2007 and, once again, in 2010, when additional surface clearance allowed for the gathering of further architectural details (<a href="#plt-2.28" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.28</span></a>).
</p>
<p id="p52">
The survey of mound II revealed the existence of several mud-brick buildings and of a street oriented northwest–southeast. The visible remains of this street consist (from north to south) of a long (about 30 m) passage running northwest–southeast, joined to the south to a segment running to the east for ca. 8 m; then the street continues with a third sector following, for about 10 m, the same northwest–southeast orientation as the northern segment, until it gets lost under the sand (<a href="#plt-2.29" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.29</span></a>).
</p>
<p id="p53">
All structures, in most cases completely filled with windblown sand, are built along this passageway and show a rather compact and complex organization of space, following a pattern already identified on mound I. In particular, a set of three rectangular rooms parallel and built next to each other, with the long side oriented north–south, were noticed in the southwest sector of the mound; these spaces show an arrangement that is reminiscent of that of rooms A2–A4 in the southern part of mound I, identified as storage rooms.
</p>
<p id="p54">
Two clusters of rooms were found to the northeast of the above-mentioned street. They consist of two, roughly square rooms flanking (with at least one of them opening onto) a larger rectangular space. This building (or part of it) has a shape that is suggestive of rooms B1–B3 investigated in the north half of mound I and of rooms A35–A37 (and possibly A38–A40) partially excavated in the southern half of mound I in the mid-1990s.
</p>
<p id="p55">
The construction technique and the material of the architectural features surveyed on mound II (mostly walls laid in English bond, with gray-brown mud bricks of standard size and rich in organic inclusions), seems to be quite similar to those investigated on the main hill.
</p>
<p id="p56">
At the time of the topographical survey, only a few remains of mud-brick buildings were identified on mound III above ground level (<a href="#plt-2.28" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.28</span></a>, <a href="#plt-2.30" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.30</span></a>). They consist of two clusters of interconnected rooms, the larger only a few meters to the west of mound II and the smaller located further to the southwest. Most of the visible architectural features follow the same north–south orientation as found on mound II and share the same materials and construction techniques. In light of the close proximity of the two mounds and of their archaeological remains, it seems that the buildings on both hills were, in fact, one large built-up area.
</p>
<p id="p57">
Mound IV, like mounds II-III, is closely surrounded by cultivated fields, which have been encroaching upon the archaeological remains. The topographical survey revealed how several architectural features had already disappeared due to the extensive crop growing, while others were in danger of being permanently erased by the seemingly expanding agricultural exploitation of the area. Notwithstanding, several structures were mapped on this mound (<a href="#plt-2.28" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.28</span></a>, <a href="#plt-2.31" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.31</span></a>).
</p>
<div class="page-columns page-full"><p></p><div class="no-row-height column-margin column-container"><span class="margin-aside">p. 64</span></div></div>
<div id="plt-2.30" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.30-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.30.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-30" title="Plate 2.30: View of mound III (to SW)."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.30.jpg" title="Plate 2.30: View of mound III (to SW)." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.30-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.30: View of mound III (to SW).
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div id="plt-2.31" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.31-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.31.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-31" title="Plate 2.31: View of mound IV (to SW)."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.31.jpg" title="Plate 2.31: View of mound IV (to SW)." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.31-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.31: View of mound IV (to SW).
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div class="page-columns page-full"><p></p><div class="no-row-height column-margin column-container"><span class="margin-aside">p. 65</span></div></div>
<div id="plt-2.32" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.32-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.32.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-32" title="Plate 2.32: Traces of architectural features on mound V."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.32.jpg" title="Plate 2.32: Traces of architectural features on mound V." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.32-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.32: Traces of architectural features on mound V.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div id="plt-2.33" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.33-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.33.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-33" title="Plate 2.33: View of mound V (to NW)."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.33.jpg" title="Plate 2.33: View of mound V (to NW)." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.33-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.33: View of mound V (to NW).
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div class="page-columns page-full"><p></p><div class="no-row-height column-margin column-container"><span class="margin-aside">p. 66</span></div></div>
<p id="p58">
As was the case for all the rooms surveyed on neighboring mounds II-III, most spaces were found almost completely filled with sand.<a href="#fn36" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref36" role="doc-noteref"><sup>36</sup></a> However, the preserved tops of their often mudplastered walls revealed a tight and complex network of rooms, in a few instances clustered around, or opening onto, larger rectangular spaces. A set of three narrow rooms, oriented north–south and with well-preserved remains of barrel-vaulted roofs, is located in the northeast part of the mound. These rooms reflect an arrangement that is similar to other sets of spaces located on mounds I (area A) and II; they possibly were used in antiquity as magazines for crops. No buildings with a complete and clearly defined layout could be discerned on mound IV; thus, any typological study of its architectural remains is not possible without further, in-depth archaeological investigation.
</p>
<p id="p59">
The topographical survey did not reveal significant traces of the streets or passageways once running on the mound. However, it showed that the orientation of the rooms is, once again, similar to that followed by most buildings on mounds II and III. It is not known, although is certainly possible, if the buildings located on mound IV were once part of the same built-in area extending throughout mounds II-IV and perhaps also continuing to the north onto mound I.
</p>
<p id="p60">
Mound V lies to the northeast of the main hill of ʿAin el-Gedida, outside the protected archaeological area (<a href="#plt-2.28" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.28</span></a>, <a href="#plt-2.32" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.32</span></a>, <a href="#plt-2.33" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.33</span></a>). Heavy disturbances, connected with the agricultural exploitation of the surrounding land, have occurred (and continue to take place) on this mound. As a consequence, the very few remains of architectural features that are visible above ground are in extremely poor condition.
</p>
<p id="p61">
The survey identified and recorded scanty traces of mud-brick walls that likely belong to two rectangular structures, roughly oriented east–west. The southernmost of these two rooms has its long south wall preserved to a length of about 8.5 m and bears traces of a smaller space built inside, presumably placed against the east wall (now missing or standing at a lower elevation beneath the sand). The smaller room seems to have been built at the east end of the main axis of the rectangular space and once opened onto it through a doorway (width between the jambs: ca. 1.15 m) placed along its west wall. It was impossible to map the full outline of this structure, or that of the other room to the northeast, due to their extremely poor state of preservation. No serious attempt in reconstructing the original layout of these spaces, as well as identifying their function, can be carried out without their full archaeological investigation.
</p>
<div class="page-columns page-full"><p id="p62">
It should be added that, according to Kamel Bayoumi, who led the Egyptian mission at ʿAin el-Gedida in the mid-1990s, local farmers found several human bones while digging in the area of mound V in recent years. This fact led him to tentatively identify this mound as a cemetery in connection with the main site.<a href="#fn37" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref37" role="doc-noteref"><sup>37</sup></a> No human bones were found during the topographical survey of the area;<a href="#fn38" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref38" role="doc-noteref"><sup>38</sup></a> however, only in-depth excavations would allow us to gather more information regarding the relation of mound V to the site and its use in Late Antiquity.
</p><div class="no-row-height column-margin column-container"><span class="margin-aside">p. 67</span></div></div>
<div id="plt-2.34" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.34-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.34.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-34" title="Plate 2.34: Plan of rooms B1–B3."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.34.jpg" title="Plate 2.34: Plan of rooms B1–B3." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.34-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.34: Plan of rooms B1–B3.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div id="plt-2.35" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.35-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.35.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-35" title="Plate 2.35: Aerial view of rooms B1–B3 (to NW)."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.35.jpg" title="Plate 2.35: Aerial view of rooms B1–B3 (to NW)." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.35-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.35: Aerial view of rooms B1–B3 (to NW).
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div class="page-columns page-full"><p></p><div class="no-row-height column-margin column-container"><span class="margin-aside">p. 68</span></div></div>
</section>
<section id="sec-2.3" class="level2 page-columns page-full" data-number="2.3">
<h2 data-number="2.3" class="anchored" data-anchor-id="sec-2.3"><span class="header-section-number">2.3</span> Test Trenches on Mound I</h2>
<p id="p63">
In 2006, the topographical survey of ʿAin el-Gedida was paired with preliminary excavation activity in the northern half of mound I. In order to gather additional data on the underexcavated (by 2006) area B, two small areas were selected for archaeological investigation, one in the northwest sector of the hill (rooms B1–B3) and another a few meters to the southwest (room B4), in the proximity of the western complex excavated two years later.
</p>
<section id="sec-2.3.1" class="level3 page-columns page-full" data-number="2.3.1">
<h3 data-number="2.3.1" class="anchored" data-anchor-id="sec-2.3.1"><span class="header-section-number">2.3.1</span> Rooms B1–B3</h3>
<p id="p64">
Rooms B1–B3 are located a few meters to the west of the large structure identified (preliminarily) as a pigeon tower and discussed earlier (<a href="#plt-2.26" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.26</span></a>, <a href="#plt-2.34" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.34</span></a>, <a href="#plt-2.35" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.35</span></a>). The excavation of these rooms to floor level (or gebel), paired with an accurate surface clearance of the surrounding area, allowed the identification of the three rooms as part of a larger building extending further to the north. The overall layout reveals a regular and well-planned arrangement of space, with a large rectangular room (B1, oriented east–west) that opens, to the north and to the south, onto two sets of roughly square rooms symmetrically placed; B2–B3 are the two rooms built to the south of room B1. Due to time constraints, it was not possible to investigate the two spaces to the north.
</p>
<p id="p65">
The size of the three investigated spaces is ca. 42 m<sup>2</sup>, while the entire area of the building, including the two rooms to the north, is about 64 m<sup>2</sup>.
</p>
<p id="p66">
B1 is a rectangular room measuring 3.15 m north–south by 6.45 m east–west. The mudbrick walls, which are preserved to a maximum height of ca. 1.80 m (west half of the north wall BF6), were originally coated with mud plaster. The room, and the rest of the building to which it belongs, was once accessible from the outside through a doorway (BF11; width: 109 cm) located at the northwestern corner.
</p>
<p id="p67">
Bonded walls BF4 and BF5 form the western boundary of room B1, while BF1 is its east wall. The north side is defined by three different walls (BF6–BF8, the last abutting BF1) and two doorways (BF10 and BF9).<a href="#fn39" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref39" role="doc-noteref"><sup>39</sup></a> The lower rectangular half of a niche (56 cm wide and 37 cm deep) is preserved in the east half of the room’s north side (BF8).<a href="#fn40" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref40" role="doc-noteref"><sup>40</sup></a> The remains of the niche show evidence of alterations carried out in antiquity, such as a low, narrow barrier poorly built to partially seal the bottom of the niche.
</p>
<p id="p68">
The south boundary of the room reflects an arrangement similar to that of the north side and consists of three walls (BF2, BF3, and BF17 in between) separated by two doorways (BF12 and BF13).<a href="#fn41" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref41" role="doc-noteref"><sup>41</sup></a>
</p>
<div class="page-columns page-full"><p id="p69">
A clay floor (BF14)<a href="#fn42" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref42" role="doc-noteref"><sup>42</sup></a> was uncovered in rather good condition throughout most of the room (<a href="#plt-2.36" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.36</span></a>).<a href="#fn43" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref43" role="doc-noteref"><sup>43</sup></a> A roughly circular hearth (BF32; diameter: ca. 90 cm) was found, in very good condition, in the southwestern corner of the room, set into the floor and surrounded by low edges of clay. A high quantity of ash, charcoal, and seeds were found inside the fireplace, whose presence points to the use of room B1 as a courtyard with utilitarian functions, such as the preparation of food.
</p><div class="no-row-height column-margin column-container"><span class="margin-aside">p. 69</span></div></div>
<div id="plt-2.36" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.36-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.36.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-36" title="Plate 2.36: View of room B1 after excavation (to W)."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.36.jpg" title="Plate 2.36: View of room B1 after excavation (to W)." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.36-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.36: View of room B1 after excavation (to W).
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<hr>
<div class="page-columns page-full"><p id="p70">
The excavation of this space led to the identification of three main depositional units, all extending throughout the room (<a href="#plt-2.37" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.37</span></a>).<a href="#fn44" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref44" role="doc-noteref"><sup>44</sup></a> The surface layer (DSU1)<a href="#fn45" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref45" role="doc-noteref"><sup>45</sup></a> consisted of windblown sand and a few ceramic inclusions (0.50 kg) and covered a unit of sand (DSU5),<a href="#fn46" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref46" role="doc-noteref"><sup>46</sup></a> which was very similar to the unit above but cleaner and less disturbed. A large quantity of ceramic sherds (70.09 kg) was found, although in a relatively low concentration when considering the average thickness of the unit (91 cm). Underneath this unit was DSU14,<a href="#fn47" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref47" role="doc-noteref"><sup>47</sup></a> an occupational level mixed with wall and roof debris (<a href="#plt-2.38" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.38</span></a>). DSU14 consisted of a thick layer of brown soil, with lenses of yellow sand (particularly in the middle of the room), and rich in organic inclusions, mudbrick debris (from wall collapse), and mud plaster with imprints of palm ribs (likely from a flat roof once covering the room). A high concentration of pottery sherds (51.56 kg) was gathered during the excavation of this unit. Among the vessels that could be reconstructed, partially or almost completely, were a sieve, a keg, storage jars, and several bowls, representing a valuable example of a fourth-century ceramic assemblage of a domestic, utilitarian nature.<a href="#fn48" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref48" role="doc-noteref"><sup>48</sup></a> The fourth-century chronological range provided by ceramics for this context is supported by a Greek ostrakon in four lines (a receipt for chickens) found within the same unit (inv. 25). Based on palaeography and the indictional date mentioned in the text, the ostrakon was securely dated to the fourth century. The sand filling the niche that was set in the east half of the north wall was excavated as a separate unit (DSU21).<a href="#fn49" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref49" role="doc-noteref"><sup>49</sup></a> It consisted of windblown sand with some mudbrick debris (possibly from the collapsed top of the niche) and contained a few pieces of white gypsum plaster and only two pottery sherds (0.08 kg). A fourth-century Greek ostrakon (inv. 28), a receipt, probably for wheat, in seven lines, was embedded in the preserved lower half of the niche.
</p><div class="no-row-height column-margin column-container"><span class="margin-aside">p. 70</span></div></div>
<div id="plt-2.37" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.37-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.37.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-37" title="Plate 2.37: Matrix of room B1."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.37.jpg" title="Plate 2.37: Matrix of room B1." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.37-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.37: Matrix of room B1.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div class="page-columns page-full"><p></p><div class="no-row-height column-margin column-container"><span class="margin-aside">p. 71</span></div></div>
<div id="plt-2.38" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.38-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.38.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-38" title="Plate 2.38: Collapse unit (DSU14) in room B1 (view to W)."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.38.jpg" title="Plate 2.38: Collapse unit (DSU14) in room B1 (view to W)." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.38-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.38: Collapse unit (DSU14) in room B1 (view to W).
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<p id="p71">
The hearth (BF32) placed in the southwest corner of room B1 had a filling (DSU17,<a href="#fn50" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref50" role="doc-noteref"><sup>50</sup></a> below DSU14) of moderately compact gray ash, with charcoal and ceramic inclusions (0.24 kg).
</p>
<div class="page-columns page-full"><p id="p72">
Room B1 opens, along the west half of its south side, onto room B2, which measures ca. 2.50 by 2.50 m. The mud-brick walls, preserved to a maximum height of 1.35 m (north wall BF3), are coated with mud plaster. Access to this room was through a doorway (BF12; width between the jambs: 70 cm) located at the eastern end of the north wall. The two jambs and a stub (BF20, perpendicular to the north wall and protruding into the room) are still partially visible. As seen above, the north and the east walls of room B2 abut respectively BF4 (forming the west boundary of rooms B1–B2) and BF16 (the south wall of the complex). A niche (width: 73 cm; depth: 38 cm) was inserted in the east wall;<a href="#fn51" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref51" role="doc-noteref"><sup>51</sup></a> today it is only partially visible in its bottom end, due to the collapse of the roof and of the upper courses of the wall and to wind erosion. Overall, B2 is the most poorly preserved room of the building. Very scanty remains of a highly decayed floor (BF22)<a href="#fn52" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref52" role="doc-noteref"><sup>52</sup></a> were found in association with the surrounding walls.
</p><div class="no-row-height column-margin column-container"><span class="margin-aside">p. 72</span></div></div>
<div id="plt-2.39" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.39-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.39.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-39" title="Plate 2.39: Matrix of room B2."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.39.jpg" title="Plate 2.39: Matrix of room B2." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.39-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.39: Matrix of room B2.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div id="plt-2.40" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.40-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.40.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-40" title="Plate 2.40: White band in the NE corner or room B3."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.40.jpg" title="Plate 2.40: White band in the NE corner of room B3." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.40-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.40: White band in the NE corner or room B3.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div class="page-columns page-full"><p></p><div class="no-row-height column-margin column-container"><span class="margin-aside">p. 73</span></div></div>
<div id="plt-2.41" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.41-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.41.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-41" title="Plate 2.41: Matrix of room B3."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.41.jpg" title="Plate 2.41: Matrix of room B3." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.41-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.41: Matrix of room B3.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div class="page-columns page-full"><p id="p73">
The simple stratigraphy of room B2 (<a href="#plt-2.39" class="quarto-xref">Plate <span>2.39</span></a>) consisted of a surface layer of windblown sand (DSU2),<a href="#fn53" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref53" role="doc-noteref"><sup>53</sup></a> with a low density of inclusions, mostly pottery fragments (0.1 kg), covering a sub-surface level (DSU6)<a href="#fn54" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref54" role="doc-noteref"><sup>54</sup></a> that was quite similar in nature to the previous one but with slightly less inclusions. The removal of this unit revealed a dark brown context (DSU9)<a href="#fn55" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref55" role="doc-noteref"><sup>55</sup></a> at the level of a largely deteriorated clay floor (BF22). This layer, which was very rich in organic inclusions (including bones)<a href="#fn56" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref56" role="doc-noteref"><sup>56</sup></a> and ceramic sherds (2.04 kg) and lay directly on top of gebel, was identified as occupational debris mixed with the decayed floor. The only small find that was gathered within room B2 came from this occupational layer; it is a fragmentary base of a vessel of yellow blown glass (inv. 6).
</p><div class="no-row-height column-margin column-container"><span class="margin-aside">p. 74</span></div></div>
<div id="plt-2.42" class="quarto-float quarto-figure quarto-figure-center anchored">
<figure class="quarto-float quarto-float-plt figure">
<div aria-describedby="plt-2.42-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
<a href="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.42.jpg" class="lightbox" data-gallery="quarto-lightbox-gallery-42" title="Plate 2.42: Detail of DSU10 in room B3."><img src="assets/images/chapter-2/plt-2.42.jpg" title="Plate 2.42: Detail of DSU10 in room B3." class="img-fluid figure-img"></a>
</div>
<figcaption class="quarto-float-caption-bottom quarto-float-caption quarto-float-plt" id="plt-2.42-caption-0ceaefa1-69ba-4598-a22c-09a6ac19f8ca">
Plate 2.42: Detail of DSU10 in room B3.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<p id="p74">