The Excavations at Mut al-Kharab II: The Third Intermediate Period in the Western Desert of Egypt (Dakhleh Oasis Project Monograph)

For over a century our knowledge of Egypt’s Western Desert during the Third Intermediate Period relied almost entirely on the Greater and Smaller Dakhleh Stelae. These two significant documents were purchased by Henry Lyons in 1894 in Dakhleh Oasis and indicated the existence of a substantial temple at Mut al-Kharab dedicated to the god Seth. Apart from these sources, very little information from the Western Desert could be dated to this period. Excavations at Mut al-Kharab began in 2000 and in recent years, evidence from the Third Intermediate Period temple has grown considerably. A range of artifacts has been unearthed, including decorated temple blocks, stelae, ostraka, in situ architectural remains, other small finds, and a large collection of well-dated ceramics. The scale of evidence suggests Mut al-Kharab was probably the most significant Third Intermediate Period site in the Western Desert. In light of this new material, a re-examination of activity in the Western Desert during this period has been possible. This volume presents all the available evidence relating to the western oases during the Third Intermediate Period, with a particular focus on the ceramics. Occupation appears to have been more widespread than the limited evidence previously suggested, and these oasis communities were closely connected to the populations in the Nile Valley. The Egyptian central administration continued to be interested in the Western Desert, although political control does not seem to have been consistent. Moreover, subtle yet distinct variations in the material record, including aspects of pottery traditions and religious practices, may reveal the existence of an oasis culture. As such, we are developing a much clearer picture of activity in this region. Table of Contents CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Introduction A. New fieldwork and new material B. The Third Intermediate Period C. Regionality 1.2 Theoretical and Methodological Approach 1.3 Chapter outline CHAPTER 2: EVIDENCE FROM THE NILE VALLEY AND DELTA 2.1 Textual Sources 2.2 Ceramics 2.3 Chapter summary CHAPTER 3: THE TEMPLE AT MUT AL-KHARAB 3.1 Description of the site 3.2 History and exploration of the site 3.3 The Dakhleh Stelae 3.4 Evidence from Monash University’s excavations A. Decorated temple blocksB. Ostraka from Trench 38BC. Small finds from Trench 38BD. Clay seal impressions 3.5 Chapter summary CHAPTER 4: THE THIRD INTERMEDIATE PERIOD POTTERY FROM MUT AL-KHARAB 4.1 Overview of the material 4.2 Fabrics and wares 4.3 Presentation and discussion of the material 4.4 The Third Intermediate Period pottery deposits A. West of the Temple B. The dump 4.5 Chapter summary CHAPTER 5: CONTEXTUALISING MUT AL-KHARAB: THIRD INTERMEDIATE PERIODACTIVITY THROUGHOUT THE WESTERN DESERT 5.1 Dakhleh Oasis 5.2 Kharga Oasis 5.3 Theban Desert Road Survey 5.4 Bahriyya Oasis 5.5 Chapter summary CHAPTER 6: TYPOLOGY OF THIRD INTERMEDIATE PERIOD OASIS CERAMICS 6.1 Wheel-made containers 6.2 Wheel-made non-containers 6.3 Hand-made containers 6.4 Chapter summary CHAPTER 7: CONCLUSIONS 7.1 The Temple of Seth at Mut al-Kharab 7.2 The extent and nature of Third Intermediate Period activity throughout the Western Desert 7.3 The Egyptian state and the western oases 7.4 Regionality – the existence of an oasis culture 7.5 Future directions BIBLIOGRAPHY FIGURES PLATES TABLES APPENDIX 1: The Third Intermediate Period pottery from Mut al-Kharab HISTORY / Ancient / Egypt Cover 1 Book Title 4 Copyright 5 Preface 8 Acknowledgements 10 Contents 12 Chapter 1: Introduction 18 New Fieldwork and New Material 22 The Third Intermediate Period 22 Regionality 24 Theoretical and Methodological Approach 27 Chapter Outline 28 Chapter 2: Interaction between the Oases and Egypt:Evidence from the Nile Valley and Delta 30 Textual Sources 30 Papyrus Pushkin (A Tale of Woe) 30 The Onomasticon of Amenope 31 The Banishment Stela (Figure 2.1 31 Bubastis Temple of Atum Inscription 33 Ceramics 35 Tanis 39 Tell Nebesheh 40 Heliopolis 40 Memphis 40 Lahun 41 Herakleopolis (Ehnasya el-Medina) 41 El-Ashmunein (Hermopolis) 43 Amarna 43 Abydos 43 Thebes – Mortuary Temple of Seti I 43 Thebes – Medinet Habu 45 Thebes – Karnak North 45 Thebes – Karnak East 45 Thebes – Mut Temple at Karnak 45 Thebes – Ptah Temple and Chapel of OsirisOunnefer Neb-Djefaou at Karnak 48 Elephantine 48 Chapter Summary 48 Chapter 3: The Temple at Mut al-Kharab 52 Description of the Site 52 History and Exploration of the Site 56 The Dakhleh Stelae and Other Inscribed Blocks 57 The Greater Dakhleh Stela (Plate 1.1) 57 The Smaller Dakhleh Stela (Plate 1.2) 59 The Stela of Khai (Plate 1.3) 59 Block of an Oasis Governor (Plate 3.4) 60 Evidence from Monash University’s Excavations 60 Inscribed and Decorated Temple Blocks 60 Block 1 (Figure 3.3; Plate 3.5a) 61 Block 2 (Figure 3.4; Plate 3.5b) 62 Block 3 (Figure 3.5; Plate 3.6a) 62 Block 4 (Plate 3.6b) 63 Block 5 (Figures 3.6 and 3.7; Plate 3.7a–b) 63 Block 6 (Figures 3.8 and 3.9; Plate 3.8) 64 Block 7 (Figure 3.10; Plate 3.9a) 65 Block 8 (Figure 3.11; Plate 3.9b) 66 Block 9 (Figures 3.12 and 3.13; Plate 3.10) 66 Block 10 (Figure 3.14; Plate 3.11) 67 Block 11 (Figure 3.15; Plate 3.14) 68 Stelae 68 Stela 1 (Figure 3.16; Plate 3.13a) 68 Stela 2 (Figure 3.17; Plate 3.13b) 68 Ostraka from Trench 38B 71 Small Finds from Trench 38B 72 Faience Jar (Figure 3.19b) 74 Metal Stamp (Figure 3.19c) 74 Weight in the shape of a calf (Figure 3.19d) 74 Clay Seal Impressions 74 Clay Seal Impressions 74 Priest of Heri-shef? (Figure 3.20c; Plate 3.16c) 77 Djehuty-ir-dis? (Figure 3.20e; Plate 3.16e) 77 Chapter 4: The Third Intermediate Period Ceramicsfrom Mut al-Kharab 80 Overview of the Material 80 Fabrics and Wares 82 Presentation and Discussion of the Material 84 The Third Intermediate Period Pottery Deposits 85 West of the Temple (Numbers 1–336) 85 Trench 38 – overview 85 Trench 38B – pottery 87 Trench 34 – overview 93 Trench 34 – pottery 93 Trench 36 – pottery 103 Trench 37 – overview 106 Trench 37 – pottery 106 Trench 6 – overview 109 Trench 6 – pottery 109 The Dump 117 Chapter Summary 139 Chapter 5: Contextualising Mut al-Kharab: Third Intermediate Period Activity throughout the Western Desert 140 Dakhleh Oasis 140 Western Dakhleh 142 33/390-L9-1 (Amhida) 142 32/390-K2-3 144 33/390-K9-2 145 32/390-M4-1 146 32/405-A2-1 148 Central Dakhleh 150 31/405-F9-3 150 31/405-G9-3 (Humiyat B) 150 31/405-M9-1 (‘Ain al-Azizi) 150 Eastern Dakhleh 156 31/435-D5-2 (‘Ain Tirghi) 156 31/435-G2-1 and 31/435-G2-2 (Qal‘a al-Dabba) 161 Miscellaneous Items 162 Statue of Penbast 162 Statue of Penseth 164 Kharga Oasis 164 Amun Rock 165 Theban Desert Road Survey 166 Bahriyya Oasis 170 Qasr Allam 170 Qaret el-Toub 176 Abu Ballas Trail 179 Chapter Summary 179 Chapter 6: Typology of Third Intermediate Period Oasis Ceramics 182 Wheel-Made Containers 182 Very Shallow Bowls 182 Form 1: Very shallow bowls with rounded bases 182 Form 2: Large very shallow bowl with a thick rim 182 Form 3: Small roughly-made shallow bowls with flat 183 Form 4: Shallow bowls with flat bases 183 Form 5: Shallow bowls with rounded bases and inflectedcontour 184 Form 6: Shallow bowl with a rounded rim and ring base 184 Form 7: Shallow bowls with thick flared rims andinflected contours 185 Form 8: Small medium-deep bowls with convex walls anddirect rims 185 Form 9: Medium-deep conical bowls 185 Form 10: Medium-deep bowls with rounded bases 186 Form 11: Medium-deep bowls with carinated shoulders 186 Form 12: Medium-deep bowls with inflected contoursand rounded bases 186 Form 13: Medium-deep bowls with flat bases andconcave flaring sides 186 Form 14: Medium-deep bowl with a thick modelled rim 186 Form 15: Medium-deep bowls with crenellated rims 187 Form 16: Medium-deep bowls with ring bases andflared rims (Figure 6.5a–b) 187 Form 17: Deep bowls with protruding ledge bases 188 Form 18: Bowls with projecting flat rims 189 Form 21: Large short-necked slender jars 189 Form 22: Miniature imitation situlae 190 Form 23: Short-necked slender jar 190 Form 24: Medium-necked ovoid jars 191 Form 25: Slender necked jar with a ‘bulging’ upperneck 191 Form 26: Slender necked jars 191 Form 28: Short-necked medium-broad jars with outturnedrims 192 Form 29: Short-necked medium-broad jar with wideshoulders 194 Form 30: Small short-necked broad jar 194 Form 31: Neckless jars with modelled flat rims 194 Form 32: Broad wide-mouth neckless jars 195 Form 33: Necked jars with globular/bag-shaped bodies 195 Form 35: Two handled short-necked jars 197 Form 36: Flasks 197 Form 37: One-handled jar 199 Form 38: ‘Fry pans’ 199 Form 40: Slender stands 200 Form 41: Ring stands 200 Form 42: Bread moulds 200 Form 43: Bread trays 200 Form 44: ‘Torches’ 201 Chapter 7: Conclusions 204 Bibliography 214 APPENDIX The Third Intermediate Period Pottery from Mut al-Kharab 224 The Dakhleh Oasis Project Monographs 240 Back Cover 242 For over a century our knowledge of Egypt’s Western Desert during the Third Intermediate Period relied almost entirely on the Greater and Smaller Dakhleh Stelae. These two significant documents were purchased by Henry Lyons in 1894 in Dakhleh Oasis and indicated the existence of a substantial temple at Mut al-Kharab dedicated to the god Seth. Apart from these sources, very little information from the Western Desert could be dated to this period. Excavations at Mut al-Kharab began in 2000 and in recent years, evidence from the Third Intermediate Period temple has grown considerably. A range of artefacts has been unearthed, including decorated temple blocks, stelae, ostraka, in situ architectural remains, other small finds, and a large collection of well-dated ceramics. The scale of evidence suggests Mut al-Kharab was probably the most significant Third Intermediate Period site in the Western Desert. In light of this new material, a re-examination of activity in the Western Desert during this period has been possible. This volume presents all the available evidence relating to the western oases during the Third Intermediate Period, with a particular focus on the ceramics. Occupation appears to have been more widespread than the limited evidence previously suggested, and these oasis communities were closely connected to the populations in the Nile Valley. The Egyptian central administration continued to be interested in the Western Desert, although political control does not seem to have been consistent. Moreover, subtle yet distinct variations in the material record, including aspects of pottery traditions and religious practices, may reveal the existence of an oasis culture. As such, we are developing a much clearer picture of activity in this region. For over a century our knowledge of Egypt's Western Desert during the Third Intermediate Period relied almost entirely on the Greater and Smaller Dakhleh Stelae. These two significant documents were purchased by Henry Lyons in 1894 in Dakhleh Oasis and indicated the existence of a substantial temple at Mut al-Kharab dedicated to the god Seth. Apart from these sources, very little information from the Western Desert could be dated to this period. Excavations at Mut al-Kharab began in 2000 and in recent years, evidence from the Third Intermediate Period temple has grown considerably. A range of artefacts has been unearthed, including decorated temple blocks, stelae, ostraka, in situ architectural remains, other small finds, and a large collection of well-dated ceramics. The scale of evidence suggests Mut al-Kharab was probably the most significant Third Intermediate Period site in the Western Desert.0In light of this new material, a re-examination of activity in the Western Desert during this period has been possible. This volume presents all the available evidence relating to the western oases during the Third Intermediate Period, with a particular focus on the ceramics. Occupation appears to have been more widespread than the limited evidence previously suggested, and these oasis communities were closely connected to the populations in the Nile Valley. The Egyptian central administration continued to be interested in the Western Desert, although political control does not seem to have been consistent. Moreover, subtle yet distinct variations in the material record, including aspects of pottery traditions and religious practices, may reveal the existence of an oasis culture. As such, we are developing a much clearer picture of activity in this region.