Lies Op de Beeck, Prehistoric Settlement in the Western Delta; A Regional and Local View From Sais (Sa El-Hagar)- JEA 92 (2006)

Egypt Exploration Society

Prehistoric Settlement in the Western Delta: A Regional and Local View from Sais (Sa ElHagar) Author(s): Penelope Wilson Reviewed work(s): Source: The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, Vol. 92 (2006), pp. 75-126 Published by: Egypt Exploration Society Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40345898 . Accessed: 18/11/2012 00:41 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

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PREHISTORIC SETTLEMENT IN THE WESTERN DELTA: A REGIONAL AND LOCAL VIEW FROM SAIS (SA EL-HAGAR) ByPENELOPE WILSON 3 was fromtheEES workat Sais. Excavation material Prehistoric Thispaperpublishes archaeological andfaunalandfloralmaterial from outin2001inthe'GreatPit*andproducedpottery, carried lithics, threemainphases:theEarlyNeolithic(c. 4,500-4,200BC),Middleto Late Neolithic(c. 4,000-3,800 andobjectcataloguediscussesthetypology BC)andtheButo-MaadiPeriod(c. 3,500BC).The pottery lithicsand bones, fromeachphaseas wellas individual andwaresof thepottery objects,diagnostic sitesincluding MerimdeandButo.Sais themwithdatasetsfromotherLowerEgyptian andcompares data fromthe drillcore is put intoits widerregionalcontextby combininggeomorphological of data fromthe University Electrical Vertical and EES the of Sounding Survey programme at Sais. The palaeoenvironmental theancientenvironment Mansouraworkin orderto reconstruct riverchannel, with workshowsthatSais wassituatedupona riverleveeon theinsideof a significant west.The siteseemsto havebeena fishing marshesand othersandhillsfurther campin theEarly of the Neolithicwhichwas settledin the Middle to Later NeolithicPeriodforthe cultivation in fourth millennium the at least 300 record of settlement in the is a There early years gap floodplain. at Sais around3,500BC.The possiblereasons wasestablished settlement untiltheButo-Maadiculture of the at Sais areexploredin thecontext settlement of thehiatusin continuous forandimplications centresof power. of LowerEgyptian development Introduction There has been littleintensivearchaeologicalexcavationworkin the Delta untilthe last 35 yearspartlybecause of theapparentpaucityof remainsand partlybecause of thedifficulties wherethewatertableis verynearground of workingin themuddyfloodplainenvironment, on tell sites or areas in which concentrated has excavation much level. Consequently, archaeologicalremainsare close to or at the surface.Such remainstend to be fromthe dynasticperiod and later,althoughthereare Early Dynasticsitesupon the sand and gravel hills of the easternside of the Delta whichhave also been accessiblewithoutthe necessity As a result,the earlysettlementhistoryof the Nile Delta and the fortoo muchdewatering.1 a from societyin the Neolithic Period to a more sedentary hunter-gatherer development agriculturallifestylein settledcommunitiestherehas, as yet,too littlecontiguouslinking evidence to provide a coherent narrative.2Theories about the introductionof the domesticationof animalsand crops fromthe Near East or of Africanand WesternDesert influenceson cattle rearingand stone technologyare still difficultto test withoutthe necessary background informationand evidence from excavations.3In addition, the backgroundof Delta geomorphologyand the partwhichthe riverand inundationplayed in 1 B. van Wesemael,'The RelationBetweenNatural Landscape and Distributionof ArchaeologicalRemains Nile Delta', in E. C. M. van den in the Northeastern Brink(ed.), TheArchaeology of theNile Delta: Problems andPriorities 1988),125-39. (Amsterdam, 2 For summariessee, forexample,R. Wenke,'Egypt: Origins of Complex Societies', Annual Review of 18 (1989), 132-43; K. Bard,'The Egyptian Anthropology A Reviewof theEvidence',Journalof Field Predynastic: 21 (Autumn,1993), 265-7; and I. M. Shaw Archaeology HistoryofAncientEgypt(Oxford,2000) (ed.), TheOxford with summary articles by S. Hendrickx and P. Vermeersch,'Prehistoryfromthe Palaeolithicto the

'The BadarianCulture',17-43 and B. Midant-Reynes, Naqada Period',57-60. 3 Summaryby B. Midant-Reynes, The Prehistory of 'Foraging Egypt(Oxford,2000), 84-9; W. Wetterstrom, and Farmingin Egypt:theTransitionfromHuntingand in theNile Valley',in T. Shaw Gatheringto Horticulture et al. (eds), TheArchaeology of Africa:Food,Metalsand Towns(London, 1993), 165-236and recentresearchinto Levantineconnectionswiththe NeolithicFayum in N. Shirai, 'Walking with Herdsman: In Search of the from MaterialEvidenceforthe Diffusionof Agriculture theLevantto Egypt',Neo-Lithics1/05(2005), 12-17.

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broadlevel.4 at a relatively humansettlement can stillonlybe suggested dictating patterns LowerEgyptian The underlying discussions theLate Neolithicto Chalcolithic concerning culture(Buto-Maadiphase)transition, fromaround4,400to 3,500BC,are based upon a in theDelta and seriesof assumptions aboutthelocationand natureof earlysettlement localisedattempts at detailedanalysisof geologicaldata,oftenset intoa geologicalrather Delta aroundSa elthana humancontext.5 This paperis a studyof theareain thewestern material6 thesmallamountofrecently excavated archaeological Hagar,ancientSais,utilising to the data from the Neolithic until Buto-Maadi Period and the relating dating geological comments The preliminary presented surrounding floodplainand riverineenvironment. workin the here may be modifiedfollowingthe analysisand publicationof further Prehistoric layersat Sais.7The discussionbelowwilltestthemodelwhichproposesthat settlement was focusedprimarily uponthesandhills(geziras)and leveesof theDelta plain and attemptto predictpossiblelocationsforotherearlysitesin thewesternand central Delta. It will also deal withthetransition fromNeolithicwaysof lifeto theagricultural societiesof theButo-MaadiPeriodand suggestpossiblereasonsforan apparenttemporal hiatusin thelimitedamountof dataobtainedso farfromSais. Neolithic andPredynastic cultures inNorthern Egypt(fig.I)8 It is likelythatenvironmental conditionsin the Delta floodplaincould have supported Palaeolithic Period(c. 15,000-6,000BC)occupationin areasof Northern Egypt,following intheNilechannels.9 stabilisation of riverbehaviour changesinsea levelandthesubsequent The presenceof Neolithicculture(c. 6,000-3,600BC)in thefloodplain itselfis alsodifficult to locateas it is buriedundersedimentdeposits,butthesitesin theFayumand Merimde Beni-Salameon thesouth-western edgeof theNile Delta suggestthattheremayhavebeen harvested Neolithic as Merimdans contactorsettlement further westintotheNilefloodplain, therichnaturalresources oftheriver.10 The deposition oflayersofsediment duringtheNile inundations hasmeantthatanyremaining is buried material deeplyandcanbe archaeological locatedonlyin exceptional carriedoutat likelysites circumstances or bydeepdrillaugering and in a systematic manner.The earliestmateriallocatedin thiswayhas beenthepottery sherdsfoundindrillcoresatMinshatAbuOmar,intheeasternDelta,byLechKrzyzaniak.11 In thecourseof augering which toEarlyDynasticcemetery, awayfromtheLate Predynastic 4 F. Hassan,'The Dynamicsof a RiverineCivilization: pottery, theoriginaldrawingsof potteryand lithicmateA GeoarchaeologicalPerspectiveon the Nile Valley, rialand his commentsin thepreparation of thisarticle.I Egypt', WorldArchaeology29/1. RiverineArchaeology thankLauren Woodardforthe inkeddrawings,Salima and JacquiCottonfor (1997),51-74; K. Butzer,'Geoarchaeological Implications Ikramforthefaunalidentifications of RecentResearch',in E. C. M. van den Brinkand T. heranalysisof theenvironmental samples. 7 P. Wilson,'Sais (Sa el-Hagar),2004-05',JEA 91 Levy (eds), Egyptand theLevant.Interrelations fromthe 4ththrough theEarly3rdMillennium B.C.E. (London and (2005),4-8. 8 I thankforJ. R. Dickinsonforassistancewiththe New York,2002),83-97. 5 W. Andres and J. Wunderlich,'Environmental map, afterK. Butzer,'Delta', LA I, 1047-8, fig.2; O. ConditionsforEarlySettlementat MinshatAbu Omar, Toussoun, Memoiressur les anciennesbranchesdu Nil EasternNile Delta, Egypt',in E. C. M. van den Brink (MIE 4; Cairo,1922),pl. 12; M. Bietak,Tellel-Dab'a, II (ed.), The Nile Delta in Transition:4th-3rdMillennium (Osterreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften B.C. (Tel Aviv,1992),157-66;H. de Wit,'The Evolution Denkschriften der Gesamtakademie4; Vienna, 1975), of theEasternNile Delta as a Factorin theDevelopment 59-74 and Abb. 23. 9 Butzer,in van den Brinkand Levy (eds), Egyptand of Human Culture',in L. Krzyzaniak,M. Kobusiewicz and J.Alexander(eds), Environmental ChangeandHuman theLevant,85-6; evidencefromtheDelta edge:W. Hayes Culturein theNile Basin and Northern Africauntilthe (editedbyK. Seele),MostAncientEgypt(Chicago,1965), SecondMillennium B.C. (Studiesin AfricanArchaeology 63-4; changingsea levels:D. J.Stanleyand A. G. Warne, Culturein the 'Sea Level and Initiationof Predynastic 4; Poznan,1993),305-20. 6 P. Wilson,'Sais (Sa el-Hagar),2001-02',JEA 88 Nile Delta', Nature363 (1993),435-8. 10AndresandWunderlich, accountof theexcavationhas invandenBrink(ed.), The (2002), 2-4. A preliminary been published: P. Wilson and G. Gilbert, 'The Nile Delta in Transition, 164. 11'New Data on the Late PrehistoricSettlement Prehistoric Periodat Sais', Archeo-Nil 13 (2003),65-72;P. at Wilson and G. Gilbert, 'Pigs, Pots and Postholes', MinshatAbu Omar,EasternNile Delta,' in Krzyzaniak, 21 (Autumn,2002), 12-13. I am Kobusiewiczand Alexander(eds), Environmental EgyptianArchaeology Change, mostgratefulto GregoryGilbertforhis analysisof the 321-5.

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movedlowerdownthe transect was locateduponthetoppartof a sandgezira,thedrilling middenand awayfromit. The middenwas locatedpartially geziratowardsthesettlement whichwas mudunderneath and the organic-rich upon gezira partlyuponheavy,dark-violet, wareswere a layerof potsherds, lyingupontheflatsurfaceof thesandhill.The pottery that theNeolithicwaresof Northern describedas 'rough'and resembling is, those Egypt, was fromMerimde.Dates obtainedfromradiocarbon samplessuggestedthatthepottery olderthan5,700yearsBP,and thecalibrated rangeforthesampleswas between4,720and thattheareawasheavilysettled 4,450BC.12 SurveysoftheeasternDelta13havedemonstrated in theEarlyDynasticPeriod,partlybecauseof theprevailing geologicaland environmental if conditions were the samein theearlierNeolithic that It is therefore conditions. possible of thegeziraat thattime.The layerof organicPeriod,theremayalsohavebeensettlement identified at MinshatAbu Omar raises Neolithic sherds the richmud partially covering intheDeltawhichwould conditions environmental about the however, prevailing questions, thelocations theextentandnatureof thatsettlement, Neolithicsettlement, haveencouraged atsites. andthereasonsforthelackofcontinuous ofthesettlements chronological occupation low positionon thesandhillunder The MinshatAbu Omarmateriallies in a relatively thesite,around6 m belowthecurrentgroundlevel.The low positioncomparedto the withthe factthatthe sedimentsof the Nile areas is consistent higherLate Predynastic would be at a floodplainhave built up over time.The Neolithicmaterial,therefore, lainat a lower would have hill the as the sand on lower floodplain correspondingly position As level around4,000 BC, perhapsaround2 m below the level of the potterylayer.14 sedimentwas deposited,the floodplainwould have risen,so thatby the end of the musthavebeenhigherup theslopesof thegezira,with Period,thesettlement Predynastic on topofthesandhill,inorderthatbothcouldstayclearofthefloodwaters.15 thecemetery ratesbasedon thedatingof carbonsamplesfromdrillaugersin of sedimentation Estimates of sediment and easternDelta suggestthatthedeposition thenorthern mayhaveaveraged In thiscase,in the900 yearsbetween4,400BCand 3,500BC a rateof 1.5 mmeachyear.16 (theLate Neolithicto Buto-MaadiPeriod),around1.35 m of sedimentwouldhavebeen could andsuggeststhatsettlements amountof sediment deposited.This is nota significant the cultural of between time the over same in the exist to havecontinued period placesand, moved Buto-Maadi and Neolithic the of Period, up the sides of the gezira. phases but thefactthatthetwo Abu Omar Minshat at is a scenario such possible Theoretically is that culturalstrataareseparatedbyheavy,dark-violet mud,suggests anotheralternative conditions more likely.It seems that betweenthe two culturalphases environmental or a an ox-bow lake or and became flooded was area lagoonhad marshy, changed.Eitherthe formed causingthismarsh againstthegezirafora periodoftime.Later,whentheconditions or lake had changedagain, people returnedto the high sand gezira and the Late excavatedby the MunichMuseumExpedition,17 Dynasticsettlement, Predynastic-Early 12AndresandWunderlich, to the invanden Brink(ed.), The mm to 1.32 mm a year) (J. Ball, Contributions 160-1. Nile Delta in Transition, Geologyof Egypt(Cairo, 1939), 173-6). Based on esti13E. C. M. van den Brink,'A Geo-Archaeological matesfromsedimentsat MinshatAbu Omar,a rateof Nile Delta, Egypt;theFirst 1.45 mm a year in the late Holocene was suggestedby Surveyin theNorth-Eastern Two Seasons,a Preliminary Report',MDAIK 43 (1987), Butzer,in van den Brinkand Levy (eds), Egyptand the Patternsin the Levant,90. Chen and Stanleysuggestedsedimentation 7-31; E. C. M. vanden Brink,'Settlement NortheasternNile Delta during the Fourth-Second ratesof 5.9 mma yearbetweenc. 5,400and 3,700BC,but Delta plain(Z. Y. Chen Millennium B.C.', in Krzyzaniak, Kobusiewicz and 1.9 mmafterthatin thenorthern and D. J.Stanley,'AlluvialStiffMuds (Late Pleistocene) Alexander(eds), Environmental Change,279-304. 14L. Krzyzaniak, at Underlying the Lower Nile Delta Plain, Egypt'Againon theEarliestSettlement and Origin',Journalof Coastal MinshatAbu Omar', in van den Brink(ed.), The Nile Petrology,Stratigraphy Research9/2(1993), fig.14). It is acceptedthatthereare 151-5. Delta in Transition, 15AndresandWunderlich, and thatit varies sedimentation invandenBrink(ed.), The manyvariablesaffecting times. in different 160 fig.3. placesand at different considerably Nile Delta in Transition, 17K. Kroeperand D. Wildung,MinshatAbu Omar. 16Andresand Wunderlich calculateda rateof 1.5 mm Friedhofim Nildelta, I- II per yearat MinshatAbu Omar (in van den Brink(ed.), Ein vor- undfruhgeschichtlicher The Nile Delta in Transition, 159). Ball had suggesteda (Mainz, 1994 and 2000). rateof between9 cm and 13.2 cm percentury(thatis,0.9

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wasfoundedthere.It maybe thatbetweenthelastNeolithicmaterialaround4,450BCand altereddue to higher thelocalenvironment thefirstPredynastic phasearound3,500BC,18 in Africa.19 rainfall central increased caused Indeed, Krzyzaniak floods,perhaps by hadbeen laterlayerofblackmudlocatedinthedrillaugering thatthecomparable suggested in medievaltimes.20 causedbytheveryhighNile floodsdocumented of the MinshatAbu Omarsettlement The identification sequencemightsuggestthat materialhas alreadybeen foundwill provealso to have earlier areaswherePredynastic culturalmaterial.If suchis thecase,Butoin thecentralnorthern partof theDelta would As yet,however, theearliestmaterialfrom be a possiblelocationforNeolithicsettlement. is Buto-MaadiStratumI material datedto around Butoandthenearbysiteof el-Qerdahi21 of a and BC22 on the basis radiocarbon date23 both millennium thefirstquarterof thefourth foundin thestratum. Ghassuliantypeof pottery withtheChalcolithic also bycomparison waresfromStratumla at Butocanbe dividedintotwomaingroups.The first The pottery vesselswithorganictemper.They were by uneven,thick-walled typeis characterised in colour fromblacktogreyandbrowntored. varied outside and on the handmade, polished sandtemperand made with thin-walled The secondgroupcomprised predominantly pots on a turningdevice.They were decoratedwithwhite-painted stripesor withplastic been which had or rims or as such pinchedto createa knobs,ledges lughandles, additions, pie-crusteffect.Althoughthe vesselsare made fromNile silts,theyhave non-Egyptian formssuch as hole-mouth jars, V-shapedbowls,pie-crustrimvesselsand bowls with Ib showsa processof adaptation Stratum fenestrated bythepeopleat Butoanda pedestals. is therefore of theButo Stratumla pottery contacts.The tradition breakwithPalestinian - thoughtheremaybe a connection - functional and adaptedto localconditions24 Neolithic seems wares.25 StratumII pottery the'black-topped* betweenBadariand Butola through to resemblethatof Maadi, includingledge-handled vessels,globular, polishedpotsand a marked at Butoby closed is The flax a with vessel of closed phase temper. possible type in rows.FaltingssuggeststhatButoI la is thesame decoration vesselswith'rocker-stamp' dateas Naqada Ila-b andthatButolib parallelsNaqada Iic-dl.26 forLower The Buto materialand studiesof it haveprovidedan excellentframework sequences,intowhichmaterialfromothersitescan be fitted.It has EgyptianPredynastic withNaqada I- II Periodinthenorth,contemporary thatbytheChalcolithic alsosuggested and the in UpperEgypt,therewascontactbetweenButo Levant,UpperEgyptand Maadi, It seemsthatButowas notisolated tradinglocation.27 perhapsmostlybasedon itsstrategic will cultures Neolithic that is and it possible adaptationto emergeto demonstrate earlier, natureof The non-sedentary broadercontacts.28 local conditionsas well as maintaining Neolithiclifestyles perhapssuggeststhat therewas a fluidityin culturaldispersion cultures. Predynastic comparedwiththemore'stationary' 18AndresandWunderlich, invanden Brink(ed.), The 160-1. Nile Delta in Transition, 19R. Said, TheRiverNile (Oxford,1993),131-3 suggestedthattherewasan 800 yearperiodof lowNilesfrom around3,900to 3,000 BC,whentheconnectionbetween theNile and Fayumwas severed. 20 Krzyzaniak,in Krzyzaniak, Kobusiewicz and Alexander(eds),Environmental Change,324,basedon the discussionof F. Hassan, 'HistoricalNile Floods and Their Implicationsfor Climatic Change', Science 212 (1981), 1142-5. 21J.Wunderlich, T. von der Way and K. Schmidt, 'Neue Fundstellender Buto-Maadi-Kulturbei Ezbet elQerdahi',MDAIK45 (1989), 309-18. 22Most recentlydiscussedby D. A. Faltings,'The ChronologicalFrame and Social Structureof Buto', in vanden Brinkand Levy(eds), Egyptand theLevant,168. 23The rangeof thecalibrateddatesis 3,883-3,812and 4,340-3,900BC (T. von der Way,Tell el-FaraHn.Buto, I (Mainz, 1997),82, sampleKN 4015).

24Faltings,in van den Brinkand Levy (eds), Egypt and theLevant,165-70. 25T. von der Way,Untersuchungen zur Spdtvor-und (Heidelberg,1993),34. Unteragyptens Fruhgeschichte 26Faltings,in van den Brinkand Levy (eds), Egypt and theLevant,167-8. 27VonderWay,Untersuchungen, 67-91; C. Commenge and D. Alon, 'CompetitiveInvolutionand Expanded Horizons:Exploringthe Natureof Interactionbetween NorthernNegevand LowerEgypt(c. 4500-3600BCE)',in van den Brinkand Levy (eds), Egyptand the Levant, 139-53. 28The mobility of Neolithichunter-gatherers against of farmersis discussedby P. Bellwood, the sedentarism First Farmers. The Origins of AgriculturalSocieties in (Oxford,2005), 31-43, and the changeto agriculture 'La chasse-cueilEgyptis discussedin W. Wetterstrom, de la chasseet en Egypte:la transition letteet l'agriculture dans la vallee du Nil', de la cueillettea l'horticulture 6 (1996), 50-75. Archeo-Nil

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OtherPredynastic Delta sitessuchas MinshatEzzat and Tell el-Farkhain thecentral of thenorth Delta haveso faronlyprovidedsubstantial evidencefortheearlysettlements of Egyptinthedynastic to have earlier well but archaeological underlying period, may prove strata.In thewestern Delta,Sais wasbelievedtohavebeenan important EarlyDynasticcult Such centreof thegoddessNeithandperhapsthemaincityof a LowerEgyptian kingdom. material from of inscribed have been made on the of basis interpretations assumptions and one of theoriginalaimsof theEES projectat Sais was to however, UpperEgypt,29 atthesite.The determine whether therewasanyarchaeological evidenceforearlysettlement in a materialwhichwas further investigated surveyworkdetectedevidenceforPrehistoric seriesof ongoingexcavations.30 Sais (Sa el-Hagar) The presenceof Prehistoric material at Sais waslocated,as at MinshatAbuOmar,byinitial and drillaugertransects madeacrossthesiteinordertoascertain thelocationofsettlements the last which is features. in of The material was found the area the 'Great Pit', geomorphic remnant of thesiteof theTwenty-sixth Dynastycityof Sais. It has beenexcavatedsince for its stone and sebakh. In the lastone hundredyears,the'GreatPit' has been antiquity or land createdbythelarge-scale removalof sebakh,perhapsused forfloodembankments froman area reclamation inthearea.An averageof around3.5 m ofearthhasbeenremoved of 450 m by 400 m, reducingthe groundsurfaceand revealingthe lowerfoundation elementsof some Twenty-sixth Dynastybuildings,along with the top of the preconstruction of the in the Saite Period,whenbuildersseemto have sites cleared phase clearedandflattened the'GreatPit*areatoprovidenewfoundations fortheirmonuments.31 Withthesubsequent removaloftheSaitePeriodmaterial, thelowestfoundation layershave been exposed,alongwiththe land upon whichtheywerebuilt.The underlying layers containmaterialdatingto thePrehistoric and Predynastic Periodsand thelayershad been flattened offin someplaces,creatinga levelsurfaceboundarybetweensomeof theLate Perioddebrisandtheunderlying three Prehistoric strata.Nothingdatingtotheintervening thousandyearswas foundin eitherthedrillaugeror excavation work.The arealiesbelow thewatertableand is also subjectto thedumpingof wastewaterfromthevillagenearby. The sub-surface matricesand archaeological withalkaline layersaretherefore waterlogged water.The localconditions seemto haveaffected so thepreservation of all of thematerial, thatpottery hasbeenwater-eroded, salt-corroded andis subjecttocolourchangesduetothe Somecharcoal mineralised. salts,whilethebonein somecaseshas beenalmostcompletely has survivedand a fewseedswereobtainedfromthesamplestaken.The preservation of material seemsto be inconsistent, andmaybe due to theprecisenatureof thesalt however, contentor contamination in specificareas. In the augeringworkin 1999, drill core 15 containedfoursherdsof identifiable Prehistoric threejoiningsherdsfromtherimof a black-topped, red-bodied pottery: jar; a Nile silt sherd from and a Nile black-burnished, red-burnished, body ajar;32 sand-tempered, siltbodysherd.33 The materialcamefroma depthof 7 m belowthegroundsurfacein the 'Great Pit' (fig.2). Althoughthe upper layershad also containedpottery, some of it there was a clear distinction betweenthelayers,including a claylayerbetween burnished, strata.In addition,thepottery fromthedeepercoreswas upperand lowerpottery-bearing 29Sais has beendescribedas thechiefcityat thetime of theunification of EgyptbyW. B. Emery, ArchaicEgypt centre (Harmondsworth, 1961), 42 and as a 'significant' byT. A. H. Wilkinson, EarlyDynasticEgypt(Londonand New York,2001), 325. 30Wilson,JEA 91 (2005),4-8. 31 P. Wilson, The Surveyof Sais (Sa el-Hagar),

1997-2002(EES ExcavationMemoir77; London,2006), 197 and 204. This also seemsto havehappenedat Buto, whichButzertakesas an indication thatparticular partsof the site werenot occupiedbetweenEarlyDynasticand Saite times.As at Sais, thisis notnecessarily thecase. 32All fromdrill15, core46. 33Fromdrill15, core43.

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Fig. 2. Map of the Sa el-Hagar area, showingthe locationof the 'Great Pit' and Excavation3.

to have fallendown the containedwithinthe centreof the core. It was unlikely,therefore, drill hole and contaminatedthe sample. It seems thatthe potterywas fromthe Neolithic strata,while the upper materialfroma depth of 1.25 to 3.15 m is the Buto-Maadi layer.A test trench(Excavation 2), made in 2000,34confirmedthat the Prehistoricmateriallay in potentiallystratifiedlayers buried not too far below the lowest ground surfaceat Sa elHagar, but still below groundwaterlevel. Some of the sherds located in this test also suggestedthat Upper Egyptian importsmay be presentin the Buto-Maadi material.In particular,a sand-temperedrimsherdfroma closed ovoid vessel,withred slip and vertical and oblique polishing strokes is possibly similar to sherds from vessels known at 34 P. Wilson, 'The Survey of Sais (Sa el-Hagar), 2000-01',JEA 87 (2001), 4-5 Excavation2.

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Fig. 3. Red-polishedsherdfroma closed jar, Excavation2.

of excavationin thatarea and to test Hierakonpolis(fig.3).35In orderto assess thefeasibility Excavation3 was undertakenin 2001 usinga sump the natureof the Prehistoricmaterial,36 and small irrigationpump.37 The area chosen forExcavation3 was veryclose to the reed beds of a marshypartof the 'Great Pit' (fig. 2), lyingat an approximateheightof around 1 m above sea level.38Water seeped into the excavatedarea froma depth of around*50cm, but it was relativelyeasy to The containthe rateof flowuntilarounda depthof 1.5 m, whenworkbecame too difficult. down and the southern on surface was sloping edge ground slightlysloping,being higher in elevationfromone side to anotherwas minimal. towardsthe north,thoughthe difference In orderto takeadvantageof the naturalslope, the sump was situatedin the north-western cornerof the trench.The surfaceof the land was coveredin coarse grassand, afterthishad been removed,the soil matrixcomprised soft,sandy silt which had been disturbedand pitted.The pits containeda mixtureof brokenSaite Period and Ptolemaicpottery,along of withfragments of brokenand burntlimestone,some red-brickand a fewsmallfragments faience.This materialmost likelyderives fromthe destructionof buildingsin this area, perhapsduringthe Twenty-sixthDynasty.Furtherexcavationworkin 200539suggeststhat thereweremonumentaland sacredbuildingsin whatis now the 'Great Pit' and surrounding fields,as well as urban dwellingsand perhapsindustrialworkshopzones. The pitsat thetop levels of Excavation3 containeddumped, burntmaterialmixed withthe pottery,a feature of the whole of the westernside of the 'Great Pit'. The layerof Late Period debrisat this partof the 'Great Pit' was verythin,however,suggestingthatthe locationof thetrenchwas 35Personalcommunication fromUlrichHartung.It is similarto the Hierakonpolisclosed vessel Type 2a and B. Adams,Excavationin the fabric22: fine,untempered: 1979-1985 (BAR at Hierakonpolis, Locality6 Cemetery International Series903; Oxford,2000), 12. 36The largerExcavation8 was undertaken in 2005 as partof the'Sais and its Hinterland'AHRC fundedproject;see thefieldreportWilson,JEA 91, 4-8. 37The excavationwas supervisedbyGregoryGilbert, Nicola Harringtonand Fatma Rageb Kamal; see P.

Wilson,'Surveyof Sais (Sa el-Hagar),2001-02',JEA 88 (2002), 2-6. I am gratefulto the SupremeCouncil for Antiquitiesin Cairo and Tanta fortheircooperationand supportforthework. 38The groundlevelheightis on the5 m contourline, accordingto Surveyof Egyptmaps of the area and the base of the'GreatPit' lies belowthislevel.The areawas surveyedby the EES Mission in 1997; see Wilson,The Surveyof Sais, 118-48. 39Wilson,.?^ 91, 4-8.

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betweenitandtheearlierButo-Maadi at thebaseof thisdestruction layerandtheinterface threethousand thattherewasnothing It wasremarkable material. datingto theintervening the area had been cleared forreuse It that the two extensively layers. suggests yearsbetween in theSaitePeriod. The Prehistoric phases

The Prehistoric layersat Sais can be dividedinto threemain phases (figs.4 and 5), andobjects,including as wellas thepottery colourandtexture, bysoilmatrix distinguished and stonepounders.The phaseswerecontainedwithinseveral bull-horn a brick,a pottery contexts: Phase

Contexts

SuggestedDateA0

SaitePeriod

[3000]

Twenty-sixth Dynasty, c. 550-525bc

MixedInterface

[3001]

Sais III

[3002-4],[3007]

Non-settled phase Sais II

[3005-6]

Sais I

Buto-MaadiPeriod,c. 3,500BC

[3008],[3009-10], c. 4,500-4,300bc [3011-12],[3013-14] LaterNeolithic, c. 5,000-4,800BC EarlyNeolithic, [3015-16]

a smallamountof disturbance, all demonstrated The layersnearesttothegroundsurface This mayhavebeenduetomaterial ofseverallaterpiecesofpottery. causedbytheintrusion in thesandy-silt matrix,as wellas to pitsdrivendownintothesofter fallingintofissures whichallowedthepottery of thesandy-silt or compaction matrix, earth,or to bioturbation The water.41 with when saturated it downthrough to migrate uppermatrixof [3001]had a on theeasternsideof thetrench.It higherclaycontentthanthelowerlayers,particularly of pottery. containedsomerootsfromsurfaceplantsand grassand onlya fewfragments with some red-brown coarseNile silt wares, Most of the sherdswereveryweathered, andthebreakson thesherdswereextremely sherds.Manyhadlosttheirsurfaces burnished have beendue to saltactionand thealkaline to seems the of worn.The condition pottery natureof thesoil. Once thesherdswereexposedto theair and driedout,someof them Otherslostthepolishon theirsurfaces duringthewashingprocess,when begantocrumble. weresoakedin water,which thehighburnishwasparticularly Samplesof pottery fugitive. of threehoursin orderto desalinatethesherdsovera periodof 48 waschangedat intervals butmuchof thewaterand to72 hours.The processmayhavestablisedsomeof thepottery, salt damagehad alreadyoccurredwhen the sherdswere in the ground.Some of the sherdssurvivedin excellentcondition, burnished however, especiallythefinerwares.The statistical meansthata thorough of thepottery, condition surveyof thematerial therefore, sherdsorevenof diagnostic andunburnished burnished on thebasisof studying is difficult or whether one of itsbroken a rim from was sherds.Sometimesit was unclearif a sherd a rimhad beenwornawayto suchan edgeshad beenwornto resemblea rim,or whether of sherdson thebasisofburnishor numbers the an it resembled extentthat edge.Counting of diagnostic typeswouldnothavebeenuseful,as thenumbersof suchsherds frequency 41Butzer,in vanden Brinkand Levy (eds), Egyptand 40The datesare based on thepotteryand lithiccomtheLevant,92. parisonsoutlinedon pp. 87-9 and 91-5.

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JEA 92

PENELOPE WILSON

84

NorthSection N/W

/"

-1.5599mK

[3001]

-H^

^[3003]

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J '

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unexcavated

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East Section

N/E jt-0.9723 m

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jt-1 246 m

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zz=3rYrmfiFm "

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p2-2846m a 0.13m ~B^ 0.1m c 0.14 m d 0.04 m e lO.llm

|3UU»|

[3015]

. [^ J-2.3583m

lm | FlG. 4. Excavation3, northand east sections.

could onlyhave been estimatedand the sample was relativelysmall. The statisticalanalysis and comparisonof waretypesonly. in thisreportwas carriedout based on thequantification The mixedinterface layer[3001] Context [3001] was a mixed sandy-siltmatrix,with a band of brown-orangestaining dividingit fromthe Saite Period layer[3000]. This brown-orangestainwas ironoxide and could indicatethatthearea was exposed to the atmosphereat some time.42The matrixitself 42A. el-Shahat,H. Ghazala, P. Wilsonand Z. Belal, Journalof Geologyand Geophysics, MansouraUniversity 'Lithofaciesof theUpperQuaternary Sequenceof Sa el- 32/1(2005), 82. Nile Delta- Egypt', Hagar Area,GharbiyaGovernorate,

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PREHISTORIC SETTLEMENT AT SAIS

2006

85

South Section

-

~

^

'

Tr^_

"^[300lT ^^^L^^^

S/W -0.95mi;

/

[3002] ^/

lm |

0 I

WestSection S/W

-0.8511mj!

3^^c

w

.-

[300lT

[3003]

j

'

[3002]

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0

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lm |

FlG. 5. Excavation 3, southandwestsections.

thatplantsonce or saltflecks, nodulesand whitelimestone carbonate contained suggesting sherdsfrom Therewerea numberofpottery conditions.43 insemi-arid grewinthislocation, in date,but Prehistoric were that indicate thiscontext.The waresand finishof some they therewerealso SaitePeriodsherdsmixedin withthem.The presenceof largeamountsof of some of the sherdsenabledthe Saite chaffin the Nile siltmixtureand thetypology It was not possibleto date the pottery. examplesto be separatedfromthe Predynastic withthe toincludethiscontext so itwasdifficult wornsherds, numerous however, extremely of context the near data.Two fired'bricks'werefound [3001]butdid otherstatistical top or othermaterial.Theycouldhavebeen features notseemto be relatedto anymud-brick a similarexample The bricksresemble situ. in fired ofa mudhearth-surround, theremnants 8 andmaybe comparedtothosefromButo from[3002]andthosefoundlaterin Excavation 43 J. D. Collinson,'AlluvialSediments',in H. G.

Reading (ed.), SedimentaryEnvironments:Processes,Fades

and Stratigraphy (Oxford,2004), 56.

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86

[3004]

V ^-^pit/

sump

/

3m-

/ .

___^

/ / / / /

[3003]

lm

JEA 92

PENELOPE WILSON

''

■

*

lm

/

rimsherds^>?

/

;

'' [3005]

'patch,withbrownorganic charcoalfragments ! x£nd

[3003]

yvredrimsherds

I "

/

/

£>#

redbrick^ fragments

2m

Q^

^> redbrick fragments 3m

4m

Fig. 6. Excavation3, Phase Sais III, Buto-Maadi Period.

(see p. 88). The base of a limestonevessel was also discoveredin this context,but it is probablyfromthe Late Period and belongs to the disturbedlevel above. There seemed to have been a certainamount of disturbancefromabove in this layer,and the Late Period materialcould not be separatedstratigraphically fromthe Predynasticpotteryand objects. Phase Sais III [3002]-[3004] and [3007] (fig.6) Context[3002] was identifiableas a depositof siltysedimentscontainingorganics,possibly once a stagnantpool supportingreedsor aquatic plants.The layerwas unevenin depthand extent,and deeper on the northernand westernsides of the trench.There seems to have been a pool or marshysump lyingagainsta highersandyhillockin thesouth-eastern side of the trench.The natureof the layerwas deduced fromthe distinctivegrey-blackcolourwith red-brownpatches,which undulated over the top of the succeedingcontext[3003], thus of blackoxidisedmaterial.Weatheredpottery sealingit. In places therewereconcentrations were in found this context and of degradedred-brickor coarse fragments largerfragments

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2006

PREHISTORIC SETTLEMENT AT SAIS

87

on thesouthern werenotedat thebottomof [3002]and above[3003],particularly pottery oflimestone werealsofoundinthislayer, A pieceofbasaltandfragments sideofthetrench. In above. the south-eastern from intrusive material part of the trench[3003] perhaps of areas succeeded[3001],and itwas likelythattherewas a degreeof disturbance directly in a marshier context few Saite Period the of thislayernotprotected [3002],resulting by in thesample. sherdsoccurring Context[3003] appeared to be sealed by contexts[3001] and [3002], with no fromthe upperdisturbedlayers.Carbonisedrootsin the upperwestern contamination sectionof the transitional phasescontinueddownwardinto [3003]. The contextwas a with matrix patchesof organicdeposits.The layerslopeddownfromthe sandy-silt yellow, cornerof thetrench.In the thesandyhillockin thesouth-eastern eastto thewest,forming of organic centreof [3003]therewas an areaof darkercolouredmaterial[3005],consisting sherds were concentrated on the lower, brownpatcheswithcharcoalfragments. Pottery on thewestern, easternsideof thislayerandoccurredlessfrequently higherside. Pottery(see Appendix):The sherdscollectedincludedrims,bases and decoratedand materialaccurately. burnished sherds,althoughit was notpossibleto counttheburnished sided bowls Therewasa rangeofbowlshapesincluding straight ([3002].1),bowls V-shaped, evertedrim([3002].3-4; [3003].7-9), bowlswith withroundedor flatbasesand a slightly in size some evertedrims, ([3002].5-7; [3003].5 and perhaps6, 10), and bowlswith large rims([3003].1-4). Somelargesherdsmayhavecomefromtraysor vessels inverted slightly includedsomelargestorage builtinthegroundandfiredinsitu([3002].2). The closedforms vesseltypes([3002].8; [3003].11-12) and small storagetypes([3003].19-20), as well as smallerneckedvessels([3002].9-ll; [3003].13-18). The bases wereeitherflatbowlbases ([3002].12; [3003].22) or pointedbaseson smallneckedflasks([3002].13; [3003].23), with oneexampleperhapsof a pointedbowlbase ([3003].24). The decoratedand diagnosticsherdscan be paralleledwithexamplesfromButo in The impressed-dot pattern([3002].15, [3003].25) occurson sherdsfromButo particular. dot patternsusuallyoccuron theshouldersof closed Level II-IIa.44 At Buto,V-pattern inbands,wherethebaseof oneV almost arearranged The rim. V-patterns vessels,nearthe meetsthebase of another.On thebestexamplefromSais ([3002].14), thebase of theV bands and horizontal thatV-patterns comesdownto meeta horizontal band,suggesting with couldoccuron thesamevessels.Theremayhavebeen rowsof V-shapesalternating bandslowerdownthebodyof thewholevessel.The overallpatternmayhave horizontal of bandsandthetexture bothinthedesignof interwoven toimitate beenintended basketry, of sherd thepotterycreatedby the decoration.The half-moon, impressions 'fingernail' sherd burnished II.45 The Level for Buto distinctive bowls on shallow 26 occur fine, [3003]. but thetypeofvesselfromwhichitmayhavecome, there [3003].21 wastoosmalltoidentify thatitwasan UpperEgyptianimportfroma straight is a possibility sided,fine-ware cup.46 11 and III Phase Sais The closedjar rimtypesfrom [3003].13-14)are (especially[3002]. alsofoundin ButoLevel II. At Sais,pointedbases[3003].23-4 also belongto thesevessels, whichmayhavebeensmalldrinking jars,andoccurin ButoLevel II. objectfromPhaseSais III was a firedmud,modelbull-horn Objects:The mostdistinctive atoneend,whichwasbrokenandtapered ofmud,thicker [3003].27. It wasa rolledcylinder to an upturned pointat theotherend. The objectcouldbe a humanleg withthefoot,but a hornfromthefigureof a bull or cow withlong seemsmorelikelyto haverepresented horns.Mostof thelaterMerimdeexamplesof cattlehornscomefromanimalswithshort, 44Von derWay,ButoI, Taf. 39, 19-22. 45 The angle of the Sais examplemay need to be adjustedfromthatshownin thedrawing.

46Adams,Excavationin theLocality6 Cemetery, 11, fabric22 and typeId.

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88

PENELOPE WILSON

JEA 92

cattle.These types roundedhorns,buttherearealso examplesof hornsfromlong-horned arefoundin MerimdeLevel II I II phases.47 The firedmud-'brick' [3002].16 was smoothedand erodedwitha flatside.In sectionit Otherlesswellfashioned. hada hemispherical thatithadbeendeliberately shape,suggesting be similarto in III. of this Phase Sais bricks were also found They may preserved fragments thebrickspublishedfromButo,whereburntbricks'werefoundlayeredinthreecoursesand formed atleastfourparallelrowsinTeF87TIX, Buildingphase11Id, datingtoNaqada I Hal fromveryporousmudandblue-grey or 2.48These bricksaredescribedas beinghand-made in colour,withthecompletebricksmeasuring up to 30 cm in length.Fireplacescouldhave on theoutsidebya beenmadeintheformof shallowpitsdugintothegroundandprotected With of hearth-brick. a kind of mud. this was fired to create outer ring Duringcooking ring the subsequentdisturbance of the site,the 'bricks'werebrokenawayand appearin the wasaccidental. Sucha record as individual archaeological objects,whereastheirmanufacture sizeofthe ofthebricksinPhaseSais III. The regular processcouldaccountforthepresence and theirroundedshapesuggeststhattheywerepurposelydesignedas bricks,however, of of heatinga cookingvessel.The firing as a by-product bricks,ratherthanbeingformed forspecific but theirutilisation largerbrickswas not a majortechnological development, functional and in a construction to have been seems purposes building conceptual The evidencefromSais and Buto suggeststhatfiredbrickswereused for development. certainpurposes,buthousescontinued to be builtfrommud-brick, perhapsbecauseof the heatretention thehousein summer. of the in winter and effect on mud properties cooling The firing amountsof fuel, of largequantities of brickswouldhaverequiredconsiderable andthelackof availability of woodcomparedto theavailability of mudandstonemayhave meantthatit was moreeconomically viableto continueto buildfrommudand to make monumental structures frommud-brick or stone,evenintheDelta. A numberof fragments of redand brownquartzitewerefoundin PhaseSais III along witha completepounderorgrinder weremostlyin small [3004].1. The quartzite fragments and were sorted and chips weighed: of redandbrownquartzite, [3002]fragments weight338g ofred,yellowandbrownquartzite haveflatsurfaces); [3003]fragments (someredfragments waterwashed 520 stone;white, black/grey fine-grained pebble,weight g of red,yellowandbrownquartzite, [3006]fragments weight117g. The fragments come from or similar to thecompleteexample.This may pounders grinders that the otherstones were used forpercussive suggests pounders purposes,thatis,striking or tools.It mayalso suggestthatstoneworking wereundertaken at and lithicpreparation Sais on materials from was further afield. The nearest source for brought quartzite probably Gebel el-Ahmar, to thesouthnearmodernCairo.Its presencemaysuggestthatthereare linkswiththesouthernDelta area.More detailedanalysisis requiredof thefragments of redandbrownquartzite, to ascertain theirexactuse. Due tothecolourof thestoneandthe presenceof so manychips,it couldbe possiblethatthistypeof stonewas used to strike sparksandcreatefire.The coloursof thestones,redandorange-brown, mayalsohavebeen forsuch a function.A combinationof flintsand quartzitemay also have significant forthequartzitechipsand theabsenceof tools,otherthan generatedsparks,accounting made from the stone. Someofthewhitequartzite pounders, pebblesmayhavebeenusedfor as theyhaveverysmooth,hardsurfaces. burnishing pottery Lithics:The majority oftheworkedflintandchertfragments fromtheupperstrata retrieved of Excavation3 weresmallflakesand chips.Somemayhavebeenintended foruse without 47 J. Eiwanger, Merimde-Benisaldme,III. Die Funde der jiingerenMerimdekultur(Mainz, 1992), 127-8, pls.

89-90,no. 111.168. 48Von derWay,Buto I, 119-22and figs.62-3.

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2006

PREHISTORIC SETTLEMENT AT SAIS

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buta fewexamplesshowedsignsof retouching further (forexample,[3002]L.47) working, andworkededges,suchas twomicroblade [3001]L.I and [3002]L.48. Although fragments, or onlya smallsampleof flinttoolssurvivedfromPhase Sais III, no bifacialarrowheads wouldseemtohaveexistedin thelithic sicklebladeswerefound.A discontinuity, therefore, and this thatlithictechnology at Sais was Neolithic in Late as the Fayum, suggests industry, at Maadi.49Further theChalcolithic-Lower within Egyptphase,as determined analysismay connections to thewestor theoriginof therawmaterialsand so demonstrate determine south. Fauna: Amongstthe faunalmaterialtherewere the bones of cattle,C/amw-catfish, as juvenileanimals.In general,the and pigs,someof whichwereidentifiable Synodontis andblackening was burnedwithmuchcharring boneassemblage and,in somecases,bones to heat. whitened werecompletely byexposure Flora: Fragmentsof charcoalwere noted in the excavationand recoveredfromthe whichcouldnotbe moredefinitely cerealremains, environmental samplealongwithcharred was once an areacontaining domestic that this the data identified. waste, suggested Initially, of waste the limited other and quantities imply althoughthelownumbersof macrofossils thatthiswas nota highdensitywastecontext.If so, wastemaynothave been dumped clearedawayfromthesite. on theareaor materialcouldhavebeenperiodically frequently conditions Preservation maysimplyhavebeentoopoorto providean adequatesample.50 Post-hole:Contexts[3004] and [3007] formeda post-holecut into and through[3003] at at 20 cmbelowthetopof thecontext.The pitwas 64 cm deepand oval-shaped starting fill consisted of a and the as a darker in thetop.It appeared [3003] mid-brown, sandy patch sherds,a quartzitepounder,a largemammalrib,mammallongclay.It containedpottery bonesanda scapula,a donkeytooth,fishbones,a sedgeseedanda flaxseed.The sedgeseed butbecauseof thesmallsample,it is difficult suggeststhepresenceof wetlandvegetation The of flax.51 theuse of reedsin buildingsor thecultivation to drawconclusions regarding below. be related to the contexts than rather from above the into fallen rubbishmayhave pit on thepottery andthepresenceof decoration The closedjar types,theimpressed Summary: fromSais is very and the material theburnt'bricks'are diagnosticof Buto StratumII, The smallrangeof pottery similarin everyrespect.52 typesfromSais includesopenbowls, Buto-Maaditypes.The lithics basic the closedjars and largetrays,representing very thebladetoolandmicroblade and,whilea smallsample,canbe compared industry represent to thatfromButoStratumI/II and Maadi. Non-settled phase [ 3005]-[ 3006]

lensesof alluvialsedimentconsisting Both[3005]and [3006]wererelatively unproductive brownorganicremains, of a yellowor greysandysiltwitha fewpreserved layer overlying in the mud of sediment amounts The material. cultural human silty large [3008]containing of that the earlier thatthiswassediment phases the depositedbyfloodactionand suggested in theButo-MaadiPeriod.53 sitehad beenfloodedfora time,beforetheareawas resettled from wet-sieved rootsfrom Mineralised [3005]suggestthatplantsoncegrewhere samples semi-aridconditions.Charredor waterlogged but did not thrivein the prevailing plant 49 K. Schmidt,'Tell el-Farain/Buto of Durham,2002),4.22, table7. and el-Tell el- University 51Cotton,PlantMacrofossil Assessment, 4.23, table8. Iswid (South): The Lithic Industries from the 52 See the diagnostic table of von der Way, to theEarlyOld Kingdom',in vanden Brink Chalcolithic 19 Abb. 5. 32. Untersuchunsen, (ed.), TheNile Delta in Transition, 53See page 101 fordetaileddiscussion. 50J.Cotton,Plant Macrofossil Sais 2002, Assessment, Services reportfortheEES, Archaeological (unpublished

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90

JEA 92

PENELOPE WILSON North 1 [3004] ) sump

I pity

Platform

V^[3007]/

/

(foraccess)

■ 4m-

-J I

1

1

/

"

/^

/

^

I ■

I

3m/ //

/,-] r^^ w 3 / fsamme

I /

/ /

2m

[3003]

/ / / / / /

sherdscatter [3008]

[3oo5]

\ \

^

\v

JJ, LJ . lm

-

y / / I

dnlinagechannel

**

2m

3m

1\ '

4m

Fig. 7. Excavation3, Phase Sais II, Middle to Late NeolithicPeriod.

macrofossilswerenot foundin the environmental sample,and the aerobicconditionsof the enviromentmayhave led to the degradationof organicmatter.Context[3006] did containa small quantityof burntbone, but the size of the sample meantthatits origincould not be identified.54 Phase Sais II, Later Neolithic[3008]-[3014] (figs.7-8) Context[3008] consistedof a distinctivelayer10-15 cm thick,witha lens of concentrated materialrunningnorthto south at the westernside of the trench.The edge of the scatter mayalignwiththepost-holeto thenorth,[3004] and [3007], perhapssuggestingtheedge of some sortof structure.As thispit seems to descend fromthe upper Phase Sais III, it may simplybe a coincidentalalignment.More likelycontext[3008] was a mass of occupational debrisfromtheside of a structure, pushed togetherto clearitscentralarea; it mayevenhave been the top of a pile of domesticwaste.The layerranunderthe sandy-loammoundof the 54 Cotton,Plant Macrofossil 4.24-5 and Assessment, table8.

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2006

PREHISTORIC SETTLEMENT AT SAIS

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Fig. 8. Compacted potteryand bone layer[3008].

phase [3006] and into the easternside of the trench.The thick previousnon-settled concentration of materialforming[3008] was clearlylyingon top of [3015],an Early in of humanactivity thattherewas a periodof abandonment Neolithiccontext, suggesting in backintouse later.Finepottery thearea,butthatitwasbrought predominated fragments were collected few a from this of the theenvironmental only layer,although samples analysis fromthe excavation.Despite the largesize of the environmental samplescollected,no to interpret werepreservedin them,makingit difficult waterlogged plantmacrofossils context[3008]as evidenceof an insitusettlement.55 in Phase Sais II: [3009]and fill[3010];[3011] Threepossiblesmallpitswereidentified whether andfill[3012];and[3013]andfill[3014].It wasnotpossibletodetermine theywere filledup had which orsmalldepressions smallpost-holes, treeroot-holes, potemplacements withdarkercoloureddebrisor organicmaterial.One of thesamplesfrom[3013]contained thatitwas domesticwaste,butitwas charcoal,fishboneand pottery suggesting fragments, morelikelyto be fromthe top of context[3016],whichhas verysimilarconstituents. Charredgrainsof emmer-wheat glumeswitha fewexamplesof barleyand wheatand thatthiswaswastefromfuel of tamarix-wood (Tamarixspp) charcoalsuggested fragments of wildand a mixture Somemallow(Malva) seedswerealso identified, suggesting burning. of thelocalflora.56 domesticplants,or possiblydisturbance relativesherd Pottery: [3008]producedthelargestnumberof sherdsand had thegreatest fromthe of In the small of all of the contexts.57 fragments addition, splinters pottery density to hadbeenexposed erosion thatthematerial ofthesediments of [3008]suggested wet-sieving 55Cotton,PlantMacrofossil Assessment, 4.25, table9. Thus, forthe threemaincontexts:[3003] 1754/10m2= 56Cotton,PlantMacrofossil Assessment, 4.27, table9. 174; [3008] 1578/2.5m2= 631; and [3015] 887/2.5m2= 57Sherddensitywas calculatedby dividingthenum- 354. berof sherdsbyan estimateof thevolumeof thecontext.

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92

PENELOPE WILSON

JEA 92

to degradeintosmallfragments. of somekindwhichhad causedthepottery or disturbance Manyof the vesselsseem to have been open bowls(forexample,[3008].2-10), perhaps withexternaland internal polish.Most of thepolishwas lostfromthepottery originally duetosaltactionandwatererosion,butoftena smallpatchwasvisiblewitha handsurfaces Somefewsherdsdid thatthewholesherdandvesselhadoncebeenburnished. lens,indicating of colours,including retaintheirpolishandwerea variety red,brownandblack.Therewere a fewclosedvesselsherds(forexample,[3008].11-14),whichhad also beenpolishedon the outsideandwereusuallyredincolour.The vesselsweremostlikelyovoidvesselswitha high exterior sherds,fromopen-form cups or polish.Therewerea numberof smallfine-ware few from and as well as a rims bread closedcontainers smaller trays perhapsone ([3008].15-16) cruciblerim,[3008].1, a thick-walled, openvesselwithburntpatcheson theoutside.The but to thosefromMerimdeLevel II onwards, is similar vessel of types repertoire pottery bowl it to one stratum. The to relate distinctive without exactly any polished very anything closedvesselsfromSais areperhapsclosertotheEl Omaribowltypes typesandthick-walled there at Sais,whereas warevesselspredominate III-V.58Untempered VII-X andclosedforms wareat MerimdefromLevel II onward.At Sais this is a distinct changeto straw-tempered closerto,and perhapsevolvedfrom, II Sais the Phase that indicate layeris temporally may of forms of and lackof variety absence decoration The overall PhaseSais I (see pp. 93-5). foundat Sais is alsosimilartothelaterphasesat Merimdeandtothoseat El Omari. objectswerefoundincontext[3008],thoughtherewerenumerous59 Objects:No identifiable someblackandwhitequartzitepieces,a few of fragments red,yellowandbrownquartzite, flint whiteand greypebblesand some pebbles.As in Phase Sais III, theycouldhavebeen stonesand for the debrisfromstoneworkingor may have been used both as striking burnishing. werefoundin [3008].L.58 wasa pieceofa bifacial lithicfragments Lithics:Threediagnostic on bothsides.It seemedto have sicklebladewithone denticulated edgeand sickle-sheen so thatitwasdifficult andperhapspoorlyworked, beenburntandthestonewasverybrittle similar theflinttechnology flint is to bifacial The distinctive scars. the flake to see perhaps fromtheMerimdeLevel II to V,datingto theMiddleto LaterNeolithicPeriodandto the The sicklebladewouldhavefittedintoa woodenhaft, UpperEgyptianbifacialtradition. endofoneoftheterminal withthisexamplebeingeitherthesquared-off piecesofthesickle indicator ofthedate It is an important sicklestone.60 bladeorpartofthecentralrectangular was also a There in the area. time and this at culture of and of thislayer perhaps grain (L.58). fragment scraperwithretouchon theflake(L.57) and a microblade well preservedbut very Fauna: The animalbones fromthis contextwere extremely A largebovidscapula(fig.9) andskullalongwithseveralotherbonesandteeth, mineralised. as wellas pigjawsandlegbonesfrommatureadultsandjuvenileanimals,suggestthatthere at Sais at thisperiod.Someof themammalboneswere animalhusbandry wasconsiderable cookedor processedin somewayat thesite.There had been that burnt,suggesting they bonesfromfishprobably catfish werealsofishbonesinthesample,including caughtnearby. in there this bone or identifiable one was there context, mayhave goat sheep only Although andfish mammal small Some found here. of bone the beenotherfragments among splinters theenvironmental fromwet-sieving boneswerealso retrieved samples. becauseof thedensityof thematerialin thelayer Context[3008]is distinctive Summary: of pitsor post-holes.This mayimplythat[3008]represents and thepossibleoccurrence 58 F. Debono and B. Mortensen,El Omari (Mainz, 1990),37.

59The weightof stonefragments was 781 g. recovered 60As shownin Eiwanger, MerimdeIII, 55 fig.15.

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2006

PREHISTORIC SETTLEMENT AT SAIS

93

Fig. 9. Bovidscapulafrom[3008].

some kind of settlement layer,althoughthe lack of grainfromthe sedimentsamples which a stratum thelayermayrepresent Alternatively mitigates againstthisinterpretation. was originally muchthickerand was leftexposedto the effectsof sun and wind and intoa densebandwithno clearlydiscernible thematerial eroded,compressing consequently have degradedand decayed,perhaps material would layers.Any organic archaeological conditionsof the in visible the water-logged in the sediment not colourations leaving settlement thedeflatedremainsof a oncethicker excavation. Context[3008]mayrepresent and and which cultivated the inhabitants of sheepor goats keptcattle,pigs grain layer, fauna. riverine the abundant duringtheMiddle-LaterNeolithicPeriod.Theyalso livedoff ofwattlefencesandmud,ofwhichnothing Theirhousesmayhavebeenconstructed except thesite'sabandonment. thepitsor post-holes[3009]-[3014]survivedfollowing PhaseSais I, EarlyNeolithic [3015]-[3016] (fig.10) above boneandpottery Context[3015]comprised lyingdirectly mud,containing silty-sandy organiclayer.Context[3016]was thelowerlimitof theexcavation [3016],a brown-black of groundwater,andonlya smallportionof itwasexcavated.It is due totheencroachment of thetrench. overthewholeof theeasterntwo-thirds likelythat[3016]extendedlaterally whatis expected in itwascompactedanddense,resembling The ceramicandbonematerial as faras of thislayerwasconsiderable, in an undisturbed context.The thickness settlement 13 cm froma smalltestpit,whichshowedthatit was at least couldbe determined deep. 14 cmof light with20 cm of blackcarbonisedmaterial, downwards PhaseSais I continued sand. The environmental samplefrom sand,a blackband and a layerof light-coloured withonlya smallnumberof fishbones material context[3016]containedveryfine-grained or seedswereobtainedfromthesamples. butno charcoalfragments leftafterwet-sieving material wouldbe expectedifthishadbeena domesticareawithwaste,unless Somecharred conditionsdo not maketheirsurvivalpossible.Furthermaterialfrom the preservation Excavation8 mayresolvetheissue. fromPhase Sais I, waresamongstthepottery of untempered The preponderence Pottery: that in contexts to that Phase Sais relative contexts suggests II, [3008]-[3014], [3O15]-[3O16] sherd distinct(pp. 96-8). There was one diagnosticpottery thetwophasesare culturally motifwerefoundin motif.Parallelsto thisdecorative from[3016]incisedwitha fish-bone

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JEA 92

PENELOPE WILSON

94

North Pit

]

OT

Uooyt3007] ^~"^^

sump

- r7

1\

4m.. \

„

L-5U13J

m

[3016]

I

/

bovidscapula

^

V-- \ rn /

3m

\ ^-^*"

^-^

\

x

\

" 2m-

Test

pit

Bones/

/

\ \

[3015]

"* I

>- ^animal

/ c^skuii

lm

C^il2] t3011]

/f5(\l0] "

"

"

[3009] [3015]

^

lm

2m

3m

4m

Fig. 10. Excavation 3, PhaseSais I, EarlyNeolithicPeriod.

factorsbetweenMerimde theearliestlevelsat MerimdeLevel I.61One of the distinguishing attesteduntilLevel II.62 not wares were monochrome Levels I and II was that greypolished The sherdsof red and greypolishedwaresfoundin [3015]- [3016] at Sais can be identified as bichromeor multi-colouredware and, along with the sherd with fish-bonedecoration, suggestthatPhase Sais I is similarto the EarlyNeolithicMerimde Level I material. Most of the potterysherdsare frombowls ([3015].3-7 and [3016]. 1-5), withsome large vessels represented([3015].1-2) and some smaller, finer bowls amongst the material ([3015].8 and [3016].6). Sherd [3015].9 seems to have come froma small bowl withstraight sides and a carinated(keel) shoulder.The upper partwas decoratedwithconcentriccircles applied by hand to the rim.A directparallelto thissherdcannotbe foundat Merimde,but as well as an exampleof basin or bowl is attestedthere,63 the generalformof flat-bottomed 62J.Eiwanger, 61J.Eiwanger, II. Die Fundeder I. Die Fundeder Merimde-Benisaldme, Merimde-Benisaldme, Merimdekultur (Mainz, 1988), 15-17. Ursicht(Mainz, 1984), nos. 1.330-421,pls. 18-21 and mittleren 63Forexample,Eiwanger, MerimdeI, 1.427-31,pl. 21. MerimdeIII, 40 fig.9. Eiwanger, summary

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Fig. 11. Jawboneof a pig from[3015].

seemedto be theresultof a a sharpercarination of theshoulderof a jar.64The decoration of clay,ratherthanhavingbeencausedbythedifferential deliberate weathering application Thereis lines. horizontal the of incised of horizontally burnished effect pottery, producing also one largesherdperhapsfroma largestoragejar witha closedmouth,[3015].10. inPhaseSais I, butthereweresmallchipsandfragments Objects:No objectswereidentified 337 g in [3015]and 161 g in of red,yellowand brownquartzitein bothcontexts, totalling [3016].The latteralso containedchipsof whitequartz. Fauna:The assemblage of bonesfrom[3015]includedpigbonesfromjuvenilesandmature animals(fig.11) inadditiontocattlebones.Onlyonesheeporgoatbonecouldbe identified, thatthepig suggesting thoughtheremayhavebeenothersamongstthesmallerfragments, on meat,fatandhide wasthepreferred domesticated animal,rearedperhapsfora fastreturn of pig bonesat numbers of in the Delta marsh environment. The presence large products all levelsand thepossibility thattheherdsconsistedof maturefemaleswiththeirlittersof youngand onlyone or two boars suggestthatpig husbandrywas well adaptedto and practisedin theconditionsof the Delta, in contrastto thesituationin thesouth-western of animalfatin Some of thepottery Fayumsites.65 mayhavebeenused fortherendering left to boil.66 in and be hearths flat-bottomed containers which could placed large to FishbonesfromSynodontis-fish werefoundin thecontextandweretheonlymaterial The boneswere of a sampleof the[3015]and [3016]matrices. comefromthewet-sieving 64For example,Eiwanger,MerimdeI, 1.607,pl. 34. 65 R. Wenke and M. Casini, 'The EpipaleolithicNeolithicTransitionin Egypt'sFayumDepression',in L. Krzyzaniakand M. Kobusiewicz(eds), Late Prehistory of the Nile Basin and the Sahara (Studies in African 2; Poznan,1989), 152. Archaeology 66Thereis littleevidencefrompharaonicEgyptforfat M. Serpicoand R. White,'Oil, Fat and Wax', rendering: in P. Nicholsonand I. M. Shaw (eds), AncientEgyptian

Materialsand Technology (Cambridge,2000), 390-429. mayenable Testingfortracesof lardor tallowon pottery sites to be the functionsof the vesselsfromsettlement of uses of jars for betterunderstood.The identification beer and breadhas been achievedso farby milk/cheese, evithe positionof vesselsin tombsor representational dence; see S. Hendrickxet al., 'Milk, Beer and Bread TechnologyduringtheEarlyDynasticPeriod',MDAIK 58 (2002), 277-304.

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JEA 92

Fig. 12. Human male pelvis bone from[3015].

thatthefishortheirboneshadbeenburnt.This mayhavebeendone blackened, suggesting butitis morelikelythat whenthefishwerecookedoveran openfireforeatingimmediately, either for catches of fish could have been saltingor even bydrying, large prepared storage, It is alsopossiblethatthefleshofthefishwasremoved wholefishoverfires.67 smoke-drying as fillets andthebonesusedtostokethefireswhichinturndriedthemeatorboiledthefish downto a paste. The bonematerial also includeda singlebonefroma speciesof antelopeanda fragment socket nearthethigh-bone of a malehumanpelviswithpathology showinginflammation (fig.12).68 Summary:The diagnosticsherd with fish-bonemotifsuggeststhat Phase Sais I is withMerimdeLevel I, Early NeolithicPhase. It is not clear fromthe contemporary or middenor was excavatedarea at Sais whetherthe materialis froma settlement in bone the human [3015]suggeststhatthe redeposited by riveraction.The presenceof if fromelsewhere. contextis a rubbishlayerwithmixeddebrisredeposited Alternatively, settlements movedfromtheiroriginalpositionand occupiedpreviousburialareas,as at debris.Therewasno be foundin settlement Merimde,thenhumanremainsmaysometimes visibleevidenceforbuildingsin thiscontextorof stratified sequences,butthewater-logged Further conditionsmeantthatit was not possibleto gatherthis kind of information. area. excavations wouldbe requiredovera greater 67W. van Neer,E. Paulissenand P. M. Vermeersch, PrehistoricNile', in Krzyzaniakand Kobusiewicz(eds), of at the Late Late Prehistory of theNile Basin,49-56; cf.comments 'Chronology,Subsistenceand Environment PalaeolithicFishingSitesof Makhadma2 and 4', in P. M. S. Ikram, 'Meat Processing',in Nicholsonand Shaw 659-68. Vermeersch (ed.)> PalaeolithicLivingSites in Upperand (eds),AncientEgyptianMaterialsand Technology, 68I am grateful to Sonia ZakrewskiforthisidentificaMiddle Egypt (Egyptian PrehistoryMonographs 2; Leuven, 2000), 281-6; W. Van Neer,'Fishingalong the tion.

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material aboutthePrehistoric Conclusions

The evidencesuggeststhatthereare threeclear phases of Prehistoric, anthropogenic waretypesfurther inthe'GreatPit' areaat Sais. Analysisof thepottery material suggestsa and theupperstrata[3OO3]-[3OO2]. cleardivisionbetweenthelowerstrata[3O15]-[3OO8] witha broadercategory of 'marl The warescouldbe dividedintofourbasicfabrics, together wares': Nile silt Nile B2-C Ware1: straw-tempered fineto coarse sand, occasionalstraw, perhapsfrommanure69 Ware3: coarsestraw-tempered Nile silt(breadtray) Nile C Nile silt Ware2: untempered

Nile A-Bl

Nile silt Ware4: coarsestraw-andstone-tempered Marl The potteryitselfwas sortedintowaresand thenseparatedintodiagnosticand noncontain The PhaseSais III sherdsfromtheButo-MaadiPeriodpottery types.70 diagnostic 1 sherds than sherds(ware ) ofstraw-tempered a higherpercentage (ware2) (see untempered sherds(ware4), smallnumberof coarsestraw-tempered table1). Therewas a surprisingly tendedto be fromformssuchas largebreadtraysor bricksratherthan thoughthepottery andtheupperpartsof thelayerscouldalso include vessels.The marlsherdswereintrusive a fewintrusivestraw-tempered sherds,but the erodednatureof the potterymade it to detectall theLate Periodsherds.[3004]is thefillof thepitwhichdescends impossible wares.The 'transition' of untempered intothelowerlayers,hencethehigherproportion with theirmuchhigher from material also contain layersbelow, may layers[3OO5]-[3OO6] in [3006]are theheaviercoarsebreadtray sherds.Noteworthy of untempered percentage of thesein anyof the contexts.Context the representing highestpercentage fragments, ofuntempered thehigherpercentage wares,comingfroma good[3008](seetable2) reflects thistrend,but also reflects sizedsample,in PhaseSais II. The materialfromthefeatures the and I contexts Phase Both withmuchsmallersamples. [3016](table3) reflect [3015] of coarsestraw-tempered of untempered potteryand the percentages higherpercentage the earlier to all similar are phases. pottery ware wareto straw-tempered The waretypesoverallshowtheshiftfromuntempered betweenthe Neolithicmaterialand the Buto-MaadiPeriod pottery.The untempered by materialcan containfinepiecesof straw,whichmayhavebeen includedaccidentally manure of the addition from or come from chaff fine to the of winnowing very clay exposure Coarsestrawwas used forlarger and malleability. to improveelasticity to theclaymixture vessels and bread traysthroughoutthe Neolithicand PredynasticPeriods,perhaps of largerobjectswithcoarsestrawis relatedto theuse of thatthemanufacture suggesting formudplasteron reedwallsof structures. mudas a buildingmaterial, particularly thattherearethreedistinct ina verycrudemanner, The pottery phases analysisconfirms, while III are Sais two earlier the that and the site at related, of humanoccupation phases The in lithic technology. the Sais III phase is distinctin potterywaresand formsand hiatusbetweentheNeolithicandButo-MaadiPeriodstrata andtechnical temporal apparent 69I. Rizkanaand J.Seeher,Maadi, I. The Potteryof Settlement thePredynastic (Mainz, 1987),24-5. 70The potterytypologieshave not been harmonised LowerEgypt,so thebasicformsdeveloped forPrehistoric by Renee Friedmanand then employedby Barbara Adamswereused as a guide:Adams,Excavationsin the

1-\1. Separateformlistshave been Locality6 Cemetery, III (Mainz, publishedby C. Kohler,Tellel-Farain-Buto, 1998),86-90; Rizkanaand Seeher,Maadi I, 33; and sumMerimdeIII, 41, fig.11 and Debono mariesbyEiwanger, El Omari,37. and Mortensen,

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PENELOPE WILSON

raises furtherquestionsabout the changingenvironmentand the contextin whichpeople livedin thisparticularlocationfromtheNeolithicPeriodthroughto theButo-Maadi Period. TABLE1. Percentages ofwaresbycontext forPhase Sais III [ 3002]-[ 3007], Buto-MaadiPeriod Context Warel Ware2 Ware3 Ware4 Marl Total sherds

[3002] 77.2% 15% 5.2% 2% 0.6% 813

[3003] 80.5% 13.4% 2.9% 3.1% 0.1% 1754

[3004] 11.5% 88.4% 0.1%

[3006] 27% 68% 5%

104

304

TABLE2. Percentages of waresbycontext forPhase Sais II [3005], [3008]-[3014], Middle to Later Neolithic

Context

Warel Ware2 Ware3 Ware4 Total sherds

[3008] 10.7% 85.1% 3.9% 0.3% 1578

[3010] 100% 8

[3012]

[3014]

16.7% 6

8

83.3%

37.5% 62.5%

Table 3. Percentages of waresbycontext forPhase Sais I [3015]-[3016], Early Neolithic Context Ware1 Ware2 Ware3 Ware4 Total sherds

[3015] 10.9% 83% 5.1% 1% 887

[3016] 7.4% 86.2% 2.4% 4% 207

Chronologyand relativedatingof the Sais Prehistoricmaterial The Neolithic archaeological material from the Prehistoricexcavations at Sais has its closest parallels in that of the Merimde Neolithic culture. The site at Merimde Beni Salama is estimatedto have existed fromaround 4,800 to 4,400 BC71(and perhaps later) and was a desert edge settlementwith small communitieswho hunted and fished,and grewand processed crops,similarto the small agriculturaleconomies of the Fayum. The main indicatorof a contemporaneousdate of the Sais materialto thatat Merimde is the presence of the fishbone-inciseddecorated ware which would make Phase Sais I contemporarywith Merimde Level I.72 The principal excavator at Merimde, Josef Eiwanger,suggestedthatMerimde Level I (or Ur Level) dated to the sixthmillenniumBC, partly on account of comparable material from Levantine Neolithic sites. The herringbonedecorationis also foundon Yarmukianpotteryfromsites such as Munhata in Palestine(fifthmillenniumBC onwards),73the Neolithic B level at Jericho,74 or levels I-IV 71F. Hassan, 'RadiocarbonChronologyof Neolithic and Predynastic Sitesin UpperEgyptand theDelta', The AfricanArchaeologicalReview 3 (1985), 104-5; most discussedby S. Hendrickx,'La chronologie de la recently tardiveet des debutsde l'histoirede l'Egypte', prehistoire Archeo-Nil 9 (1999), 13-81. 72 Further examples have been recovered from Excavation8 in March-April2005: Wilson,JEA 91, 4-8.

73An examplefromMunhatais discussedby O. BarYosef,'The NeolithicPeriod',in A. Ben-Tor(ed.), The of Israel, Archaeology of AncientIsrael(Open University 1992),36, fig.2.12. 74 H. Larsen, 'VierzierteTongefafi-Scherben aus Merimde-Benisalame in der agyptischen Abteilungdes Mittelmeermuseums in Stockholm',Orientalia7 (1959), 3-23.

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at Hassuna (sixth millenniumBC).75The potteryshows the herringbone design in bandsaroundthenecksof vesselsor in chevronbandson theshoulderandbody horizontal witha broadtool,butthevesselsdo notseemtohave ofthevessels.The designis impressed been burnished.Examplesof thistypeof decorationhave also been reportedfromthe BC.76 The datingof SodmeincaveintheEasternDesert,datedtotheearlysixthmillennium wouldbe ofthe BCmeansthattheSais pottery tothesixthmillennium theMerimdematerial forthe date of the arrivalin Egyptof Levantine samedate.Thereare also implications on FayumicNeolithiccultureand Merimdein the andtheculturalinfluences domesticates considers that offarming duetothedispersal sixthmillennium, technology.77 Midant-Reynes and FayumA MerimdeLevel I belongsin thehiatusbetweentheHelwanEpipalaeolithic thattheEarlyNeolithicSais I shouldbe inthesixthmillennium,78 cultures againsuggesting culture. andmakingit,withMerimdeLevel I, a bridging datedtothesixthmillennium in sites Northern at Prehistoric levels Absolutedates forcultural Egypt,including Merimde,Buto, El Omari,Maadi and MinshatAbu Omar,have been suppliedfrom radiocarbon samplesat bothMerimdeand Buto,but theyhave not alwaysprovedto be strataatthesites(table4). Hassancollected datesofthedifferent withtherelative consistent Periodup to 1985,andhisaverageof datesfromthePrehistoric andpublishedradiocarbon laterthanEiwanger'soriginal 4,800-4,400BC79forMerimdeLevel I and V is considerably BCforMerimdeLevel I basedon thepottery.80 of thesixthmillennium estimate Eiwanger the between such too recent but be to dates radiocarbon consideredthe discrepancies levelsarenotunusualin datesand absolutedatesfortheMerimdeUrsicht possiblerelative calibration to latest recalculated When curves,the range is from according Egypt.81 4,715-4,390BC.82It shouldalso be notedthatonly a small numberof samplesfrom over the Merimdehave been testedand clearlywith a largerdatasetmore certainty be dateswould possible. radiocarbon fortheButo-Maadiphasesas a whole The subsequentButodatesare also problematic the butaftercalibration of number a submitted der Von samplesfortesting, Way (table4). markers as he concludedthattheywereunreliable resultswereso variableandinconsistent, and long contaminants The groundconditions, dates.83 of fixed(absolute)chronological in the for true for This holds final results.84 the affected have Sais, periodof burialmay withwastehouseholdwashingwaterandwaterwhich 'GreatPit'areathesoilis waterlogged alkalinesalts.85The has leacheddownfromthe surrounding fields,containing irrigated the almostto bonesfromExcavation3 wereheavilymineralised, pointof beingfossilised, time themhad happenedin theintervening thatthechemicalprocessaffecting suggesting for radiocarbon no little or bones Such and discovery. betweendeposition collagen provide 75 Cited by H. Larsen, 'Die Merimdekeramik im Mittelmeermuseum Stockholms',OrientaliaSuecana 11 (1962),4-89, Jericho comparanda69-70. 76Hendrickxand Vermeersch, in Shaw (ed.), Oxford HistoryofAncientEgypt,36. 77Fora summary of thebroaderpicturesee Bellwood, The First Farmers,99-103; Shirai, Neo-Lithics1/05, 12-17. 78Prehistory ofEgypt,108-11. 79Hassan, The AfricanArchaeological Review3, 98. in table2 werecarriedoutusingthemost The calibrations recentiterationof the OxCal calibrationcurve(2004). I am grateful to Andrew Millard, Department of forhisadviceand assisDurhamUniversity, Archaeology, tance. 80Eiwangerdated Level I to the secondhalf of the sixthmillenniumBC (c. 5,500 BC), Level II to between to Fayum 5,500and 4,500BCand Level V corresponding A to c. 4,600 and 4,000 BC,summarisedby Hendrickx, Archeo-NU9,18-19. 81 M. A. Geyh, P. Munro and R. Germer,'Zur absolutenChronologiedes Alten Reiches und der 1.

14Cund kalibrierten nachkonventionellen Zwischenzeit Daten', SAK 16 (1989), 65-81; M. F. Pazdur and D. J. Micczynska,'ProbabilisticCalibrationof Radiocarbon Dates withSpecificExamplesfromNortheastern Africa', in Krzyzaniak, Kobusiewicz and Alexander (eds), Environmental Change,473-83. 82UsingOxCal calibration curvesoftware (2004). 83Buto I, 81-3. The bonesampleswerein bad condialso tionwithlittlecarbonleftin themandothermaterials aftersuchlongburial.The probseemedto havesuffered lemswithradiocarbon datingin Egyptarenotedby Geyh et*L, SAK 16, 65-81. 84Geyhet al., SAK 16, 74-7. 85The testresultsof a watersamplefromthe 'Great Pit' forJune2002 are as follows:HCO3- 58.2%, Na+ of 48.2% and Mg++ 40% are the highestconcentrations ions;thepH is 8.2 and 992 Total DissolvedSalts(ppm)and courtesyof Zeinab Lotfi Belal, Sedimentological StudiesontheLate Quaternary SequenceofSa Geophysical Nile Delta-Egypt el Hagar Area GharbiyaGovernorate, (unpublishedMSc dissertation,Mansoura University, 2004),44-61.

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100

JEA 92

PENELOPE WILSON dates Table 4. Radiocarbon datesandcalibrated

Place

Uncorrected date

date Calibrated

Source

Kafrel-Zayyat1.5 m Kafrel-Zayyat 7m Kafrel-Zayyat16.5m

1,690+/-80 BP 4,910+/-100bp 6,430+/-110 BP

AD 130-540 4,000-3,500BC 5,650-5,200BC

86 Smithsonian 86 Smithsonian 86 Smithsonian

MerimdeSchichtI MerimdeSchichtI MerimdeSchichtV MerimdeSchichtV MerimdeSchichtV

5,830+/-60 BP 5,790+/-60 bp 5,590+/-60 BP 5,760+/-60 bp 5,440+/-75 BP

4,830-4,540BC 4,780-4,500BC 4,530-4,340BC 4,730-4,460BC 4,450-4,050BC

Eiwanger;OxCal Eiwanger;OxCal Eiwanger;OxCal Eiwanger;OxCal Eiwanger;OxCal

ButoI KN 4015 ButoI-II KN 4016 Butolib KN 4220

5,230+/-200 bp 3,800+/-600 bp 4,380+/-150bp

Butolib KN 4446

4,980+/-400 bp

4,340-3,790BC 3,030-1,510bc 3,330-3,220bc 3,150-2,890BC 4,240-3,350BC

vonderWay vonderWay vonderWay vonderWay vonderWay

Maadi R-1425 Maadi R-1426 Maadi R-1427 Maadi R-1428

4,860+/-70 bp 4,680+/-70 bp 4,900+/-70 bp 4,890+/-70 bp

3,800-3,510BC 3,640-3,330bc 3,810-3,620bc 3,810-3,520bc

Caneva;OxCal Caneva;OxCal Caneva;OxCal Caneva;OxCal

El Omari3934 El Omari3933 El Omari3994 El OmariC-463

5,500+/-65 BP 5,690+/-70 bp 4,790+/-60 bp 5,255+/-230 bp

4,360+/-120bc 4,540+/-180BC 2,840+/-60 bc 4,110+/-260 bc

Debono,Mortensen Debono,Mortensen Debono,Mortensen Debono,Mortensen

ButoArea

5,690+/-130 bp 3,975+/-80 BP 4,595+/-55 bp 4,600+/-45 bp 6,135+/-75 bp 6,810+/-140bp 5,610+/-45 bp 5,870+/-70 bp

4,850-4,250BC 2,750-2,200BC 3,520-3,260BC 3,520-3,310bc 4,250-3,700bc 5,930-5,480BC 4,530-4,350bc 4,910-4,540bc

Andres,Wunderlich Andres,Wunderlich Andres,Wunderlich Andres,Wunderlich Andres,Wunderlich Andres,Wunderlich Andres,Wunderlich Andres,Wunderlich

4,020+/-70 bp 5,720+/-80 bp

2,900-2,300bc 4,730-4,360bc

Wunderlich Wunderlich

Buto,HD Buto,HD Buto,HD Buto,HD Buto,HD Buto,HD MAO

9194-9071 9420-9214 9421-9232 9422-9233 9423-9253 9424-9254

the dating,as seemsto havebeenthecase withthebonestestedfromButo.This illustrates need to understandthe processesat workin Egyptianconditionsbeforethe resultsof radiocarbon forabsolutedatingin thePrehistoric Period. datingcan be appliedconfidently OtherPrehistoric NorthernEgyptiansiteshavealso providedradiocarbon dates,with theearliestlevelsat Maadi givinga maximum of between and 3,800 3,330BCandan range of 3565 while those from El Omari have a date of BC,86 average given range 4,720to 2,780 BC(table4).87In theFayum,Kozlowskiand Ginterhaveidentified an earlyphaseof Early NeolithicFayumian,withlithicartefacts similarto thoseof the Merimdeculturefrom 86All of the dates come fromcharcoalsamples: I. Caneva,M. Frangipaneand A. Palmieri,'Excavationsat Maadi', in Krzyzaniakand Kobusiewicz (eds), Late

of theNile, 289-90(withcalibrations). Prehistory 87 Dates from charcoal samples from El Omari: Debono and Mortensen, El Omari, 81 (withcalibrations).

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The 4,800 BC onwardsand a Late NeolithicMoerianphase from3,500 BC onwards.88 datescollectedbyGinterfromQasres-SaghaandanalysedbyHassansuggest radiocarbon thattheseestimatesshouldbe earlier,withthe EarlyNeolithicPeriodrangingbetween between4,275 5,230+/-50 BCand4,455+/-110 BCandtheLate NeolithicPeriodranging The for the Lower evidence 95 BC and 170 BC 4,030+/(table4).89 EgyptianandFayum +/canbe tabulatedtoshowthattheFayumianEarlyNeolithicfromthelate Neolithiccultures withtheMerimdeculturein itsearlystagesandtheEl wascontemporary sixthmillennium in theveryearlyfourthmillennium them all of Omariculture, (c. terminating apparently of the Lower 4,000-3,900BC).90The Maadi culture,then,continuesthe development EgyptiancultureaftertheNeolithicPeriodfromc. 3,800-3,300BC,withclearconnections tradewiththeLevant.The Buto-Maadiphasesat Butofrom3,500BC to theeastthrough and EarlyDynasticPeriods.91 thencontinueintothePredynastic from Sais can onlyassistus in a limitedwayto understand evidence The stratigraphical fromtheNeolithicto Buto-MaadiPeriod.Thereis a layerof around cultural developments the andproviding 40 cmofalluviumincontexts [3005]-[3006]sealingtheNeolithicmaterial around3,500BC.If therateof groundlevelforthesubsequentButo-Maadiresettlement, thatis,1.45mmeachyear,92 werelimitedtotheaveragesuggested sedimentation Butzer, by have taken275 yearsto would Buto-Maadi the layerbetweenthe Neolithicand phase accumulate.There are a numberof variableswhichmayaffectthisfigure.The rateof and volumeof sedimentdepositedin thislocationmayhavevariedfromyearto flooding overa shorttime.In year,fromnegliblefora periodof timeto a heavydepositof sediment and to has been stratum Neolithic dense the subjected abandonment [3008] addition, wind erosion and and abraded withthegroundsurfacehavingbeenexposed by deflation, of theland surface The lengthof theperiodof deflation dryingsun beforetheflooding. last Neolithicmaterial between the of time the so that cannotbe estimated, however, length at Sais and thatof theButo-MaadiPeriodcan onlybe said to be at least300 years,but possiblyas muchas 1,000yearsor more. fromNeolithicto Predynastic betweenthetransition Thereis an apparentcoincidence the switchfroman culturein Lower Egyptin the firsthalf of the fourthmillennium, eastern sideandthehiatus to the the western from Delta in the in human activity emphasis thistime.It is likelyfrom recordat Sais apparently in thearchaeological covering precisely therewas abandonment evidencethataftertheSais II Neolithicstratum thearchaeological 300 foraround yearsbeforetheareawas ofthesandleveeandflooding ofthisarea,deflation there millennium reinhabited by3,500BC.This suggeststhatin thefirsthalfof thefourth of then a and low of was a period aridity, floods, resumption regular perhapscausing inEgypt toagricultural Hassanalsonotesthatthemainstimulus inundations. developments BP is c. c. after severe of a been have 4,750 BC).93 6,700 (that aridity period may the desert towards from the of movement conditions Environmental people mayhavecaused possiblythe Delta, fora periodlastingaround500 years.The small Nile, and therefore evidencefromMinshatAbuOmaralsoseemstosuggestthatthere amountofenvironmental of thissitein theeasternDelta betweentheendof itsNeolithic wasa hiatusin occupation the and sequences.As a resultof the workat Sais and otherLower Predynastic phase 88 J. K. Kozlowski and B. Ginter,'The Fayum NeolithicintheLightof New Discoveries',in Krzyzaniak and Kobusiewicz(eds), Late Prehistory of theNile Basin, 157-79. 89 Hassan, The AfricanArchaeologicalReview 3, 105-6. 90Noticedby B. Mortensen,'Carbon-14Dates from El Omari', in R. Friedmanand B. Adams (eds), The Followersof Horus. StudiesDedicatedto Michael Allen Hoffman(Oxbow MonographSeries 20; Oxford,1992), 173-4. 91For a summarysee Midant-Reynes, of Prehistory

Egypt,264 Chart 4, althoughthis is predicatedupon Merimdeculturebeginningin theearlysixthmillennium; based upon W. Kaiser, 'Zur Sudausdehnung der vorgeschichtlichenDeltakulturen und zur friihen MDAIK 41 (1985), 61-87. Entwicklung Oberagyptens', 92See n. 9. 93 F. Hassan, 'Toward a Model of Agricultural Developmentsin PredynasticEgypt',in L. Krzyzaniak and M. Kobusiewicz(eds), Originand EarlyDevelopment of Food-ProducingCulturesin North-EasternAfrica 1; Poznan,1984),222. (Studiesin AfricanArchaeology

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102

PENELOPE WILSON

JEA 92

occurred conditions duringthe sites,itseemsthata majorchangeinenvironmental Egyptian whichhad and settlements forcommunities NeolithicPeriod,perhapswithimplications to the at Sais withits connections been establishedthere.For example,the settlement westerndesertedgeat Merimdewas abandonedand theareaof the'GreatPit' in whichit had beensituatedwas notinhabited more,bythe againforat least300 years,andprobably andtothe at Buto to the north who had their links of the Buto-Maadi cultural people group southat Maadi andthenceeastwardto Palestine. The local environmentof the Sais Prehistoricmaterial In ordertoreconstruct inwhichpeoplelivedat Sais andtoexamine theancientenvironment theeffects of thelocalriversystemon theecosystem of theregionaroundSais a seriesof transects shallow drill and a few comprising augers deep drillaugerswas madeacrossthe zonessuchas the'GreatPit' and Kom regionaroundSa el-Hagar,including archaeological Rebwato thenorthof Sa el-Hagar.The deeperdrillcoreswerecombinedwithan arrayof VerticalElectricalResistivity in ordertoenabletheburiedgeologicallayerstobe soundings in a moresensitivemanner(fig.13).94The aim was to relatearchaeological reconstructed data materialfromthedrillcoresand Excavation3 in the'GreatPit' to theenvironmental and to beginto reconstruct thepalaeoenvironment of theareain orderto assesstheimpact in of thelocalDelta environment on thepossibilities andpracticalities ofhumansettlement theSais region. Excavation3 were The layersof sedimentsand geologicalconditionsunderlying thegroundlevelof two drill Drill made from 15 was by investigated augers. auger(core) and 3 atthelevel Excavation3 core60 wasdrilledinthenorth-eastern cornerof Excavation whereworkstopped. and The resultsfromcore15 showedthesediments material beneaththearchaeological The upperstrataof therefore indicatetheconditions occurred. at thetimewhensettlement core15 matchedthephasesof thecontexts in Excavation3 closely(fig.14). The upperLate Periodcontexts[3000]and [3001]weredistinguished by organicmaterialand rootclasts, perhapsfromthepresenceof partof thepoolin the'GreatPit'. Context[3003]appearedas a concentration of pottery around40% of thecorematerial.The contextlayer comprising in occurredslightly lowerin thedrillcore,but thismayhavebeen due to thedifference in of the core and which the the of the and the contours section, position auger layer way itselfcanpushmaterial downthedrillhole.The alluviallayer[3006]wasnotso distinct, but wasa bandwithout humanculturalmaterial inthecore,and[3008]wasa distinct significant concentration of anthropogenic material.The blackstaininglowerin thecorerepresented thedarkorganiclayersof [3016].Alternating bandsof brownalluviumgavewayto black at a of 5 around siltyclay(5Y 2.5/2) m, and between6.5 m and 7.28 m therewas a depth bandofheavybrown-orange a fromaboveseemed with texture. Somepottery staining gritty to have fallenintothe augerhole of core 15 and cannotbe regardedas indicating an at this level without further evidence. anthropogenic layer Core60 beganatthecharcoal/carbon richlayerunderneath [3015]-[3016](fig.14),which contained fishbonesandsomepottery. to the According augerdata,thiswas1.5m indepth, anditwasthelasthumanculturalmaterial in to reached thecore.The layerseemstherefore 94The deep drillworkat Sais was undertaken by a teamfromUniversity of Mansoura,begunbythelateProf. MahmoudGamiliand continuedbyProf.Adamel-Shahat and Dr Hosni Ghazala, withanalysesof sedimentsand by Zeinab LotfiBelal. I am gratefulfor interpretations theircontribution to theworkand fortheirassistancein thedata. The geoarchaeological interpreting implications - H. Ghazala,A. havebeenpublishedin preliminary form el-Shahat,R. Adel,P. Wilsonand Z. Belal,'Geoelectrical

around Sa el-Hagar ArchaeologicalSite, Investigations Nile Delta,Egypt',TheJournalof GharbiyaGovernorate, MansouraUniversity 32/1(2005), Geologyand Geophysics, from 121-37. The shallowdrillaugerswereundertaken 1997 to 2005 by membersof the Sais teamand are publishedinpartinWilson,TheSurveyofSais, 177-204.I am to Daniel Lines,MohammedAbdelAziz,Angus grateful Graham,GregoryGilbertand the Mansourateam for theirdiscussionof thedata.

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2006

PREHISTORIC SETTLEMENT AT SAIS

103

FlG. 13. Map of VerticalElectricalSounding transectsand deep drilledboreholes,made across the Sa eland GeophysicalStudies,63, fig.5.1). Hagar area (afterLotfi Belal, Sedimentological

the firsthumanactivityat the site,thoughit was a denselayerand probably represent sedimentconsistedof a seriesof greycomprisedseveraldistinctphases.The underlying bandsin whichthematerialwas fineand wellsorted.The sandwas too brown,sandy-silt fineto be thePleistocene gezirasand,butwas morelikelyto be froma sandyriverleveeor in theHolocenePeriodby riveraction.A bandof ironoxidebrowngezirasandreworked the core 15 layerand together theymayreflecta orangestainingseemsto complement to causethestain. air and oxidised were to the of when fluvial sands exposed period aridity, removed Someofthestaining andthesandwithinsuchlayerscouldhavebeensubsequently conditions and of followed a wind action.95 The arid marshy lagoonal by period period Siltandthenthick, whichlefta layerof peatsome6.5 m beneaththebaseof theexcavation. blackmudbelowthislevelsuggestedthepresenceof a deep waterchannelwithanaerobic musthave been abandonedand filledwithsediment conditions.The channel,therefore, thelayerofpeat.The endofthecore, beforea shallowlagoonormarshwasformed, creating 9.15 m belowtheexcavation, extendsbackintotheHolocene,althoughit was notpossible 95 A. el-Shahat et al., Journal of Geology and MansouraUniversity 32/1,79-119. Geophysics,

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104

PENELOPE WILSON

JEA 92

Core 15 Groundlevel -Great Pit1western side

Northsection Excavation3

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_ _«

- -10m

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2006

PREHISTORIC SETTLEMENT AT SAIS

105

FlG. 15. Map of drillcore transects1 to 3 at Sa el-Hagar.

levelsalone.The presenceof a river toestimate thedateof thislevelbasedon sedimentation thechanginglocal thenmarshand finallyriverleveeillustrates channel,thenfloodplain, areaovera long in the and riverine due to variable sea levels environment, systems perhaps The Smithsonian Institute databaseof drillaugers,carriedoutas partof a project period.96 about20 km tostudysea levelandcoastalchanges, records oneauger,S.86,at Kafrel-Zayyat, dateswereobtainedfroma depthof 16.5m,at to thesouthof Sa el-Hagar.97 Radiocarbon oftheHolocenelevels,of 6,430+/-110 BPand4,910+/whatwasregarded as thebeginning 100 BP at 7 m in depth,calibratedto 5,650-5,200BC and 4,000-3,500BC respectively 96If an averagesedimentation rateof 1.4 mmof sedi- Delta Drill Core and Sample Database for 1985-1994: Basin (MED IB A) Program',Smithsonian mentwasdepositedateachinundation, thenthecorecould Mediterranean totheMarineSciences36 (1996), 198-200. Contributions represent up to 6,500years,thatis,dateto 10,500BC. 97D. J. Stanley,J. McRea and J. C. Waldron,'Nile

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106

PENELOPE WILSON

JEA 92

finaldepthof core (table4). The depthof thefirstaugercouldbe relatedto thecorrected natureof the 'GreatPit' can be 60, but it is notclearwhetherthe disturbedsettlement in Kafr site a to el-Zayyat. comparedmeaningfully possiblyvirgin boththe extentof the in the immediatearea of Excavation3 confirmed Transects98 have andthepossibleformoftheearlylandscape(fig.15). The transects material Prehistoric corelithographic individual fromthefollowing beenreconstructed logs,withthecoreslisted in orderfromwestto east: Transect1 (fig.16): AugersB, A, 40, 39,C, 217,30,28, E, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92. Transect2 (fig.17): Augers31,29, 27, 16,203,26, 36,25, 11, 12,13, 14,97,96, 95, 94,93. Transect3 (fig.18): AugersD, 69, 76, EBA B3, 177,79, 107,H. of theareacan theunderlying andVES survey, Baseduponthetransects geomorphology leveeto thewestof the'GreatPit', be reconstructed (fig.19). Therewas oncea fine-sand whichcomprisesthe modernagricultural coveredwiththe alluvialsilty-sand layer.The thatthewesternside of theSa el-Hagar layerof silthereis thinand it maybe significant Rosetta branchof theNile,is nowusedfor modern the area beside the and area, especially river branchtothewestof Excavation Therewasan ancientanddeep bananacultivation. 3, as shown the blue-black to south-east from in a channel north-west, by running perhaps mudinit.It couldhavebeenoneofthedeeplyincisedchannelscausedbya dropinsea level Pleistocene theunderlying around18,000yearsBP." It cutthrough duringthelastglaciation to thenorthin the channel bend a have created either and sand deep may medium-grained of the modern in the somewhere westof the'GreatPit' or continuednorthward vicinity finesandy-silt Rosettabranch.The reworked, mayhavebeendepositedbythischannelas a theancientchannelmayhavemeandered the bend.100 of leveeon theoutside Alternatively, arounda previousleveeor a pointbar on theinsideof a meanderbendof anotherriver due The courseof themodernRosettabranchmayhavebeenformed branchtothewest.101 its from water event: once a crevasse to channelmovement escapes (avulsion)following of leveeto thewestof Sais), a network a crevassein thebordering channelbed (through one and then channels into channelsdevelops,graduallycoalescing finally fewer,larger channel.The newchannelat Sais wouldhaveerodedthesplayof minorchannels dominant associatedwith thecrevasseand also someof theminorchannelsediment through running earlieravulsionstages.102 hill seemsto have provideda Sais the easternside of the sandy-silt At Prehistoric river branchin a newchannelto the With the Period. Neolithic the areaduring settlement fromthe westof thesandhill,theeasternslopeof thehillmayhavebeenmoreprotected After flood. the of area an river the of during dryhighground channel,providing flooding of the side on the east and basins in marshes watermayhavebeenheld the theinundation, river,in thearea of themodern'GreatPit', creatingshallowpondswherefishcould be had subsidedbutbeforethepoolsand basins caughtin thebrieftimeaftertheinundation marshmayhaveexistedintheareaof the'GreatPit'. ofwaterhaddriedup.A water-logged cameto thesandyhighgroundbecauseof a seasonal thattheearliestsettlers This suggests thewintermonthsuntil andlastingthroughout at theendof September anomalybeginning shallow,swampy earlyin the next year. Clarias (Nile catfish)prefersdeoxygenated, 98The transectscomprisedeep drillaugersmade by Environments, 50. The Nile branchesare meandering (i.e. team(lettersA-D and H), and movetheirposition)and so mayact in thismanner,with theMansouraUniversity shallowaugersmade by the Sais Projectand Egyptian themeandercuttingintoleveeson theoutsideof thebend and depositingfinesand as a point-bardepositon the coreB3. BuildingAuthority 99AndresandWunderlich, invanden Brink(ed.), The inside.The sedimentsaccreteupon the pointbar in an inclinedgradient. 163. Nile Delta in Transition, 102 Collinson, in Reading (ed.), Sedimentary 100 Collinson, in Reading (ed.), Sedimentary 49 and fig.3.17. 53. Environments, Environments, 101 Collinson, in Reading (ed.), Sedimentary

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2006

PREHISTORIC SETTLEMENT AT SAIS

107

I

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environmentssuch as those describedabove. In the Fayum103catfishwere caught in late springto earlysummerwhen the inundationwaterswere low,leavingthe fishstrandedin shallowpools, and betweenthe summerto autumn,when the inundationwaterswerehigh and the fishwere spawning.At both times they could have been most easily caught by spearing,nettingor by hand. By contrast,Synodontisis a deep waterfishwhich could be capturedin the riverfromboats by spearingor netting. During the Late Neolithic Period, the floodplainnear Sa el-Hagar could have been to theeast forthe cultivationof emmerwheatand flax.The marshierarea exploitedfurther would have supportedan abundance of grasses,weeds and reeds which could have been managedas pasturelandforpigs and cattle.Perhaps due to a spell of increasedariditythis specificlocationwas abandoned,leavingitto be deflatedin dryconditions.If habitationwas stillpossiblein the floodplainaround Sais, it mayhave movedto the south,wheretherewas a largesand hill at Qodaba and Basyun(fig.13) or to thenorthat Kom Rebwa (the Northern Enclosure,fig. 2) where therewas a furthersand hill.104A change in the flood regime, probablyduringthefourthmillennium,seemsto have had a double effect.Alluvialsediment 103D. Brewer,'A Model forResourceExploitationin drillaugersin the Kom Rebwaarea,but it has notbeen see,forexample,inWilson,TheSurveyof the Prehistoric Fayum',in Krzyzaniakand Kobusiewicz datedprecisely; core63, 187. core 127-37. Nile the 185; 73, Sais, Late Basin, of Prehistory (eds), 104Some Prehistoric potteryhas been collectedfrom

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PREHISTORIC SETTLEMENT AT SAIS

2006

Sa el-Hagar « tell |

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eithercaused coveredtheeasternsideof thesand-bar, perhapsdue to increasedfloodwater a secondchannelto theeastwhichdoubledtheamount byhigherfloodsorcomingthrough meantthattheareawasnot The channel andintensive new sediment. and ofwater flooding This processmayhave suitableforsustained duringtheinundation. settlement, particularly forover300years. continued sideof the' GreatPit' wasexposedandagainprovidedan Later,thelandon thewestern of theButo-Maadiculturepeople.Theymayhave adequatehighareafortheresettlement afield. areaorhavecomeinfrommuchfurther immediate within the distance a short moved on also recordsomedenselaterlayersof humansettlement, The drilltransects particularly theeasternside of the Sa el-Hagararea,betweenthe 'GreatPit' and theQodaba Canal. Therewas also a waterchannelin morerecenttimesto theeastof theQodaba Canal,now an oldernaturalchannelof thecontrolled no longerextant, irrigation perhapsrepresenting nineteenth the into was canalwhich systemof centuryperennialirrigation amalgamated The SaiteandPtolemaicPeriodlayerstothewestof the'GreatPit' and Northern Egypt.105 thehousesof theextendedwesternsectionof thevillageseemto havebeen underneath of material.If therewerea continuous foundeddirectly development uponthePredynastic hasbeenremoved is thatmostofthematerial thesitefromthatperiod,thelikelihood during into later was work and the Twenty-sixth building integrated Dynastyrestructuring Northern inside the Rebwa Kom such as of the areas Other Enclosure, may site, projects. 105Formapof nineteenth centuryperennialirrigation 1904),pl. xix. system,see W. Willcocks,The Nile in 1904 (London,

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110

PENELOPE WILSON

JEA92

FlG. 19. Reconstructionof ancientrivercourses,highsand and mud channelsrelativeto archaeologicalzones Mansoura University at Sa el-Hagar (afterEl-Shahat et al., Journalof Geologyand Geophysics, 32/1,fig.4).

morelikelytopreserve Kom Rebwais therefore theOld Kingdomandlatercity.106 represent Saite of destroyed has strata which 'Great than the a longstratigraphic Pit', only sequence to Buto-MaadiPerioddate.The areaof Neolithicthrough anda settlement Periodmaterial themodernvillageof Sa elzonewas fromthesouth,underneath extentof thePrehistoric revealedfortuitously has been and side of the'GreatPit', bythe Hagarto thenorth-west or dykebuildingin thelate excavationof soil fromthe Tit* foruse in land reclamation centuries.107 nineteenth andearlytwentieth 106Excavationsin Kom Rebwa have foundevidence Hagar containedOld Kingdompotterysherds(Wilson, forOld Kingdomand New Kingdommaterial(Wilson, JEA 90, 8). 107Wilson,TheSurveyof Sais, 147-8. JEA 87, 2-4; JEA 88, 3-6; 'Sais (Sa el-Hagar),2003-04', JEA 90 (2004), 2-6) and drillcoresto thesouthof Sa el-

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2006

PREHISTORIC SETTLEMENT AT SAIS

111

material The regionalcontextof theSais Prehistoric overa widerareaduringtheworkat Sais andalso theearlier Deeperdrillcoresundertaken workcarriedout by the GermanMission at Buto to some extenthelp to place the A wider Delta intoa regionalcontext. evidencefromthispartof thewestern archaeological of the impactof the environmental profileupon humanactivityin the understanding for Periodin thecentraland westernDelta mayprovidea different Prehistoric perspective In the Butoof a Lower towns or even of the existence Egyptiankingdom. understanding fedintotheBurulluslake MaadiPeriod(c. 3,500BC)theriverchannelsanditsdistributaries ormarshzonewitha mainbranchmouthnottoofarfromButoitself.Butomayhaveowed intheButo-MaadiPeriodand itsriseto powerin theEarlyDynasticPeriodto itsexistence marshesandthence ofthenorthern a baseforthenavigation as a port,providing itsfunction Mediterranean.108 Buto of the Eastern contactswiththesea routes was,likeSais, a multichannelsand the variable centredsite becauseof the numberof riverand distributary to have sharedexactlythe same not seem do two the but places floodplainnearby, Delta andAndresandalongthenorthern Drillaugersat ButobyWunderlich environments. the northern that the demonstrated have Institute Smithsonian the is, (that fringe by fringe in was and level contour areabelowthemodern1 m abovesea line) marshy the lagoonal Holoceneandthatthisgaverisetoa considerable layerof peatwhichwasfoundintheButo itis possiblethat fifth millennium.109 of the the to and dated drillcores Although beginning andthusprovidea usefuldatefor thepeatlayerat Sais maybe relatedto thisphenomenon someof thegeologicalevidence,theremayinsteadbe a localcause,suchas an oxbow-lake formedin a blockedriverbend,or a basinleftby theearlierriverchanneland filledwith waterwhichdidnotfullyescapeoverthecourseof theyear. The deepdrillsat Sais havealsoshownthattherewasa channeltotheeastof Sais,which wasmostlikelytohavebeena branchof theriverwhichexistedinoneformor anotherinto The channelhadno meansof pushing to Buto.110 thehistoric periodandflowednorthward of the existenceof a massivesand ridge. timesbecause to thewestin Prehistoric further but it appearsthatits tailextends Butzermappedthisridgein thecentralDelta plain,111 of east to the the area under lies and north further BasyunandShubraTana (fig.20). If this in thelandscape,itmayhaveservedto dividethe feature ridgewasat onetimea significant Delta into easternand westernparts,with consequencesfor human communication, Period.Modelsof settlement inthePrehistoric andculturalinfluence movement prediction aftertheeasternDelta survey112 established suggestthatthecentralsandhillshouldhave couldshowthepresenceof andthatdrillaugering beena primeareaforhumanhabitation nearenoughtothesurface inthearea.In someplacesthesandmaybe relatively settlements local development thattrialtrenching, may revealearlysites. projectsor fieldwalking dividein numbersof the between balance workmaybeginto redressthe Further east/west of LowerEgyptian thatButowas partof a network sitesand also beginto demonstrate Neolithic the of the While Delta. the settlements depositsat Sais and presence throughout is partlydue to chancebecauseof thenatureof thesite,theydo showthat theirexcavation sitescan be tracescan be foundof the existenceof Delta floodplainculture.If further in van 108Wilkinson, EarlyDynasticEgypt,342; R. J.Wenke 126; calibrateddates in Andresand Wunderlich, 161 fig.4 and D. J.Brewer,'The Archaic-OldKingdomDelta: the den Brink(ed.), The Nile Delta in Transition, EvidencefromMendesand Kom El-Hisn', in M. Bietak and 163. 110Formerriverdistributaries at werealso identified (ed.), Houseand Palace inAncientEgypt(Osterreichische extentof Akademie der WissenschaftenDenkschriftender Buto,of whichone mayhavebeenthenorthern in van den Brink(ed.), Gesamtakademie 14; Vienna,1996),270; andvonderWay the 'Saitic' branch:Wunderlich, of theNile Delta, 252 and 253 fig.2. 65) suggeststhatButo mayhave func- TheArchaeology (Untersuchungen, 111K. Butzer,Early HydraulicCivilizationin Egypt tionedas theportof tradeforSais in theEarlyDynastic (Chicago,1976),24 fig.4 and id. 'Delta', LA I, 1047-8. Period. 112Van den Brink,in Krzyzaniak,Kobusiewiczand 109W. Andresand J. Wunderlich,*Untersuchungen Change,279-304. zur Palaeogeographie des Westlichen Nildeltas im Alexander(eds), Environmental 100 (1986), Schriften Geographische Holczan',Marburger

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112

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of youngerand older river Fig. 20. Isopach contourmap of Holocene mud and sand, withreconstruction and GeophysicalStudies, 103, fig.6.13). channels,Sa el-Hagar area (afterLotfi Belal, Sedimentological

on the westand in the centreof the Delta in futuresurveying identified projects,then excavatedmaterialfromthemcouldbe used to beginto tackletheculturalquestionsstill of thenatureof thedevelopment Periodand helpto clarify forthePrehistoric outstanding Period. LowerEgyptianculturefromtheNeolithicto theChacolithic Conclusions materialfromExcavation3 at Sais and researchintoits The analysisof the Prehistoric had contextat a local and regionalscalesuggestthatclimaticconditions geoarchaeological of Periods Delta on the western sites located effects on settlement floodplain. profound Sais at detected Period as of the Neolithic at the end increased followedby flooding aridity and stratigraphic record,as thisareawas maynotbe visiblein theMerimdeenvironmental not have been affected and would above the bythechangeinflood physically floodplain high if thepeople It may,however, be visiblein thearchaeological record,particularly patterns. withorwerethesamepeopleas thosewhosettledoneven livinginMerimdewereconnected a seasonalbasisat siteslikeSais. Thereshouldbe evidenceforeitheran increasein activity

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Periodas peoplewereforcedto stayat the betweenthe Neolithicand Late Predynastic desertedge,or a decreaseas people foundit altogether impossibleto live there.In the seems to have led thehunter-gatherers whohad BC around increased 4,000 aridity Fayum, savannato becausetherewas notsufficient foragedthereto abandonthearea,presumably As a result or harvested.113 hunted animals wild the theymayhave grassesthey they support in of theconditions theNile valley. andtakenadvantage lifestyle adopteda moresedentary it mayhavebeenpossibleforpeopleto cultivatethewadi sidesat Withincreasedrainfall In thiswaytheir well as the as Merimde, edgesof thefloodplainusingbasinirrigation. thus betweendesertand floodplaincould haveceasedforseveralgenerations, movement the time the flood and climate record at Sais. in the the By archaeological creating gap theLowerEgyptian hadstabilised, Predynastic peopleshaddevelopeda Chacolithic systems Palestinian culturethat owed more to southernUpper Egyptianor north-eastern of those areas thebasic resources of the value connections. outweighed luxury Perhapsthe fishand grainsurplusesof thenorth.The volumeof westerntradinglinksmaynothave as thoseto theeasthad become.The impetusfortradecontactsbetween beenas attractive in and highflooding theculturesof UpperEgyptand theLevantandtheperiodof aridity to discernwhetherSouthernEgyptian thenorthmayhavecoincided,makingit difficult conditionsor socio-economic culturebecame dominantbecause of environmental The cultureinfluenceshiftmay have providedthe beginningof the developments.114 oftheNeolithic andmeantthatthepotential of UpperEgyptnorthward economicdiffusion of the floodsand the culturebase of the Delta was neverrealised.The variability to manage made it difficult northern on the settlements some of floodplain vulnerability on the western other settlements and Sais of Buto, linksuntilthefoundation perhaps trading beenused as riverbranches, perhapsby theMaadians.Some areas,whichhad previously and had been Delta western sites abandoned,now fringepeople by fishing temporary intoa largertrading settlement systems spaces,linkedbyriverine providedmorepermanent wouldhavebeenreplacedby communities The mobileindividual network. andprovisioning The and marshesmoreefficiently. thefloodplain a largersystemof organisation managing tradedand interacted who mayhave initially smallgroupsof hunter-gatherers relatively wereexpanding communities that the found have soon farmers 'new' withthe farming may frommuchfurther and populationand tradingin commodities bothin termsof territory afieldthanthedesertedge. As thematerialat Sais is, at present,nottoo deeplyburiedand is relatively accessible, workin the'GreatPit' and in theareaaroundthesitemaythrowlighton threekey further culture:thearrivalandnatureof theNeolithic Prehistoric in Egyptian periodsoftransition and in agriculture of domestication in thewesternDelta; the introduction communities the and the Neolithic end of the between to exist seems which hiatus the and animals; recovered of material amount the of oftheButo-Maadiphase.The analysis larger beginning fromExcavation8 willshowthepotentialof Sais to answersomeof thesequestionsat a Furtherexcavationwill be necessaryat the sitein orderto obtaina greater micro-level. so well,in of faunaland floraldatawhichis notpreserved statistical sample,particularly withtheNearEast. itsconnections orderto assessthewiderissuesconcerning

113 R. J. Wenke and D. J. Brewer, 'The Transition, 95-6) has cautionedagainstreadingtoo much coincidencesand neat generalisaNeolithic-PredynasticTransition in the Fayum intogeoarchaeological Depression',in FriedmanandAdams(eds), TheFollowers tions,but suggeststhatindividualplaces shouldbe consideredin the lightof multiplefactorsincludingtime, of Horus, 175-&4. 114Butzer(in van den Brink(ed.), The Nile Delta in ecology,socialand economicissues.

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Appendix:Potteryand object catalogue The cataloguecontainsthe main potterytypes,decoratedsherdsand objects fromExcavation3, the 'Great Pit'. It is intendedas a preliminarylist of the potterycorpus fromSais and an aid to dating thePrehistoricphases of theexcavation.The materialis keptin the SupremeCouncil forAntiquities officestoreat Sa el-Hagar.The catalogueis arrangedchronologically by contextas set out on p. 88ff. The labellingof each context'smaterialbegins at 1 and so is referredto in the main textby both but forsome contextsthereare contextand number.Most of the materialin thecatalogueis pottery, one or two objects.The lithics(flintand chertfragments)are dealtwithseparatelyat theend, so that theycan be compared easily,unmixed with the pottery.They have separate lithicnumbers(thus are chips and [3008] L.58) and only the most diagnosticare included. Most of the otherfragments from flint debitage working. The potteryis describedas: typeof sherd,potterytypeaccordingto the Friedmanand Adams classification system(Adams,Excavationsin theLocality6, 7-17), waretypespecifyinginclusionsand withwaretypeaccordingto thepotteryanalysis(tables 1-3), estimateddiameterof thevessel,colour descriptionwiththenearestcolourfromthe Munsell soil colourchartsand colourof thesherdbreak foran indicationof firingtemperature.Comparanda are cited when the potterytypeis particularly - forexample,bowls changerelativelylittleovertime,so are not as usefulforcomparison distinctive as decoratedbody sherdsor neckedjars and pointedbases. [3002] (fig. 21) Pottery 1. Bowl rim (lbl), straw-tempered Nile silt,with limestone(ware 1). Diameter: c. 20 cm. Colour: brown. to Break: reddish-yellow(SYR 6/6 6/8). lightbrown/pink/light 2. Large bowl or trayrim(If), untemperedNile silt,verysoftsurface(ware 2). Diameter:c. 40 cm. Colour: (o) lightbrown7.5YR 6/4,(i) red 2.5YR 5/6.Break:brown/pink/brown. 3. Bowl rim,slightexternallip (lg), straw-tempered Nile silt (ware 1). Diameter:c. 25 cm. Colour: brown. pale brown(10YR 7/4). Break:lightbrown/red brown/light 4. Bowl rim,everted(lg), straw-tempered Nile silt (ware 1). Diameter: c. 24 cm. Colour: (o) light brown(7.5YR 6/4),(i) red-brownto brown(7.5YR 6/6to 5/2).Break:brown/orange/brown at body, at rim. brown/black/brown 5. Bowl rim,everted(Ij2), straw-tempered Nile silt (ware 1), with limestone.Diameter: c. 16 cm. Colour: lightyellow-brown(10YR 6/4). Break:brown/red-brown/brown. 6. Bowl rim,everted(Ij2), straw-tempered Nile silt (ware 1), with limestone.Diameter: c. 24 cm. Possible tracesof red slip on upper partof rimand below ledge. Colour: lightyellow-brown(10YR 6/4). Break:brown/red-brown/brown. 7. Large trayrim(In), coarse straw-tempered Nile silt (ware 3). Diameter:c. 40 cm. Colour: (o) pale brown(10YR 7/3),(i) lightred (2.5YR 7/6). Break:brown/orange/black/orange/brown. 8. Closed jar rim(2c), straw-tempered Nile silt (ware 1). Diameter:c. 20 cm. Colour: (o) lightbrown (7.5YR 7/4),(i) reddish-brown(7.5YR 6/6). Break:brown/pink/brown. 9. Closed vessel rim (2d?), straw-tempered Nile silt (ware 1). Diameter: c. 7 cm. Colour: (o) light brown(7.5YR 6/4),(i) reddish-yellow(5YR 6/6). Break:brown/orange/brown. 10. Closed vessel rim(2d), straw-tempered Nile silt(ware 1). Diameter:c. 5 cm. Colour: lightbrown SYR Break: brown. (7. 6/4). lightbrown/dark brown/light 11. Closed jar rim(2d), straw-tempered Nile silt (ware 1). Diameter:5.5 cm. Colour: reddish-yellow Break: (5YR 7/6). brown/red/purple/red/brown.

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2006

PREHISTORIC SETTLEMENT AT SAIS

Fig. 21. [3002] potteryand object.

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Colour:grey(10YR Nile silt(ware2), witha fewbitsof limestone. 12. Flatbase (F2), untempered Break: black/brown/red/black. 5/1). Nile silt(ware1). Colour:lightbrown(7.SYR 6/4).Break: 13. Pointedbase (Pla), straw-tempered brown. lightbrown/red/light bands.Straw-tempered Nile silt of chevronsand horizontal 14. Sherdwithimpressed dot-design (ware1). Colour:(o) grey(10YR 5/1),(i) brown(10YR 5/3).Break:black/brown/grey/brown. Nilesilt(ware2). Colour: bands.Untempered 15. Sherdwithimpressed designof dotsinhorizontal throughout. lightbrown(7.5YR 6/4).Break:orange-brown Cf.vonderWay,ButoI, Taf. 39, 19-22(Level II and Ha). Object Nilesiltware,withvoidsup to4 mminthefabric. 16. Brick.Coarsestraw-andlimestone-tempered, in hardnessand The wareis medium/soft dimensions). Length:13.7cm,width:6.8 cm (maximum is eroded and The in colour(7.5YR 6/4to 6/6throughout). object worn, salt-damaged. red-orange [3003] (figs.22-3) Pottery Nile silt(ware 1). Diameter:c. 20 cm. Red polish on inside.Colour: 1. Bowl rim(lb), straw-tempered to to red-yellow grey(5YR 7/6 5/1).Break:orange/red/purple/red/brown. Nile silt (ware 1). Diameter: c. 20 cm. Colour: (o) lightyellow2. Bowl rim (lb), straw-tempered brown(10YR 6/4),(i) reddish-yellow (5YR 6/6). Break:brown/red/purple/red/brown. Nile silt (ware 1). Diameter: c. 26 cm. Colour: pink to reddish3. Bowl rim (lb), straw-tempered yellow(7.5YR 7/4to 5YR 6/8). Break:brown/orange/purple/black/purple/orange/brown. Cf. von der Way,Buto I, Taf. 21.5. Nile silt (ware 1). Diameter: c. 16 cm. Outside, wet-smoothed. 4. Bowl rim (lb), straw-tempered Colour: lightyellow-brown(10YR 6/4). Break:lightbrownthroughout. Nile silt (ware 3). Diameter:c. 40-50 cm. Colour: (o) light 5. Tray rim(1C), coarse straw-tempered olive-brown (2.5YR 5/4). Break:brown/black/purple/red. yellow-brown(10YR 6/4),(i) light Nile silt (ware 3). Diameter:c. 40-50 cm. Colour: 6. Tray rim,squared (ID), coarse straw-tempered brown (10YR 6/3). Break:brown/orange/brown. (5YR 6/6),(i) light (0) reddish-yellow Nile silt (ware 1). Diameter: c. 16 cm. Colour: lightred7. Lipped bowl rim (lg), straw-tempered brown(5YR 6/4). Break:brown/orange/brown. Nile silt (ware 1). Diameterc. 18-20 cm. Colour: pinkish8. Lipped bowl rim(lg), straw-tempered grey(7.5YR 7/2). Break:pink-grey/red/pink-grey. Nile silt (ware 1). Diameter: c. 18 cm. Colour: lightred9. Lipped bowl rim (lg), straw-tempered 10YR brownto lightyellow-brown(5YR 6/4to -red/brown. 6/4). Break:brown/orange Nile silt (ware 1). Diameter: c. 18 cm. Colour: light 10. Ledge-rimbowl rim (lj), straw-tempered Break: brown/red/brown. yellow-brown(10YR 6/4). Nile silt (ware 1). Diameter:c. 20 cm. Colour: red-brownto 11. Closed jar rim(2b), straw-tempered Break: to brown/orange/purple/orange/brown. yellow-red(5YR 5/3 5/6). Nile silt (ware 1). Diameter: c. 14 cm. Brown polish traces 12. Closed jar rim (2b), straw-tempered underrimon outside; inside smoothedat rim,otherwiseleftrough.Colour: (o) brown(7.5YR 5/4), (1) lightyellow-brown(10YR 6/4). Break:brown/orange/black/orange/brown. Cf. von der Way,Buto I, Taf. 5.7.

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2006

PREHISTORIC SETTLEMENT AT SAIS

Fig. 22. [3003] pottery.

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117

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Fig. 23. [3003] potteryand objects,[3004] pounder.

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JEA 92

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Diameter:c. 7.3 cm. Nilesilt(ware1),withbitsoflimestone. 13.Neckedjar rim(2c),straw-tempered Break: Colour:lightyellow-brown brown/red/black/red/brown. (10YR 6/4). Cf.vonderWay,ButoI, Taf. 1.4. Nilesilt(ware1),withbitsoflimestone. Diameter:c. 7.2 cm. 14.Neckedjar rim(2c),straw-tempered brown Break: Colour:(o) lightyellow-brown (7.5YR 6/4). brown/red/purple/ (10YR 6/4),(i) light red/brown. Cf.vonderWay,ButoI, Taf. 1.1. Nilesilt(ware2), fewpiecesofstraw.Diameter:c. 7 cm.Colour: 15. Neckedjar rim(2c),untempered (10YR 6/4).Break:orange/purple/orange. (5YR 5/3)(i) lightyellow-brown (o) red-brown Cf.vonderWay,ButoI, Taf. 1.5. Nile silt(ware1). Diameter:c. 7 cm.Possibletracesof red 16. Neckedjar rim(2c), straw-tempered (10YR 6/4).Break: (10YR 5/6),(i) lightyellow-brown slip on outside.Colour:(o) yellow-brown brown/red/brown. Cf.vonderWay,ButoI, Taf. 1.3. Nile silt(ware1). Diameter:c. 6 cm. Colour:red-yellow 17. Neckedjar rim(2c), straw-tempered (5YR 6/8).Break:orange. Cf.vonderWay,ButoI, Taf. 1.3. Nile silt(ware1). Diameter:c. 6 cm. Colour:red-yellow 18. Neckedjar rim(2c), straw-tempered (5YR 6/8).Break:orange/black/orange. Cf.vonderWay,ButoI, Taf. 1.6. Nile silt(ware1). Diameter:c. 9 cm. Colour:red-yellow 19. Necklessjar rim(2d), straw-tempered (5YR 6/6).Break:brown/orange/purple/orange/brown. Cf.vonderWay,ButoI, Taf.5.2. Nile silt(ware1). Diameter:6.2 cm. Colour:red-yellow 20. Necklessjar rim(2d), straw-tempered Break: orange/purple/orange. (5YR 6/8). Nile silt(ware2). Diameter:unknown.Black rim(closedjar?),untempered 21. Fine black-topped Colour: black on lower red at Upper (10YR 3/1).Break:brownthroughout. body. rim, polish polished import. Egyptian Nilesilt(ware1). Diameter:£.12cm.Tracesof brownpolishon 22. Flatbase(F2), straw-tempered outside.Colour:(o) lightbrown(7.5YR 5/4),(i) lightyellow-brown (10YR 6/4).Break:brown/red/ purple/black/purple/red/brown. Cf.vonderWay,ButoI, Taf. 34.4-5. Nilesilt(ware1). Colour:(o) lightbrown(7.5YR 6/4),(i) light 23. Pointedbase(P2), straw-tempered red(2.5YR 6/6).Break:orange/purple/orange. Cf.vonderWay,ButoI, Taf. 1.1. Nile silt(ware1). Colour:(o) red-yellow (5YR 6/8),(i) light 24. Pointedbase (P2), straw-tempered red(2.5YR 6/6).Break:orange/pink. Nilesilt(ware bands.Straw-tempered 25. Sherdwithimpressed designintwohorizontal (fingernail?) to brown to black 6/3).Break: (2.5YR Colour: yellow-brown (i) pale 2/1 6/3), (10YR pale (o) 1). black/brown/red/purple/orange. Cf.vonderWay,ButoI, Taf. 39, 19-22(Level II and Ha). bandjust belowrim. half-moon withimpressed 26. Rimof largebowlor tray, designin horizontal brown(7.5YR 4/2to Colour: straw. scattered of few with silt Nile (o) pieces (ware2), Untempered Break: brown/orange/pink/brown. 6/6). (7.5YR 5/4),(i) red-yellow Cf.vonderWay,ButoI, Taf.29, 2 and4 (Level II).

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120

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Objects 27. Model bull-horn.Nile silt,withscatteredchaff,red-orangein colour(2.5YR 5/6).Length:3.1 cm; width:1.1 cm. Cf. Eiwanger,MerimdeIII, 127-8, pls. 89-90, especiallyno. III. 168 and cf. IV.958-60 and IV.961-5; Eiwanger,MerimdeII, 97, pl. 47; nos. 11.936-8. [3004] (fig. 23) Pottery 1. Yellow quartzitepounder/grinder, withflattop and bottomedges and rounded,wornsides. One side was wornstraighter fromuse. Maximumdiameter:6 cm; height3.8 cm. [3008] (fig. 24) Pottery 1. Bowl rim(la), crucible,untemperedNile silt(ware 2). Diameter:c. 12 cm. Colour: (o) lightbrown brown. (7.5YR 6/4),(i) lightyellow-brown(2.5YR 6/4). Break: red/brown/light 2. Bowl rim (lb), untemperedNile silt (ware 2). Diameter: c. 20 cm. Red polish on inside and probablysmoothedpolish on outside.Colour: (o) lightred-brown(2.5YR 6/4),(i) red-brown(2.5YR 5/4).Break:brownthroughout. 3. Bowl rim (lbl), untemperedNile silt (ware 2). Diameter: c. 20 cm. Brown polish on inside and smoothedon outside. Colour: (o) pale brown(10YR 6/3),(i) pale-brownto red (10YR 6/3to 2.5YR 5/6). Break:brown/red/brown/red/purple/brown. 4. Large bowl rim(Ib3), untemperedNile silt (ware 2). Diameter:c. 30 cm. Brownand blackpolish on inside and outside.Colour: (o) blackened.Break:darkbrown/brown/medium brown. 5. Bowl rim(Ib3), untemperedNile silt(ware 2). Diameter:c. 20 cm. Probablyred polished.Colour: (o) lightred-brown(2.5YR 6/4),(i) red-brown(2.5YR 5/4). Break:red throughout. 6. Bowl rim (Ib3), untemperedNile silt (ware 2). Diameter: c. 20 cm. Brown polish on inside and smoothedon outside.Colour: lightyellow-brownto pale yellow(2.5Y 6/2to 7/3).Break:brown/redbrown/brown. 7. Bowl rim (Ib3), untemperedNile silt (ware 2). Diameter: c. 24 cm. Brown polish on both sides. Colour: (o) lightbrown-greyto darkgrey(10YR 6/2to 4/1),(i) lightbrown-grey(10YR 6/2).Break: brown/black/brown. 8. Bowl rim(Ib3), untemperedNile silt(ware 2). Diameter:c. 24 cm. Polishedon bothsides. Colour: (o) red-brown(2.5YR 5/3), (i) red-brown(2.5YR 5/4). Break: light brown/red/brown/red/light brown. 9. Large bowl rim(Ib3), untemperedNile silt (ware 2). Diameter:c. 30 cm. Polished on both sides. Colour: (o) pink-greyto lightbrown(7.5YR 6/2to 6/4),(i) greyto darkgrey(10YR 5/1to 4/1).Break: brown/black. Probablyfroma black-toppedbowl. 10. Bowl rim(Ib6), untemperedNile silt(ware 2). Diameter:c. 16 cm. Polish (?) on bothsides mostly lost. Colour: (o) pale brown(10YR 6/3),(i) darkgrey-brown(10YR 4/2). Break:brownthroughout. 11. Closed vessel rim (2al), untemperedNile silt (ware 2). Diameter: c. 18 cm. Brown polish on outside,smoothedinside. Colour: lightyellow-brown(10YR 6/4). Break:lightbrownthroughout. 12. Closed vessel rim (2al), untemperedNile silt (ware 2). Diameter: c. 20 cm. Brown polish on outside lost, smoothed inside. Colour: light yellow-brown(10YR 6/4). Break: light brown/dark brown. brown/light

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121

PREHISTORIC SETTLEMENT AT SAIS

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Fig. 24. [3008] pottery.

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20 cm

122

PENELOPE WILSON

JEA 92

13. Closedvesselrim(2al), untempered Nilesilt(ware2). Diameter:c. 24 cm.Redpolishonoutside, insideleftunsmoothed. Colour:(o) lightolive-brown to darkgrey(2.5YR 5/6to4/1),(i) palebrown Break: (10YR 7/3). brown/black/red. ware22). 14. Incurvedrim(2a), untempered Nile silt(ware2, butperhapscloserto Hierakonpolis Diameter:unknown. Red polishedoutsideandinsideof rim.Colour:red(2.SYR 4/6).Break:brown throughout. ware22). 15. Bowl rim(2a), untempered Nile silt (ware2, but perhapscloserto Hierakonpolis Diameter:unknown. Redpolishedoutsideandinside.Colour:(polish)red-brown (2.5YR4/4).Break: brownthroughout. [3015] (figs.25-6) Pottery 1. Verylargebowlrim(Al), untempered Nilesilt(ware2). Diameter:c,50 cm.Colour:(o) red-yellow to brown. (5YR 6/6),(i) lightyellow-brown (10YR 6/4).Break:red-brown 2. Largebowlrim(Ib3), untempered Nilesilt(ware2). Diameter:c. 35+ cm.Colour:(o) grey-brown (10YR 5/2),(i) palebrown(10YR 6/3).Break:brownthroughout. 3. Largebowlrim(Ib3), untempered Nile silt(ware2). Diameter:c, 25+ cm. Colour:(o) yellowbrown(10YR 5/6),(i) red(2.5YR 5/8)andgrey(10YR 5/1).Break:nearrim:brown/red-brown/red; nearbase:brown/red-brown/red. 4. Bowlrim(Ib3), untempered Nilesilt(ware2). Diameter:c. 25 cm.Colour:(o) weakred(10R 5/4), brown to (i) light (10YR 6/2 6/3).Break:nearrim:brown/red-brown/brown. 5. Bowl rim(Ib3), untempered Nile silt(ware2). Diameter:c. 16 cm. Red polishon outsideand inside.Colour: (polish) red (10R 4/6); (polish lost) pale red (10YR 6/4). Break:brown/dark brown/brown. 6. Bowlrim(Ib3), untempered Nilesilt(ware2). Diameter:c. 26 cm.Smoothedsurfaces, polishlost. Colour:grey-brown (10YR 5/2).Break:grey-brown/red-brown/grey-brown. 7. Bowlrim(Ib3), untempered Nilesilt(ware2). Diameter:c. 25 cm.Smoothedsurfaces, polishlost. Colour:(o) yellow-brown near rim: brown to Break: (10YR 5/4),(i) light brown/red(10YR 6/2 6/3). brown/brown. 8. Bowlrim(Ib3), untempered Nile silt(ware2), veryfine.Diameter:unknown. Saltdamaged. 9. Bowlrim,withkeel,untempered Nile silt(ware2). Diameter:c. 14 cm. Outsidedecoration with concentric bandsappliedbyhandand smoothed. Colour:(o) lightgrey(10YR 7/2),(i) lightyellowbrown(10YR 6/4).Break:lightbrown/black/light brown. 10. Largejar rim,untempered Nile silt(ware2), fewsmallpiecesstrawand limestone. Diameter:c. 36 cm. Polishon outsidemostlylost.Colour:(o) red(2.5YR 5/6),(i) red-brown (5YR 5/3).Break: . red/brown/red-brown Object 11. Redquartzite withwhitebandrunning it. Two roundededgesandtwo pounder/grinder, through 6.7 cm;height2.8 cm. straight edges,possiblywornfromuse. Maximumdiameter: [3016] (fig.26) Pottery 1. Bowlrim(lb), untempered Nile silt(ware2), fewscattered strawpieces.Diameter:c. 16 cm.Red polishedinside.Colour:(o) pale brown(10YR 6/3),(i) lightred-brown (5YR 6/4).Break:brown throughout.

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123

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Fig. 25. [3015] pottery.

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7)

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PENELOPE WILSON

Fig. 26. [3015] pounder,[3016] pottery.

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JEA 92

2006

PREHISTORIC SETTLEMENT AT SAIS

Fig. 27. Lithics fromcontexts[3001], [3002], [3003] and [3008].

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125

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126

JEA 92

strawpieces.Diameter:c. 24 cm. Nile silt(ware2), a fewscattered 2. Bowlrim(lb), untempered brown lost. Colour: Smoothedsurfaces, (10YR 6/3).Break:brownthroughout. pale polishprobably strawpieces.Diameter:c. 25 cm. Nile silt(ware2), a fewscattered 3. Bowlrim(lbl), untempered Remainsof blackpolishon outside,insidesmoothed.Colour:(o) darkgrey(10YR 4/1),(i) light brown(10YR 6/3).Break:grey-brown throughout. Nile silt(ware2). Diameter:c. 12 cm. Surfacessmoothed, 4. Bowl rim(lbl), untempered polish lost.Colour:(o) red-yellow (5YR 5/4).Break:brown/black/brown. (5YR 6/6),(i) red-brown probably strawpieces. Nile silt(ware2), a fewscattered 5. Bowlrim(Ib3), withholebelowrim,untempered Diameter:c. 25 cm.Brownpolishedinside,outsideleftroughandwiped.Hole drilledafterfiring (as (10YR 6/4),(i) pale brown(10YR 6/3).Break:brown/greyrepair?).Colour:(o) lightyellow-brown brown/brown. Nile silt (ware 2). Diameter:c. 25 cm. Brownpolishedinside, 6. Bowl rim(Ib3), untempered smoothedoutside.Colour: (o) pale brown(10YR 6/3), (i) brown(7.5YR 4/2). Break: dark brown. brown/brown/dark Nilesilt(ware2), saltdamaged. decoration. 7. Sherdfrombowl,withincisedfish-bone Untempered Break: red-brown Colour:(o) red-brown throughout. (5YR 5/4). red-purple (5YR 5/3),(i)

Lithics(fig.27) darkbrownstone;lessthan1 g. Microbladefragment; [3001]L.I Settlement Cf. I. Rizkanaand J.Seeher,Maadi, II. TheLithicIndustries (Mainz, of thePredynastic 1988),bladespl. 24.1-5and 13-15;microbladespl. 33. brownstone,withblacktintat top;8 g. Bladetoolfragment, retouched; [3002]L.47 bladeandshowedsignsof wear. wasmadefroman irregular The bladefragment 1. Bericht', Cf.RizkanaandSeeher,Maadi II, bladespl. 25.4-6;T. vonderWay,'Tell el Farain-Buto Taf. 26-30. Abb. MDAIK 42 (1986), 6.17, less use wearon bothsides;lightbrownstone,translucent; Microbladefragment, [3002]L.48 than1 g. Cf.Rizkanaand Seeher,Maadi II, bladespl. 24.1-5and 13-15;microbladespl. 33. stonewithbanding;15 g. bladetool;red-grey Irregular [3003]L.49 frompebbleof flintwithflaws.Crushedareason ventralside. Manufactured Cf.Rizkanaand Seeher,Maadi II, pl. 25.1-6. wearon blade;brownstone,with bladetooland also used as a perforator, Primary [3003]L.50 whitecortex;6g. Cf.Rizkanaand Seeher,Maadi II. pl. 23.15. bladetool,use wearon dorsalside;brownstone,withwhitecortex;6 g. Primary [3003]L.51 Cf.Rizkanaand Seeher,Maadi II, pl. 23.15. greystone(burnt);5 g. Regularbladefragment; [3003]L.53 Cf.vonderWay,MDAIK 45, Abb.14.7(Level III). burntorworn;greytolightbrownstone. ofa bifacialsickleblade,possibly [3008]L. 55 Fragment 73.1-8. Maadi and Rizkana Cf. II, pl. Seeher, cortexgrey. burntflint, on flake;blackandgrey, End scraperwithretouch [3008]L.57 Cf. Rizkanaand Seeher,Maadi II, pls. 37 and 38.8; discussionof thistypein T. Hikade,'Some andEarlyBronzeAge FlintScrapersin Egypt ', MDAIK 60 (2004),5-68. Thoughtson Chalcolithic [3008]L.58

whitecortexwithredveins. brownflint, Microbladefragment;

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