Return to Minufiyeh

Egypt Explorati0n Society

The Society's expedition to Minufiyeh Governorate in the Nile Delta, direct by Dr Joanne Rowland of the Free University, Berlin, will be resuming work next week, with a survey at the desert-fringe site of Khatabtah. This area was first briefly visited by members of the Minufiyeh Archaeological Survey in 2008 with a follow-up reconnaissance survey in 2009, which established the location of many findspots – including apparently undisturbed areas – with lithic assemblages ranging in date from the Palaeolithic to, possibly, as late as the Old Kingdom. The fieldwork planned for summer 2011 will begin a systemic survey, including recording the location of, and full collection and analysis of the total content of selected grid squares in findspots located during the 2009 season. Rebecca Phillipps of Auckland University, New Zealand, will lead the survey, having established a successful methodology in Australia which has already been applied to prehistoric sites of the Fayum, and having worked on the prehistoric lithics with Penny Wilson for the EES/University of Durham mission at Sais.

The season will also include a GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar) survey at Quesna, by Dr Kris Strutt of Southampton University.