名古屋大学/古代エジプトの情報伝達に関する調査アーカイヴ

Published for
PRELIMINARY REPORTAKORIS
2005
Edited by
Kawanishi, Hiroyuki
Tsujimura, Sumiyo
Doctoral Program in History and Anthropology, University of Tsukuba
305–8571, 1–1–1 Tenno-dai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
Printed by NAKANISHI PRINTING CO., LTD. Japan
Copyright ©2006 by KAWANISHI, Hiroyuki

CONTENTS
1 GENERAL VIEW.................................................................................................................Kawanishi, H.
2 ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONSSouth Area..........................................................................................................Hanasaka, T.
Relief Fragment...................................................................................................... Uchida, S.
Finds from the South Area................................................................................Hanasaka, T.
West Area...........................................................................................................Tsujimura, S.
Finds from the West Area.................................................................................Tsujimura, S.
3 QUARRY
Architectural Survey on the Quarry Faces in Zawiet Sultan..................................... Hori, Y.
Greek and Demotic Graffiti from Quarry............ Suto, Y., Uchida, S. and Takahashi, R.
2

名古屋大学/古代エジプトの情報伝達に関する調査アーカイヴ

1 GENERAL VIEW
The site of Akoris has historical significance in that both of burial grounds and industrial quarried
areas beside a settlement can be ascertained. Considering that our aim is to re-examine ancient Egypt
from the viewpoint of a local society, these three subjects, burial grounds, quarries and the city itself,from which immediate information with respect to the formation and function of the city can beextracted, have been the constant target of our investigation. In 2005 the south edge of the city areaon the slope of a crag, the graveyard on its west rock shelf and a southward large-scale quarry some
12km away in addition to the nearby quarries were investigated in these last three seasons (Figs. 1–3).
The south edge of the city area has already been proven to have started as a military post suchas a fort and consequently developed as a manufacturing area occupied by workshops andwarehouses. A leather workshop could be confirmed and the manufacture of woolen textile andcopper alloy products were suggested by relics uncovered in 2002–2004 seasons. Moreover, in 2005
clay moulds for casting flower-shaped beads and glass beads coiled around a copper wire weredetected. These remains testify to the existence of a glass/faience manufacture. All of these above
remains date from the Third Intermediate Period (TIP).
Pottery, except for a small quantity of objects from the Ptolemaic to the Coptic Periods
excavated from the upper layers, belongs to the TIP. Phoenician-type amphorae were included inFig. 1 Map of Egypt.

Fig. 2 Sites and villages near Akoris.
3

名古屋大学/古代エジプトの情報伝達に関する調査アーカイヴ

imported pottery. Adding the past seasons’ examples and a Black-on-Red pottery of CyproPhoenician type found at the north edge of the city area in 2001, the pottery originating in theeast Mediterranean was found to be not so scarce. Judging that the same type amphorae were
unearthed at the site of Elephantine and other places, the early Phoenician trading activities seem tohave covered Egypt and also reached the local cities such as Akoris before the Greek colonization
flourished in the Late Period. It is assumed that the Pharaonic monopoly system of manufacture
and trade broke down and their popularization advanced in the TIP.
Five graves, 2 women, 1 infant and 2 unidentified, were unearthed in this south edge. The
total number of graves uncovered here reaches 12. Nine were confirmed as to their age/sex andwere 4 women and 5 infants. While burial space lies around this area and many graves wereactually made, just why women and infants were chosen and buried in the midst of such military or
manufacturing area remains a question.

(Kawanishi)

2 ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONSouth Area (Cover; Figs. 3–6)   Before going
into description of the excavated area, we must
inform that our chronology indicated in previous reports should be altered. Previously, thedate of the excavated structures in the trench
was tentatively thought to belong to the latter
half of the Late Period. However, further studyof pottery and other material finds suggeststhat the TIP - the Late Period (10th–7th centurybce) is more likely.

In 2002–2004, the excavation trench waslaid measuring maximum 80.0m in length
north-south on the slope and 19.0m in width
east-west of the South Area at the base of thecrag. The trench was divided into ten 8.0mgrids, labeled A–J from top to down. We haveexcavated 19.0m in width east-west in Areas A–F, 8.0m in width east-west in Areas G–J.
In 2005, we not only continued investigating the lower strata in Areas B and C which
had been unidentified before, but also extended
the trench 15.0–18.0m in Areas A–D further tothe west of the already existing trench.
In order to distinguish the newly investigated area from the uncovered area, a new­labeling system, putting a number before thealphabetical areas, was introduced from thisFig. 3 Map of Akoris.

season: for example, ‘Area B’ of previous sea-

4

名古屋大学/古代エジプトの情報伝達に関する調査アーカイヴ

Fig. 4 South Area.
Upper left: Area B, view from the east.
Upper right: Down view from Area 05A.
Upper middle left: Areas 05B and 05C, view fromthe east.
Upper middle right: Upper view from Area C.
Lower middle left: Areas 05C and 05D from theeast.
Lower middle right: Upper view from Area E.
Lower left: Areas C and D, view from the west.

5

名古屋大学/古代エジプトの情報伝達に関する調査アーカイヴ

Fig. 5 Plan of the South Area, excavated in 2005.
6名古屋大学/古代エジプトの情報伝達に関する調査アーカイヴ

Fig. 6 Upper: Tomb 1; Upper middle: Area 04C;
Lower middle: Tomb 4; Lower: Stamps found in
Area 05D.
7

名古屋大学/古代エジプトの情報伝達に関する調査アーカイヴ

sons was re-labeled as ‘Area 04B’, and a new label ‘Area 05B’ was applied for the newly investigatedarea in 2005.
In Area 04B, an eastern wall and a part of southern wall, which formed the outer corner wallsof a huge building (Building A), were found, although Coptic walls on the Building A had prevented
us from further investigation. In the 2005 season, we kept the Coptic walls untouch and excavatedonly the interior soil of the Building A. Within this area, we newly found four remnants of mud
brick structures. The description of each structure is as follows.
The first structure was built directly on the slightly inclined bedrock. It was composed of twowalls, measuring 2.5m east-west and 2.4m north-south, and the thickness of the two walls is almost
0.40m. The east-west wall was connected to the western end of the outer wall of the Building A, andthey were constructed with mud bricks of almost the same size, 36–38 × 15–17 × 7–8cm. Judging
from this observation, this structure is probably one of the rooms of the Building A which date fromTIP.
The second structure is a single east-west wall measuring 7.9m in length at the north side of thesouthern wall of the Building A. Those two walls are running parallel. The size of mud bricks is 40–42 × 19–20 × 6–7cm. The east-west wall was set directly on the bedrock and should be older thanthe Building A.
The third structure dating from the Coptic Period is composed of the U-shaped three walls,
one of which is measuring 6.5m east-west in length and the other two are 2.0m north-south. The
size of the mud bricks is 28–30 × 14–15 × 9–10 cm, the general size of which suggests a date, theend of 4th century to the first half of the 5th century a.d..
The last structure situated below the bedrock eaves in Area 04B must have been a burial place(Tomb 1). It is surrounded by unformed mud brick walls measuring 0.7m in width and 1.5m in
length (Fig. 6). However, we could find neither skeletal remains nor funerary gifts.
Two wooden coffins were found in the 2004 season, preventing us from digging the lower strata
in Area 04C. In the 2005 season, we excavated further down.
In Area 04C, the right-angled southeastern corner of the W2 wall which consisted of theComplex Wall had been excavated in previous seasons. In the 2005 season, we found ‘the extended
wall’ of the W2 wall continuing toward northwest. The total length of ‘the extended wall’ is 7.1m
and the height is about 0.6–0.7m. The size of mud bricks is 37–40 × 17–19 × 6–7cm. There is an
entrance with limestone steps cut through ‘the extended wall’. And a partition wall was runningsouthward from the middle of ‘the extended wall’, the inside of which was plastered with whitegypsum. It is supposed that the W2 wall was reconstructed and extended toward northwest,
judging from their differences of the direction and the foundation height.
At the northern side of ‘the extended wall’, there is a semi-circular mud brick structure
constructed directly on the bedrock (Fig. 6). This semi-circular structure measures 2.3m in diameterwith a thin wall, which is 0.1m in thickness. The inside of the structure was burned up and heaped
up by ash, charcoal and mud bricks, which changed the color of these bricks to reddish-black by fire.
It could be an oven for unknown purpose.
In the newly investigated area in the 2005 season, two structures were excavated of which sizeand features could be estimated.
One of them is a part of a structure formerly reported as ‘R2’ excavated in Area 05C, andmeasures about 7.0 × 3.0m square, at the western side of the Complex Wall. Though the room was
8

名古屋大学/古代エジプトの情報伝達に関する調査アーカイヴ

enclosed by mud brick walls on the two sides (eastern and western sides), the other two sides were
blocked naturally by the bedrock. An entrance was cut through the western wall and a limestone
door pivot still remains. There is a hearth, an irregular circle surrounded by mud bricks, measuring
1.1m in diameter at the southern end of the structure. In the debris, grains were heaped up andthere were a wooden stick and a rope of vegetable fiber for hitching domestic animals. In addition,
there was a manger surrounded by mud bricks and stones. These remains suggest that thisstructure was used for a shed for domestic animals. One of the stones of the manger is a reused
funerary or votive limestone relief of the New Kingdom (Fig. 7). The detail of the relief is described
below.
Another was a 3.5m squared structure which was built after a huge east-west wall (EW Wall)had been demolished. This structure is enclosed by remaining walls and a newly built northernwall. The natural bedrocks was used as the floor and paved with hardened earth, and the entrance
was cut through the EW Wall with a limestone step.
In the 2005 season, we excavated five tombs, namely Tombs 1–5. Tomb 1 has already been
mentioned above. Tomb 2 is in Area 05B, a fragment of a badly damaged wooden coffin; asideboard plastered by white gypsum was the only remains. It measures about 0.5m in length andabout 0.3m in width. We could not find any skeletal remains or funerary gifts.
In Area 05C, there is a Tomb 3 laid directly on the bedrock. We found the side and bottom of awooden coffin, measuring 2.02m in length and 0.50m in maximum width. The original coffin wasprobably anthropoid. The axis of the coffin pointed east-west. The remnants of rope were foundfrom the underneath and on the side of the coffin. The coffin must have been originally bound witha rope horizontally, similar to the anthropoid and rectangular coffins excavated in the 2004 season.
The coffin contained clothes and skeletal remains of an adult of unidentified sex, about 35–40 years
old, according to Ms. Tsujimura. There are some glass, faience and cowrie beads, and an earthen
cobra figurine scattered around the coffin, however, there is no conclusive proof that those objects
were buried together as funerary gifts.
There is a north-south wall in Area 05D, measuring 8.5m in length, touched and crossed the
EW Wall at a right angle. The half-oval mud brick structure, measuring 3.2m at the longest pointand 2.0m in width, was jointed to the eastern side of the wall. Tomb 4 was excavated under theharden floor of the half-oval mud brick structure (Fig. 6). We found an anthropoid wooden coffin
from this tomb, measuring 1.91m in length, 0.51m in width and 0.41 m in maximum height, headpointing northwards. The outer face of the coffin was plastered and painted. The ground color ofpainting was whitish-yellow, although the part of the wig was coated by black. However, there is no
decoration on the sides of the coffin, and the rid is totally destroyed. The coffin contained theskeletal remains of a female of early thirties, originally covered with a cloth, only fragments of which
remain. There are some glass, faience and cowrie beads, and a faience scarab scattered around thecoffin, however, there is no conclusive proof that those objects were buried together as funerary
gifts. The coffin is similar to the anthropoid coffin investigated last season and it would be suggested
that the coffin dates from the 21st or the 22nd Dynasty. The details of the dating were discussed by
Mr. Uchida in the last season’s report.
Tomb 5 was found in Area 05D, at the south-western side of Tomb 4. The outline of the tomb
was lined with mud bricks, and only parts of the wooden side and bottom boards were found.
There are skeletal remains of an old aged female.
9

名古屋大学/古代エジプトの情報伝達に関する調査アーカイヴ

There is a circular or round-cornered rectangular mud brick structure situated at the opposite
side to the half-oval mud brick structure, in which Tomb 4 was discovered. The structure measures
2.9m in length east-west, 1.5m in north-south and about 0.9m in maximum height. There areunidentified eight stamps on the lower part of the western wall, three larger and five smaller (Fig. 6).
The edges of large stamps were shaped one side round, and forked on the other side. The stamps
measures 9.0cm in length and 4.5cm in width. The smaller ones are 5.0cm in length and 3.0cm inwidth, with one end curved rectangular and another end forked. Although each stamp has straight
and wavy lines and triangular motifs, no hieroglyphic character was identified.
The observation of mud brick layout suggests that the South Area experienced some phases ofrebuilding activities. First, small houses or buildings were sparsely built on the slope. Then, in thenext phase, the EW Wall was constructed, and building plans were affected by the direction of thisEW Wall. The Complex Wall was also built in addition to the EW wall, standardizing the directionof houses parallel to these walls.
Of course, the natural topography seems to have played an important role in arranging all
walls and houses. Even the major EW Wall and the Complex Wall run parallel to the two different
levels of the bedrock. A fissure running diagonally from the top of the crag down toward thebottom of the South Area was also recognized. On this account, the plans of some structures in Areas
B and C are trapezoidal.

(Hanasaka)

Relief fragment (Figs. 7, 8)   This relief fragment, reused for a side of a manger in Area 05C,
is the lower left part of a stela. No trace of colour is discernible. The original stela was probably around-topped or a pyramidal-topped one common in the New Kingdom, and its missing upper part
must have been a scene of adoration for a deity by the stela owner.
The remaining relief shows three male figures facing left in adoration, who are probably thefamily members of the stela owner. Their names and titles, originally inscribed above their heads,
are now lost. The first and leftmost figure carries a bundle of plants in his left hand, raising his
right hand in adoration. He wears a wig, a collar, and a short kilt. The other two figures to theright also make gestures of adoration raising their both hands. Each of them wears a military dress
with a triangular front piece, which is common in the New Kingdom. The middle figure wears a
wig somewhat longer than the one of the first man. The head of the rightmost figure is lost.

Fig. 7 Left: Exposed relief fragment, shown by the arrow. Right: Relief fragment.
10

名古屋大学/古代エジプトの情報伝達に関する調査アーカイヴ

To the left of these figures, the lower part of two columns of an adorationtext is preserved (Fig. 8). Its transcription and translation are as follows, withrestorations indicated by square brackets.
Column 1: [rdı’t ı’3w n ’Imn-Rc] sn-t3 n rn.f dı’.f
Column 2: [ cnh wd3 snb spd-hr] hswt mrwt n k3 n S[bk-] ///˙ ˙
˘ ‾[Giving adoration to Amun-Re], kissing the earth for his name1, that he may give[life, prosperity, health, discernment], praise and favor2 for the ka of So[bek-] ///3
Notes:
1. The phrase ‘kissing the earth for’ (sn-t3 n) some deity or its attribute iscommonly preceded by the ‘giving adoration to’ (rdı’t ı’3w n) some deity in

Fig. 8 Inscription
with restorations.

the New Kingdom texts. The name of a deity in the latter phrase here is almost lost except a
vertical stroke at the end, most probably a part of the name of Amun-Re. Although the firstphrase could be the ‘adoration to’ (ı’3w n) some deity, the assumed missing space seems to be toolarge for this alternative. The phrase ‘kissing the earth for his name’ (sn-t3 n rn.f) is attested
following the ‘giving adoration’ phrase in several Ramesside texts. See K. A. Kitchen, Ramesside
Inscriptions: Historical and Biographical. Oxford 1975–1990, Vol. VI, p. 213, ll. 10–11; p. 275, ll. 11–12, Vol. VII, p. 212, ll. 9–12. The peculiar writing of ‘kissing the earth’ (sn-t3) in our text is also
attested in some Ramesside texts. See Kitchen, ibid., Vol. III., p. 106, l. 15; p. 108, l. 3, Vol. IV,
p. 97, l.9; p. 287, l. 13, Vol. VI, p. 284, l. 2.
2. The formula ‘that he may give life, prosperity, health, discernment, praise and favor ‘(dı’.f cnh wd3
˘ ‾
snb spd-hr hswt mrwt) is common in the New Kingdom texts. See Barta, W., Aufbau und Bedeutung˙ ˙
der altägyptischen Opferformel. Glückstadt 1968, pp. 122, 150, 167 (Bitte 122a).
3. The name of the stela owner is almost lost except a part of the first letter, a s sign. The second
letter to the right is lost, but its flat and narrow top is barely discernible, separated from the first
letter by a space. This second letter could be b, and the first element of the name could berestored as ‘So[bek-]’ (S[bk-]).
Certain features of the figures, e.g. slender limbs and a characteristic military dress, and somefeatures of the text noted above, indicate that this relief dates from the Ramesside Period. (Uchida)
Finds from the South Area (Fig. 9)

Pottery (Nos. 1–3, 12–14) No. 1: Ledge-rimmed jar witha single handle, Area 05B (Tomb 1), h. 20.5 × d. 12.6cm. No. 2: Round bottomed bowl with a light
red slip applied to exterior and interior of the rim, Area 04C, h. 6.3 × d. 12.1cm. No. 3: Roundbottomed shallow bowl with a light red slip applied to interior of the rim, Area 05C, h. 7.1 ×
d. 12.0cm. No. 12: Pottery sherd, probably a pottery lid with a small rectangular stamp
representing a cobra and a bird (vulture or falcon) with a scepter, Area 04C, l. 7.0 × w. 5.7cm, thesize of stamp is 1.06 × 0.98cm square. No. 13: Pottery sherd, an imported pottery handle carved
with a design of plant and applied orangish-red and dark brown slip to exterior, Area 05C,
l. 5.64 × w. 3.43cm. No. 14: Pottery sherd, an imported pottery sherd with black and red geometricpattern, Area 05C, l. 3.83 × w. 3.84cm.
Glass Objects (Nos. 4, 25, 32)  No. 4: Glass vessel of light emerald green, made not by core11

名古屋大学/古代エジプトの情報伝達に関する調査アーカイヴ

Fig. 9 Finds from the South Area.

technique, possibly by modeling, Area 05D, h. 7.6 × d. 6.1cm, thickness of glass is about 0.75cm.
No. 25: Bracelet, with various colored beads, 6 glasses, 1 faience and 1 bone, Area 05B, aboutl. 10.0cm. No. 32: Glass ornament, a half part of ear stud of dark blue glass, Area 04B,
l. 1.52 × w. 1.55cm, d. of a hole is 0.31cm.
Earthen Objects (Nos. 5–11)  Nos. 5–8: Unfired clay porous molds for glass/faience flowershaped beads, Area 05C, l. 16.8 × w. 9.5 × t. 5.6 (Nos. 5, 6), l. 13.4 × w. 5.8 × t. 4.8cm (Nos. 7, 8).
The average size of each hole is d.1.1 × depth 0.5–0.7cm. No. 9: Cobra figurine, Area 05B, h. 12.2
× w. 5.0cm. There are 37 cobra figurines of similar size and shape found from the South Area.
No. 10: Human figurine with a navel-like projection (‘button’), Area05D, h. 8.08 × w. 4.53cm.
There are 9 figurines of this type found from the South Area in this season. No. 11: Hand molded
human or animal figurine, Area 05C, l. 6.5 × w. 5.0cm.
Stone Objects (Nos. 15–17)  No. 15: Flint blade for a wooden sickle covered by gypsum,
Area 04B, l. 6.28 × w. 4.34 × t. 1.40cm. No. 16: Flint blade, Area 05B, l. 7.44 × w. 1.71cm. No. 17:
Unfinished limestone votive relief with htp and dı’-sign, Area 05D, h. 11.0 × w. 14.5cm.
˙
Wooden Objects (Nos. 18–20)  No. 18: Wooden toggle-shaped piece with a long string about
17cm in length, Area 04C, l. 7.42cm × d. 2.80cm. No. 19: Fragment of wooden headrest, with twoholes, Area 04C, l. 13.1 × w. 2.5 × t. 1.1cm. No. 20: Bird-shaped figurine with two holes at thebottom, attendant on some product, Area 04C, l. 7.2 × h. 4.0cm.
12名古屋大学/古代エジプトの情報伝達に関する調査アーカイヴ

Metal Objects (Nos. 21–24)  No. 21: Iron nail, Area 04B, l. 5.15cm. No. 22: Bronze small
tool, possibly a knife with bending end, Area 05B, l. 6.02 × w. 0.81 × t. 0.06cm. No. 23: Bronze
pin, made by bending a bronze foil, Area 04B, l. 9.68 × d. 0.6cm. No. 24: Bronze knitting needle,
Area 05C, l. 15.3 × d. 0.32cm.
Amulets (Nos. 26–31, 33–35)  No. 26: Faience human/god figurine, Area 04C, l. 1.61 ×
w. 0.98cm. No. 27: Upper part of faience Hathor figurine with papyrus stick, dark blue, Area 05C,
l. 1.77 × w. 0.86 × t. 0.52cm. No. 28: Amulet, a stone plate, carved with an altered shape of mn-sign,
Area 04B, l. 1.60 × w. 1.37 × t. 0.44cm. No. 29: Faience Udjat-eye with two uraeri, turquoise blue,
Area 05B, l. 0.97 × w. 0.69 × t. 0.29cm. No. 30: Fragment of faience ring, with the hieroglyph readas “’Imn-Rc nb///”, Area 04B, l. 2.43 × w. 1.52 × h. 1.78cm. No. 31: Fragment of faience ring withhieroglyph sign read as hm-ntr, Area 05C, l. 1.25 × w. 0.77cm. No. 33: Half of stone scarab with a˙‾design of plant, an upper part was scraped off, Area 05C, l. 1.44 × w. 1.06 × h. 0.64cm. No. 34:
Faience scarab of light blue with a latticework decoration, Area 05D (Tomb 4), l. 1.36 × w. 1.04 ×
h. 0.60cm. No. 35: Faience scarab of light green, the remaining inscription reads “ntr nfr nb t3wy”‾“Mn-hpr-Rc” “dı’- cnh-dt”, Area 04C (lower part), Area 05D (upper part), l. 1.70 × w. 1.23 × h. 0.92cm.
˘‾˘
No. 36: Fragment of small netting pouch, Area 04C, l. 13cm.
Organic Objects (Nos. 36, 37)
No. 37: Fragment of basket with two handles, vegetable materials, Area 04C, l. 11.0 × w. 8.0cm.
(Hanasaka)West Area (Fig. 10, 12)  On the west slope of the crag facing the Nile Valley, a rock-cut
mastaba that dates from the beginning of the 5th Dynasty remains and many rock-cut tombs arelocated around it. Seven shafts situated in front of the façade of the mastaba and twelve shafts andtwo tunnel-type tombs distributed northward were excavated in the 2002–2003 seasons. And theexistence of twelve shafts was confirmed southward within the limits of 18m from the mastaba in 2004.
As a result of the excavations, it was proved that they had been made in the Old Kingdom (OK) andmost of them had been reused in the TIP. Among the shafts found in 2004, Nos. 7–12 in the south
half have not been excavated yet, as we gave preference this season to confirm the extent of anecropolis further to the south.
The investigated area is a narrow, gentle slope continuing from the north and ca.12m higher
than the field level. Within the area extending 70m south from No. 12 which is located at the south
end of the last season’s area, we found 19 tombs (No. 13–31) including an unfinished one (No. 27),and exposed a Middle Kingdom (MK) tomb (No.18) cut out on the side. No shaft was found within
the distance of 8.5m as far as the south edge of the area from No. 31, so it is assumed that thenecropolis terminates there. However if shafts do exist beyond the south edge, this would be thelongest interval between shafts. Meanwhile, no rock-cut stairways, leading up from the west
approach like those that were found to the north of the OK mastaba, were discovered.
Almost all of the shafts were in a line along the cliff and measured ca.1m square at the mouth
except Nos. 23 and 24 whose shapes were unclear because they were covered with broken mud
bricks and pebbles. In the north part, cracks running from the southeast to the northwest areconverged and several shafts (Nos. 16, 17, 20, 21) are located at long intervals as if to avoid them.
However, compared to the shafts found in the last season which were in a line at nearly 1m intervals,
those of this season are generally further apart. In addition, considering that a crack touched thecorner of No. 19, the cracks probably occurred after the shafts were constructed.
At the distance of 28m southward from the north end of the investigated area, a rock-cut
13名古屋大学/古代エジプトの情報伝達に関する調査アーカイヴ

Fig. 10 West Area.
Upper left: General view from the southwest; Middle left: Exposed shafts, southward view from the Roman
chapel; Upper right: Exposed shafts, northward view from the MK chapel; Lower right and left: Brickstructures in front of the MK chapel.

funerary chapel remains on the east cliff of the investigated area, and the plan of the chapel plus thetool marks indicate that the features are of the MK. The rock-cut Roman funeral chapel is at the
distance of 23m southward from the MK chapel, and some mud brick structures survive here andthere in the area, especially in front of the two chapels. Judging from unearthed pottery, otherobjects and the size of the mud brick, all of the brick structures date from the TIP.
In front of the MK chapel, a flat 80cm wide ledge which gradually descends to the west was cut
in the bedrock about 1m deep. A surface layer of sand and a thick layer of limestone pebbles
accumulated on the bedrock slope 4m westward. An eroded brick floor in front of the chapel
14

名古屋大学/古代エジプトの情報伝達に関する調査アーカイヴ

extends over the layer of pebbles.
On the other hand, three low brick circles measuring 3.0–1.6m in diameter with mud plasteredinside and three shafts (Nos. 20–22) were uncovered. Under the circles, there was a layer of pebbles
20–30cm thick. The north circle formed with bricks of three tiers is partitioned by the east-west row
of bricks and connected with the two other circles by a north-south row. The latter row is notconnected directly to the east-west wall of mud brick (35 × 17 × 6cm) built on the north part of thenorth circle, but its presumed extension would cross at a right angle with the wall. Furthermore,
the brick floor was possibly used to join the east-west wall making something as a terrace in front of
the chapel. The direction of the shafts in front of the supposed terrace and Nos. 17 and 19 shafts
are coincident with the direction of the east-west wall. That is, the brick structures have a distinct
relationship with these shafts. An eroded brick floor (34 × 17 × 6cm) also survives in front of the
Roman chapel, and extends 18m long × 1.5–2.0m wide. But many bricks have been moved to thesouth from their original position. Therefore, the relationship between the shafts and the brickfloor here, like that observed in front of the MK chapel, is not clear.
Meanwhile, two brick circles are located between two chapels and one of them was found justbeside a shaft (No. 26). The close positions of overlap and adhesion between shaft and circle might
have been accidental, but if not accidental, just what the function of each pair of shaft and circle
would have served, for example, facilities for burial and for memorial services, is not clear. In thiscase, the brick circles would not have been used but for one or two generations, considering that theeast-west wall was constructed before the direction of shafts was forgotten. If it were a singularchance, this area would have been used for another purpose besides that for the necropolis.
From traces of holes on the east cliff used to install dynamite, it is easy to suppose that brickstructures might have been destroyed here in recent times. Therefore, it cannot be denied that thisarea was occupied by a settlement in the TIP. In any case, the settlement would have not been as
dense as the Coptic settlement which spread out of the city wall on the west of city area.
Though the existence of a narrow rock-cut path above the chapels extending from the south
was confirmed, almost all of it was broken by earthquakes, weathering and dynamite.
Finds from the West Area (Fig. 11)(Tsujimura)

No. 1: Cup, the layer of pebbles in front of the MK

chapel, alabaster, present size h. 3.35cm × w. 2.17cm.
No. 2: Ring, the layer of pebbles in front of the MK chapel, faience, intact, d. 2.29cm,
w. 0.21 × h. 0.36cm (section), light blue.
No. 3: Lid, the layer on the brick structures, limestone. Mushroom shape with a hole, intact,d. 5.38 × h. 2.02cm, d. 3.23 × w. 0.62 × h. 0.55cm (tongue). The hole is opened from the top. A
rotary trace of shaving remains distinctly on the inside.
No. 4: Human Figurine, the layer of pebbles in front of the MK chapel, hand modeled, present
size d. 5.0 × w. 3.0 × t. 1.5cm, the head is missing. The bottom has two projections expressing legs and two “buttons”
measuring d. 0.7cm are attached vertically on the square
body.

(Tsujimura)Fig. 11 Finds from the West Area.
15

名古屋大学/古代エジプトの情報伝達に関する調査アーカイヴ

16

名古屋大学/古代エジプトの情報伝達に関する調査アーカイヴ

Fig. 12 Plan of the West Area.

3 Quarry
Archtiectural Survey on the Quarry Faces in Zawiet Sultan (Figs. 13–16)   Zawiet Sultan exists
some 12km south of Akoris and consists of an undulating plateau of limestone denuded of the soilof fertile river plane and dissected by a tributary of Wadi Sheikh Yasin (Fig. 13 left). It is sited in avalley between two ranges of hills running parallel with the River Nile whose contours are definedby very stiff and dense in west but sparse in east (Fig. 13 upper).
In Zawiet Sultan, a large number of Greek and Demotic graffiti on the quarry faces datable to
the reigns of Ptolemy II or VIII have been identified in our surface survey (Fig. 14), and R. Klemm
and D. D. Klemm have surveyed an unfinished colossus and partially reported some of quarry faces(Klemm, R. and D. D. Klemm, Steine und Stein-Brüche im Alten Ägypten, 1992, Berlin, pp. 92–100).
If the colossus boulder was also applied at this time, the date to the New Kingdom period given by
Klemm and Klemm can be down to the years shortly before the middle of the 3rd or 2nd century
bce, since the similar demotic graffiti are observed on the ceilings of horizontal tunnels beneath theboulder of the colossus.
The ancient quarries consist of three parallel faces running north to south and rising steeply,
which reach heights of 2.5 to 7.5m and are stepped back into the east mountainside. The
detachment of blocks was not always carried out in straight line, but the layout of quarries often
17

名古屋大学/古代エジプトの情報伝達に関する調査アーカイヴ

Fig. 13 South Quarry.
Left: Zawiet Sultan and Akoris.
Upper: Geographical Map of Measured Area.
Photo: Distant view of Zawiet Sultan.

18名古屋大学/古代エジプトの情報伝達に関する調査アーカイヴ

Fig. 14 Quarries in Zawiet Sultan.

afforded corners and steps, producing rather irregularly shaped ground plans.
In this season detailed survey have been carried out on the middle quarry face and quarry floor
covered in medium blocks and crumbled limestone (Fig. 14). The measured area can be separated
into five subareas by natural fissures (Fig. 13 upper). Normally a block was defined at the quarry
face by cutting trenches along the back and sides with a pick, and split from the bedrock, however
19名古屋大学/古代エジプトの情報伝達に関する調査アーカイヴ

Fig. 15 Photo A, Photo B, Photo C, Photo D, from the top (see Fig. 14).

20

名古屋大学/古代エジプトの情報伝達に関する調査アーカイヴ

quarrymen actually begun to cut a horizontal
trench 7.5m beneath the top of the quarry
face and then vertical trenches along the sides
on the natural ­fissures, which limit the size ofmasses of extractable and usable limestone,
they provide natural openings that help makequarrying easier. The separation could havebeen achieved only by cutting vertical trenches along the back. The bottom corner of thestones were marked by a succession of indenFig. 16 Photo E (See Fig. 14).

tation with a chisel that indicate the verticalseparation trenches between the blocks or the­system of work organization (lines a-h in Fig. 14). However the blocks have never been extracted.
In the last day shortly after the year 35 of Ptolemy II or VIII, Zawiet Sultan quarry has been­abandoned suddenly as same as other ancient Roman quarries around city Akoris.
In conjunction with establishing the post-abandonment history of the quarry, is the next stage
to proceed to trial investigation to determine what relationship between other Roman and Byzantine
quarries or to city Akoris the surface material and other graffiti has? Detailed survey in the next
season will provide the figures for determining the extracting procedure, which only geometricaland architectural process can explain.

(Hori)

Greek and Demotic Graffiti from Quarry (Figs. 14)   Extensive traces of ancient quarries ina barren rocky valley to the southeast of modern New Minya have been noted for some years by themembers of architectural history of the Akoris Archaeological Project. In 2005, we started
investigations of the painted graffiti (dipinti) left in this site, with the aim of elucidating their nature
within their proper historical settings. Although these graffiti had been painted with red wash inrather cursory way on the surface of the quarried rocks, a number of them were preserved inexcellent condition due to the accumulation of huge debris covering them. Although preliminary innature, the following observations will shed new light on the local economic activities in Middle
Egypt in Hellenistic times.
In this season, we concentrated our investigations on counting and registering the graffiti left
in three areas on the eastern side of the valley. A total of 105 graffiti were ascertained, of which atleast 25 were written in Greek. Interestingly enough, the Greek graffiti were invariably written on
prominent vertical walls, while the demotic ones were situated on various points of the rocks, inparticular on the ceiling of large niches. This may indicate that the Greek graffiti were used purely
for administrative purposes, while the demotic ones were written for several purposes including therecording of on-going working process by local people.
Several types of graffiti have been discerned during the course of our investigations at the site.
The most notable group may be the graffiti designating a date, a personal name in the genitive case,and a set of enigmatic numbers. Regarding this category of graffiti, it is customary to find two texts,
one in Greek on the right side and the other in demotic on the left, juxtaposed on or near thecorner of a vertical rock. Greek personal names are often transcribed phonologically in the demotic
text, e.g. Tmtrys for Demetrios.
Here is a translation of the Greek text composing from one such pair of bilingual graffiti (L 20):21

名古屋大学/古代エジプトの情報伝達に関する調査アーカイヴ

Year 35, Month of Epeiph 16,(charged by?) Diodoros
4,
2 2/3, 1
The year dates in the Greek graffiti are regnal years 35–38, which suggest that this quarry was
exploited either during the reign of Ptolemy II in the mid-third century bce or that of Ptolemy VIIIin the later second century bce. Since the survival in large numbers of second-century Rhodian
amphorae at Akoris suggests a close economic relationship between Alexandria and Middle Egypt atthat period through the transportation of local limestone blocks, the latter date is more probable.
Although it is extremely difficult to envisage the exact purpose of such bilingual graffiti at thepresent stage of investigations, they must be an eloquent testimony for the functioning of the royalcontrol of this large important quarry, where Greek officials and local workers (of whom the lattermust have been represented by both native Egyptians and the descendants of Greek settlers)cooperated in a highly systematic way.
The discovery of these bilingual graffiti at Sawiet Sultan will offer good opportunity to examine
farther the function of “text” in the chora of Ptolemaic Egypt.

(Suto)

Most demotic graffiti ascertained at all areas consist of three consecutive numbers often linked
with the preposition ‘by’ (r), e.g. ‘5 by 4 1/2 by 1’, which are probably the three-dimensional measuresrelated to some process of the stone quarrying. It is noticeable that the third number is mostly ‘1’.
However, at least 15 demotic graffiti are more complicated, and juxtaposed with the Greek
ones, forming ‘bilingual graffiti’ as mentioned above. Each of these demotic texts generally consistsof three parts, largely corresponding to the elements of the juxtaposed Greek one. Personal namesin the demotic texts are mostly the transcriptions of those in the Greek ones. The demotic text also
designates an above-mentioned three-dimensional measure, whose numbers are apparently
corresponding to a set of numbers in the juxtaposed Greek text. This measure probably indicatesthe size of a quarried stone, or a trench for quarrying.
The ‘date’ in the demotic text is expressed differently from the one in the Greek counterpart.
The former consists of two or three consecutive months and seasons, e.g. ‘the second month of
Summer, the third month of Summer’, indicating a certain period of time, while the latter isexpressed as a specific date indicated by a regnal year, a month, and a day. These demotic ‘dates’
possibly indicate the period of quarrying related to each of these bilingual graffiti, while the dates in
the Greek texts seem to indicate the end of the quarrying (see below).
The Greek text L 20 cited above is juxtaposed with a demotic text (L 21, Fig. 14) translated asfollows,
The 4th month of Winter, the 1st month of Summer, the 2nd month of Summer.
Titrus (Tytrs)
2 2/3 by 4 by 1

(Uchida)The graffiti are to be dated to the reign of either Ptolemy II Philadelphus or Ptolemy VIII
Philometer. Although regnal years extending to the 38th year allow another candidate of Augustus,
it is unlikely that the graffiti were written in his time: firstly, the usual dating formula for Augustus’
22

名古屋大学/古代エジプトの情報伝達に関する調査アーカイヴ

reign ‘Kaisaros (of Caesar)’ is not used here; secondly, the Greek handwriting style fits the Ptolemaic
period better than the early Roman period. L 20 clearly shows Ptolemaic forms of omega andomicron which are small and hang on the lines. These letter forms are commonly found in other
Greek graffiti. And although the rounded delta in L 20 looks like later lettering, the other graffiti
more commonly use the older triangular delta.
These remarks are owed to Prof. W. Clarysse (Leuven Catholic University) who examinedfacsimiles of the graffiti. Reading through the Greek texts, he gets an impression that the
handwriting of the graffiti dates to the second century bce, while Dr. M. Depauw, his colleague,
assumes a third century bce date for the demotic ones. Both admit, however, that their assumption
is rather impressionistic and the handwritings cannot determine to which king’s reign the graffiti
belonged. Therefore both possibilities should be open to date them. If the graffiti were written
under Ptolemy II, it is dated 5th September 250 bce. If they were under Ptolemy VIII, it is dated
7th August 135 bce.
As mentioned above, the juxtaposed Greek and demotic texts are not identical but containdifferences which suggest different concerns on the part of the Greek writer/reader and the demotic
one, even though the texts were very likely written simultaneously. While the Greek text (L 20) isdated to the month Epeiph, the third month of the summer season, the demotic text (L 21) records
the previous three months. The same pattern is repeated in the other cases, namely that the monthin the Greek texts is either the last month or the one following the last in the demotic texts. I owe
the reading of the demotic texts to Dr. Depauw. This strongly suggests that the date in Greek
indicates the end of the procedure. It seems that Greek writers/readers were interested in the
precise day of completion of quarrying, the date of examination of the stone, or that of delivery,
while demotic users were concerned with how many months the quarrying procedure took. I
appreciate the kind advice of Prof. Clarysse and Dr. Depauw.

(Takahashi)

The authors give sincere thanks to Dr. J. G. Manning, who read the ‘dimension’ in demotic,
and checked the translations of the graffiti.
Members in 2005   Director: Kawanishi, H. University of Tsukuba; Members: Tsujimura, S.
Kokushikan University; Suto, Y. and Kitagawa, C. Nagoya University; Uchida, S. Meirin college;Hori, Y., Nishiyama, T., Matsuzawa, H. and Kida, M. Kyushu University; Obayashi, K. and Endo, H.
Tokai University; Nishimoto, S. and Endo, T. Waseda University; Takahashi, T. Oita Prefectural
Office; Mitobe, H. Yamagata Prefectural Office; Takahashi, R. King’s College, London; Spencer, V.
YMCA; Iwasaki, M., Kato, C. and Hanasaka T. University of Tsukuba; Site Inspector: Hassan Taher Ismail
Supporting Persons and Organizations   Dr. Zahi Hawas; Mohamoud, H.; Samil, A.; Adel, H.; Dr,
Seif el dim, Mervat; Iwaki, N. C.E.O. and President, E&M; Murata, Y. medical Dr.; JSPS Research
Station Cairo; Kajima Corporation; Kawatoko, M. Middle Eastern Culture Center in Japan; Kubo,
A. Kanagawa University; Shiojiri, K. University of Tskuba; Ozawa, A.; Penta-Ocean Construction Co.
Ltd.; Bahi Travel.
This project is sponsored by the Grant-in Aid for Scientific Research, the Ministry of Education,
Science and Culture, Japan.

23

名古屋大学/古代エジプトの情報伝達に関する調査アーカイヴ