Publications

Veronika Mitsopoulos-Leon, Das Heiligtum der Artemis Hemera in Lousoi, SoSchrÖAI 47 (Wien 2012).

Veronika Scheibelreiter-Gail, Die Mosaiken Westkleinasiens, SoSchrÖAI 46 (Wien 2011).

Jahreshefte des Österreichischen Archäologischen Intitutes, Band 79 (Wien 2010).

 

Gerda von Bülow – Heinrich Zabehlicky (eds.),

Bruckneudorf und Gamzigrad. Spätantike Paläste und Großvillen im Donau-Balkan-Raum, SoSchrÖAI 45 (Bonn 2011).

Research in Upper Egyptian Nag el-Tawil

Wharf of Nag el-Tawil on the west bank of the Nile
Wharf of Nag el-Tawil on the west bank of the Nile

Within the framework of a collaborative project with the Swiss Institute for Egyptian Architectural Research and Antiquity in Cairo, the ancient structures from the Upper Egyptian settlement of Nag el-Tawil (ca. 20 km north of Aswan) were investigated in 2011 and 2012. Of central focus are questions regarding the settlement structure, history, and supra-regional function of the site.

 

Ancient Nag el-Tawil was dominated by a monumental sandstone building on the west bank of the Nile, already described in 1972 by Horst Jaritz and which today forms a touristic attraction for boat trips. Investigations of the Swiss Institute in 2008 and 2009 using geophysical and geomorphological surveys, an analysis of the surface ceramics, and selective excavations, already suggested the presence of a Roman settlement in this location.

 

Based on the completed architectural recording of the sandstone monument on the banks of the Nile, the building can be interpreted as a wharf and shipping pier, composed of a southern (21 × 5.20 m) and a northern (7.75 × 3 m) pier. Earlier theories suggesting a possible corridor or staircase leading to a temple in the area lying above, or a Nilometer, could not, however, be verified. The urgency of a complete recording of the monument was due to the fact that since the first photographic documentation more than 40 years ago, 15 % of the masonry work of the monument has been robbed out. Excavations down to the foundations of the structure allow a dating to the early imperial period. The finds, analysed by Pamela Rose (OeAI Cairo branch), which are predominantly composed of local pottery, reveal a concentration of scooped vessels (qawadis), which were used in conjunction with a saqia, a well with a scoop wheel. Such a saqia was brought to light in Nag el-Tawil by the Swiss Institute in 2009.

 

The site, with its monumental landing stage, was certainly closely connected economically with Syene, located nearby. Agricultural commodities from the surrounding area could be shipped from Nag el-Tawil in the direction of Syene. The location could also have been used for the exchange of draught animals, which were necessary for hauling and towing; archaeologically attested animal shelters support this idea.

 

It is questionable whether Nag el-Tawil was a cohesive village structure, which also could  have been appreciated as such from an administrative and infrastructural perspective in antiquity. It can be presumed that the entire fertile Nile riverbank as far as Syene, and also downstream, was agriculturally exploited, and a fragmented but ultimately continuous settlement structure must be assumed.

 

Contact: Martin Steskal