[Centre for Egyptological Studies of the RAS]

Archaeology

Memphis

Concession

In 2001 the Centre for Egyptological Studies of RAS was granted the permission to explore a part of the site of Memphis. The Russian concession includes three areas: Kom Tuman, Tell Aziziya and Kom Dafbaby. The total area of the concession makes about 20 hectares.

Plan of the surveyed area

This terrain has scarcely been studied archaeologically. Only two «episodes» took place in the area of the Russian concession in the past. In winter 1900-1901 during some weeks Daninos Pacha undertook excavations in the area situated «to the east from the lake and to the north from the Tell el-Nava». Unfortunately, the location of this excavation area cannot be determined more exactly. Daninos Pacha himself mentioned only that the excavations were conducted in the northern part of the Memphis ruin-field. We can suppose that the southern part of Kom Dafbaby was excavated. Daninos Pacha discovered two parallel mudbrick walls 200 m long and 6 m wide. The walls were separated by partitions at three meter intervals and by floors. The foundations of the walls were reached at a depth of 17,6 m. Thus, the discovered structure which turned out to be a five-floored building with rooms 7,58 × 6,25 m and 2,4-2,6 m high. There were 19 rooms on every floor which totally made 95 rooms. According to Daninos Pacha, this kind of building could only be a part of a palace. To the east of this construction he unearthed a hoard of bronze items consisting of decorative plaquettes with depictions of the XXVI Dynasty rulers (Amasis, Apries, Psammetichus) and the God’s Wife Amenirdis; mirrors; menits, parts of statuettes. At present these finds are kept in the Egyptian museum in Cairo.

Kom Tuman. General view

In 1909 during the excavations of the palace of Apries W.M.F. Petrie made an attempt to trace the wall surrounding the so-called camp and find its central entrance which he named «the Great Gate». Although he expected to discover this entrance in the middle part of the east wall, it was found close to the north-east corner of the «camp». The work conducted by Petrie in the eastern part of Kom Tuman was not crowned with the expected results.

Division of the territory of Russian concession in three parts is a convenient device for naming different parts of the vast site. At the same time this division follows the local tradition which undoubtedly reflects some real differences between these three areas in the past. The border between Kom Tuman and Kom Dafbaby is a local road along the so-called Eastern Ditch. The border between Kom Tuman and Tell Aziziya is Northern Ditch. The western part of the territory of the Russian concession is limited by the palace of Apries. In the north, south and east the site is surrounded by palm-groves, cultivated fields and the buildings of villages.

In November, 2001 the expedition of the CES RAS together with SPC «Geotechnology» started archaeological and geophysical research in the site Kom Tuman, Tell Aziziya and Kom Dafbaby. As Kom Tuman is the central and most extensive part of the Russian concession it was decided to call the expedition «The RIEC Mission at Kom Tuman».

А. Krol