Archaeological Prospection Services of Southampton University A. P. S. S Karnak Land- and Waterscapes Survey 2002-2008 Judith Bunbury, Angus Graham and Kristian Strutt 2002 2004 2005 2007 2008 Sally-Ann Ashton (1) ·· Judith Bunbury (2) ····· Reis Omar Farouk (3) ····· Angus Graham (4) ····· Irmgard Hein (5) · · Morag Hunter (6) · Aurélia Masson (7) · Romain Mensan (8) · Marie Millet (7) · Kristian Strutt (9) · (1)Fitzwilliam, Museum, University of Cambridge (2)Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge (3)Reis at Karnak and Theban necropoleis (4)Institute of Archaeology, University College London (5)Institut für Ägyptologie, University of Vienna (6)British Antarctic Survey (7)Université Paris IV-Sorbonne and Centre franco-égyptien d'étude des temples de Karnak (8)Centre franco-égyptien d'étude des temples de Karnak (9)Department of Archaeology, University of Southampton Participants in the Project 2002-2008 Project Sponsors 2002-2008 The Egyptian Exploration Society Michela Schiff Giorgini Foundation Seven Pillars of Wisdom Trust Johns Hopkins University Excavations at the Mut Temple University of London Central Research Fund There were two main aims of the initial season at North Karnak in 2002: i) to investigate Jean Jacquet’s hypothesis that a watercourse existed nearby to the north of the Treasury of Thutmose I; and ii) to investigate the notion of a body of water in front of the tribune/quay north of the Temple of Montu. Since that first season we have extended our work to include the main Amun-Re complex and the Temple of Mut enclosure with the aim of understanding the relationship between the development of the whole temple complex and the evolution of the landscape and the shifting of the Nile. Two hypotheses concerning the whole temple complex have been of particular interest: i) the suggestion that the footprint of the complex of temples expanded westwards during the New Kingdom as the river migrated westwards and new land was formed west of the Middle Kingdom foundations; ii) the notion that Karnak may have been an island in the past. Over five short seasons of KLaWS since 2002, we have augered at 33 different locations in and around the complex of temples at Karnak retrieving many thousands of ceramic fragments along with other artefacts as sediment has been extracted from below this huge site. We have also carried out three Electrical Resistance Tomography (ERT) profiles in 2008 around Karnak in order to ‘see’ cross-sections of the sediment beneath the modern surface at Karnak. AS10 AS14-16 AS13 AS12 AS11 AS33 AS30 AS28 AS24-26 AS27 AS17 AS31 P3 P1 P2 AS34 AS01-02 AS03-08 AS32 AS29 Treasury of Thutmose I Temple of Montu N Temple of Mut enclosure Vertical air photograph of the temple complex at Karnak showing the locations of the Auger Sites (AS) and resistance tomography profiles (P)(Aerial photo 69556 © CFEETK) We use the EES Survey of Memphis Eijkelkamp hand auger set to retrieve sediment and artefacts from below the surface. Our methodology has been developed to record the complex stratigraphy and take advantage of the large amount of artefactual material that we retrieve from augering around the site of Karnak. When recording the sediment we first give it a general description e.g. sandy silt, silty sand etc. We then record a number of features of the sediment e.g. grain- size (mode), Munsell colour, sorting, clast size and type, estimated percentage of macroscopic organic remains as soon as the material is recovered. All observations are made in the field at the time of retrieval. Each sample usually represents 10-20 cm of depth in the auger site and all samples are then weighed. The Augering Reis Omar Farouk holds the auger ready to start AS27 on edge of the Temple of Mut Lake Morag Hunter recording the sediment description and grain size (photo: G. Pollin © CFEETK) Judith Bunbury recording the matrix colour with a Munsell Colour Chart (photo: G. Pollin© CFEETK) Our work thus far supports Jean Jacquet’s hypothesis that the Nile lay not far to the north of the Treasury and that as river migrated north- westwards the tribune at North Karnak was built and that there was indeed a body of water in front of it. Our work also suggests that the temples of Amun-Re and Mut were indeed founded on separate islands that subsequently joined together as the channel between silted up and then became attached to the floodplain as the eastern channel of the Nile silted up. The northward and westward expansion of the Amun-Re complex does appear to be closely linked to the north-westward migration of the river. Furthermore, our most recent work indicates that the land beneath the Temple of Opet appears to have formed as a sandbar separate from the Amun-Re complex in the Middle Kingdom. The Survey Results Vertical air photograph of the temple complex at Karnak showing the suggested outlines of islands in the area during the late 11th-early 12th Dynasty. The precise nature and geometry of all these islands can only be established with further research. The blue dotted area is a suggested wetland/marsh identified in 1967 (Aerial photo 69556 © CFEETK The ceramic fragments (4mm and greater) from a single core ready for study and recording Clasts (2-4mm) prior to sorting and recording After the sediment has been recorded all the cores are sieved in order to retrieve all clasts which are 2 mm or greater in size. They are sieved into two groups: 2-4 mm; and greater than 4 mm. By picking through the thousands of these clasts we have recorded many different types of artefacts from various types of stone, ceramic fragments, faience, plant material, mudbrick etc. Ceramic fragments are treated as both artefacts for dating and arteclasts, for their depositional process, i.e. whether or not they were transported by water. For dating much of this material would usually be categorised as “undiagnostic”. However, we are often able to determine broader date ranges through their fabric and the chronology within each auger is also supported by individual sherds of rims and bases, each individually numbered and drawn. By recording abrasion patterns on fragments and also through weighing and quantification we are able to interpret the way they were deposited e.g. dumped roughly in situ or transported and rolled by water. Studying the Finds Marie Millett (left) and Sally-Ann Ashton (right) studying finds from AS12 Irmgard Hein studying sherds from augering in 2004 Resistance tomography survey (profile 2) being conducted to the north of the Montu enclosure. using a Geoscan Research RM15 resistance meter The ERT Geophysics Profile 3 combined with augering AS30 and AS33 reveal the island origins of the Opet Temple. Yellow Roman numerals indicate Pylons numbers of the Amun-Re Temple The Island of Opet Augering and ERT at Karnak in combination has proved to be an excellent tool for interpreting ancient landscapes. ERT profile 3 (P3) clearly indicates the depth and extent of archaeological deposits located between the Temple of Khonsu and the court between the Ninth and Tenth Pylons. A line of high resistance values in the eastern part of the profile show the probable location of structural remains to a depth of 4 m below the modern ground surface. A 9.2 m deep auger (AS33) was made along P3 and revealed a clear correlation between resistivity and grain size. The lower resistance measurements (blue colour) indicate Nile silt deposits underlying the archaeological remains in P3. Auger Site 30 (AS30) carried out in the Opet temple court in 2007 retrieved fine and medium sand below the Middle Kingdom archaeological deposits at 71.44 – 69.44 m a.s.l. These deposits represent the formation of a sandbar in the river. There is no evidence of such a sandbar formation in either profile 3 or AS33. The sedimentary record suggests that the area between the court of the Opet Temple and the Ninth and Tenth Pylons was a lower lying one that was being filled up by silts. Above this a marshy environment appears to exist before the area is occupied. Our findings to date support the notion that the Temple of Opet was established on an island – an idea first put forward by Georges Legrain in 1906! Many islands that form in the River Nile have low lying water-filled areas within them. Islands such as this one found c. 3 km downstream of Karnak are a good model for the types of islands that first formed at Karnak. Sacred lake (120 x 77 m) of Amun-Re as it is today following reconstruction by Taharka (7th century B.C.E.). The sacred lake most likely started life as a low-lying marshy area before it was formalised by Thutmose III (14th century B.C.E.) Profile 2 Results from profile 2 indicate the depth of archaeology and sediments immediately to the north of the Montu enclosure. The profile runs from just east of the so-called Legrain drain for a distance of 270 m. The efficacy of this technique can clearly be seen toward the east end of the profile. Here the now in-filled drain can be seen cutting through the archaeological deposits. The entire length of the profile demonstrates high resistance values showing the location of structures and archaeological deposits down to a depth of c. 4.5 m below the present ground level. The low resistance measurements below these indicate the river sediment pre-dating the Dynastic, Late Period and Roman material. The lower high resistance deposits, situated at a depth of over 10 m below the present ground surface may indicate sand deposits associated with the original formation of the terrain below the Montu enclosure, possibly related to a sand bar forming on the bed of the river. The geophysical survey in 2008 was conducted using the method of resistance tomography. This technique relies on the passing of an electrical current through the earth, and the measuring of the resistance to the current at intervals to build up a profile of the changing material below the surface of the ground, and enables the archaeologist to detect localised anomalies and features. For the resistance tomography survey a Geoscan Research RM15 resistance meter was used to take readings, configured with a PA3 probe system consisting of four separate probes. Measurements were taken using an expanding Wenner array, with readings taken at 1 m intervals in profile 1, and at 2 m intervals in profiles 2 and 3 along each survey traverse, at the centre point of the probe configuration. Resistance tomography from Profile 2 to the North of the Temples of Montu enclosure Creation Myths and the Sacred Lake of Amun A number of the creation myths of ancient Egypt present an infinite expanse of water (Nun) before the world was created. From this water a mound of creation appears. This clearly reflects the flooding across the Nile valley during Nile inundation and then the receding waters initially revealing the highest land in the valley. The temple complex was the cosmos in microcosm with the sacred lake representing the primordial waters of Nun. The temple itself was founded on the primeval mound – a natural island in the Nile. In the New Kingdom an adaptation of the creation myths finds Amun, the central god at Karnak and king of all the gods, as a goose who emerges onto the lake at dawn and emits his honk and thus the creation of the other gods and the beginning of the world. The Institute of Archaeology, UCL The Graduate School, UCL angus_graham@yahoo.co.uk kds@soton.ac.uk Authors: Angus Graham, Kristian Strutt ‘Island of Opet’ ‘Island of !mun’ ‘Island of Mut’ It was the natural marshy area within the ‘Island of Amun’ that was modified by the Egyptians to present a formalised lake where these various rituals took place. The natural environment and the cosmology of ancient Egypt were inseparable and both were constantly being modified through history. We are extremely grateful to Institut Français d'archéologie Orientale (IFAO) and the Centre Franco-Égyptien d'Étud de Karnak (CFEETK) for their continued support of our work. Our work has been aided enormously by the assistan by the Director of the Temple of Karnak, Mr Ibrahim Suleiman, Chief of Inspectors, Mr Hamdi Abd Jalil and their S who have overseen our work. We are also grateful to Mr Mansour Boraik, Director of Antiquities for Upper Egypt, and SCA Inspectors Sal Mohammed Hatem and Moamen Saad for enabling us to work along the ancient waterfront west of the First Pylon. W like to extend our thanks to the many colleagues at CFEETK for assistance in the topographical survey of our work fruitful discussions of temple stratigraphy, particularly with François Larché and Rosemary Le Bohec. Acknowledgements View publication stats View publication stats