Ahmose-Citadel II

An enormous citadel from the early 18th Dynasty has been found during excavations from 1991 onwards jointly carried out by the Austrian Archaeological Institute Cairo and the Institute of Egyptology at Univ. Vienna at Tell el-Dab`a. The estimated area covered is approx. 7 ha. An enclosure wall with buttresses, the foundation of a towering fortress approx. 70 x 45 meters has so far been found, as well as the remains of a big palatial structure running East -West along at least 150 meters. A part of this citadel has already been explored in the course of project P10977SPR. Last season the northeastern entrance of this structure was found, consisting of bath and washing facilities for visitors to this palace. The palace is most likely to have been constructed during the late reign of king Ahmose. Stratigraphy reveals that it was built on top of the citadel of the late Hyksos period at the eastern edge of ancient Avaris, the capital of the Hyksos. Whilst the Ministry of Science and Research funds the actual excavation work and the staff costs of the civil servants involved, the costs of freelance specialists and draftsmen or experts from other institutions and their travel expenses have to be independently financed. 1; A series of analyses has to be conducted such as the statistical assessment of the pottery from the Hyksos period till the New Kingdom, specialized studies such as comparisons with material from other sites, such as Memphis, have to be incorporated with the possibility to carry out, in collaboration with the Egypt Exploration Society, a comparison between the material from Memphis and Tell el-Dab`a for the late Middle Kingdom and the Second Intermediate Period (B. Bader). 2; An assessment of the cultural remains from the late Hyksosperiod and the early 18th dynasty from the area of the citadel (Area H/II-III) has to be undertaken (Robert Schiestl). 3; It is also most important to have a Caesium magnetometer survey of the whole area of the citadel in order to help manage future excavations cost effectively and efficiently. Such an undertaking promises success as shown at Qantir by Dr. Becker from the Denkmalpflegeamt in Munich. 4; A thorough study of the human remains is also important as between the citadel of the early 18th Dynasty and the citadel of the late Hyksos period numerous emergency tombs have been discovered, some of which seemed to be burials of slain soldiers, others burials of look like victims of executions. Investigations into the animal bone remains and especially the horse remains from the site are currently conducted by Prof. Angela von den Driesch, University of Munich. Palynological studies are carried out by the University of Zagazig with a special Ph.D. - Dissertation project on this subject. The results of this project are likely to be very rewarding for rewriting the history of the end of the Hyksos period and the beginning of the 18th Dynasty as dramatical historical events have left their traces in the archaeological record.