Housing in Antiquity in Syene/Elephantine, Upper Egypt

The project which is presented here for approval has as its goal in the contextual analysis of ancient domestic culture in the Aswan region on the basis of the archaeological evidence. The range of information available from the residential quarters in Syene (areas 1, 2 und 13) and on Elephantine (Khnum Temple) allows the combination of differing types of archaeological sources, the reconstruction of house inventories and the analysis of function and from these detailed information concerning the domestic and living-culture of the 1st cataract region in the late Ptolemaic, Roman and Late Antique periods can be obtained. While the material groups of coins, glass, textiles and leather, small finds, terrracottas, animal bones, botanical macro-remains as well as ostraka and graffiti have been processed and the architectural analysis of the buildings has already been presented (Elephantine), until now on the one hand a processing of the ceramic material has been lacking, and on the other hand a contextual assembly of all find categories as well as their evaluation has not been carried out. It is necessary therefore to fill the gaps and to evaluate the ceramic evidence, in order as a next step to associate the entire find material with the archaeological record and to analyse it. The project pursues the goal of presenting the domestic structures in their context, that is, in combination with the architecture, stratigraphy, the complete body of finds and not at least the papyrological sources. This will form a clear advance in research into domestic housing in Syene and Elephantine, which in the past has tended to concentrate only on architecture and the analysis of written sources without connecting all available types of data. The identification of room function, based on an analysis of the typology of ground-plans, could be proven by means of a differentiated evaluation of classes of findings or could be revised, as prominent comparative examples from other sites in Egypt and the Mediterranean region have strikingly attested. In addition, the archaeological record offers a glimpse into the lifestyle of the late Ptolemaic-Roman and the Late Antique population of the 1st cataract region, and its cultural-historical integration into neighbouring regions. Of particular importance to this are the chronology of types and the classification of sherds of pottery, constructed on the basis of archaeological findings. Since Syene and Elephantine was one of the most significant pottery production centres of Egypt with a wide export range, the chronological organisation worked out during the project will constitute a basis for the analysis and processing of pottery at other sites in Egypt.

Forming the core of the FWF-Project, Ancient Domestic Culture in Syene/ Elephantine, Upper Egypt (P 23866) is research into the domestic culture from the Ptolemaic up until the Late Antique period (3rd century B.C. - 7th century A.D.) in Syene/ Elephantine, today Aswan in Upper Egypt. For the analysis, already excavated residences were newly assessed, excavations were carried out, and the rich material finds were evaluated. Supplementing this work, an interpretation of the Patermouthis archive, consisting of 30-40 papyrus texts and ostraka (inscribed sherds) from Late Antiquity took place; in this material, much evidence regarding living conditions in the ancient city of Syene is to be found. The investigation of the residential quarter brought to light not only chronologically divergent architecture and furnishings, but also significant deviations in quality, which again point to differing social levels. Of particular diagnostic importance is the archaeological evidence in Area 2, a region in the immediate vicinity of the Temple of Isis. In this area, modestly equipped houses were built in the early Roman Imperial period on top of the remains of an animal cemetery. The animal bones and botanical remains, as well as the pottery finds, indicate a humble standard of living, while the written sources again suggest that, in at least one case, a Roman solider lived here with his family. An additional focal point of the project was a meticulous evaluation of the ceramic evidence based on typological, functional and technological aspects. Ancient pottery is an expression of social realities as well as of socio-cultural alterations. The material investigated from Upper Egypt revealed itself to be extremely meaningful with regard to questions concerning the cultural fusion of Greeks and Romans with local Egyptians at the periphery of the classical world. Furthermore, Syene could be identified as one of the most important ceramic-producing centres of Egypt, with a large export radius, during Late Antiquity. The leading product was fine tableware from a particular clay paste, which is known in the scholarship as "Pink Clay". In the course of the project, this clay formula was not only precisely classified, but its deposit sites were also located in the immediate environs of the city of Aswan. The FWF-Project contributed substantially to a better understanding of the city of Syene/ Elephantine in the Ptolemaic-Roman period, as well as to increased knowledge of the living conditions of its inhabitants. In addition, by means of the ceramic analysis a significant economic aspect, namely, the pottery production which ultimately had a determining influence on the prosperity of the region could be scientifically investigated. Naturally, the results have opened up new questions, the answers to which are the subject of additional research projects.