The Early Medieval Frontier between Egypt and Nubia

This project will explore the region of the first cataract of the Nile in the early medieval period. This was the ancient frontier zone between Egypt and Nubia, where two very different political states and culture cultures, Muslim Egypt to the north and the Nubian Christian kingdom of Makuria to the south, came face to face. The project will focus particularly on the early medieval fort of Hisn al-Bab, a large well- preserved building on the east bank of the Nile. By investigating and understanding its chronology, the nature of its occupation over time, and, particularly, the cultural-ethnic background of the inhabitants, which may of course vary in the context of a contact zone, it aims to look at the nature of control of the area and fit this into a wider understanding of the functioning of the border zone. This will be addressed initially by means of archaeological excavation and analysis of architecture, that is, the material evidence left behind by the inhabitants. From these, and their comparison with materials from other sites, it is possible to address many of the issues outlined above, and to suggest approaches to more complex questions. These include how the border affected the inhabitants, whether it was permeable to individuals, or whether it was regulated more with regard to outsiders of some status or economic significance such as merchants and diplomats. The results will be contextualised by comparison with other contemporary monuments and sites in Egypt and Nubia. It will also take into account the relatively few textual sources that are known concerning the area. These pertain mainly to trade activities, and the presence of Egyptian merchants and runaway slaves in Lower Nubia, and will provide additional insight into the nature of cross border contacts. In addition the results will be compared with those of an earlier FWF project on the same frotier in the Late Roman period. The project will also gather information on the area after the abandonment of the fort at Hisn al-Bab. This is difficult because little tangible survives due to flooding from the creation of the low dam. Research will rest on the investigation of other sources, particularly the early travellers who visited or passed through the area on the way south, leaving notes, drawings and photographs, and again on comparison with textual sources. In summary, this detailed investigation of a border region will greatly increase our knowledge of a little- known period in the history of Egypt and Nubia, and particularly the former, as strikingly little archaeological work has been undertaken on medieval remains. In archaeological terms it will a supply uniquely detailed illustration of the life of the early medieval inhabitants of the fort.

The aim of the Hisn al-Bab project has been to examine the nature of the frontier region between Egypt and Nubia in the early medieval period, concentrating primarily on the contribution of archaeology and architectural analysis to the understanding of the area. Hisn al-Bab itself is the only preserved example of a fortified complex of the late Antique and early medieval period in this border zone, any examples further south having been destroyed by the creation of the Aswan Low Dam. Hisn al-Bab survived thanks to its location on the clifftop above the Nile. The site thus provided a unique opportunity to examine the nature and the interaction of northern and southern influences in a single settlement. Historical analysis increasingly shows the first cataract areas as a transitional zone with some uncertainty about the limits of formal political control for both the Egypt to the north and the Nubian kingdom of Makuria to the south. The results from Hisn al-Bab support this. The material culture recovered from the excavations shows close parallels with contemporary Nubian cultures, in terms of textiles, weaponry, archaeobotanical material and ceramics. The ceramics present the most complex data regarding the interplay of material cultures. They represent a mix of Nubian and Egyptian types, in which Nubian vessels are storage vessels, and transport and tablewares and from Egypt, and mainly the nearby settlement of Aswan. Only cooking wares contain a mix of both Nubian and Egyptian types. The architectural style is also paralleled in Nubia. It is likely that the occupants of Hisn al-Bab were Nubian in origin, likely working closely with Egyptian authorities given their proximity to the border. Chronologically, architectural analysis has shown the complexity of the standing remains with significant modifications to the structure, suggesting their use over a relatively long period of time. The material culture does not reflect this, and the principal means of dating, the ceramics, suggest use only into the seventh century. Since textual sources suggest that Hisn al-Bab played an important role in the ceremonial annual transfer of goods between Nubia and Egypt which formed part of a peace agreement between the Egyptian and Nubian states made shortly after the Arab conquest of Egypt, until at least into the 10th century CE, the absence of material culture of this date suggests either only sporadic and limited use of the site, or that the main settlement was by the river and now lost. The frontier zone was not always peaceful and evidence of conflict was found, in the form of body parts of over 60 individuals dumped unceremoniously outside the fort walls. The skulls showed evidence of brutal attack using large bladed weapons.