The town of Kom Ombo I

This book is the first of a series on the excavations of the Austrian Archaeological Institute (Cairo branch) at the site of Kom Ombo in southern Upper Egypt in the series Untersuchungen der Zweigstelle Kairo. Whilst Kom Ombo is a well-known tourist site for those visiting Egypt because of its striking Ptolemaic temple, the excavations have concentrated on the tell, the remains of the town surrounding the temple. The tell built up over thousands of years and today is a mound rising above the level of the temple, spanning the period from at least the earlier third millennium BC to the nineteenth century AD. The mound has never before been the subject of long-term excavation. This volume presents an overview of what was known of Kom Ombo before the current work began. The first chapter examines historical sources (texts, artefacts including sealings and statuary, architectural remains) from the pharaonic through to the early modern period, to establish a chronological framework within which the archaeological discoveries can be placed. It also looks at Kom Ombos administrative position in relation to neighbouring towns and the central administration over time. The second chapter presents the research history of Kom Ombo. It includes a review of travellers accounts, both scholars and tourists, who visited the site and its surroundings from the later 16th century onwards, and of the scholarly missions who began the process of recording the remains, usually the temple. More recent archaeological work in Kom Ombo and the surrounding area and site management developments are then discussed. As well as verbal accounts, the attractive location of Kom Ombo gave rise to many illustrations, paintings and photographs. The third chapter examines these images, many of which are illustrated here, for their contribution to the understanding of the site, their place within the artistic traditions of their time and their limitations as sources. The fourth chapter examines the landscape of Kom Ombo and its environs. It discusses the changing position of the river Nile, assesses the extent of the ancient town and the limited evidence for activity on the west bank. It tracks the transformation of the tell over time, as ever larger areas were removed. The chapter draws on the travellers accounts and maps that they created or purchased to guide their travels, as well as more recent scholarship. The final chapter presents the results of a magnetometry survey of the tell, undertaken before archaeological work began. The book is accompanied by an extensive bibliography.