Foreigners in Egypt, The Archaeology of Culture Contact

The proposed project sheds light on several aspects of archaeological theory, that have been discussed for a long time, by means of archaeological remains recovered in Egypt. Archaeological proof for migration as opposed to trade connections or diffusion must often remain tentative and problematic. Whilst during the early years of the twentieth century change in material culture was often ascribed to migration, this view later fell out of fashion. Only relatively recently have new attempts been made to formulate a theoretical frame work for a complex phenomenon and to isolate a catalogue of criteria for archaeological proof of migration. In particular, scrutiny of the `internal domain`, the private sphere of migrants, promises good results, because it can be assumed that in the private sphere people adhered to their original culture. It remains to be tested as to whether this model can be taken over unchanged within Egyptian archaeology, where literary texts and art also exist for analysis. Egypt, often considered as isolated culture, that developed without external influences, can add substantially to this question and several others especially in the period of the late Middle Kingdom and the Second Intermediate Period (ca 1800 - 1550 BC). An organically grown settlement of the late Middle Kingdom is situated at Tell el- Dabca in the north eastern Nile Delta and therefore at the crossroads of the Egyptian and Levantine cultures. In terms of its street plan, architecture and archaeological artefacts (ceramics, lithic finds, grinders, querns, stone vessels, mortars, animal bones and archaeobotanic remains) as well as its tombs with contents belonging to the Levantine Middle Bronze Age culture and to a lesser extent to the Egyptian cultural sphere, it shows a mix of both cultures. The analysis of this settlement, especially of the `internal domain` will give important clues as to whether the inhabitants are indeed immigrants from the Levant and, if so, how their acculturation process developed. Of special importance in this analysis is the spatial distribution of the artefacts and their quantitative concentration, because in this way unusual combinations will become obvious and can be tested. This collection of data also allows one to answer several other questions that are high on the agenda of archaeological theory and anthropology, namely the complicated topic of ethnicity, horizontal stratification of society, trade relations and their volume, gender issues, the use of space in antiquity as well as ecological themes. Comparison with settlements in Egypt and the Levant will highlight parallels and affinities although settlement archaeology is still neglected in both areas. Scientific methods that provide new data and thus new possibilities for interpretation were developed quite recently, including the comparison of levels of stable isotopes of strontium in biological and earth samples as well as in human teeth. A significant difference in these levels can give insights into the residential mobility of people. Unfortunately, this possibility is currently unavailable for specimens from Egypt due to the export ban on any kind of archaeological sample, but it is hoped that this problem can be overcome in the future.

The project shed light on several aspects of archaeological theory long discussed by means of archaeological remains recovered in a late Middle Kingdom settlement in Egypt (1800-1700 BC). Different types of cultural contacts were studied and applied to find archaeological proof for migration. During the early years of the 20th century change in material culture was often ascribed to conquest or migration but this view became outdated. Recently attempts have been made to formulate a theoretical framework for this complex phenomenon, mainly around the presence of a secondary culture in the 'internal domain' or private sphere of migrants. This includes objects of daily use, religious rites, habitual arrangements of work areas, such as kitchens and workshops and a vernacular language. The self-organised settlement area A/II -Tell el-Daba in the Nile Delta is situated at the crossroads of the Egyptian and Syro-Palestinian cultures where they influenced each other. In absence of written evidence the archaeological record includes domestic architecture, artefacts (ceramics, lithics, small finds, stone vessels, animal bones etc.) and 8 tombs. Some tombs show Syro-pal. traits, whilst others are no different to Egyptian burials elsewhere. Both types contained Egyptian and imported pottery, which most likely represents status symbols. Due to little comparative data from contemporary Egyptian and Syro-Pal. settlements, actual archaeological evidence for migration remains scarce beside these burials, which provide proof of the presence of some immigrants. Other evidence for the presence of non-Egyptians in this settlement in the late MK is provided by small percentages of Syro-Pal. cooking pottery and ceramic copies of previous imports. These local copies were made using the same technology as previous imports. Thus, there were at least a few craftsmen with knowledge of such production. The lack of Syro-Pal. building methods and the application of the Egyptian royal cubit (52.5 cm) exemplifies that the Egyptian culture is extremely prominent and probably points to the origin of the planning authority in this stage of the settlement. The comprehensive presentation of settlement data (spatial and frequency distribution of vessel types, etc.) forms a pioneering contribution to settlement archaeology and is crucial for further research. The analysis of settlement area A/II showed many differences (number of interments, ceramic repertoire, general lay-out, etc.) to the contemporary neighbourhood (area F/I), about 500 m away. For this reason the reconstruction of the development of Avaris needs to be seen in a more sophisticated manner until a genuinely mixed culture had developed. Further, the genesis and development of this mixed culture can now be better understood and described. The continued exportation ban on archaeological samples from Egypt still prevents more innovative scientific methods such as isotope analysis on human bones to accrue new data for mobility.