Across ancient borders and cultures

Settlement patterns in Egypt and Upper Nubia in the 2nd Millennium BC are the main fields of research of the project. As relevant case studies, two sites in Upper Egypt (Abydos and Elephantine) and one in Upper Nubia (Sai Island) will be assessed. Although situated across ancient and modern borders and of diverse environmental and cultural preconditions, the study of specific variations in the local urban patterns is important because interactions and influences are attested for the involved regions. The two ruling powers of the areas with a long lasting and changing history of interrelations were Pharaonic Egypt on the one hand and the Kingdom of Kush (Kerma) on the other hand. The specific relations of Nubians and Egyptians in Upper Nubia are still largely uncertain. The architecture and structure of the Egyptian towns established in Upper Nubia during the New Kingdom (c. 1539- 1077 BC) are almost unknown as it is the case for the social stratification and material culture of these sites. Sai Island can function as the prime example for settlement policy of New Kingdom Egypt in Upper Nubia and is the focus of this project. The site played an important role in the period of the so-called "reconquest" of Nubia during the early New Kingdom, the details of which have still not been firmly established and require new research. The main hypothesis that has to be tested is whether the settlement on Sai Island can be evaluated as an Egyptian microcosm despite its location outside of Egypt and its specific topographical, environmental and cultural situation. The major aim of the project is to establish first "standards of living" for Sai according to the material culture and architecture and compare these consequently to data from Elephantine and Abydos. This detailed comparison of contemporary sites of seemingly similar character, but totally different in regard to their location and environment, promises rich information about (a) what was required in a certain ambience, by certain social groups and in specific contexts and (b) the nature of possible influences and interactions across borders and cultures. New insights on the life style and living conditions in 2nd Millennium BC Egypt and Nubia are to be expected. Furthermore, our present understanding of political strategies and events in Upper Nubia during the New Kingdom as based on written records will be significantly altered by the envisaged approach which rests on micro archaeological results and a contextual analysis of archaeological material.

Settlement patterns in Egypt and Nubia in the 2nd Millennium BC were the main topics of research of this FWF project. It has achieved an important advancement in the field of settlement archaeology in Northeast Africa. New excavations at two significant sites of the Egyptian New Kingdom Sai in modern Sudan and Elephantine in Egypt yielded large amounts of new material and new data sets, based on most modern analyses and recordings in the field.Both study sites were located at ancient and present borders and represent diverse environmental and cultural preconditions, with a long history of changing interactions and influences. Thus the analysis of variations in local urban patterns was of prime importance and yielded significant results. Both sites illustrate results of the confrontation of Egyptian culture with Nubian tradition in planned urban environments.On Sai Island, our focus was on the virtual reconstruction of the town area, the assessment of certain groups of objects, and the study of human remains from a newly discovered tomb. The size, layout and evolution of the Egyptian town of Sai can now be safely recreated, including a 3D reconstruction of the settlement based on a 3D laser scanning campaign. Considerable differences between urban sectors were noted, suggesting some impact of individuals and spontaneous dynamics of the settlement, despite of general state planning.On Elephantine Island, our work focused on the study of the ceramics from 18th Dynasty levels of a structure labelled House 55, which was completely excavated within the framework of the project. House 55s excellent state of preservation and the large amount and quality of pottery and other finds exceeded all expectations. In addition to the important general comparison between the two ceramic corpora from Sai and Elephantine, the new stratigraphical sequence from Elephantine triggers new ceramic studies of the New Kingdom that include the important preceding phase, the late Second Intermediate Period.As result of the comparative approach of the project, the original hypothesis of Sai Island as an Egyptian microcosm could be confirmed. However, the old theory of strict boundaries between Nubians and Egyptians, and social stratification based on origin, could be disproved. It can be replaced by the metaphor of cultural entanglement in a complex two-way mixture of lifestyles. Our project illustrates Sai as very significant for understanding the most important aspects of New Kingdom colonial strategy in Nubia: Sai became home not only for Egyptians, but also for Nubians who intermingled with the colonialists.As a whole, our project demonstrates the coexistence of Egyptians and Nubians as a case study that highlights dynamic aspects and individual options within acculturation processes. This ancient example of complex intermingling of cultures might also be instructive for modern studies of multi-ethnic communities in urban spaces.