EGYPTIAN
ARCHAEOLOGY
The EES Delta Survey in spring 2011 The Society had planned for spring 2011 a two-day Delta Survey Workshop and several field projects which looked unlikely to proceed when unrest broke out in Egypt in January. Fortunately both aspects of our work were able to go ahead, as Joanne Rowland and Jeffrey Spencer report. The first SCA/EES Delta Survey Workshop was held in Cairo in March 2009 and a summary by Manfred Bietak appeared in EA 35 (p.11). Our plans for 2011 were more amibitious, extending the workshop to last for two days Mohammed Abdel Maksoud and inviting an international of the SCA during one of the discussion sessions array of expert speakers with, between them, many years of experience working in the Nile Delta. In early February, when we thought we would have to cancel or postpone the Workshop, we were all very disappointed but fortunately we were able to go ahead and all those who attended on 31 March and 1 April agreed it was a great success. The Workshop was again held in the Garden Room of the British Council in Agouza, Cairo - home of the EES Cairo Office - and was organised by Patricia Spencer (in London) and Faten Saleh (in Cairo). A total of 25 speakers gave a wide range of papers to around 70 delegates and we were especially pleased to be able to host talks from so many of our colleagues in the SCA, led by Mohammed Abdel Maksoud. Sessions were chaired by the writers and Penny Wilson. Inevitably much of the discussion centred on recent events in Egypt and the impact on antiquities sites, museums and storerooms - something brought home to us when Manfred Bietak, Irene Forstner Müller and Edgar Pusch had to leave early on the first day as their storerooms at Tell el-Daba/Qantir had been broken into. Fortunately the damage was limited and Dr Pusch was able to return for the second day. We’re very grateful to Dr Pusch and to Tomasz Herbich who, at short notice, stood in for their colleagues absent at Tell el-Daba, and
Fekri Hassan giving his presentation of fieldwork at Kafr Hassan Daoud
Pascale Ballet describing the investigation of kilns at Buto
also to Randa Baligh of Mansura University who kindly translated some of the SCA talks into English. Patricia uploaded almost real-time updates and photographs from the Workshop and her account of the two days can still be read at: http://deltasurvey.tumblr.com/page/6. Joanne had already started fieldwork in Minufiyeh governorate before the Workshop and Patricia and Jeffrey began their season in Kafr es-Sheikh after it had ended. Both expeditions amassed more new information on little-known Delta sites which has now been added to the Society’s online database: www.deltasurvey. ees.ac.uk/ds-home.html.
Participants during the lunch break on the first day in the garden café at the British Council
The Delta Survey is an Approved Research Project of the British Academy who funded our spring seasons in Egypt. On the following pages we describe EES fieldwork in the Delta in spring 2011.