Syene Aswan Crosspoint for food and luxury goods Johanna

Syene/Aswan Crosspoint for food and luxury goods (Johanna Sigl, M. A. – Institute of Egyptology/Institute of Paleoanatomy, LMU Munich)

PZAF – Cardiff – 2009 J. Sigl M. A. – Syene – 14/11/2009 Kairo Luxor Aswan

PZAF – Cardiff – 2009 J. Sigl M. A. – Syene – 14/11/2009 Elephantine Syene

PZAF – Cardiff – 2009 J. Sigl M. A. – Syene – 14/11/2009 Aswan, Area 3: The Temple of Domitian N Above: after cleaning and excavating in 2000 -2001 Right: in 2009 N

PZAF – Cardiff – 2009 J. Sigl M. A. – Syene – 14/11/2009 antique town wall of Syene areas arch. sites recognised by SCA area names (dating key) Dating key: 1 Old Kingdom (2707 -2216 BC) 2 Middle Kingdom (2137 -1781 BC) 3 New Kingdom (1550 -1070 BC) 4 Late Period (554 -332 BC) 5 Early Ptolemaic Period (332 -205 BC) 6 Late Ptolemaic Period (205 -31 BC) 7 Early Roman Empire (31 BC-68 AD) 8 Middle Roman Empire (68 -284 AD) 9 Late Roman Empire (284 -395 AD) 10 Byzantine Period (395 -642 AD) 11 Early Islamic Period (642 -969 AD) 12 Mameluk Period (1250 -1570 AD) 13 Osman Period (1570 -1805/1914 AD) 14 recent Excavation areas of Syene/Aswan till end of 2008 ? areas without animal remains/ find places of stray architectural elements/ areas which could not be excavated

PZAF – Cardiff – 2009 J. Sigl M. A. – Syene – 14/11/2009 Proving animals as items of trade Problems: 1)present-day fauna ≠ ancient fauna 2)depictions (+texts) are no proof for presence/absence/trade of a species and vice versa Remains of Struthio camelus from Aswan no. area prel. dating animal part human alterations 1 fragment of egg shell 3 7 th-10 th c. AD* hole drilled through middle Vertebra cervicalis 4 (neck vertebra) 3 rd c AD** Os hyoideum 1 13 (tongue-bone)? Tarsometatarsus 1 end of 4 th c. AD* butchery marks at both ends (lower leg bone) 1 fragment of eggthe 23 7 th-10 th c. AD? ** Tributes from shell * Dating lands, tomb of southerntaken from the general preliminary dating of the area. ** Dating by coins, information provided by M. Hepa (University of Cologne, Germany), 2009. Rekhmire, Western Thebes, 18 th dynasty

PZAF – Cardiff – 2009 J. Sigl M. A. – Syene – 14/11/2009 Proving animals/animal products as items of trade 1)Manually: “Former trade connections or other contacts among distant areas can be illustrated by means of animal remains belonging to species that did not occur in the vicinity of an archaeological site. Such allochthonous species can be imported at a site as living animals, as curiosities, as status symbols or tributes, as fresh or preserved food items, as raw materials for the production of objects, as finished objects, or as items with a symbolic, religious or pecuniary value. Raw materials, such as antler or ivory, or objects made from skeletal parts, can arrive at a site as a result of complex and indirect trade or exchange processes and the same caveats usually apply to molluscs. ” (Van Neer et al 2004) 2) Chemically: Stable Isotope Analysis

PZAF – Cardiff – 2009 J. Sigl M. A. – Syene – 14/11/2009 Pelusium (Sidebotham 2008) Some major trade routes in Egypt from Pharaonic till Roman times Putative road (to be surveyed in 2011) (Graeff 2005)

PZAF – Cardiff – 2009 J. Sigl M. A. – Syene – 14/11/2009 Marine fish from Syene/Aswan 5 cm Indet. shark, dated approx. 1 st millenium BC Indet. parrot fish, dated approx. 4 th-5 th century AD

PZAF – Cardiff – 2009 no. prob. origin species Gastropoda 7 Red Sea Turbo sp. 1 Red Sea Nerita polita 1 Red Sea Cerithium adansonii 1 Red Sea Conomurex fasciatus 3 Red Sea Tricornis tricornis 11 Red Sea Cypraea cf. tigris 22 Red Sea Cypraea sp. 3 Red Sea Tonna dolium 1 Med. Sea Tonna galea 1 Med. Sea Semicassis sp. 2 Med. Sea Charonia sp. 1 Med. Sea Murex brandaris 6 Med. Sea Trunculariopsis trunculus 1 Red Sea Columbella sp. 4 Med. Sea Nassarius gibbosula 1 Red Sea Euplica sp. 1 Red Sea Oliva bulbosa 4 Red Sea Conus sp. 1 Red Sea Terebra maculate 1 Red Sea Architectonica perspective 73 total J. Sigl M. A. – Syene – 14/11/2009 Marine molluscs from Syene/Aswan species Scaphopoda Dentalium sp. Bivalvia Scapharca inaequivalvis Glycymeris violascens Glycymeris glycymeris Glycymeris sp. Pinctada margaritifera Pecten jacobaeus Cerastoderma glaucum Tridacna maxima Tridacna squamosa Tridacna sp. Donax sp. Venus verrucosa Venus sp. total indet. marine molluscs no. prob. origin 1(Med. Sea) 1 Med. Sea 4 Med. Sea 22 Med. Sea 4 Red Sea 3 Med. Sea 9 Med. Sea 5 Red Sea 1 Red Sea 3 Med. Sea 1 Med. Sea 56 6?

PZAF – Cardiff – 2009 J. Sigl M. A. – Syene – 14/11/2009 Molluscs from the Mediterranean (datings from pottery/coins) species Murex brandaris family Muricidae Trunculariopsis trunculus Muricidae no. prel. dating human alterations 1 7 th-16 th c. AD naturally punctured 2 x (? ) 6 th c. BC-7 th c. AD 6 1 x 2 nd-1 st c. BC Murex bandaris from Aswan with natural opening? Dye from Trunculariopsis on wool in sunlight 5 cm Trunculariopsis trunculus from Aswan Trunculariopsis trunculus from Pelusium

PZAF – Cardiff – 2009 J. Sigl M. A. – Syene – 14/11/2009 Molluscs from the Mediterranean (datings from pottery/coins) family no. prel. dating species Glycymerididae 1 1 st c. BC-10 th c. AD Glycymeris violascens 1 st c. BC-3 rd c. AD/ 16 th c. AD-today Glycymerididae 4 Glycymeris glycymeris 1 x 4 th c. BC 1 x 6 th/7 th c. AD 6 th c. BC-7 th c. AD Glycymerididae 22 Glycymeris sp. 1 x 4 th c. BC 0 1 cm Glycymeris sp. with punctured umbo from Aswan human alt. smoothed inner rim 1 x smoothed naturally 2 x punctured at umbo + 1 x blackened inside 10 x smoothed upper side 4 x punctured at umbo Glycymeris as found in Egyptian excavations (Andrews 1981)

PZAF – Cardiff – 2009 J. Sigl M. A. – Syene – 14/11/2009 Elephantine Syene Temple of Isis (area 1)

PZAF – Cardiff – 2009 J. Sigl M. A. – Syene – 14/11/2009 Area 1: House 9, Room b

PZAF – Cardiff – 2009 J. Sigl M. A. – Syene – 14/11/2009 Molluscs from the Mediterranean (datings from pottery/coins) family no. prel. dating species Glycymerididae 1 1 st c. BC-10 th c. AD Glycymeris violascens 1 st c. BC-3 rd c. AD/ 16 th c. AD-today Glycymerididae 4 Glycymeris glycymeris 1 x 4 th c. BC 1 x 6 th/7 th c. AD 6 th c. BC-7 th c. AD Glycymerididae 22 Glycymeris sp. 1 x 4 th c. BC 0 1 cm Glycymeris sp. with punctured umbo from Aswan human alt. smoothed inner rim 1 x smoothed naturally 2 x punctured at umbo + 1 x blackened inside 10 x smoothed upper side 4 x punctured at umbo Glycymeris as found in Egyptian excavations (Andrews 1981)

PZAF – Cardiff – 2009 J. Sigl M. A. – Syene – 14/11/2009 Molluscs from the Red Sea (datings from pottery/coins) family no. prel. dating species human alt. 6 th c. BC-16 th c. AD 2 x aperture without upper shell-half Cypraea cf. tigris Cypraeidae 11 2 x 5 th/6 th c. AD 2 x worked at aperture 1 x 7 th c. AD 6 th c. BC-today 8 x aperture without upper shell-half 1 x 150 BC-300 AD 1 x back piece without aperture Cypraeidae 22 Cypraea sp. 1 x 2 nd c. AD 1 x worked at aperture (+punctured 1 x Islamic M. A. back) girdle , 12 th dynasty, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, no. 16. 1. 5 Cowry as found in Egyptian excavations (Andrews 1981) 0 1 cm Cypraea sp. from Aswan modern cowry necklace

PZAF – Cardiff – 2009 J. Sigl M. A. – Syene – 14/11/2009 Molluscs from the Red Sea (datings from pottery/coins) family no. prel. dating species Pinctada margaritifera Pteriidae 4 6 th c. BC-10 th c. AD human alt. 1 x abrasion at inner rim (raw material) Pinctada margaritifera from Aswan 5 cm Golden pearl-oyster amulet with inlays from the cache of Merenet, Dashur, MK Pinctada sp. with the cartouche, MK, Museuo Egizio Turin, S. 14130

PZAF – Cardiff – 2009 J. Sigl M. A. – Syene – 14/11/2009 Thanks for your attention!