Speaker: Leah Packard-Grams, Ancient History and Mediterranean Archaeology, UC Berkeley
Abstract:
Just 350 meters from the Nile river lies the site of el Hibeh, where the remains of an ancient Egyptian city lie beneath centuries of accumulated soil and sand. UC Berkeley’s archaeological mission to the site had a productive 2024 season, finding a range of materials from ancient papyrus to animal mummies and mudbricks stamped with the name of the Pharaoh. The north trench even uncovered a previously-unknown late antique cemetery. The site is characterized by its large mudbrick enclosure walls, which show a remarkable degree of preservation. The site is unique for its evidence dating to the Third Intermediate Period, a time in Egypt’s history that is not well understood. Under the leadership of UC Berkeley archaeologists, this field season left the team with both answers and new questions for future work.