DOI Heft:
Egypt
DOI Artikel:Krzyżaniak, Lech: Dakhleh Oasis: research on Petroglyphs, 1998
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.41273#0134
_DAKHLEH OASIS_
EGYPT
***
The investigated area is situated mostly on
the northern side of the ancient and mod-
ern road leading from Dakhleh to
Khargeh. The hills, usually occurring in
chains, tend to surround flat "basins", part-
ly overgrown with grass. A new phenome-
non in this area are farms established by
farmers arriving from the Dakhleh Oasis
proper.
Methodologically, the fieldwork was no
different from what has already been car-
ried out. The expedition operated from the
D.O.P. resthouse in the village of
Beshendi. Leaving the Landrover in the
center of a group of hills, the field party
surveyed the surrounding slopes, peaks and
bottoms in search of petroglyphs. A num-
ber of these were found, either engraved or,
less often, pecked in the stone.
The season was devoted not so much to
recording all the petroglyphs as to com-
pleting a general survey while recording
only selected items. All of the petroglyphs
were photographed in black-and-white
and color, and a few were traced and
described on catalogue sheets. It is planned
to complete recording selected sites in
future seasons.
The registered petroglyphs seem to
belong to the types which Winkler3-1 classi-
fied and dated as belonging to "Dynastic"
and "Arab" times. No petroglyphs of
a clearly prehistoric type and chronology,
similar to the rock art recorded in the
Eastern Dakhleh in previous seasons, were
found in the investigated area. As regards
the "Dynastic" types, site No. 31/435-P2-
3 appears to be of special importance,
bringing several groups of figural engrav-
ings and hieroglyphic texts (Fzg. 1 -2).
Another site, No. 30/450-A2-1, yielded an
interesting engraving of a victorious
Amun-Nakht smiting a Libyan warrior
{Fig. 3); a similar scene, but in painted
relief, had been found earlier by the D.O.P.
project expedition in a temple situated
near the village of Beshendi and dated to
the late 1st cent. BC and 1st cent. AD.
However, most of the petroglyphs found in
the investigated area are dated to the
Arab/Medieval and post-Medieval times
{Fig. 4).
Fig. 1 Figural engraving and hieroglyphic
text found on a now loose block of stone.
Site No. 31/435-P2-3
(Drawing L. Krzyzaniak)
3) H.A. Winkler, Rock-Drawings of Southern Upper Egypt II, The Egypt Exploration Society, London 1939-
132
EGYPT
***
The investigated area is situated mostly on
the northern side of the ancient and mod-
ern road leading from Dakhleh to
Khargeh. The hills, usually occurring in
chains, tend to surround flat "basins", part-
ly overgrown with grass. A new phenome-
non in this area are farms established by
farmers arriving from the Dakhleh Oasis
proper.
Methodologically, the fieldwork was no
different from what has already been car-
ried out. The expedition operated from the
D.O.P. resthouse in the village of
Beshendi. Leaving the Landrover in the
center of a group of hills, the field party
surveyed the surrounding slopes, peaks and
bottoms in search of petroglyphs. A num-
ber of these were found, either engraved or,
less often, pecked in the stone.
The season was devoted not so much to
recording all the petroglyphs as to com-
pleting a general survey while recording
only selected items. All of the petroglyphs
were photographed in black-and-white
and color, and a few were traced and
described on catalogue sheets. It is planned
to complete recording selected sites in
future seasons.
The registered petroglyphs seem to
belong to the types which Winkler3-1 classi-
fied and dated as belonging to "Dynastic"
and "Arab" times. No petroglyphs of
a clearly prehistoric type and chronology,
similar to the rock art recorded in the
Eastern Dakhleh in previous seasons, were
found in the investigated area. As regards
the "Dynastic" types, site No. 31/435-P2-
3 appears to be of special importance,
bringing several groups of figural engrav-
ings and hieroglyphic texts (Fzg. 1 -2).
Another site, No. 30/450-A2-1, yielded an
interesting engraving of a victorious
Amun-Nakht smiting a Libyan warrior
{Fig. 3); a similar scene, but in painted
relief, had been found earlier by the D.O.P.
project expedition in a temple situated
near the village of Beshendi and dated to
the late 1st cent. BC and 1st cent. AD.
However, most of the petroglyphs found in
the investigated area are dated to the
Arab/Medieval and post-Medieval times
{Fig. 4).
Fig. 1 Figural engraving and hieroglyphic
text found on a now loose block of stone.
Site No. 31/435-P2-3
(Drawing L. Krzyzaniak)
3) H.A. Winkler, Rock-Drawings of Southern Upper Egypt II, The Egypt Exploration Society, London 1939-
132