Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (11.1999(2000))

NAQLUN

EGYPT

THE MODERN CEMETERY ON SITE A/E AT
DEIR AN-NAQLUN

Magdalena Zurek

The modern cemetery at Deir an-Naqlun
was identified in 1986 during the excava-
tions of trial pits in sector A, on the spot of
a tower and a monastery church built in its
ruins. A total of 42 burials was excavated
at the time. In 1997 work was re-started in
this area on the nearby site E, just north-
west of trench A, and was continued in
1998 in both sectors. Overall, 130 tombs
were identified; of these, 122 were
explored and 80 skeletons were moved to
a new area of internment, with future
anthropological research in mind.
The tombs at Naqlun may be divided
into two principal categories: tombs with
a masonry superstructure and tombs with-
out a marker.
Examples of the first category are rela-
tively few. Ten have been identified and of
these three have been opened. Two kinds of
superstructures have been recognized. One
is simple, rectangular and three brick-
courses high, flat and quite rough in exe-
cution. The other is a three-stepped masta-
ba-like structure with a rounded top, built
of red brick and finely plastered. Tombs of
this kind were located chiefly next to the
northwest corner of Church A and along its
northern wall.
The tombs without markers represent
a considerable variety. Eight different
kinds of coffins have been noted. The forms
that predominate include coffins made of
planks, identified as palm wood and
a species of hard wood, and of palm leaf
rods tied with rope. Other forms that have
been recorded include boxes made of

planks with the lids of palm leaf rods,
a cage-like box of thick palm leaf rods
joined together with shorter rods (very
much like modern boxes for transporting
fruit), biers made of these palm leaf rods,
coffins carved in a single piece of wood,
casing structures of brick, and amphorae.
Burials without coffins are also present. In
most cases the coffin was covered with
a mat, sometimes with a linen cloth that
had crosses painted on it.
The question of grave furnishings is
worthy of comment. In 24 cases various
objects were found placed inside the tomb.
Glass bottles (8 examples) are fairly popu-
lar as a burial gift, placed either by the
head or by the feet of the dead person.
Other finds include objects of everyday
use, possibly connected with the daily
activities of the dead: a school tablet and
pen case in a child's tomb, two pen cases in
an adult's grave, instruments of the
weaver's trade put under a coffin, a casket
of palm leaf rods and a clay bowl. In four
cases henna was left with the bodies. Ten of
the burials yielded evidence of mostly
unidentifiable vegetal remains, found for
the most part under the head of the
deceased. These were aromatic plants
rather than ornamental, like mint, for
example. The idea may have been to stifle
the stench of the dead body.
The most interesting tomb is T. 110.
Two coffins (nos. 110 and 127) and an
amphora containing the bones of an infant
(no. 125) were discovered under a flat rec-
tangular superstructure. A woman had

133