Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (12.2000(2001))

QASR EL-SAGA

EGYPT

QASR EL-SAGA
MAGNETIC SURVEY, 19991'
Tomasz Herbich

Qasr el-Saga is located in the northern part of the Fayum depression. Earlier research,
following its discovery hy G. Schweinfurth in 1884, had brought to light a Twelfth-
Dynasty temple, two Middle Kingdom settlements and a cemetery situated to the southwest
of the western of the two settlements.1 2)
Geophysical research was carried out only in the so-called Western Settlement.
Provisionally explored by D. Arnold,3) 4 it was excavated in 1979-1985 by a team from the
German Institute in Cairo and the Institute of Archaeology of Jagiellonian University in
Cracow, directed by J. Sliwa A This research provided data for the reconstruction of the
settlement plan.
The objective of the project was to see whether geophysical research could provide new
information concerning settlement layout.

1) The survey was carried out as a joint project of the German Archaeological Institute in Cairo, represented by Prof.
Guenter Dreyer, and the Polish Center of Archaeology, Warsaw University, represented by Mr. Tomasz Herbich and Mr.
Mariusz Jucha. The fieldwork, supervised by T. Herbich, took place in October 9-14, 1999- The Supreme Council of
Antiquities was represented by Mr. Mustafa Mahmud Mohammad.
2) See history of site research in: B. Ginter, W. Heflik, J.K. Kozlowski, J. Sliwa, “Excavations in the region of Qasr el-
Saga”, MDAIK 36 (1980), 105-107.
3) D. and Do. Arnold, “Der Tempel Qasr el-Sagha”, AV 27 (Mainz 1979), 26-27.
4) For a report from the last campaign with references to earlier work, cf. J. Sliwa, “Die Siedlung des Mittleren Reiches
bei Qasr el-Saga. Grabungsbericht 1987 und 1988", MDAIK 48 (1992), 177-191.

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