Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (13.2001(2002))

NAQLUN

EGYPT

door opened into the other room
(AA.30.3). The entrance to the staircase
(AA.30.1) may have been a consequence of
a remodeling of the complex; whatever the
case may be, its attribution to the original
phase is questionable. The wooden ceiling
was supported on a massive pillar (120 by
120 cm) of brick and stone blocks,
reinforced with small wooden beams. The
pillar stands on the same line of symmetry
that runs through the entrance and the
entire room, but it is much closer to the
west wall than to the east one; hence, it is
more than probable that it was not part of
the original layout, but was introduced at
the time of the first remodeling.
Three niches were identified in the
walls. A small niche (55 cm wide, 45 cm
high and 32 cm deep) was set in the middle
of the north wall (Fig. 3). Its sill, similarly
as that of the niche in the middle of the east
wall, was at about the same level. This
other niche, considerably damaged, was
found to be some 50 cm wide. In the south
wall, closer to the west corner, there was
a much bigger niche, which was blocked
meticulously at a later date, thus hindering
its proper identification. It was about
60 cm wide and was set quite high, its sill
being some 70 cm above the walking level.
No plastering was noted inside it, but then
the wall surfaces had suffered considerably
in the conflagration that destroyed the
building.
There could have been a bench made of
bricks standing by the walls of the hall,
but only fragments of it have been
preserved. A bench of this kind, c. 96 cm
wide, appears to have run along the entire
length of the north wall. The walking level
inside the hall, just above bedrock, was not
hardened in any way, but the pieces of
limestone flagging found in the lower
layers of the debris filling the room would
indicate that slabs 3.0-3.5 cm thick could

have once covered the floor here. Some of
the slabs found in the fill may have
actually come from the furnishing of an
upper storey. Not one of the slabs was
found in its primary position.
In the second occupational stage, the
floor level was raised by a c. 30 cm thick
bedding of well tamped silt. The western
entrance was blocked at this point and the
hall was connected with the staircase and
room AA.40.5 that was added to the
primary complex on the south. Two big
storage jars (Nd.01218 and Nd.01219)
had been sunk into the occupational level
in the southwestern corner of the room,
their rims even with the floor surface. Both
vessels were finely painted with a variety of
bird, fish and plant representations, as well


Fig. 4- Site A. Room A A. 30.2. Wooden
pulley found in the construction of
a bench (?) by the north wall
(Photo W. Godlewski)

163