Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (17.2005(2007))

NAQLUN

EGYPT

BUILDING G IN NAQLUN:
MATERIAL, CONSTRUCTION, FURNISHING

Szymon Maslak

Building G was discovered in the 2003
season and the western part was explored at
the time.1 In the next season, the rooms by
the south wall of the complex were
excavated2 and in 2005 it was possible to
complete the examinations and interpret
the layout and nature of Building G (for the
THE
MATERIAL
The remains of walls (long sections of which
are preserved as mere negatives of founda-
tions) and the material from the rubble
prove that the newly uncovered parts of
Building G were constructed of virtually
nothing but dark grey mud brick with chaff
as temper (22-23-5 x 11-12 x 5-5.5 cm).4
Some of the baked bricks (24-25.5 x 11-12
x 5.5-7.5 cm) found in the fill in the central
and northern parts of the complex could
have come from the collapsed walls.5 The
lower parts of the east wall of room G.6

plan and general view of the building after
explorations, see above, Figs 1 and 2 on pp.
196-197 in this volume).3 Barring a few
exceptions, this report concerns walls
uncovered in seasons 2004 and 2005. With
regard to the other structures, the report
covers finds from seasons 2003-2005.
WALLS
were made partly of baked brick. In the
southeastern corner of room G.6, the lower
parts of the wall had irregular chunks of
yellow dressed limestone in their construc-
tion.
It is not clear, however, what the white
limestone cubes with four or five dressed
sides were used for. They came in two sizes:
10 x 9 x 7 cm (from room G.9 and G.10)
and 22-27 x 11.5-12 x 6.5-12 cm (from
room G.8). They have been found along the
outer building walls, indicating that they
were most likely part of the construction.

1 Rooms G.l, G.3 and G.5, partly G.2, G.4, G.6, G.7, G.8 and G.ll: see W. Godlewski, PAM XV Reports 2003 (2004),
144, 146-149; S. Maslak. PAM XV, op.cit., 152-158.
2 G.2, G.9, G.10 (with staircase), G.l 1 and additionally G.7: see W. Godlewski, PA/M XV/, Reports 2004 (2005), 187-
189.
3 Cf. W. Godlewski, PAM I. Reports 1988-1989 (1990), 33; W. Godlewski, T. Derda, T. Gorecki, "Deir el Naqlun
(Nekloni), 1988-1989: Second Preliminary' Report", Nub'tca III/1 (1994), 213-216, Fig. 9; Maslak, PAM XV, op. cit.,
152-158.
4 The only bricks with little or no chaff were the ones in the lower parts of the south and east walls of rooms G.10 and
the east and north walls of room G.8. They contained some lime or lumps of yellow desert clay instead, this giving
them a specific brownish or yellowish color. On the size and kinds of bricks in other parts of Building G and the
neighboring Building E to the west, cf. W. Godlewski, PAM XL Reports 1999 (2000), 130; Maslak, PAM XV, op. cit.,
152-153.
5 Cf. Maslak, PAM XV, op. cit., 153.

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