Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (17.2005(2007))

NAQLUN

EGYPT

CONCLUSIONS

The material used in the walls and other
constructions inside Building G is charac-
teristically homogeneous. Dark gray river
mud is the principal raw material, often
with straw chaff added as temper, less often
with lime, gravel or yellow desert clay. At
all stages of the development of Building G,
the bricks were of the same general size and
were made with few exceptions of the said
river mud. This and the relatively insignif-
icant differences in the foundation levels of
old and new walls prove that the principal
building activities in this complex were
carried out within a relatively short period
of time. The 10th century is a likely date for
this construction.26
Nevertheless, the interior of Building G
reveals evidence of a number of renovations
and functional alterations over the course of
its existence.
It is difficult to trace the stages of
abandonment and destruction of the
complex. The first to be put out of use was
room G.9 when its roof collapsed. The
adjacent rooms G.2 and G.4 appear to have
been operational after this event. Some
time later the entrance to the building
from street N.l was blocked. Corridor G.3
lost its original function then, making it
possible for a round brick-lined hearth to
appear in its northern end. The blocking of
both doors from the south should be
connected with the church cemetery
(developing around Building A) which
encroached also on street N.l. From this
point on, the only access to Building G was
from the north and this entrance remained
in use until the very end. At this time, the

complex could have already been partly in
ruin.
A conflagration consumed at some point
the area to the north of the complex.27 It
must have spread to the north wall of
Structure 100 as well as Building G and
room D.8. These walls, and presumably the
whole buildings were not rebuilt and the
walls started to collapse, falling in stages
toward the north. Between successive phases
of collapse, windblown sand and dry
vegetation drifted in, accumulating on the
surface of street N.2. The south wall of D.8
was still standing at this time, although it
was shortly to fall prey to plunderers of
building material.
A similar fate met most of the walls of
Building G. Some were meticulously
dismantled down to the foundations (cf.
Fig. 3, east wall of room G.8]. Regular
dismantling alternating with natural
decline led to rubble fill forming in
particular rooms of the complex, consisting
(as excavations in 2005 have proved) mostly
of mud brick, some baked brick, stones,
wall plaster and mortar. Evidence of the roof
in the form of bundles of reeds, mortar and
pieces of palm beams were also recorded.
The archaeological material from the fill
included quantities of pottery, some broken
glass and small wooden elements (pieces of
furniture, keys etc.).
In the 13th century the ruined and
partly filled in complex stood on the
fringes of the cemetery developing around
the church (Building A). Two graves from
this burial ground were explored in room
G.2.28

26 W. Godlewski, PAM XIV. Reports 2002 (2003), 165; Godlewski, PAM XVI, op. ck., 187.
27 Cf. Godlewski, Derda, Gorecki, op. cit., 212.
28 Godlewski, PAM XV, op. ck., 148; Godlewski, PAM XVI, op. ck., 183, 187.

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