DOI Heft:
Egypt
DOI Artikel:Dziedzic-Dzierzbicka, Dorota: Jewelry from cemetery A at Naqlun
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.42091#0229
NAQLUN
EGYPT
JEWELRY FROM CEMETERY A AT NAQLUN
Dorota Dziedzic-Dzierzbicka
Research at the archaeological site of Deir
el-Naqlun in the season of 2005 included
the study of jewelry found in burials at
Cemetery A in previous campaigns. The
finds were cleaned, drawn, and photo-
graphed and an attempt was made at
establishing a typology of the objects. The
following is a preliminary report on the
findings.
Cemetery A is a Christian burial ground
the use of which has been dated to the
period from the second half of the 11th
century to the late 14th century.1 Of the
396 burials excavated so far, 47 contained
jewelry.
Among the examined finds were various
metal objects: earrings, rings, belt buckles,
bracelets, pins, one cross, and one medal-
lion. Mechanical cleaning of the objects and
the removal of a layer of corrosion revealed
that they were made of gold, silver, bronze
and various alloys, often difficult to
determine precisely based only on the
macroscopic analysis of the surface brought
to light. The most problematic pieces were
those made of iron; heavy corrosion has
caused irreversible deformation of the
objects, impeding proper examination and
documentation.
A considerable number of finds was
made of glass. Aside from a small glass
bracelet, the objects in question were beads,
forming part of necklaces and bracelets, or
adorning earrings. There were five neck-
laces, five bracelets (two found in one burial)
and over a dozen loose beads.
Burial T.280 was especially rich. The
deceased was wearing a bead necklace and
four rings, of which two were silver and two
presumably of tortoise shell.
BELT BUCKLES
Four belt buckles were found. One of the
better preserved pieces in this category was
Nd.00.205 [Fig. 7], a small, bronze buckle
that was once attached to a belt or strap
roughly up to 1.5 cm wide. There are V-
shaped marks, one on each side, on the
horizontal bar in the middle. The pin of
the buckle was looped around the bar on
one end, and the other end fitted into
a rounded depression in the frame of the
buckle. Another buckle that deserves
attention is made of bone (Nd.00.152)
[cf. Fig. 7], The belt it was used with
measured at most one centimeter in width.
The pin is missing, but there is a dep-
ression on the frame, similar to the one
described above. The pin was mounted on
a bar inserted into the buckle frame, fitted
in a round hole drilled in one side and
blocked on the other. The buckle is
decorated: horizontal grooves were incised
in the middle, and diagonal lines were cut
on both sides of the depression. Two other
buckles, of iron and copper alloy, were in
a rather poor state of preservation, which
impaired further analysis.
1 W. Godlewski, "The medieval Coptic cemetery at Naqlun", in: Christianity and Monasticism in the Fayum Oasis, ed.
G. Gabra (Cairo 2005), 173-183.
225
EGYPT
JEWELRY FROM CEMETERY A AT NAQLUN
Dorota Dziedzic-Dzierzbicka
Research at the archaeological site of Deir
el-Naqlun in the season of 2005 included
the study of jewelry found in burials at
Cemetery A in previous campaigns. The
finds were cleaned, drawn, and photo-
graphed and an attempt was made at
establishing a typology of the objects. The
following is a preliminary report on the
findings.
Cemetery A is a Christian burial ground
the use of which has been dated to the
period from the second half of the 11th
century to the late 14th century.1 Of the
396 burials excavated so far, 47 contained
jewelry.
Among the examined finds were various
metal objects: earrings, rings, belt buckles,
bracelets, pins, one cross, and one medal-
lion. Mechanical cleaning of the objects and
the removal of a layer of corrosion revealed
that they were made of gold, silver, bronze
and various alloys, often difficult to
determine precisely based only on the
macroscopic analysis of the surface brought
to light. The most problematic pieces were
those made of iron; heavy corrosion has
caused irreversible deformation of the
objects, impeding proper examination and
documentation.
A considerable number of finds was
made of glass. Aside from a small glass
bracelet, the objects in question were beads,
forming part of necklaces and bracelets, or
adorning earrings. There were five neck-
laces, five bracelets (two found in one burial)
and over a dozen loose beads.
Burial T.280 was especially rich. The
deceased was wearing a bead necklace and
four rings, of which two were silver and two
presumably of tortoise shell.
BELT BUCKLES
Four belt buckles were found. One of the
better preserved pieces in this category was
Nd.00.205 [Fig. 7], a small, bronze buckle
that was once attached to a belt or strap
roughly up to 1.5 cm wide. There are V-
shaped marks, one on each side, on the
horizontal bar in the middle. The pin of
the buckle was looped around the bar on
one end, and the other end fitted into
a rounded depression in the frame of the
buckle. Another buckle that deserves
attention is made of bone (Nd.00.152)
[cf. Fig. 7], The belt it was used with
measured at most one centimeter in width.
The pin is missing, but there is a dep-
ression on the frame, similar to the one
described above. The pin was mounted on
a bar inserted into the buckle frame, fitted
in a round hole drilled in one side and
blocked on the other. The buckle is
decorated: horizontal grooves were incised
in the middle, and diagonal lines were cut
on both sides of the depression. Two other
buckles, of iron and copper alloy, were in
a rather poor state of preservation, which
impaired further analysis.
1 W. Godlewski, "The medieval Coptic cemetery at Naqlun", in: Christianity and Monasticism in the Fayum Oasis, ed.
G. Gabra (Cairo 2005), 173-183.
225