Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (19.2007(2010))

TELL EL-RETABA

EGYPT

SITE PRESERVATION AND MAJOR THREATS

Serious damages to the site occurred in
relatively recent times. An asphalt road
divided it into two parts: a smaller, western
one and a larger, eastern one. A high-voltage
power line and a water pipe, the latter built in
the early 1980s, caused more damage and
government plans for yet another branch of
the water-supply system will further destroy
important archaeological remains, like the
temple area excavated by Petrie. The cut for

the asphalt road already revealed relatively
thick, well preserved walls rising to a height
of 1.00-1.50 m, apparently from a large and
important building. An appeal to Egypt’s
archaeological authorities has resulted in
action taken by the Supreme Council of
Antiquities to stop the building project and
to preserve this important Pharaonic site in
northern Egypt for further study and
documentation.

MAPPING

A new contour map of the site was prepared
with state-of-the-art surveying equipment,
marking all traceable archaeological remains
(defense walls, houses, stone blocks), as well
as modern structures (the southeastern part
of the map remains to be completed next
year). Superimposition of Petrie’s excavation
plan (Petrie, Duncan 1906: Pi. XXXV)
[Fig. 1] demonstrated the presence of some of
the structures excavated by Petrie. The thick
walls of the Ramesside fortress (Petrie’s “wall
2” and “wall 3”) in their southern [Fig. 2] and
western sections are especially easy to discern,
even the casemate structure of “wall 2” in
places [Fig. 3]. Parts of the defense walls
appear to have been re-cleared in relatively
recent times, unknown by whom or when.
Of the structures documented by Petrie
the earliest defense wall (“wall 1”), dated by
Petrie to Elyksos times (but questioned,
cf. Redmount 1989: 130), cannot be seen
and neither can the “Great House” dated by
Petrie to the Eighteenth Dynasty. Only
scant remains of the Ramesside temple can
be traced on the surface. On the other hand,
a number of ancient structures not known
to Petrie can now be observed, most
importantly, the fairly well preserved (max.

height approx. 1.50 m) buildings east of
Petrie’s “Great House”, in the center of the
fortress. Some of these seem to be granaries
[Fig. 5]. The orientation of these remains is
the same and they may all be part of one big
structure, although not necessarily part of
the “Great House” complex, which follows
a different orientation. But since the latter is
known solely from Petrie’s publication and
could not be verified on site, conclusions
with regard to this aspect will have to be
postponed. The granaries (and the
accompanying structures) were excavated
between 1983 and 2005, it is unclear by
whom, but apparently already after the
laying of the water pipeline (the excavation
trench runs parallel to the water pipeline,
directly to the east of it). Dating and
functional attribution will depend on
a further clearing of these structures and
investigation of the adjacent areas.
Moreover, traces of mud brick walls were
noted also in the cut for the asphalt road,
indicating that also the area between the
temple and the western gate had been built
over. In any case, it looks now as if Petrie was
wrong in assuming that the area inside the
defense walls was “largely left open” and

144

Polish Archaeology in die Mediterranean 19, Reports 2007