Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (6.1994(1995))

TELL ATRIB 1994
by Karo! Myśliwiec

Polish-Egyptian rescue excavations at Teil Atrib (suburban
district of Benha in the Nile Delta) were jointly organized by the
Polish Center of Archaeology of Warsaw University in Cairo and
the Egyptian Antiquities Organization between April 2 and June 23,
19942
The season was devoted to the exploration of the western
part of the area located to the south of Kom Sidi Yusuf where
several layers of Ptolemaic period architecture were discovered in
preceding seasons. Work focused on excavating a new section of
the workshop district and continuing the investigations of a public
bath complex from the reign of Ptolemy VE
In the workshop district the explored area was extended to
the northwest: three squares - BBB, CCC and FFF, each
10 x 10 m - were excavated to the depth of 2.5 m below ground
level and a fourth - EEE down to ca. 0,7 m below ground level.
In terms of stratigraphy, the two northern squares (BBB and CCC)
are different from the area directly adjacent to the south (squares
FFF and EEE in the investigated sections). In the northern part,
the mudbrick Ptolemaic structures are to be found already
ca. 0.5 m below ground level. To the south there appears a thick
mixed layer which reaches down to 1.5 m below ground level; the
layer accumulated in consequence of the destruction of Late
Ptolemaic levels and contains a number of artifacts from later

' The Mission was headed by Prot.Dr. Karo! Myśliwiec and included:
Dr. Barbara Ruszczyć, Dr. Aleksandra Krzyżanowska, Dr. Hanna Szymańska,
Mrs. Anna Południkiewicz, Mr. Piotr Mieliwodzki, Mrs. Nina Willburger -
archaeologist, Mr. Mirosław Czarnocki - architect, and Mr. Waldemar Jerke -
photographer. Mrs. Somaya Abu Senna represented the Egyptian Antiquities
Organisation.

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