Tell el-Farkha: archaeological fieldwork 2016–2017

Abstract

The paper discusses archaeological investigations carried out on all three tells making up the site of Tell el-Farkha, expanding on the findings from earlier seasons. Phasing of the brewery discovered four years ago on the Western Kom gave a time range for the use of the installation from the first Southern Egyptian occupation (Naqada IID) to the Naqada IIIA1/2–IIIB phase, when a catastrophic fire destroyed the entire settlement.The big Naqada warehouse on the Central Kom was also phased (beginning in Naqada IIIA1) and further parts of an underlying building attributed to the Lower Egyptian culture were explored, including a wooden fence around the structure. The 11 graves explored on the Eastern Kom were dated to the Tell el-Farkha Phase 6 (Naqada IIIC2–IIID). They cut into a building (temple?) from anearlier phase.

Keywords

• Lower Egyptian culture
• Naqada culture
• Protodynastic
• Early Dynastic