Shaping a city and its defenses; fortifications of Hellenistic Berenike Trogodytika
Journal Title: Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean - Year 2017, Vol 26, Issue 2
Abstract
Key information on the location, size and dating of the Ptolemaic fortifications of Berenike Trogodytika comes from archaeological excavations carried out in 2013–2015, following the 2012 season when the presence of military architecture in the Red Sea harbor was first discovered and identified (Woźniak and Rądkowska 2014). Sections of a thick wall constructed of gypsum anhydrite blocks on a wide foundation were recorded in the northern part of the site (trenches BE-13/90 and BE13-93). The wall was part of the defenses protecting the harbor from the north, the only land access to the site through marshy ground on the fringes of the so-called “northern lagoon”. Further work in trenches BE14-97 in 2014 and BE15-104 in 2015 uncovered the remains of a well preserved early Hellenistic fortified city gate, built of gypsum anhydrite blocks and chunks of coral. The complex has no parallel at present anywhere in the Red Sea region. A series of shallow basins interconnected by pipes made of truncated necks of early Hellenistic amphorae, found to the east of the gate, served probably to collect rainwater. The water function? of the gate was confirmed further by a large basin or cistern, about 1 m deep, abutting the complex on the southwest. A subterranean network of four rock-cut chambers(?) was discovered at the bottom of the internal gate chamber. A corridor in the east wall of the gate shaft, with a covered channel in the floor, led off to the northeast, in the direction of a rectangular anomaly observed on the magnetic map, which could be another rock-cut shaft.<br/><br/>
Authors and Affiliations
Marek Woźniak
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP343277
- DOI 10.5604/01.3001.0012.1820
- Views 53
- Downloads 0
Glazed Ifriqiyyan ceramics from the Hafsid period from the site of Kom el-Dikka in Alexandria
The presented pottery collection comes from the excavation of a medieval Islamic cemetery discovered at the Kom el-Dikka site in Alexandria, Egypt. The described set represents only a small fraction of an assemblage cons...
Crypt 3 in the Northwest Annex of the Monastery on Kom H in Dongola: report on the exploration in 2012
The article offers an overview of wall inscriptions from the Southwest Annex to the Monastery on Kom H at Dongola documented in the 2013 season. The collection consists of 49 items. They can be divided into two categorie...
Wall inscriptions in the Southwest Annex to the Monastery on Kom H at Dongola: report on work in the 2013 season
The article offers an overview of wall inscriptions from the Southwest Annex to the Monastery on Kom H at Dongola documented in the 2013 season. The collection consists of 49 items. They can be divided into two categorie...
Mineralogical characteristic of mortars from the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari: preliminary report
The article presents the results of physico-chemical analyses of a few masonry mortar and whitewash samples taken in the mid-1990s from the Temple of Hatshepsut in Deir el-Bahari. The mineralogical characteristic of the...
Cooking ware pottery from the “Hellenistic” House at Nea Paphos. Seasons 2014 and 2016 Appendix: Inscription on a casserole rim
The paper presents a selection of cooking ware pottery excavated in 2014 and 2016 from the fill under the central and eastern parts of the main courtyard (1) of the “Hellenistic” House in Nea Paphos–Maloutena. Most of th...