Site 346: Tell Markha:2002 Expedition:The 2002 University of Toronto expedition to El-Markha Plain investigated the northern part of this region, beginning excavation at Tell Markha (Site 346), before examining Tell Ras Budran (Site 345) 1,760 metres to the south. The expedition worked at Site 346 from June 16 until July 19 and consisted of Gregory Mumford (project director), Larry Pavlish (geoarchaeologist), Monica Bontty (registrar), Rexine Hummel (ceramicist), Patrick Carstens (photographer), Sarah Parcak (remote sensing and site supervisor), Christopher Gilbert (site supervisor), Zoe McQuinn (site supervisor) and Mustafa Rezk (SCA Inspector, Abu Zenima). Special thanks go to SEPE project member D. Donnelly (University of Toronto) for all her assistance in drawing pottery and other items from the 2002 season. The panoramic series of slides (illustrated below and photographed in summer 2001) reveal a sequential view of Site 346 and its environs from the eastern end of Site 346. The tour begins with a view towards the north and moves clockwise in a circle through 15 images to view the terrain surrounding Site 346. This tour provides locational information in the captions for areas investigated during the 2002 summer season. |
South Sinai
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Panoramic View of Site 346 (Tell Markha)
View slide show |
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View of Markha Plain and Site 346 from hilltop:Another perspective on the position of Site 346 within el-Markha Plain is provided by the following three images. Here the site is viewed from the West Sinai hilltops immediately to the east of 346, showing the desert plain and patches of vegetation beside a neighbouring Bedouin village (Kilo Tisa). The remaining images show the coastal plain and the Red Sea, which lie to the south and west of Site 346.
View of Kilo Tisa village (NDVI sites 1-2); Site 346 to right of S. Parcak. (Photo: G. Mumford) |
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View of Site 346 (lower left corner) and Site 345 (1.8 km to south). (Photo: G. Mumford) |
View of the remnants of west side of Site 346 and El-Markha Bay. (Photo: G. Mumford) |
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Site 346: Background:El-Markha Plain provides the most direct access, via wadi systems through hills and mountains, to the inland turquoise mining region in South Sinai. It is thereby best positioned for the placement, and detection of pharaonic anchorages and way-stations facilitating overland and maritime expeditions to this region. In 1948, W.F. Albright and H. Field discovered a Dynasty 18 coastal site (Tell Markha) beside a bay at the northern end of El-Markha Plain, but they published only brief descriptions of the site. During Rothenberg’s survey within this area in 1967, he visited and designated the small mound ("Tell") at Markha as Site 346; this appellation has been continued by our expedition. Following M. Chartier-Raymond’s visit to Site 346 in 1991, the University of Toronto project examined the surface debris at this site over several days during the summer of 2000 and 2001. In 2002, we initiated the first excavation work here since Albright’s (unpublished) fieldwork in 1948. Field described the seaport at the Bay of Markha as lying 5 km south of (old) Abu Zenima. The site was described as a low settlement mound, lying on a low hillock that was situated on the northern edge of El-Markha Plain, just over 100 m from the Gulf of Suez. He noted that the site was positioned beside a protected cove, which formed a perfect anchorage. Although Field and Albright described the site as measuring 50 by 100 metres, Rothenberg later estimated it to be 50 by 110 m. The lowest part of the mound lay about 2 metres above the Red Sea high tide mark, while in general, the main part of the mound lies between 4 and 5 m above mean sea level. Albright apparently placed an excavation trench along an existing north-south cutting through the mound (this cutting had been established by the Sinai Mining Company for a light railway track connecting the manganese mines of Umm Bogma with the Red Sea). Albright’s investigation of this section, and possibly other trenches, revealed minimal traces for superimposed constructions. He concluded that the site contained only one occupation phase which had spanned a relatively short period. The mound’s surface yielded a scattering of mostly pottery sherds, which Albright drew and photographed (but remain unpublished and unlocated). He described the pottery as fragments of crude, dark pottery that was unmistakably ancient Egyptian. Site 346's pottery assemblage was said to be quite homogeneous with a ‘limited number of constantly repeated forms’. G. Brunton and J. Leibovitch examined and dated this pottery to identical 15th century BC Egyptian materials from Harageh and other sites. they cited a date of about 1500 BC, placing the pottery in the period of Hatshepsut and Thutmose III. During Rothenberg’s South Sinai survey, he noted much charcoal and pottery at Site 346, including crucible fragments. Despite the construction of a new road through part of this site in the late 1980s, sufficient portions of the mound survive (i.e., 40 by 50 metres) for further investigation.
Site 346: Reconstruction of New Kingdom anchorage and copper smelting site at Tell Markha (Drawing: G. Mumford) |
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Site 346: Setting up Camp:Before beginning work at Site 346, we needed to bring excavation equipment and supplies from our main base at Tell Tebilla, near the city of El-Mansoura in the East Delta. While the project director accompanied the main group to South Sinai directly from Cairo, Patrick Carstens organized the transfer of equipment from El-Mansoura (see photograph below). The benefits of cellular telephone technology kept our two separate convoys of vehicles in contact during this phase of the operation.
Transferring equipment from El-Mansoura to South Sinai (Photo: L. PavlishThe main group traveled south in a mini-van, which formed our main vehicle for the regular, daily trips between our South Sinai accommodations (at Moon Beach) and Site 346. This vehicle and an excellent driver (Ahmed) were obtained from Gabry Travel with the kind assistance of Richard Soulban, the manager of Moon Beach. Despite a 40 minute drive to and from our work site, six days per week, this travel time was offset by the breathtaking beauty of the Sinai desert landscape and the high spirits of the excavation crew.
Excavation vehicle en-route to Site 346 (Photo: S. Parcak)After fulfilling various administrative duties and obtaining the assistance of the Abu Zenima Supreme Council of Antiquities inspectorate, we continued to Site 346, where the first order of business was setting up the excavation camp. |
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View to south:
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View to north:
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| The field camp required a variety of
facilities to make it fully functional: a field toilet, the tables, stools, sun-shelters
(for the pottery and photography team), pottery sorting tables, a bubble-tent (for the
registrar and equipment), and portable sun-shelters (for the excavation crew). Our
Egyptian inspector, Mustafa Rezk, a very capable prehistorian (and specialist in other
time periods), assisted us in locating guards for Site 346 for the duration of the season.
Mustafa enlisted the aid of Reis Ayad, a local Bedouin chieftain, who formed the chief
guard and organized the Bedouin workforce associated with our team.
Excavation team setting up camp at Site 346 (Photo: P. Carstens).
Setting up camp (Photo: S. Parcak)
Excavation team at work under field shelters at Site 346 (Photo: P. Carstens). |
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