The Northern California
Chapter of the supported American Research Center in Egypt
(ARCE) and the UC Berkeley Centers for Middle Eastern and Near
Eastern Studies sponsored “Who’s Your Mummy?: A
Preliminary Look at Human Mummies and Skeletal Remains Recovered
During the 2003 and 2004 Field Seasons at the Tell El-Hibeh
Site, Middle Egypt.” On April 17, 2005, Professor
Robert M. Yohe II, of California State University,
Bakersfield presented recent archaeological investigations
by the Tell El-Hibeh research team, based at the University
of California, Berkeley and under the direction of ARCE Executive
Committee member Dr. Carol Redmount. The work
has resulted in the discovery of numerous burial features at
this important site, including a severely looted Late Roman
crypt (SKU-1), a limestone tomb apparently used from Ptolemaic
through Late Roman times (BC-1), and a Coptic mass burial exposed
by a large looter pit (NGLP). These loci were discovered during
a reconnaissance survey of the tell and surrounding areas in
2003 intended to identify tombs and associated human remains
that exhibited the greatest risk for additional vandalism and
looting. Initial evaluation of the SKU-1 materials indicated
a minimum of 16 individuals dating to the 4th or 5th century
C.E. Salvage operations conducted by the authors in the summer
of 2004 resulted in the recovery of six partial human mummies
and numerous artifacts (including painted cartonnage) from
BC-1, and an additional six complete Coptic-aged mummies from
NGLP. The NGLP mummies are of particular interest since the
team’s initial observations suggest some efforts expended
towards body preservation that are not typically noted in burials
of this period. The preliminary results of the salvage operations
at all three loci will be provided in this educational and
worthwhile presentation. |