Excavations at Trimithis (mod. Amheida), 2026 field season: Preliminary Report

Abstract

Preliminary report of the 2026 NYU field season at Amheida (ancient Trimithis). Field work took place in two areas, Area 8.1 (a large élite domestic context, B10) and Area 11 (an area in the west of the Amheida archaeological site). Rooms 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 in B10 were completely excavated, and Room 2 was partially excavated. Room 2 was richly decorated with painted plaster and gypsum architectural elements, and four distinct phases of the building were identified. 237 ostraca and over 200 commodity jar stoppers were recovered from various strata in B10. Area 11 is strikingly regular in its construction, apparently representing a planned part of the settlement and perhaps divided into functional zones (e.g., domestic, production, etc.). It is defined by two primary axes and a network of smaller alleys. In addition to the excavation and survey work, the team continued the analysis of the human remains recovered from (church building 7 [B7]) in prior seasons (17 recorded burials in the church complex that was excavated in 2012, 2013 and 2023).