Amheida 2004-2006. New results from the excavations.

Abstract

The site of Amheida, ancient Trimithis, is located in the western part of the Dakhleh oasis. Its ruins lie about 3 km South of El-Qasr, west of the paved road that links Mut to El-Qasr. The extent of the ruins is still to be determined, but the area under the control of SCA is about 2.5 km North-South by 1 km East-West. The topographical survey, carried out in the seasons 2001-2003 by the Archaeological Mission of Columbia University directed by Roger S. Bagnall, concentrated on the central area, where the main buildings are. The topographical survey is still in progress in the living quarters, in the necropolis, and in the surroundings, where numerous wells and old bed channels are still visible. Spring mounds and clay hillocks are scattered on the East side of the kom; they were used in different periods and, apparently, for different purposes.During the 2006 season an archaic field of burials has been identified in the plain South-East of the pyramid, near an ancient channel coming from a spring mound and around clay hillocks. The geophysical survey located a pre-Roman pottery kiln near one of these mounds