Epigraphic Evidence from the Dakhleh Oasis in the Late Period

Abstract

Until the 1990s, no information existed on the history of the Dakhleh Oasis during the Late Period. There were, in fact, some archaeological remains from this period that had come to light in the cemetery of 'Ain Tirghi, together with dated skeletal remains. Yet outside of Dakhleh, the involvement of the kings from this period in the Western Desert was obvious. It was clear that also Dakhleh, being the largest oasis, must have benefited from similar royal attention. But it was only in 1990 that the first dated inscriptional evidence from the Late Period was discovered at Tell Marqula. In recent years, excavations at the sites of Mut al-Kharab and Amheida have substantially expanded our knowledge of the involvement of the Saite and Persian kings in the Dakhleh Oasis. In this paper, all royal inscriptions of the Late Period are described that have been found in Dakhleh.