Tell el-Farkha: archaeological fieldwork 2018–2019

Abstract

The Tell el-Farkha site, which has been excavated since 1998, is formed of three tells. All three were excavated in the course of the two seasons, reopening already established trenches. Breweries discovered earlier on the Western Kom were explored, two completely, two in the early stages of exploration. Thick poorly preserved mud-brick walls were unearthed northeast of one of the breweries. Remains of a multi-roomed structure continued to be cleared in the northern trench on the Central Kom. D-shaped red bricks in this area suggest the presence of a brewery in the vicinity. A Naqada IIB and IIC settlement was recognized in the southern trench: storage pits, postholes, and furrows from a big house built of wood. A part of a settlement dated to the Tell el-Farkha Phases 3 and 4 (Naqada IID2–mid IIIB) was explored on the Eastern Kom. Of greatest interest is a structure composed of rectangular rooms around an open space, probably a courtyard. Three graves were discovered including one dated to the Naqada IIIB with the first pottery coffin discovered at Tell el-Farkha.