Polish excavations at Tell el-Mura in the Nile Delta : preliminary report 2013-2015

Tell el-Murra, located in the north-eastern part of the Nile Delta, is the subject of excavations conducted by the Institute of Archaeology of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, following surveys carried out in 2008 and 2010-11. Settlement remains dating to the Predynastic Lower Egyptian culture through the end of the Old Kingdom period as well as an Early Dynastic cemetery have been explored. This report focuses on the results of recent research in the south-western (trench S3 and test trench S3B) and north-eastern (trench T5) parts of the site, conducted in the 2013-15 excavation seasons. In trench S3, 23 graves from the Early Dynastic period were explored and several others located, including both, simple pit burials and chamber graves. The bodies were usually laid on and covered by matting. In seveeral cases, they were buried in pottery cofÞ ns. The burial goods comprised mainly pottery and stone vessels. In trench T5, remains of the settlement from the Old Kingdom period were explored, including storage pits and rounded silos as well as rectangular buildings constructed from dried bricks. The pottery material comprised mostly potsherds; however, a few complete or almost complete vessels were attested as well. Petrographic analyses of pottery samples and an archaeozoological study of bones collected from both the settlement and cemetery are also presented.