Balat XII. The Sheikh Muftah site at Balat North. FIFAO 86.
IFAO| N° d'inventaire | 23502 |
| Format | 24 x 32 |
| Détails | 272 p., publisher's hardcover. |
| Publication | Cairo, 2021 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | 9782724707687 |
North of the pharaonic enclosures of Ayn Asil in Balat, on the eastern edge of the Dakhla oasis, the archaeological mission of the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology has uncovered an extensive site, dating from the 4th Dynasty (ca. 2600 BC), composed of various individual encampments. These encampments were not long-term, but they were occupied regularly and continuously. They appear to have served as temporary residential camps for part of the indigenous (not yet fully settled) population of the oasis, the so-called “Late Sheikh Moftah” group. Little is known about this group, but the work at Balat has revealed for the first time a well-preserved stratigraphic sequence and habitation structures, previously unknown for this group. The studies collected in this book consist of the analysis of the structures, the presentation of the material culture, and the presentation of the results of the archaeometric analyses. The collected data provide information on crafts, food production, and living conditions in Balat. They make a valuable contribution to scholarly discussions on the livelihoods and mobility of non-permanent communities in the Western Desert. Archaeologists can thus gain insight into the life of the Sheikh Moftah group and, more generally, daily life in a camp within the oasis. The dating of this occupation of the site to the early Old Kingdom corresponds to a period for which archaeological data increasingly demonstrates the presence of Pharaonic Egyptians in the oasis. Contacts are certain between the Sheikh Moftah community in Balat and the Pharaonic Egyptian population, both in the Nile Valley and in the oasis, and contribute to the discussion on transcultural exchanges and assimilation processes in the oasis.
North of the pharaonic enclosures of Ayn Asil in Balat, on the eastern edge of the Dakhla oasis, the archaeological mission of the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology has uncovered an extensive site, dating from the 4th Dynasty (ca. 2600 BC), composed of various individual encampments. These encampments were not long-term, but they were occupied regularly and continuously. They appear to have served as temporary residential camps for part of the indigenous (not yet fully settled) population of the oasis, the so-called “Late Sheikh Moftah” group. Little is known about this group, but the work at Balat has revealed for the first time a well-preserved stratigraphic sequence and habitation structures, previously unknown for this group. The studies collected in this book consist of the analysis of the structures, the presentation of the material culture, and the presentation of the results of the archaeometric analyses. The collected data provide information on crafts, food production, and living conditions in Balat. They make a valuable contribution to scholarly discussions on the livelihoods and mobility of non-permanent communities in the Western Desert. Archaeologists can thus gain insight into the life of the Sheikh Moftah group and, more generally, daily life in a camp within the oasis. The dating of this occupation of the site to the early Old Kingdom corresponds to a period for which archaeological data increasingly demonstrates the presence of Pharaonic Egyptians in the oasis. Contacts are certain between the Sheikh Moftah community in Balat and the Pharaonic Egyptian population, both in the Nile Valley and in the oasis, and contribute to the discussion on transcultural exchanges and assimilation processes in the oasis.