The site of Ayn Soukhna in the northern Gulf of Suez, identified in 1999, has been excavated by a French-Egyptian mission (IFAO, CNRS, Sorbonne, Suez Canal University) since 2001. It was one of the three known Pharaonic intermittent harbours and logistic platforms for Egyptian expeditions, mainly to the South Sinai mining area (copper, turquoise). It was a key feature of the Pharaonic network in the Red Sea. Ayn Soukhna was, of these three harbours, the longest and most regularly occupied. The two main phases of its occupation were, though, the Old Kingdom (ca. 2370-2153 BC) and the early Middle Kingdom (ca. 1950-1910 BC). During the latest, the site was also a major centre for copper metallurgy.
Ayn Soukhna displays the characteristic features of the Pharaonic Red Sea intermittent harbours. In the upper part of the site, the Old Kingdom expeditions’ teams excavated 10 galleries to store boats and heavy equipment between two missions. These were reused during the Middle Kingdom. In the lower part of the site a living and operation area (the workers’ camp) was established along the coast. Since 2013, we have focused the entire excavation on this workers’ camp. It comprises dwellings, workshops, and storehouses, cooking areas and baking facilities. The harbour itself is not preserved. Ayn Soukhna is the only pharaonic Red Sea harbour where the workers’ camp has been extensively excavated: we studied almost the entire settlement, which is an exception on the scale of all the excavations of Egyptian sites outside the Nile Valley. This extensive excavation allows a detailed understanding of expeditions' logistics and day-to-day life.
This grant will allow us to study and reexamined the archaeological finds and documentation of the excavation of the workers’ camp before 2017 in order to publish a multi-author volume about this area of the site. It will consist of an archaeological report on the excavations and a synthesis about the organisation of the expeditions as well as daily life and work on the site (hence, an important part dedicated to the history of techniques, in particular the copper chain of operations).
Dr. Claire Somaglino is the lead researcher for this Shelby White and Leon Levy Program Project.
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