Crocodilopolis - Kiman Faris A Study of the Ptolemaic and Roman Pottery

Abstract

This study is an application of the archaeological methods of pottery study to write an account of the history of an ancient town. Crocodilopolis was the metropolis of the Nome of Arsinoe, and one of the chief cities of Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt. The city was a cosmopolitan place where Greeks from the Mediterranean Basin, Jews, Libyans, Arabs, and Romans lived with the indigenous and colonised Egyptians. Many papyri enrich our knowledge about its inhabitants and their everyday life; on the contrary, the archaeological evidence is very little and scattered. Kiman Faris had a long history of exploration. The first excavation was 200 years ago. The site suffered from extensive activities of looting and quarrying. The Egyptian authorities have conducted salvage excavations at the site since 1963 This study aims to determine the findspot of every vessel and sherd of the pottery of Kiman Faris, to group the finds of every place to give a historical range of the discovered ruins, and to provide an overview and general evaluation of the pottery of Kiman Faris. Moreover, a catalogue following the chronological and functional order and range by productions (form/fabrics) is made. The study is divided into three parts that comprise an introduction, six chapters, a conclusion, a section of figures and a catalogue of illustrations. Part I: The State of Research and History of Kiman Faris Excavations Introduction: The State of Research It defines the subject of the study and its historical and geographical context. The literature review and the objectives of the study are also discussed. A reference is given to the general methodology. Chapter I: History of Kiman Faris Excavations This chapter provides a brief account of Kiman Faris's site and its history since the thirteenth century AD through the writings of Abu Othman Safadi and European travellers who visited the region during the Ottoman era. It also examined the role of scholars of the French Campaign and the subsequent European interest in Egyptian antiquities, and the increased search for antiquities during the reign of Muhammad Ali Pasha and his family. Several excavations were carried out that began from 1823 AD until the Petrie excavations of 1888 AD. Antiquities continued to be found accidentally at the site during sebbakh quarrying. By the sixties of the twentieth century, the Egyptian government decided to develop Medinet el-Fayoum; a group of salvage excavations were made, after which most of the area of Kiman Faris became land for urban development. During these rescue excavations, architectural ruins were uncovered, represented in Greek and Roman baths, various floors, water supply and drainage networks, wells and cemeteries. The excavations also uncovered movable antiquities that included different cultural materials, such as sculptures, jewellery, coins, pottery and others. Every account of a particular excavation season has been followed by a list of pottery vessels that have been uncovered in those excavations. Likewise, the excavations of Fayoum University and the archaeological survey carried out by the researcher were dealt with.