Abstract:

How to investigate an archaeological site that became inaccessible? When the Egyptian Western Desert was closed for security reasons in 2016 just before the start of the first archaeological excavation at Umm al-Dabadib, in the Kharga Oasis, this question became the starting point for an unexpected journey in search of an alternative methodology.

Our multidisciplinary team, including Egyptologists, archaeologists, architects, historians, engineers, mathematicians, IT experts, botanists and hydrologists, embarked in a ‘remote investigation’ based on a combination of new tools and methods that were used to retrieve fresh information from old data and alternative sources. Studied from the distance, the Late Roman Fortified Settlement and its contemporary agricultural system provided a wealth of information not only on a specific period of the life of Umm al-Dabadib, but also on its geographical, historical and strategic context.

A remote investigation does not substitute an archaeological excavation, but in a remote place like Umm al-Dabadib, nested in an intact natural environment rich in biodiversity, it can help to direct and concentrate future excavations, and reduce both their costs and their impact on the site.

With contributions of: Clementina Caputo, Fabrizio Cartenì, Giovanni Battista Chirico, Andrea De Sio, Nicoletta De Troia, Fausta Fiorillo, Ludovico Fusco, Francesco Giannino, Stefano Mazzoleni, Antonello Migliozzi, Mauro Moreno, Corinna Rossi

Contents

List of figures and tables

Foreword (S. Della Torre)

Preface (C. Rossi)

Acknowledgments

Note on transcriptions and transliterations

Chapter 1: Introduction: The site and its challenges (C. Rossi)
1.1. Description of Umm al-Dabadib
1.2. History of the exploration of the area
1.3. History of the site
1.4. Aim and focus of the project
1.5. The methodology of the remote investigation
1.6. Bibliographic references

PART I: Prodding the site from a distance

Chapter 2: Seen from the air (C. Rossi)
2.1. Google Earth as a research tool
2.2. How to be in control: the design of the Fortified Settlement of Umm al-Dabadib
2.3. Rooted in the environment: position and orientation of the fortified settlements
2.4. The bigger picture: the distribution of the Late Roman settlements in Kharga
Bibliographic references

Chapter 3: Reconstructing what lies beneath (F. Fiorillo)
3.1. Introduction
3.2. The digital survey
3.2.1. The acquisition phase
3.2.2. The data processing
3.3. The data interpretation workflow
3.4. Conclusions
Bibliographical references

Chapter 4: How the desert became green (G. B. Chirico, A. Migliozzi, F. Giannino, C. Rossi, S. Mazzoleni)
4.1. Introduction
4.2. The hydrogeology of the oasis
4.3. Human response to changes of climate and water availability
4.4. The qanāt system of the Late Roman Period
4.5. The hydraulic engineering behind the design of the open-air irrigation channels
4.6. The irrigation system
4.7. Crop water requirement and irrigation scheduling
4.8. Conclusions
Bibliographical references

Chapter 5: How agriculture became sustainable (M. Moreno, A. De Sio, L. Fusco, F. Giannino, F. Cartenì, A. Migliozzi, N. De Troia, C. Rossi, S. Mazzoleni)
5.1. Context
5.1.1. Irrigation system and field layout
5.1.2. Management of soil fertility and soil sickness
5.1.3. Soil fertility and crop rotation in the ancient sources (N. De Troia)
5.1.4. System Dynamics modelling
5.2 Materials and Methods
5.2.1. Concept and modelling
5.2.2. Calculation of the agricultural productivity
5.2.3. Livestock and organic fertilisation
5.3. Results
5.3.1. Model simulations
5.3.2. Estimation of the local population
5.4. Conclusions
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
Appendix 3
Bibliographical references

PART II: Joining the dots

Chapter 6: Bricks, walls, vaults and grids: tracing back the building process (C. Rossi and F. Fiorillo)
6.1. Introduction
6.2. The unit of measurement
6.3. The construction of the vaulted rooms
6.4. The gridded layout
6.5. Conclusions
Bibliographical references

Chapter 7: The architecture of the daily life (F. Fiorillo and C. Rossi)
7.1. Introduction
7.2. The plan of the Fortified Settlement
7.3. Access and internal circulation
7.3.1. Entrances to the settlement
7.3.2. Open-air and vaulted passages
7.4. The domestic units
7.4.1. The biaxial vaults
7.4.2. Unit A
7.4.3. Unit B
7.4.4. Units C and D
7.4.5. Unit F
7.4.6. Units G
7.4.7. Units E and H
7.4.8. Characteristics of the domestic units
7.5 Conclusions
Bibliographical references

Chapter 8: The architecture of power (C. Rossi and F. Fiorillo)
8.1. Introduction
8.2. The Fort
8.2.1. The construction of the image
8.2.2. The architectural language
8.3. The church
8.3.1. New information from old data
8.3.2. Immaterial reconstruction
8.4. Conclusions
Bibliographical references

Chapter 9: Ceramics trade network (C. Caputo and N. De Troia)
9.1. The web of connections in Egypt’s Western Desert (N. De Troia)
9.1.1. Sīwa (from/to)
9.1.2. Small Oasis (from/to)
9.1.3. Great Oasis (from/to)
9.2. Kharga Oasis: The desert crossroad (N. De Troia)
9.2.1. Nile Valley (from/to)
9.2.2. Dakhla Oasis (from/to)
9.3. Ceramic on the move to and from Kharga (C. Caputo)
9.4. The road network around Umm al-Dabadib
9.4.1. Historical sources (N. De Troia)
9.4.2. The contribution of ceramics (C. Caputo)
9.5. Final remarks (C. Caputo)
Bibliographical references

Chapter 10: Continuity and discontinuity along the border (C. Rossi and N. De Troia)
10.1. Introduction
10.2. Administrative and military context (N. De Troia)
10.3. Roads, routes, tracks and control (C. Rossi)
10.4. The distribution of the Late Roman fortresses and of the army (C. Rossi, N. De Troia)
10.5. The riddle of the limes and the role of Kharga (C. Rossi)
Bibliographical references

Conclusions (C. Rossi)

General Index