The Gebelein Archaeological Project
Dr. Wojciech Ejsmond, Director, The Institute of Mediterranean and Oriental Cultures, Polish Academy of Sciences
SFAR Partnering Fieldwork Project
The Gebelein micro-region offers a remarkably continuous archaeological record, spanning from the Paleolithic to the Medieval periods and encompassing nearly all types of sites found in the Egyptian Nile Valley. Yet, despite this richness, Gebelein has long remained in the shadow of better-known sites whose excavations were fully published. Early Egyptology often concentrated on monumental and elite remains, overlooking provincial centers like Gebelein, which preserve traces of more diverse aspects of ancient Egyptian civilization—vernacular religion, ethnic diversity, and the everyday lives of non-elite people. As contemporary scholarship increasingly values these perspectives, Gebelein emerges as a key site for understanding the lived experiences of provincial communities.
The Gebelein micro-region includes two towns (Sumenu and Per-Hathor / Pathyris), four necropolises, a fortress, temples, rock art, and rock-carved inscriptions—major sites that until now have been only partially studied and published. To address this, the Gebelein Archaeological Project has launched a systematic research program. Its goal is a comprehensive archaeological and epigraphic field survey to catalogue all traces of the past necessary for reconstructing the history of Gebelein and its role in ancient Egypt. This work is supported by a conservation program, which has already enabled the cleaning and preservation of Queen Hatshepsut’s rock-cut chapel. Plans also include the production of popular materials in Arabic, aimed at sharing knowledge about the region with its present-day inhabitants.
Learn More and Follow the Gebelein Project
https://gebelein.wordpress.com/
http://www.iksiopan.pl/index.php/en/
