Abasseya Project

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Works performed in Abasseya – Sector B

In sector B, the preliminary cleaning of the area was performed in order to proceed with the excavation process. This year we have concentrated the work on the building interior, emptying the two larger areas (called room 1 and room in U-shape) and one small area (room 2), completely.

Outside the building we have worked in the western side, extending partially Sector B towards this side.

Regarding the restoration work (see attached report), the column pieces that hold color remains have been protected and all the column parts stored in the site have been covered. We have also consolidated and restored the pieces of the column that will be rebuilt, which are currently in the museum and in the site. Finally, it has been performed the restoration and consolidation of the walls of Abasseya B.

As for the archaeological work, the first thing performed after the general cleanup was to finish digging the debris level of the north side of the building. To preserve the north wall of the podium, 40 cm of the debris level resting against the wall was kept from the last season. It was possible to register all the wall, which held remains of the external plaster cover.

The excavation of the building´s interior has permitted to partially document the construction of the building and its destruction process. Three layers can be documented in the construction: a leveling layer, a layer of clean sand and a layer of mudbrick that closed the podium up to the internal circulation level. The leveling layer has appeared in all the rooms excavated, sometimes cut by the destruction level.

The destruction level is represented by one layer that contains sand, mudbrick, sandstone fragments and pottery pieces. It´s worth to note the finding of four ceramic vessels of the same type but different sizes, in the destruction level of the room in U-shape, coinciding with each of the corners of this room. One of these ceramics has been restored during this season.

On the south side, it has also been built a temporary support wall near the west side. Although, unlike the north side, here the redbrick row is preserved, but the wall is tilted and we have preferred to protect it and prevent a possible collapse, since the inner mudbrick wall was now fully exposed. In the north and south sides (outside the building), it was not continued to lower the stratigraphic levels documented in the previous season.

We have started the restoration work on the building's walls, continuing the work begun in the previous year. The outer wall of the south side and the southeast corner, have been restored permanently (see restoration report). It has also been restored the redbrick wall attached to the West entrance and the base of the platform in order to preserve better the plaster that covers it.

In the West entrance it has been restored the access steps, relocating and fixing the sandstone slabs.

Works performed in Abasseya – Sector D

In Sector D, a square of 5 meters by 6 meters was opened which was later expanded to the west side by two meters. It was also opened, on both sides of this square, two trenches of 1 meter by 1 meter. It has been found the remains of a brick built wall oriented east-west. It is in very poor condition. The wall retains only three rows of bricks and forms a corner. It is supported on the geological level and it has not been possible to document the circulation level. In the rest of the square it has appeared the debris level associated with the remains of this wall. Most of the accumulated material is redbrick, forming a very compacted and hard level. It has also been found remains of local sandstone.

To preserve the remains found in Sector D, it has been chosen to close the excavated area again, covering it with sand. It has been thoroughly registered the excavation process with notes and photos and it has been drawn the remains and the debris level, found in this sector.

Material from the Abasseya 2014 season

All material found during excavation of the sectors B and C have been cleaned, identified and inventoried. The most significant pieces have been drawn and photographed. All material found during this campaign has been stored with the material of the previous campaigns in the Faculty of Archaeology of the University of Dongola (in Karima).