Rojdi, India—excavation
Director: Dr. Gregory Possehl (Asia Section, University Museum)
Sponsors: University Museum, Gujarat State Department of Archaeology
The third season ofexcavation at Rojdi, a town of the Harappan civilization in Gujarat State. western India, took place during January and February 1985. Dr. Possehl and a team of ten Americans, mostly from the University of Pennsylvania, were joined at the site by a team from the Gujarat State Department of Archaeology.
Excavations continued on the South Extension of the site. The town, which dates to about 15(X) B.C., was uncovered further, and the remains of this planned settlement were completely mapped. During excavation an earlier town was also discovered, along with a number of in situ complete pots associated with this earlier settlement. Some of these vessels have interesting, even spectacular designs which have never been found before.
The excavation on the South Extension and on the Main Mound produced thousands of animal bones and an expanded corpus of prehistoric. seeds. These will be used to reconstruct the ancient subsistence system at Rojdi.
Mr. and Mrs. John Hastings who participated in this season’s work established a small computer “Center” in their hotel room in Rajkot, the city nearest to the excavation. We believe that this is the first time that a computer has been brought near enough to an Indian archaeological excavation for there to have been the potential for daily interaction between the field crew and the “Center.”
Abydos, Egypt: Ramesses II Temple—field recording and study
Director: Dr. David Silverman (Egyptian Section, University Museum)
Sponsors: University Museum, Yale University
The University Museum has maintained an expedition to the ancient city of Abydos in southern Egypt since 1967. Under the co-direction of Dr. David O’Connor of the University and Dr. William Kelly Simpson of Yak University, the expedition has excavated memorial chapels of the Middle Kingdom and a temple built by Ramesses II of the New Kingdom, and has surveyed the town site of the Old Kingdom.
The 1984-85 season, under the direction of Dr. Silverman, was devoted to the copying of all the inscribed material excavated by Dr. O’Connor during his work at the temple of Ramesses II. This epigraphic expedition recorded scenes and inscriptions still in situ at the temple, as well as those on the over 25(X) blocks and fragments stored in the magazine of Penn-Yale The inscriptional material consists of royal titulary, ritual texts, and formulaic- prayers. Some of the small fragmentary pieces, containing only hits of text, arc more difficult to categorize. A few of the blocks have proven to be re-used, and one can see both the original carving, as well as the later, which dates to Ramesses II. The iconography focuses mainly on ritual scenes involving offerings, the king, and deities. Further work, study, and translation of the texts should aid in determining the function of this link known temple of Ramesses II.
Current Fieldwork
County Wicklow, Ireland—survey & field research
Director, B. Wailes (UM)
Sponsor, University Museum
La Quinn, France—survey & field research
Assoc. Director, H. Dibble (UM)
Co-sponsors, University Museum, University of Arizona, University of Bordeaux, Musée des Antiquités Nationales
Gla, Greece—excavation
Director, S. lakovidis (UM)
Sponsor, Archaeological Society at Athens; participation by and training of University of Pennsylvania students funded by University Museum
Wadi al-Jubah, Yemen—survey & test excavation
Chief Archaeologist, J. Sauer (UM); Field Directors, J. Blakely (Univ. of Pennsylvania), A. Ghaleb (Univ. of Sanaa)
Sponsors, American Foundation for the Study of Man: participant, University Museum
Gritille, Turkey—excavation
Director, R. Ellis (Byrn Mawr College); Senior Archaeologist in Charge of Excavation, M. Voigt (UM)
Sponsors, Bryn Mawr College, University of North Carolina: participant (1981-84), University Museum
Abydos, Egypt
a) excavation of core area
Directors, D. O’Connor (UM)., W. K. Simpson (Yale Univ.)
Sponsors, University Museum,
Yale University
b) regional survey
Supervisor, D. O’Connor;
Director, D.C. Patch (UM)
Sponsors, University Museum, Yale University
Marsa Matruh, Egypt—survey
Director, 0. White (UM)
Sponsor, University Museum
Thailand Archaeometallurgy Project—survey
Directors, V. Pigott (UM), P. Charoenwongsa, S. Natapintu (Thai Fine Arts Dept.)
Sponsors, University Museum, Thai Fine Arts Dept.
Northern Thai Ethnohistory Project—survey & field research
Director, H. Peters (UM)
Co-sponsors, The Institute for the Study of Human Issues, Tribal Research Center in Thailand, University Museum
The Bugis, South Sulawesi province, Indonesia—anthropological & ethnographic study
Director, W. Davenport (UM)
Sponsor, University Museum
Mthangkabau, West Sumatra anthropological/ethnohistorical study
Director, P. Sanday (Univ. of Pennsylvania)
Sponsor, University Museum
Silver Reef, Utah—excavation & archival research
Director, R. Schuyler (UM)
Sponsor, University Museum
Bay of Honduras, Central America—survey
Director, R. Sharer (UM)
Sponsor, University Museum
Analysis and Publication Projects
Dun Ailinne, Ireland—
B. Wailes (UM)
University Museum collection of Greek & Greek-related figured pottery—Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum
K. DeVries, R. Edwards
(UM) Gordion, Turkey
Committee, R. H. Dyson, Jr., K. DeVries, K. Vellucci (UM), M. Mellink (Bryn Mawr), K. Sams (Univ. of N. Carolina, Chapel Hill); Series Editor, E. Kohler
Sumerian Dictionary Project
Director, A. Sjoberg (UM); co-investigators, E. Leichty, B. Eichler (UM)
Sponsors, NEH, William Penn Foundation
Sarepta, Lebanon
J. Pritchard (UM)
Tell es-Sa’idiyeh, Jordan
J. Pritchard (UM)
Tell Hesban, Jordan
Principal Investigator, J. Saner (UM)
Sponsor, Andrews University (MI):
participant, University Museum
Baq’ah Valley, Jordan
P. McGovern (UM)
Hasanlu Project, Iran
Committee, R. H. Dyson. Jr.. Maude de Schauensee, Mary Virginia Harris, Mary Voigt (UM)
Sponsors, University Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Iranian Center for Archaeological Research
Malyan, Iran
Director, W. M. Sumner (Ohio State Univ.)
Sponsors, University Museum, Ohio State University
Tepe Hissar, Iran
R. H. Dyson, Jr. (UM)
Sponsors, University Museum, Turin University, Iranian Center for Archaeological Research
Tepe Hissar Skeletal Material
E Johnston (Univ. of Pennsylvania), MASCA
Cyrene, Libya
D. White (UM)
Mohenjo Daro, Pakistan
G. Dales (Univ. of California, Berkeley)
Sponsor, University Museum
Ban Chiang, Thailand
Possehl, J. White (UM)
Sponsors, University Museum, Thai Fine Arts Department
Solomon Islands, S. Pacific
W. Davenport (UM)
Iron Production in the Northeastern United States
Schenck (UM), MASCA
University Museum North American collections
S. Kaplan (U M)
Tikal, Guatemala
W. Coe (UM)
Quirigua, Guatemala
R. Sharer (UM)
Verapaz Survey, Guatemala
B. Sharer (UM)