Program

Research Programs: Collaborative Research

Period of Performance

7/1/2010 - 6/30/2013

Funding Totals

$250,000.00 (approved)
$250,000.00 (awarded)


Uncovering a Provincial Settlement in Egypt: The Tell Edfu Project

FAIN: RZ-51147-10

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637-5418)
Nadine Moeller (Project Director: November 2009 to May 2016)

Archaeological excavation and analysis at Tell Edfu in Upper Egypt, between Luxor and Aswan. (36 months)

The remains of what once had been the provincial capital of the second Upper Egyptian nome can be found at Tell Edfu, which is one of the best-preserved ancient towns in Egypt. This site is one of the rare examples where almost three thousand years of ancient Egyptian history are still preserved in the stratigraphy of a single site and therefore provides enormous potential for increasing our understanding of ancient urbanism in Egypt, a topic that is still poorly understood since it relies almost entirely on archaeological data. The excavations at Tell Edfu provide an abundance of completely new data, thus shedding a fresh light on the development and character of a naturally grown urban center and the relation to its hinterland.



Media Coverage

Länder, Menschen, Abenteuer - Ägypten: Reise ins Land der Pharaonen (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Mouhcine El Ghomri
Publication: TV documentary
Date: 4/11/2010
Abstract: This is a documentary in German that was produced by the German TV channel SWR which filmed the Tell Edfu excavation in 2009 and was broadcasted in Germany in April 2010. It is now available as DVD.
URL: http://www.swr.de/lma/lma-aegypten-pyramiden/-/id=100886/nid=100886/did=6088302/1aj30a7/index.html

Book chronicles rise of urban planning in ancient Egypt (Media Coverage)
Author(s): William Harms
Publication: UChicago News
Date: 6/17/2016
Abstract: New research at the University of Chicago offers additional insights into how the pharaohs invested in town planning. Their innovations included the development of the first grid system as part of communities they established around their kingdom, according to Nadine Moeller, associate professor of Egyptian archaeology at the Oriental Institute.
URL: https://news.uchicago.edu/article/2016/06/17/book-chronicles-rise-urban-planning-ancient-egypt



Associated Products

Tell Edfu Project Website (Web Resource)
Title: Tell Edfu Project Website
Author: Nadine Moeller
Abstract: The remains of what once had been the provincial capital of the second Upper Egyptian administrative district can be found at Tell Edfu. Located between Luxor and Aswan, it is one of the best-preserved ancient towns in Egypt, and one of the rare examples where almost three thousand years of ancient Egyptian history are still preserved in the stratigraphy of a single site. Tell Edfu therefore provides enormous potential for increasing our understanding of ancient urbanism in Egypt, a topic that is still poorly understood since it relies almost entirely on archaeological data. The excavations at Tell Edfu provide an abundance of completely new data, thus shedding a fresh light on the development and character of a naturally grown urban center and the relation to its surroundings.
Year: 2011
Primary URL: https://telledfu.uchicago.edu
Primary URL Description: This website contains current updates, photographs and further information about the excavation. Additionally, there are reports for each season available to download which describe the progress and results of the project.

The Edfu Pyramid Project (Report)
Title: The Edfu Pyramid Project
Author: Gregory Marouard
Author: Hratch Papazian
Abstract: This is the first report about the rescue work at the small step pyramid south of Edfu.
Date: 12/01/2011
Primary URL: http://oi.uchicago.edu/pdf/nn213.pdf
Access Model: Open access

Tell Edfu 2010 Season (Report)
Title: Tell Edfu 2010 Season
Author: Nadine Moeller
Abstract: This is a preliminary report about the results of the 2010 season at Tell Edfu.
Date: 09/01/2011
Primary URL: http://oi.uchicago.edu/pdf/ar/11-20/10-11/10_11_Tell_Edfu.pdf
Access Model: open access

Various Chapters discussing the results from the fieldwork at Tell Edfu (sections 7.4 and 8.5) (Book Section)
Title: Various Chapters discussing the results from the fieldwork at Tell Edfu (sections 7.4 and 8.5)
Author: Nadine Moeller
Abstract: In this book, Nadine Moeller challenges prevailing views on Egypt’s nonurban past and argues for Egypt as an early urban society. She traces the emergence of urban features during the Predynastic Period up to the disintegration of the powerful Middle Kingdom state (ca. 3500–1650 BCE). This book offers a synthesis of the archaeological data that sheds light on the different facets of urbanism in ancient Egypt. Drawing on evidence from recent excavations as well as a vast body of archaeological data, the volume explores the changing settlement patterns by contrasting periods of strong political control against those of decentralization. It also discusses households and the layout of domestic architecture, which are key elements for understanding how society functioned and evolved over time. Moeller reveals what settlement patterns can tell us about the formation of complex society and the role of the state in urban development in ancient Egypt.
Year: 2015
Primary URL: http://http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/archaeology/egyptology/archaeology-urbanism-ancient-egypt-predynastic-period-end-middle-kingdom?format=HB
Primary URL Description: announcement on publisher's website
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Book Title: The Archaeology of Urbanism in Ancient Egypt
ISBN: 9781107079755

Unsealing Tell Edfu, Egypt: Who was a local official and who was not? (Article)
Title: Unsealing Tell Edfu, Egypt: Who was a local official and who was not?
Author: Nadine Moeller
Abstract: A large corpus of more than 1,400 clay sealings has been excavated in relation to this late Middle Kingdom administrative complex at Tell Edfu. They were found in several layers associated with its use and gradual abandonment. The two largest accumulations of sealings come from the final occupation layer of the southern columned hall and a dense deposit related to the abandonment of the northern columned hall. This article investigates two examples of recurrent sealing motifs, which open the debate on whether the owners of these seals were local officials at Edfu and or whether there are other possible indications as to their identities.
Year: 2012
Primary URL: http://http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5615/neareastarch.75.2.0116?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=moeller&searchText=unsealing&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dmoeller%2Bunsealing%26amp%3Bacc%3Don%26amp%3Bwc%3Don%26amp%3Bfc%3Doff%2
Primary URL Description: article on available for download on JSTOR
Access Model: subscription only
Format: Journal
Periodical Title: Near Eastern Archaeolgy
Publisher: ASOR

DISCUSSION OF LATE MIDDLE KINGDOM AND EARLY SECOND INTERMEDIATE PERIOD HISTORY AND CHRONOLOGY IN RELATION TO THE KHAYAN SEALINGS FROM TELL EDFU (Article)
Title: DISCUSSION OF LATE MIDDLE KINGDOM AND EARLY SECOND INTERMEDIATE PERIOD HISTORY AND CHRONOLOGY IN RELATION TO THE KHAYAN SEALINGS FROM TELL EDFU
Author: Nadine Moeller
Author: Gregory Marouard
Author: Natasha Ayers
Abstract: The most recent fieldwork seasons in 2010 and 2011 has led to the discovery of an important administrative building complex, which includes a large columned hall with many traces of administrative activities, which took place here. 41 sealings showing the cartouche of the Hyksos ruler Khayan have been found here within a large sealing corpus together with 9 sealings naming Sobekhotep IV. These finds come from a secure and sealed archaeological context and open up new questions about the cultural and chronological evolution of the late Middle Kingdom and early Second Intermediate Period.
Year: 2011
Primary URL: http://hw.oeaw.ac.at/?arp=0x002d999c
Access Model: open access
Format: Journal
Periodical Title: Egypt and the Levant
Publisher: Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften

Tell Edfu 2012 Season (Article)
Title: Tell Edfu 2012 Season
Author: Gregory Marouard
Author: Nadine Moeller
Abstract: This is the report of the 2012 season at Tell Edfu.
Year: 2013
Primary URL: http://http://oi.uchicago.edu/sites/oi.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/shared/docs/ar/11-20/12-13/12-13_Tell_Edfu.pdf
Access Model: open access
Format: Journal
Periodical Title: Oriental Institute 2012-2013 Annual Report
Publisher: Oriental Institute publications office

The Sealings of the Hyksos Ruler Khayan from Tell Edfu (Article)
Title: The Sealings of the Hyksos Ruler Khayan from Tell Edfu
Author: Nadine Moeller
Abstract: During the 2011 and 2012 seasons at Tell Edfu, an important discovery was made that has since then sparked a new scholarly debate on the histo- ry and chronology of the Second Intermediate Period (ca. 1750– 1550 bc).
Year: 2015
Primary URL: https://oi.uchicago.edu/sites/oi.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/shared/docs/nn226.pdf
Access Model: open access
Format: Magazine
Periodical Title: Oriental Institute News & Notes, Members' Magazine
Publisher: Oriental Institute Publications Office

Tell Edfu: Archaeology and Site Management (Article)
Title: Tell Edfu: Archaeology and Site Management
Author: Gregory Marouard
Author: Nadine Moeller
Abstract: Research on ancient Egyptian settlements is characterized by long and painstaking study, regardless of the fact that it uniquely addresses questions about our understanding of the urban phenomenon and also encompasses important sociological issues that relate to the town and the notion of the urban community in antiquity. Despite the immense cultural heritage and monumental art and architecture that Egypt’s past has offered to the world, the question of the town remains often difficult to access due to deeply buried data and the disappearance of numerous archaeological tell sites whose scientific potential has rarely been sufficiently valued over the past centuries. In this respect, the tell of Edfu, ancient Behdet, capital of the Second Upper Egyptian nome, can be considered one of the last well-preserved Egyptian towns with a period of occupation covering several millennia.
Year: 2014
Primary URL: https://oi.uchicago.edu/sites/oi.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/shared/docs/nn220.pdf
Access Model: open access
Format: Magazine
Periodical Title: The Oriental Institute News & Notes members' magazine
Publisher: The Oriental Institute publications office

Tell Edfu 2011 Season (Article)
Title: Tell Edfu 2011 Season
Author: Gregory Marouard
Author: Nadine Moeller
Abstract: This is the report of the fieldwork conducted at Tell Edfu during the 2011 season.
Year: 2012
Primary URL: http://oi.uchicago.edu/sites/oi.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/shared/docs/ar/11-20/11-12/11_12_Tell_Edfu.pdf
Access Model: open access
Format: Journal
Periodical Title: The Oriental Institute Annual Report 2011-2012
Publisher: The Oriental Institute Publications Office

'Tell Edfu' In Encyclopedia of Egyptology (Article)
Title: 'Tell Edfu' In Encyclopedia of Egyptology
Author: Nadine Moeller
Abstract: This is an encyclopedia entry for the site.
Year: 2013
Primary URL: http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/viewItem.do?ark=21198/zz002gw1kt
Access Model: open access
Format: Other
Periodical Title: UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology
Publisher: UCLA

Nubian pottery traditions during the 2nd millennium BC at Tell Edfu (Article)
Title: Nubian pottery traditions during the 2nd millennium BC at Tell Edfu
Author: Natasha Ayers
Author: Nadine Moeller
Abstract: The excavations of the administrative quarter at Tell Edfu have uncovered a considerable percentage of Nubian pottery among the Egyptian corpus. The chronological framework of the associated structures shows a continuous sequence from the late Middle Kingdom until the early 18th Dynasty, which provides a good starting-point for the analysis of the Nubian material because it can be linked to a precise stratigraphic record with the presence of well-dated Egyptian pottery.
Year: 2012
Primary URL: http://www.worldcat.org/title/nubian-pottery-from-egyptian-cultural-contexts-of-the-middle-and-early-new-kingdom-proceedings-of-a-workshop-held-at-the-austrian-archaeological-institute-at-cairo-1-12-december-2010/oclc/813304984
Access Model: only print edition available
Format: Other
Periodical Title: Ergänzungshefte zu den Jahresheften des Österreichischen Archäologischen Institutes, Heft 13
Publisher: Österreichisches Archäologisches Institut

Excavations at Tell Edfu: New discoveries of the 2010 Season (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Excavations at Tell Edfu: New discoveries of the 2010 Season
Abstract: This was a public lecture about the results of the 2010 season at Tell Edfu.
Author: Nadine Moeller
Date: 02-16-2011
Location: South Suburban Archaeology Society, Homewood, Illinois
Primary URL: http://www.arkyfacts.org/pdf/lectures/2011/february_2011.pdf

Tell Edfu Study Day (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Tell Edfu Study Day
Abstract: Study day on the archaeological fieldwork at Tell Edfu (4 lectures) for the Sussex Egyptology Society (UK)
Author: Nadine Moeller
Date: 03/05/2011
Location: Worthing, UK
Primary URL: https://www.exacteditions.com/read/ancient-egypt/august-september-2011-9231/3/3/

Study Day on recent discoveries at Tell Edfu (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Study Day on recent discoveries at Tell Edfu
Abstract: 2 lectures to the general public held at UCL in London, organized by Ancient World Travel
Author: Nadine Moeller
Date: 03/12/2011
Location: University College, London (UK)

New evidence for the Hyksos ruler Khayan at Tell Edfu (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: New evidence for the Hyksos ruler Khayan at Tell Edfu
Author: Nadine Moeller
Abstract: During the recent fieldwork season at Tell Edfu several hundred new seal-impressions have been discovered in connection with a late Middle Kingdom administrative structure. They were found in a secure archaeological context which is the abandonment layer covering the floor of a columned hall that is part of larger building complex closely linked to the mayor of the town. The pottery from this layer dates to the 13th Dynasty including imported vessels, which have been identified as Levantine Painted Ware, also common for the late Middle Kingdom. Many of the seal-impressions found in this context show the typical late 13th Dynasty motives but a large portion of them display the characteristics of the Tell el-Dab’a workshop and the Canaanite scarabs of the Second Intermediate Period. The most unexpected find among this group were several seal-impressions showing the cartouche of the Hyksos ruler Khayan, who has been dated to the beginning of the 15th Dynasty. This is the first time that concrete evidence for a Hyksos king south of Gebelein has been found. This unique discovery opens many new questions about the nature of contact between the Hyksos and Upper Egypt prior to the armed conflict with the Theban kings of the 17th Dynasty. It also requires a serious reconsideration of the chronology of the Second Intermediate Period.
Date: 4-3-2011
Conference Name: Annual Meeting American Research Center in Egypt, held in Chicago

Recent discoveries at Tell Edfu (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Recent discoveries at Tell Edfu
Abstract: Presentation to the docents and volunteers at the Oriental Institute
Author: Nadine Moeller
Date: 05-09-2011
Location: The Oriental Institute, Chicago

New Evidence for the Hyksos ruler Khayan at Tell Edfu (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: New Evidence for the Hyksos ruler Khayan at Tell Edfu
Abstract: Invited keynote speaker for the annual Korsyn Lecture at the ARCE Pennsylvania Chapter at Philadelphia: During the 2010 fieldwork season at Tell Edfu several hundred new sealings have been discovered in connection with a late Middle Kingdom administrative structure. They were found in a sealed archaeological context, which is linked to the last phase of use of a columned hall that was part of the mayor's residence at Edfu. Many of the sealings found in this context show the typical late 13th Dynasty motives but a large portion of them display the characteristics of the Tell el-Dab'a workshop and the Canaanite scarabs of the Second Intermediate Period. The most unexpected finds among this group were eleven sealings showing the cartouche of the Hyksos ruler Khayan of the 15th Dynasty. This is the first time that concrete evidence for a Hyksos king south of Gebelein has been found. This unique discovery opens many new questions about the nature of contact between the Hyksos and Upper Egypt prior to the armed conflict with the Theban kings of the 17th Dynasty. It also requires a serious reconsideration of the chronology of the Second Intermediate Period.
Author: Nadine Moeller
Date: 03/17/2012
Location: Philadelphia, UPenn Museum
Primary URL: http://www.arce.org/chapters/pennsylvania/events/2012/03/u513/annual-korsyn-lecture-new-evidence-for-the-hyksos-ruler-khayan-at-tell-edfu

Excavations at Tell Edfu, an ancient Egyptian provincial capital (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Excavations at Tell Edfu, an ancient Egyptian provincial capital
Abstract: Presentation of excavations results from Tell Edfu, 2012 season.
Author: Nadine Moeller
Date: 02-22-2013
Location: Toledo Museum of Art
Primary URL: http://www.toledomuseum.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/February-2013.pdf

RadioCIAMS: Nadine Moeller (Oriental Institute) podcast on Tell Edfu (Radio/Audio Broadcast or Recording)
Title: RadioCIAMS: Nadine Moeller (Oriental Institute) podcast on Tell Edfu
Producer: RadioCIAMS
Abstract: Dr. Nadine Moeller (Associate Professor of Egyptian Archaeology at the Oriental Institute, Chicago) presented “The context of the Khayan sealings from Tell Edfu: Chronological and historical implications for the Second Intermediate Period in Egypt” on Oct 6, 2014, and participated in a CIAMS podcast the following morning. The student panel was composed of Eilis Monahan, Jess Pfundstein, Katie Kearns, Bill Mastandrea, and Freddy Loew. They asked questions about the lecture and a related article in Near Eastern Archaeology 75.2 (2012). CIAMS Director Sturt Manning introduced our guest, and Cornell Egyptologist Caitie Barrett was also on the panel. Dr. Moeller has been directing the Tell Edfu Project since 2001, and has excavated in Egypt at Abu Raswash, Memphis, Zawiet Sultan (Zawiet el-Meitin), Theban West Bank, Valley of the Kings, Dendera and Elephantine.
Date: 10/07/2014
Primary URL: http://ciams.cornell.edu/2014/10/08/radiociams-nadine-moeller-oriental-institute-podcast-on-tell-edfu/
Access Model: open access
Format: Radio
Format: Digital File

The context of the Khayan sealings from Tell Edfu: Chronological and historical implications for the Second Intermediate Period in Egypt (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: The context of the Khayan sealings from Tell Edfu: Chronological and historical implications for the Second Intermediate Period in Egypt
Abstract: CIAMS Lecture: Nadine Moeller (Associate Professor of Egyptian Archaeology at the Oriental Institute, University of Chicago) presents “The context of the Khayan sealings from Tell Edfu: Chronological and historical implications for the Second Intermediate Period in Egypt.” Dr. Moeller has been directing the Tell Edfu Project since 2001, and has excavated in Egypt at Abu Raswash, Memphis, Zawiet Sultan (Zawiet el-Meitin), Theban West Bank, Valley of the Kings, Dendera and Elephantine. Monday Oct 6, 4:30 G22 Goldwin
Author: Nadine Moeller
Date: 10-06-2014
Location: Cornell University, Ithaca
Primary URL: http://ciams.cornell.edu/2014/09/23/ciams-seminar-nadine-moeller-on-second-intermediate-period-egypt/

Recent Discoveries at Tell Edfu (Conference/Institute/Seminar)
Title: Recent Discoveries at Tell Edfu
Author: Nadine Moeller
Abstract: 4 seminars on Tell Edfu excavations as part of the Spring Seminar series.
Date Range: April 3rd and 4th, 2015
Location: Dallas, Texas
Primary URL: http://www.arce.org/chapters/northtexas/events/2015/04/u872/lecture-bringing-a-temple-complex-back-to-life-recent-excavations-at-karnak
Secondary URL: http://www.arce-ntexas.org/thisMonth/NT-ARCE_Newsletter_04_2015.pdf

The Context of the Khayan Sealings from Tell Edfu: Chronological and Historical Implications for the Second Intermediate Period in Egyp (Conference/Institute/Seminar)
Title: The Context of the Khayan Sealings from Tell Edfu: Chronological and Historical Implications for the Second Intermediate Period in Egyp
Author: Nadine Moeller
Abstract: Evening Lecture and Seminar as part of the Ancient Egypt / Future Tense series, co-sponsored by the Department of Egyptology and Assyriology / Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World, ARCE New England Chapter at Brown University, Providence.
Date Range: March 16-17th, 2015
Location: Brown University, Providence
Primary URL: http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Joukowsky_Institute/events/past.html

The Context of the Khayan Sealings from Tell Edfu (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: The Context of the Khayan Sealings from Tell Edfu
Writer: Nadine Moeller
Producer: Brown University
Abstract: This is a uTube video recording of the Lecture given at the Joukowsky Institute, Brown University, on the discovery of the Khayan sealings at Tell Edfu.
Year: 2015
Primary URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwADLWNCrN4
Access Model: open access
Format: Video

The 3rd millennium BC at Tell Edfu: New discoveries of the 2012 season (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: The 3rd millennium BC at Tell Edfu: New discoveries of the 2012 season
Abstract: Three lecturs given on Tell Edfu at various location in California. 'The temple of Edfu stands tall, proud and beautiful, one of the most complete structures remaining in Egypt from ancient times. Adjacent to the temple is an ancient city, which thanks to the work by our speaker, we are just learning dates back as far as the Old Kingdom. The city was also the capital of the second southern nome or province. Most major settlements had a "favorite son" local god, which over the millennia, might achieve rise to national prominence - or not. Horus, honored in the Edfu Temple, did. Often represented as a falcon, or a male figure with the head of a falcon, sometimes wearing the double crown, Horus was connected to the sky, the sun, and considered the child of Isis and Osiris. He was worshipped here for several thousand years - the last construction on the temple occurring in the Ptolemaic era between 237 BCE and 57 BCE, into the reign of Cleopatra VII. Yes, that Cleopatra. At Tell Edfu we have the chance to gather completely new archaeological data for the study of an important urban center in southern Egypt and its development during the whole pharaonic period. We know the importance of "city planning" in our own times. Come and learn about the Egyptians' perspective of it during the 5th Dynasty.'
Author: Nadine Moeller
Date: 02-22-2014
Location: Bowers Museum, Santa Ana; Los Angeles; University of Berkeley, California

The Archaelogy of Urbanism in Ancient Egypt: From the Predynastic Period to the End of the Middle Kingdom (Book)
Title: The Archaelogy of Urbanism in Ancient Egypt: From the Predynastic Period to the End of the Middle Kingdom
Author: Nadine Moeller
Abstract: Nadine Moeller challenges prevailing views on Egypt's non-urban past and argues for Egypt as an early urban society. She traces the emergence of urban features during the Predynastic Period up to the disintegration of the powerful Middle Kingdom state (ca. 3500–1650 BC). This book offers a synthesis of the archaeological data that sheds light on the different facets of urbanism in ancient Egypt. Drawing on evidence from recent excavations as well as a vast body of archaeological data, this book explores the changing settlement patterns by contrasting periods of strong political control against those of decentralization. It also discusses households and the layout of domestic architecture, which are key elements for understanding how society functioned and evolved over time. Moeller reveals what settlement patterns can tell us about the formation of complex society and the role of the state in urban development in ancient Egypt.
Year: 2016
Primary URL: http://www.worldcat.org/title/archaeology-of-urbanism-in-ancient-egypt-from-the-predynastic-period-to-the-end-of-the-middle-kingdom/oclc/949818723&referer=brief_results
Primary URL Description: WorldCat listing
Secondary URL: http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/archaeology/egyptology/archaeology-urbanism-ancient-egypt-predynastic-period-end-middle-kingdom?format=HB
Secondary URL Description: Publisher's listing
Access Model: Book
Publisher: New York: Cambridge University Press
Type: Single author monograph
ISBN: 9781107079755
Copy sent to NEH?: Yes