The Italian-Polish Mission at the Sun Temple of Niuserra at Abu Ghurab: report of the 2022 Fall season

Massimiliano Nuzzolo

Mohamed Osman

(Institute of Mediterranean and Oriental Cultures – Polish Academy of Sciences)

 

Between September 23 and October 31, 2022, the Italian-Polish Archaeological Mission at Sun Temple of Niuserra at Abu Ghurab conducted its ninth field-work season. This was the second season of the year as well as the third season after the launch of the “Sun Temples Project” (www.suntemplesproject.org), carried out at the Institute of Mediterranean and Oriental Cultures of the Polish Academy of Sciences under the auspices of the National Science Center of Poland (grant no. UMO-2019/34/E/HS3/00438) and in partnership with the University of Naples L’Orientale (research project “Constructing the Sacred Space in Ancient Egypt”; project director: Rosanna Pirelli).

The season continued the investigation of the main temple enclosure with a specific focus on the north-western sector of the temple and the area around the central alabaster altar. The excavation of this year contributed to improve our knowledge of the early phases of occupation of the site, with a particular reference to the plan and architecture of the mudbrick temple laying below the stone temple of Niuserra and probably to be identified as one of the four missing sun temples.

The investigation of this year also gave us valuable information on the material culture of the site: the pottery documentation seems to indicate that the site might have been in use already starting from the Third Dynasty but also clarifies the fact that vessels and other material from the earlier dynasties were often in use outside of their original context, probably as cultic material provided with a sacred nature.

Last but not least, this season field-work helped us clarifying the architecture of the stone temple of Niuserra and its construction technique and phases, especially in relationship with the later phases of re-occupation of the temple for domestic activities.

Fig. 1. View of the sun temple of Niuserra, with the alabaster basins in the foreground and the obelisk in the background (© P. Mora).

 

Fig. 2. View, from the top of the obelisk, of the excavation season Fall 2022 (© P. Mora).

 

Fig. 3. Orthophoto of the area of the sun temple of Niuserra excavated in 2022 – Spring and Fall seasons – with contour drawing and plan (on the right) of the excavated portion of the mudbrick pre-temple (© M. Osman).

 

Fig. 4. Remains of the mudbrick pre-temple walls in the area between the eastern side of the obelisk and the western side of the alabaster altar (© M. Osman).

 

Fig. 5. View of the entrance portico of the mudbrick pre-temple overlapped with the alabaster basins of the stone temple of Niuserra (© M. Nuzzolo).

 

Fig. 6A Pottery deposit found in 2021 in the north-eastern corner of the sun temple and probably related to the demolishing of the mudbrick pre-temple (© M. Nuzzolo).

 

Fig. 6B Pottery deposit found in 2021 in the north-eastern corner of the sun temple and probably related to the demolishing of the mudbrick pre-temple (© M. Nuzzolo).

 

Fig. 7. Some of the beer jars which were part of the pottery deposit found in 2021 after excavation and cleaning (© M. Osman).

 

Fig. 8. The newly re-excavated secondary (southern) entrance of the stone temple of Niuserra (© M. Osman).