{ "type": "FeatureCollection", "name": "site", "crs": { "type": "name", "properties": { "name": "EPSG:4326" } }, "features": [ { "type": "Feature", "geometry": { "type": "Point", "coordinates": [ 31.823252, 26.633228 ] }, "properties": { "id": 43, "site_uri": "https:\/\/4care-skos.mf.no\/site\/43", "modern_name": "Bi\u02ber al-\u02bfAyn", "ancient_name": "", "typology": "rock shelter", "date_from": -1400, "date_to": 800, "dating_criteria": "", "place_names": [ { "language": "Arabic", "pl_name": "\u0628\u0626\u0631 \u0627\u0644\u0639\u064a\u0646" }, { "language": "English", "pl_name": "Bir al-Ayn" }, { "language": "French", "pl_name": "Bir el-A\u00efn" } ], "trismegistos_uri": "https:\/\/www.trismegistos.org\/place\/2845", "pleiades_uri": "", "paths_uri": "", "description": "The site is situated directly north of A\u1e2bm\u012bm in a w\u0101d\u012b named W\u0101d\u012b Bi\u02ber al-\u02bfAyn, though Kuhlmann notes that it is known also as \u2018W\u0101d\u012b al-Sal\u0101m\u016bn\u012b\u2019 and \u2018W\u0101d\u012b \u0160ay\u1e2b\u016bn\u2019 (Kuhlmann 1983: 4). The area is described as being a narrow valley, encumbered with fallen rocks, and bordered by high, steep mountains (Pococke 1743: 78; Bouriant 1889: 145). As well as including a bi\u02ber dedicated to \u0160ay\u1e2b \u0160ay\u1e2b\u016bn, the valley contains a number of Christian features which have never seen a great deal of study, only ever having been mentioned briefly in passing (Maspero 1887: 220). As a result of this brevity, details of these features are not wholly clear. It is well-documented that there a number of caves in the area, though no specific, or even approximate, numbers are recorded. Pococke describes \u201cseveral grottos and little cottages, probably built by the Christians\u201d, which were understood to have been occupied by anchorites or by regular Christians during times of persecution (Pococke 1743: 78; Maspero 1887: 215).\r\nThere is one specific cave\/tomb that was mentioned by everyone who recorded their visit to the area, which is situated some 30-40 meters above the ground, only intermittently accessible via a precarious path along the cliff-face (Saint-G\u00e9nis 1817: 60; Maspero 1887: 215-216; Bouriant 1889: 146). It is unclear if this is simply a cave or a built structure, however; Pococke describes it as \u201ca building halfway up the mountain, which might be some hermit\u2019s cell\u201d, while Lucas and others refer to a cave (Pococke 1743: 78; Lucas 1714: 362-363; Maspero 1887: 216). Maspero notes that this cave\/tomb is situated to the left of the ruins of a dilapidated church, or \u2018convent\u2019, which seems to be known by the name \u2018Ma\u2019doud\u2019 (or \u2018Dermadoud\u2019) (Saint-G\u00e9nis 1817: 60; Pococke 1743: 78). This structure has some chambers built into the rock, the largest of which was presumed to have been a refectory, while a church was built in front of the rock on the slope of the mountain, constructed in bricks \u00a0(Lucas 1714: 362-363; Pococke 1743: 78; Maspero 1887: 215). Pococke mentions that the walls of the chapel had originally been covered in graffiti in red and black ink, though this had been completely removed by the time Maspero visited (Pococke, 1743: 78; Maspero 1887: 215).\r\nWithin the vicinity of this built monastic structure \u2013 Maspero mentions that it is c. 20 minutes away from the ruins \u2013 is the main feature of the site that has piqued the most academic interest: a large rock covered in graffiti, which, for some reason, was not included in Pococke\u2019s description (Saint-G\u00e9nis 1817: 60; Bouriant 1889: 146; Maspero 1880: 220). Many of the texts on this specific rock, the earliest of which is from the 18th Dynasty, refer to hunting, while the graffiti of interest here are Christian in nature (Maspero 1887: 218). Some of these Christian texts are written in Akhmimic Coptic and attest to a fourth-century occupation of the area (Maspero 1887: 219 n. 1; Bernard 1977: 1-43, the Christian texts in Greek are nos. 1b, 11b, 12, 13 and 14). Maspero noted the presence of an additional rock, a few meters behind this main one, which is also host to graffiti, though they are less clear, with additional graffiti identified by Kuhlmann on another rock (Maspero 1887: 219; Kuhlmann 1983: 9).\r\nKuhlmann rejects the idea that the area was home to a large monastic community, stating that many of the caves are too small and inaccessible to have been occupied, and that there are too few remnants of built structures (Kuhlmann 1983: 9). He states, instead, that it must have been a modest, and relatively small community who were capable of sustaining themselves with the minute horticultural production.", "archaeological_research": "No excavation work has ever been conducted at the site, and there have only ever been a limited number of individuals who recorded their visit. The first of these seems to have been P. Lucas, followed by R. Pococke, both of whom only made brief comments (Lucas 1714: 362-363; Pococke 1743: 78). A. Saint-G\u00e9nis, one of Napoleon\u2019s savants, also visited the site and included a brief description of it in the Description de l\u2019\u00c9gypte (Saint-G\u00e9nis 1817: 60). G. Maspero and U. Bouriant then visited at the end of the 19th century, during which time they copied much of the graffiti from the main rock, which were subsequently published by Bouriant (Maspero 1887: 213-219; Bouriant 1889: 145-149). The most recent account is that of K. P. Kuhlmann, who visited the site as part of the research conducted on the wider area of A\u1e2bm\u012bm in the early 1980s. Kuhlmann was the first to identify two additional Greek graffiti on another rock, the publication of which he entrusted to G. Wagner (Wagner 1983: 349-354). Kuhlmann mentions that a built church structure, likely that mentioned above, was examined by P. Grossmann with the intention to publish the results and associated plan (Kuhlmann 1983: p. 9 n. 35). This never seems to have come to fruition, however, with the site only ever having been mentioned briefly by Grossmann, specifically in stating that the monastic occupation of the site dates from the seventh century (Grossmann 2002: 270). Prospection work was conducted by members of DEChriM on 22.06.2022 in an attempt to identify the presumably monastic features of the area but this was unfortunately not achieved. The expedition did, however, lead to the identification of as-of-yet unidentified Christian graffiti on an additional rock.\u00a0", "bibliography": "\u2022\u00a0Bernard, A. 1977. Pan du d\u00e9sert. Leiden: Brill.\u2022 Bouriant, U. 1889. \u201cNotes de voyage.\u201d Recueil de travaux 11: 145-149.\u2022 Kuhlmann, K. P. 1983. Materialien zur Arch\u00e4ologie und Geschichte des Raumes von Achmim, 8 sq. and pl. 7, 10b, 15. Mainz: Philipp von Zabern.\u2022 Lucas, P. 1714. Voyage du sieur Paul Lucas, fait par ordre du Roy dans la Gr\u00e8ce, l\u2019Asie Mineure, la Mac\u00e9doine et l\u2019Afrique, vol. 2, 362-363. Paris: Nicolas Simart.\u2022 Maspero, G. 1887. \u201cSur les fouilles et travaux en \u00c9gypte pendant l\u2019hiver de 1885-1886.\u201d Bulletin de l\u2019Institut \u00e9gyptien 1886: 213-219.\u2022 Pococke, R. 1743. A Description of the East and Some other Countries I. London: W. Bowyer.\u2022 Saint-G\u00e9nis, A. 1817. \u201cNotice sur les restes de l\u2019ancienne ville Chemmis ou Panopolis aujourd\u2019hui Akhmym et sur les environs.\u201d In Description de l\u2019\u00c9gypte ou Recueil des observations et des recherches qui ont \u00e9t\u00e9 faites en \u00c9gypte pendant l\u2019exp\u00e9dition de l\u2019arm\u00e9e fran\u00e7aise, edited by Edme-Fran\u00e7ois Jomard et al., vol. 4, 60. Paris: Imprimerie de C. L. F. Panckoucke.\u2022 Wagner, G. 1983. \u201cDeux pri\u00e8res chr\u00e9tiennes.\u201d Bulletin de l\u2019Institut fran\u00e7ais d\u2019arch\u00e9ologie orientale 83: 349-354.", "external_links": [], "authors": [ { "author": "Rhiannon Williams ", "year": "2021" }, { "author": "Victor Ghica", "year": "2021" } ] } } ] }