AMḤAYDA (TRIMITHIS)
Arabic | أمحيدة |
Greek | Τριμιθις |
English | Amheida | Amhida | Amhada |
DEChriM ID | 10 |
Trismegistos GeoID | 2733 |
Pleiades ID | 776235 | PAThs ID | 174 |
Ancient name | Trimithis |
Modern name | Amḥayda |
Latitude | 25.668709 |
Longitude | 28.873704 |
Date from | -820 |
Date to | 365 |
Typology | Town |
Dating criteria | - |
Description | Amḥayda, Dakhleh Oasis Project site no. 33/390-L9-1, is understood to be the Roman city of Trimithis. Preliminary surveys were conducted from 2000-2002, and excavations were initiated by Columbia University in 2004, directed by Roger Bagnall. Columbia University is still a continuing partner, but New York University is now the primary sponsoring institution, collaborating with other participating groups in the Dakhleh Oasis Project. Excavations of the site show occupation from at least the Old Kingdom up to the fourth century CE. There are a number of different excavation areas, with the main areas of focus being those designated 1, 2 and 4. Area 1 Area 2 Sub-area 2.2 The Roman thermae, probably consisting of 10 rooms, is located north of B1 and B5; it has been designated as B6. There appears to have been a number of building/utilisation phases of the thermae, with it being understood that B6 represents the latest stage (this needs to be clarified). The architecture of the thermae indicates that it dates to the Roman Imperial Period. Graffiti found on the northern wall of R25 dates to 325 or later. There is limited evidence to date the destruction phase, but it is likely that the thermae were undergoing modifications in the 4th century. These restorations/modifications were abandoned for some reason, as is indicated by the thousands of prepared but unused mosaic tesserae found in R30, which also explains the lack of objects found in the building. These tesserae are significant in that they prove the existence of mosaic floors in Trimithis and can be “considered the first proof for mosaic floors in the oases of the western desert” (Bagnall et al. 2012: 3). The baked bricks and some walls of the thermae were then used in the construction of B1 and B5, as mentioned above, (the row of rooms south of the central room 24 in particular has extensive parts – walls and floors – reused from the bath). There is evidence of a building phase predating the thermae, identified below the floors, consisting of bread ovens. Sub-area 2.3 The focus of this area is B7, located east of sub-area 2.2, which is believed to have been a funerary church structure. The building is oriented on an East-West axis, and contains within its perimeter at least 8 burials, 4 of which have been studied. These interred individuals are positioned on their backs with their heads to the west, looking east. There is no evidence of coffins, biers or grave goods in these four graves. However, in some of them remains of textiles were found, suggesting the bodies were wrapped in funerary shrouds. Plant remains, tentatively identified as rosemary and myrtle bundles, were also discovered in a number of these burials. There were at least two floor levels, with a subterranean room which has been interpreted as a crypt. The eastern wall of room 1, the main room, has a number of Greek inscriptions, one of which reads hos theos. According to ceramic evidence, the building has been dated to the fourth century. Features in a number of rooms indicate that the space, or parts of it, was used as a food preparation area in its post-abandonment phase. Area 4 In the Roman period, a new temple was built under the emperor Titus. This was followed by the latest construction phase during the reign of emperor Domitian, which stood to the north of the chapel decorated under Titus, wherein several older buildings within the enclosure were demolished and their stone blocks reused in the construction of a larger sanctuary, with that of Titus being incorporated entirely into this new temple (built or decorated during the latter half of the second century CE). This final temple construction then went through two distinct destruction phases, one of which quarried away the Roman temple, leaving only the lowest courses of stonework. We see uses of these stones throughout other excavated structures in Amḥayda, including B6. Sub-area 4.1 As well as hundreds of these construction blocks, excavation in Area 4.1 uncovered a number of pits. Although differing in shape, depth and dimension, they can be said to be round, oval or elongated, with almost all of them cutting into one another, indicating that they were dug at different times. One of these pits (F90) included a coin hoard of 850 tetradrachms divided into three textile bags, dating from Claudius to Marcus Aurelius. Pottery fragments found in the filling of these pits dates from the Old Kingdom until the fourth century CE. Some of these pits also contained temple blocks, most of which are related to the Saite temple dedicated to the god Thoth (which were reused in the Roman period after the building was dismantled). The fact that the concentration of these blocks varies between pits enables speculation regarding the original layout of the Roman temple, with it being understood that many come from the external N-S running wall of the temple. Roughly at the centre of AR50 appears the only portion left undisturbed by the cutting of these pits; the area seems to be delimited by walls, possibly creating a room; five complete pottery coffins, and the traces of two broken ones, in situ, as well as numerous fragments of similar coffins attest to the area being used as an animal cemetery with a presumably sacred function. This interpretation is aided by the discovery of 25 fragments of bronze Osiris statuettes and pendants as well as a large depositional cluster of at least 40 miniature vessels (DSU 120). There are also numerous indicators of bread baking, namely bread molds and grinding stones, as well as ash pockets. The general area is incredibly disturbed with recognisable vessels from the Old Kingdom to Islamic periods. Sub-area 4.2 This area is located to the north of 4.1 and consists of a number of stone foundation blocks. While the function of these structures is difficult to interpret, they include a number of inscriptions dating to the Roman period; at least 5 instances of individuals having signed their name and patronymic on the top of a block, 4/5 were of the same individual, Petosiris son of Tithoes, and the 5th was Petenephotes son of Petosiris. Perhaps a structure of significance is a building situated on a hill east of the temple area, which is characteristed by a sort of peristyle oriented east-west, the plan of which is very similar to that of the large East Church at Kellis. |
Archaeological research | Preliminary surveys were conducted between 2000 and 2002, and excavations were initiated by Columbia University in 2004, directed by Roger Bagnall. Columbia University is still a continuing partner, but New York University is now the primary sponsoring institution as of 2008, collaborating with other participating groups in the Dakhleh Oasis Project (DOP). |
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