Mersa/Wadi Gawasis 2009 Report, by Rodolfo Fattovich, Andrea Manzo - University of Naples "l'Orientale," Naples, Italy, and Chiara Zazzaro - University of Exeter, Exeter, UK

Introduction

In January 2009 the Archaeological Expedition of the University of Naples "l'Orientale" (UNO), Naples, and Italian Institute for Africa and the Orient (IsIAO), Rome, in collaboration with Boston University (BU), Boston (USA) conducted the eighth field season at the site of Mersa/Wadi Gawasis, Red Sea (Egypt), under the direction of Prof. Rodolfo Fattovich (UNO/IsIAO). The expedition could only spend two weeks in the field (January 8th-23rd) because of a delay with the permit procedures in Egypt.
Mersa/Wadi Gawasis is located 23 km to the south of the modern port of Safaga, on the top and along the slopes of a fossil coral terrace, which delimits the lower Wadi Gawasis to the west and south. Earlier excavations along the western slope of the terrace provided good evidence of the use of this site as the pharaonic port used for voyages to Punt in the Middle Kingdom and early New Kingdom (Bard & Fattvich 2007).
In 2009 investigations focussed on the excavation of three structures (Feature 7, Feature 9 and Feature 10) and a laser scanning survey of Feature 10 at the southeastern area of the eastern coral terrace at Mersa Gawasis.


Archaeology
Three excavation units (WG 58, WG 59 and WG 60), 10 m x 10 m in area, were opened to investigate Feature 9, Feature10 and Feature 7, respectively. [1]