Archaeological Mission of the Bologna University at Kkom Umm el-Atl (Fayyum - Egypt). Preliminary Report of the XV Excavation Campaign, 2nd-28th November 2006

The Bologna University Archaeological Mission, directed by Prof. Sergio Pernigotti, carried out the XV Excavation Campaign at Kom Umm el-Atl (Fayyum), the ancient Graeco-Roman town of Bakchias, from 2nd to 28th November 2006.
Members of the Mission were: Cristian Tassinari (Field Director), Paola Buzi, Valentina Gasperini, Anna Morini, Barbara Rizzo, Silvia Vinci, Marco Zecchi,. The Supreme Council of Antiquities was represented by Inspector Nahla Mohamed Ahmed, from the Inspectorate of Fayyum.

The 2006 Excavation Campaign has been divided in two phases. In the first one, we brought to light, in the so-called kôm south, the structures of a church, which is the first one attested not only in Bakchias, but in the whole northern part of the Fayyum; in the second phase we carried on the excavation of the temple of the crocodile god Soknobraisis (Temple E), which began in November 2005.


KÔM SOUTH
The Church

During the survey, which took place in 2004, we identified a limestone column suggesting the presence of a monumental building. For this reason we decided to dig in this specific area.
After having removed the superficial layer, the archaeological remains have proved - because of the presence of a typical Coptic apse, looking to eastwards - to belong to a one-nave church.
The building, even though very badly damaged, is characterised by a longitudinal plan (max. preserved length 16.78m), while the original width is estimated about 6m.
The excavation has shown that the church, in its structural peculiarities, remained unchanged over the centuries; whereas the floor and plasters have been clearly rearranged in a second chronological phase.
The materials discovered allow us, for the moment, to suggest that the church was used from the VI to the VIII century AD. Among them it is worthwhile to mention some fragments of a marble cross, a Greek ostrakon of the V century and several limestone architectonic elements, unfortunately out of context.


KÔM NORTH
The temple of the crocodile god Soknobraisis (Temple E)

The excavation of the Temple E has shown that the building had two chronological phases: in the first one the temple was made of mud-brick and was characterized by the presence of subsidiary rooms or chapels and cellars. The limestone naos measured about 6.90 x 4.50m; in the second phase all this part of the building was rearranged as a courtyard of the new temple. This courtyard (10.70 x 4.50m) had very thick stone walls (4.60m) inside of which there were storerooms, as in the contemporary Temple C.


The next excavation campaign will be carried out in November 2007, during which we will complete the excavation of the Temple E and will uncover the thermal buildings.