Dig Life — Dig Diary — Abydos Archaeology

Editor/Writer

Wendy Doyon

Contact

info@abydos.org

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Dig Diary

What Would King Narmer Do with 100,000 Pints of Beer?

about 3 years ago

Results of the latest excavation season at the Abydos Royal Brewery and a closer look at the newest finds with immersive video and 3D models

A New Field Season at the Abydos Royal Brewery

about 3 years ago

Update on the 2022 field season at the Abydos Royal Brewery / موسم حفائر جديد في مصانع الجعة الملكية القديمة في أبيدوس

News & Brews from Abydos

about 3 years ago

Fall update for Archaeology/Beer Lovers everywhere, from Abydos Archaeology

A Sherd's-Eye View of Abydos over a Century of Excavation (1899-2020)

about 3 years ago

A curious pottery sherd labeled “UQ” emerged in last year’s excavations, during the 2020 field season at the predynastic brewery site in north Abydos. After identifying the label as Flinders Petrie’s designation for the tomb of King Qa’a — excavated by him in 1899 — the “Petrie sherd” took its place among a number of exciting finds reflecting the “archaeology of archaeology” at Abydos last season. Details in our latest video.

Bringing People Together for 5,000 Years—The archaeology of the Abydos royal brewery beyond the headlines

about 4 years ago

Headlines never tell the whole story—archaeology does. Dig deeper into the story of the world’s first royal brewery at Abydos with this roundup of some of the best features from around the web and plans for future research.

The Thirstiest Kings Who Ever Lived

about 4 years ago

Follow the Abydos Archaeology team on their path to discovering the world’s first industrial-scale brewery at the edge of the ancient cemetery of North Abydos.

Mysterious Chambers Discovered inside the Sacred Wadi at Abydos

about 4 years ago

Exciting discovery of a mysterious complex of rock-cut chambers carved high into the cliff face inside the sacred wadi at Abydos—what could they be?

Archaeology in the Time of Corona: A letter from the Egyptian desert

about 4 years ago

The story of archaeology life in quarantine at Abydos, Egypt during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Anatomy of an Excavation: The North Abydos Expedition in the field (English & Arabic)

about 4 years ago

How do archaeologists see into the past? What is excavating in Egypt really like? In this episode of our "in situ" video series, join us for a behind-the-scenes look at how we bring ancient Egypt to life at Abydos.

On the Ground at Abydos: Update on the 2020 Excavations (English & Arabic)

about 5 years ago

Episode 2 of our video blog series "On the Ground at Abydos" explores the first few weeks of this season's excavations in the Abydos North Cemetery, with a focus on our findings about Middle Kingdom activity at the far northern edge of the site.

On the Ground at Abydos: Introduction to the 2020 Field Season

about 5 years ago

The first installment of our video blog series "On the Ground at Abydos" provides a brief look at the site of north Abydos, including this season’s excavations in the early Old Kingdom cemetery, with Expedition co-directors Matthew Adams and Deborah Vischak.

What's on Tap (literally) at Abydos this Season?

about 5 years ago

Get ready for a whole new picture of ancient Egyptian beer making & so much more coming up this field season at Abydos—cheers!

What Is the Shunet el-Zebib? Part One

about 5 years ago

This is the first installment in a series covering the history of exploration at the Second Dynasty cultic enclosure of King Khasekhemwy (c. 2700 BCE) in North Abydos, known today as the Shunet el-Zebib, or simply as the Shuneh. Join us as we take you on a tour of the most exciting discoveries and important milestones of the last three decades of excavation and architectural conservation at this 5,000-year-old building — one of the oldest surviving structures in the world.

Fieldwork on the Edge of Forever: An Update on the “Portal” Temple of Ramses II at Abydos, Part One

about 5 years ago

How do archaeologists get ancient ruins to give up their secrets? By working together over many generations to observe the fallen and scattered remains of a place like this one: the footprint of a small temple built by Ramses II at the northern boundary where the ancient town of Abydos and its chief Temple of Osiris opened onto the desert necropolis. Read on to learn more about this temple and the Expedition’s efforts to preserve it through the years.

The Most Impressive Finds Ever Made at Abydos

about 5 years ago

One of the most exciting aspects of this season’s excavations in the Abydos North Cemetery was the discovery of a large number of Second Dynasty seal impressions from the reign of King Khasekhemwy (c. 2700 BCE), builder of the monumental cult enclosure known today as the Shunet el-Zebib. Learn how they help us to understand what, exactly, was going on here 5,000 years ago.

Happy Museum Day, King Khufu!

about 5 years ago

Celebrate International Museum Day with an iconic Abydos find on view at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

The Basket Makers of al-Hagz & the Local Roots of Archaeological Fieldwork at Abydos

about 6 years ago

When you think of archaeology in Egypt, a pyramid, or a trowel, maybe a mummy, or perhaps even a palm tree is probably one of the first things to come to mind. But a hoe and basket? These may bring to mind something closer to life on a farm than an excavation, but did you know there is a long history of adapting traditional agricultural tools to archaeology in Egypt? Take a closer look at the shared historical roots of modern agricultural and archaeological fieldwork in Egypt in our latest blog post.

Photogrammetry is the New Archaeological Photography: 3D Modeling at Abydos

about 6 years ago

Excavation is at the heart of all archaeology — it is how we see into the past. But any excavation is only as good as the body of knowledge and understanding it supports through documentation, conservation, outreach, and publication. Read on to see how advanced technologies like 3D modeling are adding new dimensions of context to traditional methods of archaeological documentation.

Conserving a Painted Coffin In Situ

about 6 years ago

Thousands of burials lie beneath the desert landscape at Abydos, many in subterranean tombs, others in plain wooden coffins placed in pits in the sand. Once in a while, an elaborate burial comes to light and takes your breath away — like the one we found last week just outside the east corner gateway of the Shunet el-Zebib. Read on for an in-depth, conservator’s-eye-view of this exciting find.

What’s Happening Now at Abydos & Why Is It Amazing?

about 6 years ago

It’s late winter in Egypt, and that means a new field season is underway at North Abydos — and this is a big one!