Maadi

Maadi

Prehistoric site of the Chalcolithic Lower Egyptian culture dating to the 4th millennium BC consisting of light huts and (semi) subterranean stone buildings, located near the southern suburbs of Cairo.

Location

Fig. 1: The settlement area of Maadi West, looking to the west

The predynastic settlement of Maadi is situated on an east-west running desert ridge between two wadis; the size of the area is 1.5 km long and 200-300 m wide. Parts of the site have been destroyed or are covered by modern buildings; the rest of the area is threatened by the rapidly growing city of Cairo (Fig. 1).

History

	Fig. 2: In the 1930s, the excavation site was still surrounded by desert, the skyline of Cairo can be seen in the background.

In addition to Buto, Maadi is the settlement the Lower Egyptian culture of the 4th millennium is named for. The settlement existed for approximately 300 years and was abandoned in the middle of the 4th millennium BC. Apart from agriculture, the economy of the settlement was apparently based on the trade with Palestine which supplied Lower Egypt with a number of goods including copper. It is quite probable that Canaanite merchants lived in Maadi. 

Objectives

	Fig. 3: Egypt's earliest stone house discovered by F.A. Badawi during the 1980's, looking east

The aim of the investigations carried out from 1999-2002 was to document the archaeological remains of Maadi-West, an area threatened by modern-day construction. The results of the investigations were to form the basis of a recommendation for the Egyptian authorities to protect the area from further building activities.
The investigations also focused on the stratigraphy of the settlement, which had not been systematically observed during previous excavations, and on re-examining a unique subterranean or semi-subterranean stone house that was discovered during Egyptian excavations in the 1980s (Fig. 3). 

History of Research

	Fig. 4: The cave dwelling after excavation, looking north

The settlement of Maadi (as well as two nearby cemeteries) was excavated on a large scale by Cairo University from 1930-1953. The excavations were directed by M. Amer and I. Rizkana and were initially (1930-1933) carried out in cooperation with the German Institute of Archaeology (O. Menghin, K. Bittel) (Fig. 2).To date, these excavations remain the most extensive investigations of a predynastic settlement in Egypt. Further excavations were conducted by the University of Rome "La Sapienza" in the late 1970s and by F.A. Badawy of Al-Azhar University Cairo in the 1980s. Badawy was the first to be granted permission to work in the western part of the settlement which was previously inaccessible to archaeologists due to a military camp with a transmitting station on the site.
Likewise in the 1980s, the previously unpublished material of the old Egyptian excavations was revised by J. Seeher and published in four volumes in cooperation with the German Institute of Archaeology and funded by the German Research Foundation. 

Previous Activities

	Fig. 5. Copper ingots from excavations in the 1930's

In cooperation with Cairo University (during the first campaign) and the Supreme Council of Antiquities, three campaigns in Maadi-West and two subsequent study seasons were carried out between 1999-2002. Surveys and drillings determined the extension and thickness of the settlement remains, examples of which were excavated in numerous small trial trenches. The stone building, which had been excavated by F.A. Badawy in the 1980s and was meanwhile filled with building debris and trash, was re-examined and the adjacent area excavated to clarify its stratigraphic correlation to the surrounding settlement (Fig. 3). During the drillings, a cave-like building with a steep stairway and a long entrance corridor faced in stone was discovered. This became another focus point of our work and was completely excavated (Fig. 4). 

Current Work

	Fig. 6: Moulds for copper ingots from Hujayrat al-Ghuzlan near Aqaba, Jordan (photo: Orient Department of the DAI)

Currently, there are no ongoing excavations in Maadi. However, the settlement is the focus of attention of a project being carried out in cooperation with the Department of Geology, Cairo University, the German Mining Museum in Bochum and the Orient Department of the German Archaeological Institute. The aim of the project is to determine the origin of the copper or copper ore of predynastic Egypt. Maadi is especially important because the settlement is, to date, the only Egyptian location where copper ingots (Fig. 5) were found in addition to copper ore (malachite) and various copper objects. The copper ingots seem to match moulds that were discovered during recent excavations of the Orient Department of the German Archaeological Institute in Hujayrat al-Ghuzlan near Aqaba, Jordan. It is quite likely that the two settlements had trade relations; scientific research of ores from various locations and a comparison with archaeological finds will be conducted to verify this. 

Methods

	Fig. 7: Sunken storage vessel in the section of a trench

In Maadi, core drillings yielded quick and good results. This simple method makes it easy to determine the extension and thickness of the settlement layers and to gain information regarding their characteristics. Magnetometer measurements are not suitable for Maadi as remains of foundations of reinforced concrete and iron girders from the military camp and transmitting station affect the measurements. 

Results

	Fig. 8: Typical vessels from Maadi
	Fig. 9: Beads, pendants and bead blanks made of various kinds of stone
	Fig. 10: A limestone spindle whorls
	Fig. 11: A rhomboid flint knife from Upper Egypt
	Fig. 12: Floor of the semi-subterranean stone house with post-holes and depressions for storage vessels
	Fig. 13: Plan of the stone house with the reconstructed roof

On account of the surveys and core drillings, it was possible to determine the extent of the remaining settlement and to make a recommendation to the Egyptian authorities to classify approximately two-thirds of the area as a historical monument.
The trial trenches yielded further information regarding the thickness and stratigraphy of the settlement layers. All in all, the features resemble those of the earlier excavations: on average, the settlement layer is approximately 50-70 cm thick, sometimes 1 m or 1.20 m. Remains of wooden posts, probably from huts, windbreaks and fences, partially stone-lined hearths, pits of varying size and shape and sunken storage jars (Fig. 7) illustrate the general nature of the settlement.
Small, sometimes mud lined pits with a diameter of 15-20 cm may have been used for cooking. In some areas, thicker layers of ash were evident that seem to indicate not only normal household fires but also industrial activities. Small beads of smelted copper could suggest the processing of metal. Most probably, the majority of the ceramics was produced locally. The ceramic inventory includes bowls, dishes and large storage vessels as well as ovoid and spherical vessels of differing size and shape, either with a smoothed surface or sometimes painted red, often with black or brown, polished surfaces (Fig. 8, Fig. 18). In addition to flint- and bone tools, jewellery was probably produced in the settlement, too; this is indicated by some half-finished beads made of limestone (Fig. 9). Wool was also processed (Fig. 10). In comparison to the earlier excavations, imported objects and materials are not common in the newly examined settlement area. Connections to the southern Levant can be traced to some ceramic fragments and so called tabular scrapers made of flint; the latter probably come from the Sinai or the Negev Desert. Some vessels from Upper Egypt were also found in Maadi, as well as a large flint knife (Fig. 11) which probably had its origin in Upper Egypt, too. The finds show that trade with Palestine and Upper Egypt played an important role in the settlement; however, it is quite likely that agriculture formed the economic basis. Emmer, barley and some pulses have been detected in Maadi; grinding stones and querns for processing grains are common. Goats, sheep, pigs and cattle were kept and consumed, fishing also played a role. Hunting was of little importance, unless it was the hunting of water fowl.
The newly examined area of the settlement existed for approximately 300 years without many changes in the material culture.
Two extraordinary finds contrast with the light huts and wind-screens of the settlement: the previously mentioned sunken stone house that was excavated by F.A. Badawy in the middle of the 1980s and cleaned during the new excavations; and a second subterranean structure, a cave dwelling, that was discovered during the core drillings and subsequently excavated.
The fairly precisely east-west oriented stone house (Fig. 3) has a rectangular floor plan with rounded corners (the interior measures ca. 8.5 x 4 m) and is approximately 2 m below floor level. The walls were very carefully built of undressed stones and larger rocks and used to be plastered with mud mortar. On the northern side is a wall-lined entrance that leads above ground. Three large holes for thick posts that supported a roof construction are aligned in the middle of the room. There are numerous small depressions in the floor, apparently for storage vessels (Fig. 12). The roof was most likely at the same height as the surrounding surface. It probably consisted of beams resting on the posts in the middle of the room which were covered with mats and mud plaster (Fig. 13). To date, this is the oldest house in Egypt made entirely of stone.
In the newly discovered structure, stone steps lead from the south (Fig. 14) to a slightly sloping corridor that is made of carefully built and plastered stone walls (Fig. 15). The corridor leads to a subterranean room with a dome-shaped ceiling that was cut into the bedrock. The floor of this room is approximately 4 m deeper than the present-day surface (Fig. 4; Fig. 16). The corridor was presumably lined with flat limestone slabs and mud plaster (Fig. 17). After a fire had destroyed the wooden support posts and had caused the structure to collapse, the remaining cave continued to be used as depot or hide-away for ceramic vessels (Fig. 18) and other objects. It seems to have also been used as a workshop, e.g. for producing tools made of bone. Over time, the pit filled up with sand and was subsequently covered by the surrounding settlement.
So far, the function of these two buildings has not been clarified. There is no evidence of a use as graves or shrines; thus it seems plausible that they were utilized on a practical,daily basis. Maybe they were used e.g. as central storage rooms in which perishable goods were protected from the heat.
In Egypt, such buildings have only been found in Maadi. During the earlier excavations in the eastern part of the settlement, four similar, yet simplified, structures were discovered. There are comparisons in Palestine where subterranean stone housing- and storage buildings were typical for the southern part of the country during Chalcolithic time, and rectangular stone buildings with rounded corners (however, not sunk into the ground) are known from early Bronze Age settlements. The numerous goods and objects from this region found during the earlier excavations have introduced evidence for close contact between these two regions. There are some indications that Canaanites may have lived in the settlement for a time. The idea for these buildings must have been the result of interaction with Egypt. There is no archaeological evidence that the structures were built and used by Canaanites. 

Cooperation

	Fig. 14: Stairway to the cave dwelling, looking south

The work was executed in cooperation with the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) and Cairo University, Department of Archaeology (during the first campaign). A collaboration with the University of Helwan is planned for the analysis of the archaeobotanical remains. The Department of Geology, Cairo University, the German Mining Museum in Bochum and the Orient Department of the German Archaeological Institute are jointly investigating the origin of the copper in Maadi. 

Contact

Dr. phil. Ulrich Hartung

Vor- und Frühgeschichte
Telefon: +20-(0)2-2735-1460, - 2735-2321
Telefax: +20-(0)2-2737-0770
Email: hartung@kairo.dainst.org

Bibliography

	Fig. 15: Carefully plastered east wall of the entrance corridor of the cave dwelling
	Fig. 16: View from inside the cave dwelling facing the staircase
	Fig. 17: Plan of the cave dwelling with reconstructed corridor roofing
	Fig. 18: Deposit of pottery vessels in the already half-filled cave dwelling

• I. Rizkana/J. Seeher, Maadi I, The Pottery of the Predynastic Settlement, AVDAIK 64, Mainz 1987;
• I. Rizkana/J. Seeher, Maadi II, The Lithic Industries of the Predynastic Settlement, AVDAIK 65, Mainz 1988;
• I. Rizkana/J. Seeher, Maadi III, The Non-lithic Small Finds and the Structural Remains of the Predynastic Settlement, AVDAIK 80, Mainz 1989;
• I. Rizkana/J. Seeher, Maadi IV, The Predynastic Cemeteries of Maadi and Wadi Digla, AVDAIK 81, Mainz 1990;
• J. Seeher, Maadi - eine prädynastische Kulturgruppe zwischen Oberägypten und Plästina, in: Prähistorische Zeitschrift 65, 1990, S. 123-156;
• F.A. Badawi, A Preliminary Report on 1984-86 Excavations at Maadi-West, in: MDAIK 59, 2003, S. 1-10.
• U. Hartung/M. Abd el-Gelil/A. von den Driesch/G. Fares/R. Hartmann/Th. Hikade/Ch. Ihde, Vorbericht über neue Untersuchungen in der prädynastischen Siedlung von Maadi, in: MDAIK 59, 2003, S. 149-198;
• U. Hartung, Predynastic subterranean dwellers in Maadi, Cairo, in: Egyptian Archaeology 22, 2003, S. 7-9.
• U. Hartung, Maadi, fouille de sauvetage aux confins du Caire, in: Archéo-Nil 13, 2003, S. 29-36.
• U. Hartung, Rescue Excavations in the Predynastic Settlement of Maadi, in: S. Hendrichx/R.F. Friedman/K.M. Cialowicz/M. Chlodnicki (eds.), Egypt at its Origins. Studies in Memory of Barbara Adams, Leuven 2004, S. 337-356.
• U. Hartung, Bemerkungen zur Architektur und Chronologie der unterirdischen und halbunterirdischen Bauten in der prädynastischen Siedlung von Maadi, in: E. Czerny/I. Hein/H. Hunger/D. Melman/A. Schwab (Hrsg.), Timelines, Studies in Honour of Manfred Bietak, Volume II, Leuven 2006, S. 35-44.

Translation by Justine Gesell