1930-31 Matmar

Type of fieldwork: 
Excavation
Director: 
Season summary: 

Brunton assigned each area of excavation an 'area number' moving upwards in increments of 100, beginning from 100. Since each area number only provisioned for a maximum of 100 registered features (i.e. 100, 200, 3200, 3300), some numbers seem to have been issued as an ‘overflow’, rather than for a distinct new excavation area. Almost all periods of Egyptian history are represented across the areas:

  • Badarian settlement in areas 2000, 2100, 3200 and graves in areas 2000, 2500, 3000, 3100 and possible 6000.
  • Predynastic graves in areas 200, 2600, 2700, 3000, 3100, 5100.
  • Protodynastic (Naqada III) graves in areas 100, 200, 400, 600, 900, 1000, 1300, 2000, 5000.
  • Fourth Dynasty graves in areas 2300, 3200.
  • Fifth Dynasty graves in areas 3200, 3300, 5300.
  • Sixth Dynasty graves in areas 400, 500, 600, 800, 3200, 3300, 5300.
  • Seventh and Eighth Dynasties graves in areas 400, 500, 600, 1300, 3000, 3300, 5300.
  • Ninth and Tenth Dynasties graves in areas 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 1200, 1300, 1700, 2600, 3000.
  • Middle Kingdom graves in areas 400, 500, 2000.
  • Second Intermediate graves in areas 5000 and 5300.
  • New Kingdom temple precinct in area 1000.
  • New Kingdom (19th-20th Dynasty) burials in aeas 900, 1000, 1100.
  • A ceremonial bone pit between areas 800 and 900.
  • Third Intermediate Period graves mainly in areas 700, 1200, 1700. Others in areas 600, 800, 900, 1000, 1100, 3200, 5000, 6000.
  • Late and Ptolemaic periods were infrequently encountered but some were noted in areas 300, 400, 500, 800, 2000, 5200.
  • Large quantities of late Roman or Coptic graves in areas 600, 800, 900/1100.
  • The areas between 200 and 300 had been plundered and no excavations were carried out.

Relevant archive holdings: 
Oxford, Griffith Institute, University of Oxford (566 photographs)
Relevant publications: 

Brunton, G., Matmar, London, B. Quaritch, 1948.

Related excavations: 
Distribution destinations: