1898-99 Hu

Type of fieldwork: 
Excavation
Season summary: 

The field team cleared several cemeteries between Abadiya and Hu that collectively were published in the volume 'Diospolis Parva'. Excavations were led by David Randall-MacIver, Arthur Mace and Flinders Petrie at various cemeteries. Henrietta Lawes drew pottery while Hilda Petrie and Beatrice Orme drew marks on the pottery and numbered finds and skeletal remains.

  • Cemetery A contained mainly historic period graves of the New Kingdom (Dynasty 18), the Old Kingdom and a few prehistoric (Predynastic) burials.
  • Cemetery B contained Predynastic graves and was described by Petrie as one of the largest and best of the season. Petrie led the excavations and recording in this area, clearing some 570 tombs.
  • Cemetery C was an isolate hill, with shallow circular graves of the early Predynastic (Naqada I) period.
  • Cemetery D contained a group of mastaba tombs and graves of Dynasty 6, excavated under the direction of Flinders Petrie.
  • Cemetery E was found to include a few graves of the Middle Kingdom (Dynasty 12-13).
  • Area F was described as a prehistoric settlement, but not closely investigated. 
  • Cemetery H contained Predynastic graves excavated under the direction of Mace and Iles. The highest number recorded in the publication is H90, but one surviving notebook in the Petrie Museum records up to H135.
  • Cemetery J contained New Kingdom (Dynasty 18) graves, but was found to be heavily plundered.   
  • Cemetery K was dated to the Roman period.
  • Cemeteries L and M were described as containing a few Middle Kingdom burials (Dynasties 12-13).
  • Cemetery N was published as containing only one important tomb of the Old Kingdom which was investigated under Randall-MacIver.
  • Cemeteries R contained Predynastic graves cleared partly under the direction of Randall-MacIver and later by Mace. The excavation report records some of the graves up to R134, but surviving excavation notebooks in the Petrie Museum record grave numbers up to R225.
  • Cemetery U  contained Predynastic graves cleared under the direction of Randall-MacIver. He recorded up to at least U364. 
  • Cemetery W was excavated under the direction of Flinders Petrie. At least 177 graves were recorded of the Old and Middle Kingdoms. 
  • Cemetery X contained 'Pan graves'. 
  • Cemetery Y was investigated by Mace, and found to contain Old to Middle Kingdom tombs, as well as some Pan graves. Shallow surface graves of the Middle to New Kingdoms were marked YS. At least 490 graves were recorded. 
Relevant archive holdings: 
London, Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology
Distribution Notes: 

In the 1901 excavation memoir a note is made of the all the destinations of tomb contents from cemetery X 'Pan Graves' (pp. 48-49):

  • Ashmolean - Tombs E2; X11, 16, 24, 25, 26, 36, 41, 43, 46, 47, 69; W10, 58, 80, 102
  • British Museum: X 17 , 41
  • Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthrology: X 1, 2, 9, 21, 67, 68, 70
  • UCL Petrie Museum: X8, 25
  • Manchester Museum (Owen's College): X 7, 22, 28, 67
  • Liverpool MuseumL X 38, 65, 74
  • Bolton: X 50, 65, 77, 80
  • Edinburgh: X 10, 23, 58, 64 
  • Brussels: X11, 48, 63
  • Melbourne: X32, 58, 61, 78, 79; Y417
  • Sydney: X 11, 13, 58, 73
  • Philadelphia: X 2, 21, 30, 57, 58; W 101, 164; Y 300
  • Chicago: X 29, 33, 42, 49, 51, 70, 76; Y 490
  • Connecticut: X 1 52, 58, 62, 63

 

Relevant publications: 

Catalogue of antiquities from the excavations of the Egypt Exploration Fund at Diospolis, and a loan collection of prehistoric vases : exhibited [...] at University College, Gower Street, London, July 10th to July 19th, 1899. 1899. London : Egypt Exploration Fund.

Petrie, William Matthew Flinders 1899. Excavations at Abâdiyeh and Hû. Archaeological Reports 1898-1899, 1-3.

Petrie, William Matthew Flinders 1901. Diospolis parva: the cemeteries of Abadiyeh and Hu 1898-99 London: Egypt Exploration Fund.

Related excavations: 
Distribution destinations: