Karanis (Faiyum)

Alternative site names:

Kom Aushim, Wushim

Site description:

The settlement of Karanis was founded for military veterans by Ptolemy II as an agricultural base in the Faiyum. The huge granaries and grinding equipment are testament to the large industrial approach to agriculture that developed during the period. It is conjectured that a new style of house, the "tower house", was developed in the town. The town is notable for objects of daily life that were excavated here, notably glass and the large collection of documentary papyri recovered.

Type of site:

Temples; town

Timeframe:

Temples (Graeco-Roman Period); town (Graeco-Roman Period)

Excavation season:

Relevant publications:

Bierbrier, M. L. 1997. Fayum cemeteries and their portraits. In Bierbrier, M. L. (ed.), Portraits and masks: burial customs in Roman Egypt, 16-18. London: British Museum Press.

Hogarth, D. G. and B. P. Grenfell 1896. Cities of the Faiyûm: I. Karanis and Bacchias. Archaeological Report 1895-1896, 14-19.

Wilfong, T. G. (ed.) 2014. Karanis revealed: discovering the past and present of a Michigan excavation in Egypt. Kelsey Museum Publication 7. Ann Arbor, MI: Kelsey Museum of Archaeology.