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Ballas

Alternative site names: 
el-Ballas; el Ballas; Deir el-Ballas; Deir el Ballas; Zoweiyda; Zawaydah
Arabic site names: 
بلّاص
Site description: 

The site of a royal palace and administration centre was occupied by rulers in the Second Intermediate Period was unclosed by a wall.  The complex consists of a northern palace that served as a royal residence, a southern palace that served as an administrative centre, a village for staff, workers and artisans, and various utilitarian building like granaries and stables.

Further excavations in the 1980s revealed a much larger site with additional palace complexes, a group of large houses and further settlements.

Type of site: 
Town; Palace; Cemetery
Timeframe: 
Town (Dynasty 17); palaces (Dynasty 17); cemetery (Early Dynastic Period).
Overlay map: 
Original excavator's map of the archaeological features at el-Ballas superimposed on a modern Google map image. Created by Kristian Brink, 2015.
Excavation season: