MISSIONE ITALIANA NEL DESERTO ORIENTALE RAPPORTO PRELIMINARE DELLA I CAMPAGNA

The article presents the results of the first season of fieldwork of the Italian Archaeological Mission in the Eastern Desert of Egypt. In the area of Wadi Gasus, structures of the ‘Graeco-roman station’ have been mapped and documented; fragments of saggars, pointing to the production of Egyptian blue on the site, have been identified, as well as remains of a well (hydreuma) at the bottom of the wadi. A new mining site has also been identified in the area: although working areas and huts do not show signs of repairs or modifications, the site might have been exploited over a long period of time. Analysis of the data resulting from older publications is also presented, in order to gain a deeper knowledge of the evidence than the present conditions of the sites might allow. In the meantime, the possibility that long known sites might be exploited for resources different than previously supposed is also envisaged.