BU Archaeology & ARCE Lecture: "Recent Excavation at Arab Al-Hisn"

Prof. Dr. Mamdouh Eldamaty, Professor of Egyptology, Ain Shams University Former Minister of Antiquities - Cairo - Egypt. Abstract: We still have undiscovered secrets in the Egyptian antiquities, especially in the area of the great temple of Re in ancient Heliopolis/Matarya. Arab Al-Hisn is an important part of that great temple. In Oct. 2017, started Ain Shams University its new mission under the supervision of Mamdouh Eldamaty to make excavation in Arab Al-Hisn, which is showing very positive results until now. The work in the excavation area let us know, that we are excavating and researching in religious complex including a ceremonial palace of Ramesside time. At the end of our second season in April 2018 we discovered a very unique ceremonial chapel of Ramesses II, which was used for the royal celebrations of the king, like the ceremony of the king's coronation and the Heb-Sed festival. The royal chapel is considered as the first of its kind during the New Kingdom of Egypt. The area of the ceremonial palace witnessed important incidents of the ancient Egyptian history, including the Kings Ramesses II, Ramesses IV and Ramesses IX, An important collection of mud brick walls of a case-mate building was revealed, which is including three phases of the building, dating back to the Ramesside period, which is the main building, a second layer of the third intermediate period and the late period layer on the top of the building. Several important artifacts have been discovered during the digging process that helps for rewriting the history of the ancient city of Heliopolis.