The Great Oasis of Egypt
The Kharga and Dakhla Oases in Antiquity

Explores the history and archaeology of two oases, remote but closely tied to the Nile valley for thousands of years.

Roger S. Bagnall (Edited by), Gaëlle Tallet (Edited by)

9781108482165, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 18 July 2019

362 pages, 26 b/w illus. 11 maps 6 tables
25.2 x 18.1 x 2.3 cm, 0.88 kg

The Great Oasis of Egypt provides the first full study of the Dakhla and Kharga Oases in antiquity, written by participants in several of the current archaeological projects in this region. The oases were closely tied to Egypt and to each other, but not always easy to control, and their agricultural productivity varied with climatic conditions. The book discusses the oases' geology, water resources, history, administration, economy, trade connections, taxation, urbanism, religion, burial practices, literary culture, and art. New evidence for human health and illness from the cemeteries is presented along with a synthesis on the use of different types of cloth in burial. A particular emphasis is placed on pottery, with its ability to tell us both about how people lived and how far imports and exports can be seen from the shapes and fabrics, and both literature and art suggest full participation in the culture of Greco-Roman Egypt.

1. Introduction Roger S. Bagnall and Gaëlle Tallet
Part I. Living in the Oasis: Humans and the Environment: 2. Water resources and irrigation in two oases of the Western Desert of Egypt, Kharga and Dakhla Jean-Paul Bravard
3. The ancient population of the Kharga Oasis Françoise Dunand and Roger Lichtenberg
4. Trimithis: a case study of Proto-Byzantine urbanism Paola Davoli
Part II. Managing the Oasis: 5. The Great Oasis: an administrative entity from Pharaonic times to Roman times Roger S. Bagnall and Gaëlle Tallet
6. Land and resource administration: farmers, managers, and soldiers in the Great Oasis Rodney Ast
7. What remains in the hands of the Gods: taxation in Kharga Oasis through the Demotic Ostraca (fifth century BC–first century AD) Damien Agut-Labordère
Part III. Trade and Mobility in a Connected Environment: 8. The North Kharga Oasis Darb Ain Amur Survey (NKODAAS): surveying the tracks between the two Oases Salima Ikram
9. And the potsherds? Some avenues of reflection and synthesis on the pottery of the Great Oasis Pascale Ballet
10. Egyptian and imported amphorae at Amheida Clementina Caputo
11. Kegs from Amheida Irene Soto Marin
12. El-Deir as a switching point Yaël Chevalier
Part IV. An Oasis Culture?: 13. Temple building on the Egyptian margins: the geopolitical issues behind Seti II and Ramesses IX's activity at Amheida Olaf E. Kaper
14. Funerary practices in the Great Oasis during Antiquity Françoise Dunand and Fleur Letellier-Willemin
15. Was there an interest in literary culture in the Great Oasis? Some answers Raffaella Cribiore
16. The House of Serenos and wall painting in the Western Oases Susanna McFadden.

Subject Areas: Arid zones, deserts [RGBA], Egyptian archaeology / Egyptology [HDDG], Archaeology [HD], Classical history / classical civilisation [HBLA1], Ancient history: to c 500 CE [HBLA], Regional & national history [HBJ]