Tell Timai

Location: Timai El Amdid, , EG

Season: June 19, 2020 to July 24, 2020

Application Deadline: December 7, 2019

Deadline Type: Rolling

Website: http://www.telltimai.org/

Program Type:
Volunteer

RPA Certified:
No

Affiliation:
University of Hawaii at Manoa

Project Director:
Robert J. Littman, University of Hawaii at Manoa and co-Director, Dr. Jay Silverstein, University of Tyumen

Project Description:

A call for archaeologists, participants, and a few supervisors interested in the Summer 2020 and/or Winter 2020/2021 archaeological study of the site of Tell Timai in the Nile Delta region of Egypt.

The ruins of the Greco-Roman Egyptian city of Thmuis are found at Tell-El Timai in the Nile Delta of Egypt near the modern city of El-Mansoura.  Thmuis is first mentioned in Classical texts by Herodotus (Histories of Herodotus 2.166) based on his visit in the middle of the 5th century BC.  By Ptolemaic times the city was flourishing, having assumed administration of the Mendesian nome from its sister city at nearby Mendes.  Historical references to the city in Josephus (Jewish Wars 4.656), Pliny (Natural History 13.2.4), Ammianus Marcellinus (Roman History 22.16) and other sources attest to the importance of the city in the Classical world.  The city earned its greatest fame as the source of Mendesian perfume which was prized throughout the Mediterranean.  The city played an important role in the rise of early Christianity, serving as an episcopal see during the Late Roman Period (3rd – 4th centuries AD).  The city appears to have been abandoned during the Arab Period in 831 AD following the suppression of a tax revolt.

Period(s) of Occupation: Greco-Roman Egypt 400 BC-800 AD

Notes:
Participants also sought for Winter Season December 15, 2020-January 31, 2021.

Project Size: 1-24 participants

Minimum Length of Stay for Volunteers: 2 weeks

Minimum Age: 18

Experience Required: None

Room and Board Arrangements:
The Dig House for the project is located in the adjacent town of Timai El Amdid and all basic amenities are available there. House rooms are generally shared by 2 to 3 people. Each floor of the Dig House has a bathroom with heated shower. A cook is retained by the project as is a cleaning staff. Academic credit Number of credits: 3, 6 or 9 credits available Cost: Participants pay their own costs (Dig Fee). Air transportation to Cairo is not covered in this fee. All in-country costs are covered except incidentals. A number of partial scholarships are available. For costs and details contact Robert Littman (littman@hawaii.edu).

Academic Credit:
3-9 credits credits offered by University of Hawaii at Manoa. Tuition is $151 per credit.