Von der Nekropole zum Siedlungsplatz. Bericht über die Grabungskampagnen 2018 und 2019 in der Petosiris-Nekropole von Tuna el-Gebel

Excavations and georadar measurements in the Tuna el-Gebel necropolis in 2018 and 2019 have revealed new information about the site. A stone building (GB 73) and a building made of adobe bricks (GB 72) were partially exposed. The stone building was used as a tomb in the imperial period; moreover, the ceramics indicate a subsequent use in late antiquity. The number and types of vessels suggest the settlement of a larger group of people. GB 72 had two storeys and provided unusual cult installations in front of the façade, which are to be interpreted as belonging to the funerary context. According to the architecture the building had various uses, for instance as a tomb and an embalming place. The geophysical prospection was carried out in the eastern part of the necropolis and supplemented the survey of 2007 and 2010. The high resolution and the combination of methods permit a precise differentiation of the building types as well as the creation of detailed maps of the necropolis. In addition, the radargrams show disturbances caused by grave robbers.