Sacred and Profane Aspects of Water Management in Ancient Thmuis, Egypt

Summary

Water management in ancient Egypt entailed harnessing natural and supernatural forces. Thmuis grew to power in the heart of the Nile Delta evolving as a nexus of Greco-Egyptian ideological syncretism within a riverine/lacustrine environment. Water management challenges included mitigating damage from annual floods, optimizing production, and maintaining transport. To survive in this dynamic hydrologic regimen, the people of Thmuis harnessed and controlled the Nile waters through engineering and spiritual intervention. Over the last several seasons of archaeological study at Tell Timai, evidence of the religious and profane hydraulic infrastructure have been unearthed. A nilometer, well-constructed paved channels, large and small wells, lesser drains, and evidence of floods attest to the effort and investment made in water management. These discoveries help shape our understanding of the relationship between Greco-Roman Thmuis and the lacustrine delta fill environment where it thrived.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21146