Tell el-Maschuta () - either the ancient Egyptian Per Tem/Pi-Tem or Tjeku - is located in the Wadi Tumilat region in the eastern Nile Delta about 16 kilometers west of Ismailia and about 18 kilometers east of Tell er-Retaba.
The use of the site was subject to constant change. Originally founded during the Second Intermediate Period as a settlement of around two to three hectares, Tell el-Maschuta was re-founded at the end of the 7th century BC as a trading center and place of worship of the deity Atum (Tem), which was associated with the naming of Per Tem (Atum) in Tjeku under the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Necho II. Herodotus mentioned the "Arab city of Patumos" located in this region in connection with the canal construction begun by Necho II.Herodotus, Histories, II 158;
van Seters, John (2001). Die Geographie des Exodus. p. 273. In Hellenistic times, Per Tem probably bore the name Heroonpolis; however, this is not certain. The name Ero, which originated in Roman times, is the short form of Heroonpolis.
Earlier results of archaeological research initially led to the assumption that Tell el-Maschuta was the biblical Pithom. For example, Per Tem was also mentioned on the recovered statue of Ankhkherednefer, although this statue may have originated at another nearby site such as Tell er-Retaba. Other researchers have identified Tell el-Maschuta with the city of Tjeku. The Pithom stele from the Ptolemaic period shows that the old name Per Tem was still in use as a place name for Tell el-Maschuta several centuries after Necho II.Hoffmeier, James K. (2005). Ancient Israel in Sinai. The Evidence for the Autenticity of the Wilderness Tradition. p. 61; van Seters, John (2001). The Geography of the Exodus. Sheffield, p. 273.
At the beginning of the 2nd century AD, the function of Tell el-Maschuta changed again and it now served as a Roman cemetery. Since the beginning of the 5th century AD, Tell el-Maschuta has only been a mound of ruins. From 1977 onwards, it was archaeologically examined several times during excavation campaigns.
Etymology and research history In earlier times, the site was called Ahou Kachah or Abou Keycheyd. A monolith was found there on which Ramesses II is depicted between two sun deities.The New York Public Library - Digital Collections: Basse Égypte. 1-3. Monolithe d'Abou-Seyfeh; 4,5. Monolithe d'Abou-Keycheyd Archaeologists therefore suspected that an ancient Egyptian city was located at the site, with the sand-covered monolith as a typical identifying feature.Naville Édouard (1903). The Store-city of Pithom and the Route of the Exodus. London , p. 1–2.
Archaeological teams identified the site as Pi-Ramesses, the "place of the Israelites during their oppression", due to the Ramesses monolith. The supposed discovery prompted numerous archaeologists to intensify their research and excavations at "Pi-Ramesses" around 1860. However, further investigations led to the conclusion that it was not Pi-Ramesses.Naville Édouard (1903). The Store-city of Pithom and the Route of the Exodus. London , p. 4–5.
Work on the Bubastis Canal was completed at around the same time. After the workers and archaeologists left, the interest in the Mound of the Monument, for which the modern translation Mound of the Damned/Heroes is also used, initially faded.
In 1883, Édouard Naville undertook another campaign in this region on behalf of the Egypt Exploration Society and discovered the ruins of Tell el-Maschuta. He examined the existing monuments, statues, inscriptions and building remains and drew up a ground plan of ancient Tell el-Maschuta. However, Naville did not examine the numerous pottery fragments and other small finds in the strata (horizontal excavation layers). In his final report, he came to the conclusion that it must have been the biblical Pithom, as the excavated objects included several monuments from the time of Ramesses II.van Seters, John (2001). The Geography of the Exodus. Sheffield, p. 256-257.
The French Egyptologist Jean Cledat carried out further investigations in the Wadi Tumilat region between 1900 and 1910 and was able to recover additional finds. John S. Holladay and his team initiated extensive excavations as part of the Wadi Tumilat project initiated by the Canadian University of Toronto.Hoffmeier, James K. (2005). Ancient Israel in Sinai. The Evidence for the Autenticity of the Wilderness Tradition. p. 59 Five excavation campaigns took place from 1978 to 1985.The American Research Center in Egypt - John S. Holladay Jr.: Tell el-Maskhuta: Preliminary Report on the Wadi Tumilat Project, 1978-1979. More recently, research commissioned by the Egyptian Antiquities Authority has provided further information about Tell el-Maschuta.
Archaeological studies First colonization phase The excavations prove that Tell el-Maschuta was founded during the Second Intermediate Period. The name of the village at that time has not yet been determined. The small village resembled an outpost, as there were no special fortifications. The shape of the curved city walls used at this time is characteristic. There is evidence of a continuous increase in burials and the construction of above-ground circular silos during the construction phase of Tell el-Maschuta. The tombs showed striking differences in terms of the status of the buried persons.Holladay, John S. (1999) Tell el-Maskhuta. In: Kathryn A. Bard, Steven Blake Shubert, eds., Encyclopedia of the archaeology of ancient Egypt. London. p. 787. Warrior burials included the Asian-style weaponry typical of this period, such as daggers and chisel-shaped axes. The other mud-brick graves contained numerous valuable grave goods such as gold or silver headbands and silver-decorated bracelets, earrings and hair rings, gold and silver scarabs, tools and semi-precious stones, as well as amulets and food. In contrast, children's graves and burials in the disused round silos only occasionally included grave goods.
Based on the palaeobotanical analysis of the finds, the archaeological team of the Wadi Tumilat project concluded that Tell el-Maschuta fulfilled all the criteria of an urban settlement, but was only inhabited seasonally from the beginning of the sowing season in autumn until the end of the summer wheat harvest in spring. Due to these characteristics, Tell el-Maschuta had the character of a caravan station that was set up for long-distance trade. During the hot summer months, Tell el-Maschuta remained uninhabited. During this period, the inhabitants probably settled in the vicinity of Tell er-Retaba, where residential camps existed in the Middle Bronze Age. The materials used for the construction of Tell el-Maschuta show parallels to the finds in strata E1 to D3 of Avaris. Dwellings were built closer and closer together. The extent of agriculture, primarily the cultivation of wheat and barley to supply the inhabitants, increased considerably. Cattle, sheep, goats and pigs were also kept. Horse breeding was also already known. Other activities of the inhabitants included hunting several species of birds, hartebeest and gazelles.
The workers employed in agriculture were also used for other activities, such as pottery and the production of bronze tools. They also used looms, made clothing and used sickles with prefabricated blades. The exact purpose of the high-temperature ovens found during the excavations is unclear. Ochre-colored piles were driven into the ground in an industrial-like process. It is possible that the ovens were used for the production of leather with metal fittings as well as anvils or grinding tools. The final examination of the pottery found revealed that after the expulsion of the Hyksos by Kamose and Ahmose I, the settlement fell into disrepair and remained uninhabited for at least the period from the New Kingdom to the end of the Third Intermediate Period (1550 to 652 B.C.).
Second colonization phase
Saite dynasty from Necho II onwards (610-525 BC) Tell el-Maschuta was not re-founded until the end of the 7th century BC, not far from Tell er-Retaba. During this time, Necho II ordered the construction of the Bubastis Canal between 610 and 605 BC in order to connect the Pelusian branch of the Nile with the Red Sea. The new canal led through the Wadi Tumilat and was expected to bring Egypt strategic and agricultural advantages.
The newly constructed site of Tell el-Maschuta initially served as a camp for the workers involved in the construction of the canal. A short time later, Apis bulls were sacrificed there and facilities were built for what would later become the Temple of Atum. Houses, barns and ovens were built to the north of the temple. In the midst of this construction phase, sudden changes are recognizable, probably due to Nechos' defeat at Carchemish in 605 BC and the loss of his territories in Retjenu. Shortly afterwards, a fortification wall about nine meters wide was erected around Tell el-Maschuta, enclosing an area of 200 m × 200 m. Settlement nevertheless came to a halt, as the protected area was not used for further construction of houses during the Saite dynasty.
The community on an area of four hectares was destroyed in 601 BC and then a second time 15 years later. Prior to this, the Egyptian Pharaoh Apries, in alliance with Zedekiah, had failed in his attempt to prevent the capture of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar II. The devastation can therefore be attributed to the Babylonian king. Two pieces of Jewish pottery from 568 BC were found in Tell el-Maschuta, which testify to the presence of Jewish refugees in Tell el-Maschuta around 582 BC. Larger quantities of similar pottery turned up at Tahpanhes, located about 22 km from the mouth of the Pelusian Nile River, and at a site in the western Sinai region tentatively identified as Migdol.
After the destruction and reconstruction, Tell el-Maschuta developed into a highly frequented trading center during the Saite dynasty under the pharaohs Apries, Amasis and Psamtik III. The reason for this may have been the central location between the Mediterranean and Red Sea as well as the trade connection to the Indian Ocean, especially as Tell-el-Mashuta was also roughly halfway between Suez and Bubastis. The archaeological evidence of large quantities of Phoenician trade goods is consistent with Herodotus' statement that numerous Phoenicians settled in a "Phoenician camp near Memphis" during the reign of Apries:"Then the kingdom came to a man in Memphis, whose name was Proteus in the language of the Hellenes. He now has a sanctuary in Memphis, which is very beautiful and well furnished and is situated towards the south of the temple of Hephaestus. The Phoenicians of Tyre live around this sanctuary and this whole place is called the 'camp of the Tyrians'."
Herodotus, Histories, 2nd book, 112Phoenician trade, which took on increasing proportions through the use of the Bubastis Canal, is documented by numerous finds of Phoenician amphorae in Tell el-Maschuta. The amphorae were used as storage containers for trade goods. Further evidence is provided by a terracotta statue found in the ruins of a limestone shrine, which probably represents Tanit or Asherah as a seated goddess. Greek amphorae were represented in smaller numbers, mostly from Thasos or Chios. There were also imported thick-walled mortars and the accompanying pestles, probably of Anatolian origin.
First Persian dynasty from Cambyses onwards (525-404 BC)