Andrea Manzo

Archaeological research of UNO at Adulis has had as a goal, during the 2014 field season, to continue the setting of the chronological sequence started in 2011 (Zazzaro, Cocca and Manzo 2014), to better understand the connection among the town, the river and the sea, to investigate the local economy and trade networks through archaeological finds. At this aim, excavations started in 2011 in sectors 1 and 3 have been pursued. A new trench, sector 5, was opened to the South of the town, on the river edge, and a short - few hours survey - was conducted towards the coast for recording new archaeological evidence uncovered by the flood in November 2013.

This article deals with the results of the 2012 fieldwork in the
Central-Eastern Desert of Egypt and the studies in progress on some of the
major related subjects. Information on other subjects, still waiting for future
analyses and studies (Site 2: a ancient - ? - square shaped well; Site 5-6:
petroglyphs sites and Site 10: Umm el Howeitat el Bahri) can be found in
Bragantini, Pirelli (2012). For a short report see also Bragantini, Pirelli
(2013).
The Italian project in the Central-Eastern Desert - promoted by the
Italian Embassy in Egypt and directed by Irene Bragantini - is a joint project
of different Italian and Egyptian institutions (Università degli Studi di
Napoli “L’Orientale”, University of Cairo, Faculty of Geology, and
University of Helwan, Faculty of Archaeology), and is aimed at
investigating the central area of the Eastern Desert1. The cooperation
between archaeologists and geologists aims at conducting a geoarchaeological
survey of the region, in order to investigate the natural
resources, the exploitation in the different periods, and the economic and
commercial potential of the area. The methodology we want to follow and
the problems we will be confronted with, demand in fact the cooperation of
different scientific fields in order to reconstruct a geo-economic landscape.

The article presents the results of the first season of fieldwork of the Italian Archaeological Mission in the Eastern Desert of Egypt. In the area of Wadi Gasus, structures of the ‘Graeco-Roman station’ have been mapped and documented; fragments of saggars, pointing to the production of Egyptian blue on the site, have been identified, as well as remains of a well (hydreuma) at the bottom of the wadi.
A new mining site has also been identified in the area: although working areas and huts do not show signs of repairs or modifications, the site might have been exploited over a long period of time.
Analysis of the data resulting from older publications are also presented, in order to gain a deeper knowledge of the evidence than the present conditions of the sites might allow.
In the meantime, the possibility that long known sites might be exploited for resources different than previously supposed is also envisaged.