Past environments, future challenges: Fossil insects and the preservation of environmental evidence from Egyptian archaeological sites

This project, taking advantage of the optimal preservation by desiccation in the Egyptian desert of organic materials, in particular insect remains, will produce new information on environmental and climate change through the study of insects by researching rural and urban environments from pharaonic and Roman Egypt and placing them in the context of existing environmental and archaeological research in the eastern Mediterranean. The sites selected for analysis are the ongoing excavation of Elephantine, in Aswan and material on permit in the UK from Qasr Ibrim. Environments and climate will be reconstructed, based on evidence from within and around settlement areas, in particular species from the natural insect fauna as well as those which live with man as uninvited guests and accidental travelers including insect pests, flies and ectoparasites. In addition, analytical techniques will be applied to material currently outside of Egypt either on permit or in museum collections. Both AMS dating and DNA of insect chitin will refine interpretation and produce new results.

Egypt has a rich archaeological record which Egyptian people are both proud of and interested in. This project will contribute to training archaeology inspectors/ University researchers in Egypt, providing them with the basic skills on site to assess and understand environmental archaeology and archaeoentomology. It will also provide laboratory basic training in the UK for a candidate enabling them to identify material and its interpretational potential, using relevant keys and collections. It will be an important step forward, for inspectors and archaeologists in Egypt to understand the details of environmental research, the benefits of this research, and the need for more analytical techniques to be applied to Egyptian archaeological sites. The appreciation of problems related with erosion of sites in Egypt in terms of preservation of material and its communication to archaeologists is another of the project's intended impacts on the archaeological professional community. Collaborations between Egypt and the UK and a network which aims to build links between Museums and Universities could also lead to better communication of the research to the public and to students in schools and Higher Education. In addition, involvement of University students in Cairo in educational activities led by project researchers, will provide them with a broader understanding of archaeology. The equipment bought will be available to excavations and researchers through the the Elephantine Island Museum and the Antiquities Inspectorate for use in research excavations, projects and educational purposes. The website will provide information on the project, contributed by all participants, both in Arabic and English. This will be a networking platform for all project researchers and also an opportunity for the public to communicate with the researchers. As part of project educational activities, local schools in Cairo and Aswan, in collaboration with Cairo and Aswan Museum, will be engaged in activities by the Egyptian researchers. This will enhance school curricula and also provide pupils with new educational experiences, combining the use of scientific equipment (stereomicroscopes) and new information regarding cultural heritage. The project aims to create pathways for public outreach in Egypt and to inspire a new generation of Egyptians to value and protect all aspects of cultural heritage. Similarly in the UK, through the project website, talks to local groups, such as the friends of Petrie Museum, through archaeological magazines, society newsletters, etc., the project will promote public outreach and will make the public aware of its objectives and results. Output will be by way of publication in scientific journals, papers presented at conferences, and communications with the Press and other media.