New results of the archaeological mission in the Egyptian city of Oxyrhynchus

The archaeological mission discovered a round wall made of brickwork, though its function and nature are still unknown.
The archaeological mission discovered a round wall made of brickwork, though its function and nature are still unknown.
Research
(10/02/2017)

The recent archaeological mission in the old city of Oxyrhynchus, led by the University of Barcelona, Societat Catalana dʼEgiptologia (Catalan Society for Egyptology, SCE), the University of Montpellier, Palarq Foundation and the Department of Culture of the Generalitat de Catalunya, have revealed the story of the column of the Roman Emperor Phocas, located in the archaeological site. Apart from the work in different funerary rooms related to a small church and pit graves, they discovered a round wall made of brickwork, though its function and nature are still unknown.

The archaeological mission discovered a round wall made of brickwork, though its function and nature are still unknown.
The archaeological mission discovered a round wall made of brickwork, though its function and nature are still unknown.
Research
10/02/2017

The recent archaeological mission in the old city of Oxyrhynchus, led by the University of Barcelona, Societat Catalana dʼEgiptologia (Catalan Society for Egyptology, SCE), the University of Montpellier, Palarq Foundation and the Department of Culture of the Generalitat de Catalunya, have revealed the story of the column of the Roman Emperor Phocas, located in the archaeological site. Apart from the work in different funerary rooms related to a small church and pit graves, they discovered a round wall made of brickwork, though its function and nature are still unknown.

“There cannot be conclusions about this circular structure until the excavation is over; but it is by no means a banal construction”, says the supervisor of the mission, UB emeritus professor and president of SCE, Josep Padró.

The Column of Phocas was originally part of a tetrapylon, a cubic-shaped Hellenistic monument with columns on each side. The Column of Phocas was the only one to be left standing in this monument and, according to recent findings, it was used to put “a statue of -probably- Phocas on its top” says Josep Padró. The column was discovered in 1914 and the recent archaeological mission has studied it to reach conclusions about its origins and functions.
 
This mission, led by Josep Padró, which took place during last November and December, continued the work from previous expeditions with the remains of a big religious building, probably a Serapeum (temple dedicated to God Serapis, a hybrid figure among Greek and Egyptian gods). This expedition also continued with the restoration of the subterranean crypt in the central part of this building, which was used as a Byzantine basilica.
 
Also, new funerary rooms containing multiple inhumations were registered. These are directly related to the three-nave church -excavated during the 2015 campaign. Other individual pit graves have appeared around these structures. In the east part, in a new sector, a round structure with brickwork appeared, its function is still unknown and it was located inside a wide yellow sand surface, without any other findings. The team has continued some restoration tasks and cleaning of bronze figures, in particular statues of Osiris from previous campaigns.
 
Oxyrhynchus, known as Per-medjed in the Pharaonic Period, was one of the most important cities in Egypt during the Greco-Roman Period. The most important tracks of this city are under the current El-Bahnasa, a small town 180 km away from Cairo, next to Bahr Yusef, a canal connecting the Nile River with Fayyum. There are no remains of the pharaonic city but there is an important necropolis with an occupation of more than 1000 years, and there are remains from the Greco-Roman city.