Abstract
The analysis of contemporary and archival satellite images and archaeological documentations presents the possibility of monitoring the state of archaeological sites in the Near East (for example, Palmyra in Syria). As it will be demonstrated in the case of Upper Egyptian sites, the rapid growth of agricultural lands and settlements can pose a great threat to sites localized on the border of fields and the desert. As a case study, the Qena district was chosen, a region of significance for the history of ancient Egypt. To trace the expansion of agriculture and the development of modern settlements, a synthesis of archival maps (from the last 200 years), and archival and contemporary satellite images was created. By applying map algebra to these documents, it was possible to determine areas which may be marked as “Archaeological Hazard Zones”. The analysis helped to trace the expansion of agricultural areas during the last 200 years and the influence of both—ancient Egyptians and the Nile—on the local landscape.
Highlights
During the Predynastic Period (c. 3150 BC–c. 2686 BC), Upper Egypt was one of the main areas for the development of early civilizations
The data base includes information about the sites such as: name; Supreme Council of Antiquities inventory number; coordinates; legal status of the site; approximate size of the site; photo interpretation of the features observed through satellite images; if the site is located in the “Archaeological Hazard
The last step was to use a selection tool in GIS and to see how many and which of the sites are in the “Archaeological Hazard Zone”: 35 sites might be threatened by landscape change which occurred between 1972 and 2013, which is 55% of all known sites located in the discussed area (Figure 7)
Summary
During the Predynastic Period (c. 3150 BC–c. 2686 BC), Upper Egypt was one of the main areas for the development of early civilizations. 2686 BC), Upper Egypt was one of the main areas for the development of early civilizations. Archaeological sites important for this period are located in the Qena Bend of the Nile valley, and to the south and to the north of it, in the Qena district. It includes sites like: Abydos, Huw, Dendera, Naqada, Armant, and Gebelein, the most important places of the Predynastic Period. The development of urbanism and agriculture in Upper Egypt poses a great threat to fragile archeological areas located on that former border and can lead to the complete destruction of these unique historical landscapes [2,3]. The spread of agriculture can be traced back to the building of the Aswan High Dam, and to the period of introducing diesel pumps for the improvement of irrigation systems [4], and to the unstable period after the countrywide unrest in 2011
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