Buto
Tell el-Fara'in / Per-Wadjet
Egypt · Kafr el-Sheikh
In brief
The settlement in the Nile Delta contains important layers for investigating the formation of the Egyptian state. Excavations have also documented Roman-period pottery production and the city's economic activities.
What was found?
- 1Early Dynastic building complex
The structural remains show a transition from a complex with economic functions to a palatial arrangement. According to researchers, the site may also have been used as a temporary royal residence.
- 2Old Kingdom storage structures
Buildings from different phases of use have been associated with provisioning and storage activities on an institutional scale. Written finds also support this assessment.
- 3Roman-period pottery kilns
Some workshops used firing systems with tubes. These show technical similarities to fine pottery production in Italy and Southern Gaul.
- 4Fine pottery and perfume bottles
Local workshops produced fine pottery and small perfume bottles. They document specialized production for different consumer needs in the city.
- 5Mat-covered structure
Mats covering a structure from the Nakada IIIB period were found. According to researchers, the structure may have been associated with an agricultural activity such as drying grain.
What does it point to?
Buto is a center where the management of agricultural production, storage and craft activities can be traced together. According to researchers, cultural change in the early layers indicates that state formation progressed gradually.
What did it teach us?
- The early buildings were shown to have developed from an economic complex into a palatial arrangement.
- Institutional provisioning and storage activities were documented for the Old Kingdom.
- Roman-period kilns showed the circulation of production techniques between different regions of the Mediterranean.
Images
Latest news / selected archive
A report published in 2026 stated that the 2021–2024 excavations had, for the first time, exposed Old Kingdom layers reaching 3.5 meters in thickness, along with supply and storage structures.
Record
- Culture
- Buto-Maadi, Naqada, Ancient Egyptian, Hellenistic and Roman
- First modern dig
- 1904
- Team / historical
- Clara Jeuthe and Pascale Ballet; DAI, Paris Nanterre University, and IFAO
- Coordinates
- 31.1955°, 30.7422°
Sources
Nearby excavations
- Tanis 111 km
- Taposiris Magna 120 km
- Giza Pyramids and Necropolis 141 km
- Saqqara Necropolis 154 km
- Dahshur Necropolis 161 km
- Tel Ashkelon 365 km
- —
- —
- 12.000
From beneath the soil: latest discoveries
- 2,600-year-old mudbrick structure identified beneath the city of Buto in Egypt
The walls of a large mudbrick structure identified through satellite and geophysical surveys were confirmed by a trial excavation. According to the researchers, a layer of sand placed beneath the foundations may have helped protect the structure in the waterlogged ground of the Nile Delta.
Heritage Daily ↗ · Excavation notebook - Celtic woman's grave containing jewelry and animal remains found in Germany
A woman's skeleton, heavy bronze anklets, a sapropelite arm ring, and the remains of a lamb or kid were found in the grave in Bavaria. According to the researchers, placing the animal in the grave as a food offering represents an unusual example of Celtic funerary practices in the region.
Arkeofili ↗ - Cupboard containing personal belongings, childhood amulets and coins found in Pompeii
Grooming items, 38 bronze coins and a necklace made up of at least 24 amulets were found in a cupboard in a house in Pompeii that had remained closed since the eruption in AD 79. The preservation of these objects together provides detailed information about everyday life and personal mementos in Roman times.
Arkeofili ↗ · Excavation notebook - Lead seal of a bishop named Stefan found in Croatia
Excavations on the islet of Lukovac uncovered a document seal bearing the name Stefan and the title of bishop in Latin. According to the researchers, the seal, tentatively dated to the 6th–7th centuries, offers rare evidence of early church administration in a region with limited written sources.
Heritage Daily ↗ - Roman-period sarcophagus of a child buried with toys found in Romania
A wheeled toy horse, a rooster-shaped rattle, jewelry and organic remains were recovered from a sealed child’s sarcophagus dating back approximately 1,800 years in the ancient city of Tomis. The preservation of wooden coffin fragments and the shroud also offers a rare opportunity to study child burials in Roman times.
HeritageDaily ↗ - Roman-period grave found in the seating area of the ancient theater in Gölyazı
A tile-covered grave dating to the 1st century AD and containing cremated human remains was uncovered in the theater of Apollonia ad Rhyndacum. Why the burial took place in the theater despite the city having a separate cemetery remains unknown; the find raises new questions about the use of public spaces.
Arkeofili ↗ - Marble portrait of Antinoos and 13 inscriptions found at Teos
A marble portrait of Antinoos and 13 inscriptions on reused stone blocks were found around the Temple of Roma and Augustus at Teos. The inscriptions shed light on the city’s political and legal relations, while researchers say the portrait and inscription fragments show that the temple was also connected to the cult of Antinoos.
Arkeofili ↗ · Excavation notebook - New prehistoric settlement identified on the shore of the Dardanelles
A newly published study presented Yaylatepe Höyük, identified during surface surveys in 2024, and its pottery spanning the end of the Late Chalcolithic to the beginning of the Late Bronze Age for the first time. According to the researcher, the settlement, which has a visual connection with Asartepe on the opposite shore, contributes to understanding prehistoric coastal connections along the strait.
Arkeoloji Dergisi ↗
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