Expedition To Egypt Organised By Museum of Fine Arts

The eight-member expedition scheduled to leave in October set itself the objective of conducting archaeological, geodetic and magnetometric research on the sprawling archaeological site situated at the entrance of the Fajjum Oasis, next to the modern-day village of el-Lahun. 

Throughout its history the Budapest Museum of Fine Arts has had several plans to engage in archaeological research, however, the four-year-long El-Lahun Survey Project is the first one in which the museum will be involved in archaeological explorations in Egypt.

The area of almost 6.2 square miles is dominated by a royal burial ground and settlement established by Pharaoh Sesostris II (ca. 1880–1873 BC). Some one hundred years ago British archaeologist W. M. F. Petrie excavated this site for two seasons, but only superficially. By current archaeological standards of practice the documentation of the excavations is incomplete and inaccurate, yet the work on the royal pyramid and its auxiliary buildings are an important step in the development of religious architecture, and moreover, the settlement has even come to be regarded as the model of Egyptian city archaeology.

A Canadian expedition worked on the site in the recent past but their activities were brought to a halt by the death of the head of excavations in 2002, following which the entire unpublished documentation was transferred to the Egyptian Department of the Budapest Museum of Fine Arts to be studied and eventually published. In the meantime, the condition of the artefacts on the site deteriorated to such a degree that the accurate and systematic archaeological exploration of the area has become essential and especially timely. 

Thanks to international collaboration, the expedition organised by the Museum of Fine Arts will be the first one in the history of excavations conducted on the site that can carry out its mission supported by a comprehensive body of source material."

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