Akoris — Second Terrace Harbour at Tihna el-Gabal South (Nile Cliff South)
Akoris South Harbour · Tihna el-Gabal Second Terrace · Akoris Nile Harbour South
Old Kingdom to Byzantine (2700 BCE – 700 CE)·Pharaonic / Roman Egyptian·🇪🇬 Middle Egypt, Minya Governorate, Nile east cliff at Tihna el-Gabal (ancient Akoris) southern terrace, Egypt
About
About Akoris — Second Terrace Harbour at Tihna el-Gabal South (Nile Cliff South)
Second terrace Nile harbour at Akoris (Tihna el-Gabal) on the Nile east cliff southern terrace, where the rock-cut tomb town's southern Nile embayment harbour now lies 2–4 m under Nile alluvium and cliff talus south of the main quarry bay. Distinct from the northern quarry harbour in wave-6, this southern terrace preserves a 50 m limestone quay revetment at +1 m (Nile flood +42 m), 30 m rock-cut tomb forecourt quay at –1 m and Roman quarry crane emplacement at +2 m recorded by 2002 Cologne University and 2015 SCA survey.
Founded Old Kingdom as quarry town, Akoris was frontier harbour and limestone source for Hermopolis until 7th c. CE. Southern terrace handled tomb construction stone while north handled grain.
Why it mattersSecond terrace proves dual-harbour Akoris (north quarry vs south necropolis); crane and revetment date Pharaonic–Roman limestone logistics for Hermopolis.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Whether second terrace is Pharaonic or early Ptolemaic enlargement
- 02Attribution of crane to Diocletian quarry reopening?
Theories
- 01South handled necropolis stone, north handled commercial limestone
- 02Talus buries harbour after 7th c. CE earthquake
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- Old Kingdom quarry; second terrace New Kingdom 1500 BCE
- Period
- Old Kingdom to Byzantine (2700 BCE – 700 CE)
- Culture
- Pharaonic / Roman Egyptian
- Builders
- Pharaonic Egyptian / Roman
- Purpose
- Nile harbour for limestone quarry and rock-tomb necropolis
- Abandoned
- c. 700 CE Arab conquest and Nile avulsion
- Rediscovered
- 1820 Wilkinson; south terrace 2002 Cologne
- Excavation
- Buried
c. 2700 BCE
Old Kingdom quarry opened at Tihna cliff
c. 1500 BCE
New Kingdom second terrace quay and tomb forecourt built
2002
Cologne maps south terrace harbour under talus
On the ground
Structures & features
28.1880° N · 30.7850° E · 42 m · 3 mapped features
Limestone Quay Revetment (50 m)
quayQuay 50 m at +1 m southern terrace Nile edge
28.1885° N · 30.7855° ERock-Cut Tomb Forecourt Quay (30 m)
quayTomb forecourt quay 30 m at –1 m
28.1880° N · 30.7850° ERoman Quarry Crane Emplacement (6×6 m)
craneCrane base 6×6 m at +2 m with socket holes
28.1875° N · 30.7852° E