Le prime tre campagne archeologiche a Tell el Maskhuta (2015/2016)

A key site along the Ismailia canal, in the eastern Delta, Tell el-Maskhuta is the research object of the Multidisciplinary Egyptological Mission of the CNR. Although the site was investigated in the late 70s, its chronology is not clear as well as the short documentation of the most important building of the site, characterized by the huge rectangular fortress. In order to clarify these uncertainties and considering the extension of the site, the MEM operated with a succession of non-destructive investigations before proceeding with the excavation activity. It was therefore possible to obtain additional data on the topography of the site and on structures never documented before. The archaeological investigation was organized in different sectors, focusing in particular along the walls of the fortress, still partially visible and also documented by the previous archaeological missions. A large building cut from the construction of the fortress and never previously documented was identified. A survey activity was performed for generating the numerical model of the tell, through the use of integrated topographic systems. A Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of the tell was generated besides the contour lines of the entire area in order to highlight anomalies on the ground.