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Ground‐penetrating radar and magnetic survey to the west of Al‐Zayyan Temple, Kharga Oasis, Al‐Wadi Al‐Jadeed (New Valley), Egypt
Author(s) -
Kamei Hiroyuki,
Atya Magdy Ahmed,
Abdallatif Tareq Fahmy,
Mori Masato,
Hemthavy Pasomphone
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
archaeological prospection
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.785
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1099-0763
pISSN - 1075-2196
DOI - 10.1002/arp.185
Subject(s) - ground penetrating radar , temple , gradiometer , geology , magnetic survey , archaeology , geophysical survey , emperor , radar , magnetic anomaly , ancient history , geophysics , history , paleontology , computer science , physics , magnetometer , telecommunications , quantum mechanics , magnetic field
Al‐Zayyan Temple or Qasr Al‐Zayyan might be regarded as one in a chain of several fortresses that the Romans built to secure the salver's trade caravan route between Asyut and Sudan, known as Darb Al‐Arbain. Al‐Zayyan temple lies about 25 km south of Al‐Kharga city, the capital of the New Valley, and deviates to the east of Al‐Kharga‐Paris main road some 2 km along the Al‐Zayyan‐Aarif minor road. The background information about the temple is very scarce, and even what is known is neither clear nor accurate. Some indications have ascribed it to Amenebis and that it was restored during the reign of Emperor Antoninus ( AD 138–161). An integrated ground‐penetrating radar (GPR)survey using the SIR 2000 Geophysical Survey Systems, Inc. (GSSI) together with magnetic survey using FM36 (GeoScan) and the three component fluxgate gradiometer TRM‐70D (Tokin) have been applied to the western side of the temple. The results show relatively large‐scale buried structures in a direction intersecting that of the present temple at about 45°. Some particular features within the structure have been speculatively ascribed on the basis of comprehending their signatures in the GPR sections. The magnetic results have improved the identification of some objects revealed by the GPR and provided ideas about some of the other features. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.