The morning sun is on the horizon as Professor Ludwig Morenz shoulders his rucksack. Together with his assistant David Sabel, the young Bedouin Barakat—the son of our host Sheikh Rabia Barakat—the Egyptian doctoral student Sherouk Shehada and the inspector of the Egyptian Antiquities Authority Mohammed Nur ed Din, he leaves the camp and sets off on the steep path leading through the Sinai Mountains to the tunnels of Serabit el Khadim. The unbearably hot summer temperatures mean that the experienced egyptologist planned his excavation of several weeks for November. As he tells us: “It is still advisable to set off early in winter; the ascent is more pleasant in the shade, and we want to make the most of the day.”
This is the first time that Professor Morenz has returned to Egypt since 2014, and he has come to complete two tasks. Whilst he is planning to make a three-dimensional digital recording of the temple, he will also search for inscriptions in the abandoned tunnels of the Canaanites in order to complete his research into the origins of the written alphabet. Professor Morenz and his team also used the camp in the sheltered depression in the mountains back in 2014. The journey from the capital Cairo by off-road vehicle takes hours, initially along wide tarred roads that become increasingly narrow. Then the track finally winds its way here through sand and stones.
An unbelievable number of stars
On the ascent, the travelers look back at the camp: on the one side they see the stone building used by an Egyptian expedition, on the other a number of white tents. Professor Morenz decided to spend his nights on a mattress under canvas. He tells us: “There is virtually no light here at night. When you step out of the tent, you can see an incredible number of stars.” Only occasionally do tourists drop by looking for the remnants of Egyptian-Canaanite culture. Otherwise, the egyptologist can devote himself to his research undisturbed.
Not much has changed in the camp over the years: meals are taken by the fire, where the Bedouins usually bake fresh bread for the researchers. There are more substantial dishes in the evening, such as meat stew. “The food is healthy and very varied,” says Morenz. Around ten years ago, there was a separate tent with a washing bowl for personal hygiene. Now we have a shower room. The egyptologist explains where the water comes from in the desert: “Apparently it has to be brought here by tank truck.”
Climbing the mountain to use the telephone
Another thing has changed: an intermittent Internet connection is now available. “We used to have to drive up a mountain in an off-road vehicle to make a phone call or send an email,” says Morenz casually. After all, he is not interested in luxury, but the pursuit of knowledge. The “treasure” he is hunting is far from having been fully unearthed, although Professor Morenz has already published several books on the achievements of the Canaanites, who in adapting the hieroglyphs and culture of the ancient Egyptians, established the first written alphabet.
Morenz and his companions crunch their way over sharp-edged rock up to a plateau in the middle of a terraced landscape. At the top, the egyptologist kneels to take a closer look at one of the many inscriptions on one of the stelae. Then it is on to the Canaanite mines, some of which are blocked. David Sabel winds his way through the narrow tunnels, taking photographs of the inscriptions. “The Canaanites and Egyptians dug here for copper and turquoise around 4,000 years ago,” says Morenz. While the copper was mainly used for tools, the turquoise was used for jewelry, make-up and burial objects.
The walls of the tunnels display written Canaanite characters at a number of locations. Although strongly simplified imitations of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, the inscriptions combine signs with phonetic symbols, thereby constituting the invention of pure phonetic writing. Only when read letter by letter does each individual word—and thereby the meaning of the inscription—become clear. The egyptologist from the University of Bonn is looking for characters that have not yet been published in order to complete his research into the origins of alphabetic writing. He is also conducting an analysis of their cultural context.
Sacralizing the landscape
Morenz and Sabel have now arrived at an L-shaped inscription. “These characters were used to sacralize the mine,” explains Morenz. Like the Egyptians, the Canaanites also used the signs to invoke the protection of various deities. There is another mine from the same period nearby. Further signs can be found on the columns there.
The five-strong team starts moving on again. Whilst Barakat lights a fire to prepare fresh flatbread for lunch, Morenz and Sabel march along the plateau to an ancient Egyptian temple complex, which is very close to the mines. The entanglement of the ancient Egyptian and Canaanite cultures is manifested here in architectural terms through the proximity of the tunnels with the temple. Several archaeological finds adorned with both Canaanite and Egyptian inscriptions bear witness to the close links between the two cultures.
Countless stelae rise into the blue winter sky. The ancient Egyptians immortalized themselves here, covering parts of all four sides of the towering stone blocks with hieroglyphics. Identical characters can have different meanings. Morenz is working with David Sabel to create a three-dimensional digital image of the temple complex which he will use to decipher the inscriptions. To this end, Sabel takes countless photographs, all from slightly different perspectives, which will later be merged into a 3D computer model.
An intercultural contact zone dating back thousands of years
“The Canaanite inscriptions were primarily made here to sacralize the area,” says Morenz”. “Work in the mines was both arduous and dangerous, and the Canaanites made a humble petition to their Gods for protection.” Serabit was an intercultural zone of contact between Canaanite and Egyptian expeditions, which repeatedly traveled to the area. This resulted in a rich concentration of written signs from both cultures. Morenz is clear: “There is still a lot to discover in the area.”
The team makes its way back at around 7 pm. It is already dusk on the descent to the camp. After a half-hour break for dinner, they continue working on their laptops, sorting the data. Then it's an early night, as they plan to set off again tomorrow at first light.
