Aerial Photograph of Kom Aushim, Egypt (1924)
Kelsey Database, Excavation - Images, Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, University of Michigan
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Before Francis Kelsey began his excavation of the ancient city of Karanis, the site had been torn up by years of agricultural use. The rich soil at the Kom Aushim mound, called sebakh, was prized by local farmers who used it as a fertilizer. Occasionally the farmers would uncover ancient papyrus fragments while digging at the site, which they would then sell to collectors. These repeated discoveries of papyri at Kom Aushim led to several early archaeological digs, but it was not until Kelsey led his expedition there in 1924, and began digging the following year, that the true extent of the site was realized. This aerial photograph documents the state of the mound just before Kelsey and his colleagues began their work there.