Polish archeologists have carved out a reputation for themselves as some of the world's top experts in Mediterranean archeology. Much of the credit for that goes to Prof. Kazimierz Micha這wski (1901-1981), the founder of Polish archeology in Egypt.

A Roman theater in the center of Alexandria in north-central Egypt, the temples of Hatshepsut and Tuthmosis III in Deir el-Bahari in upper Egypt, the Villa of Theseus in Nea Pafos in Cyprus, and the Coptic frescoes in Faras, in what is now northern Sudan-these are some of the most precious treasures of ancient Mediterranean culture that have been either unearthed or reconstructed by Polish archeologists.

Micha這wski, the father of Polish Egyptology, was among the most prominent researchers of ancient Egypt in the 20th century. On Oct. 21 last year his bust was unveiled at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

Micha這wski was a promoter of interdisciplinary research, and Polish archeological missions under his supervision involved not only archeologists and Egyptologists, but also architects, anthropologists, philologists and conservators.

From Edfu to Saqqara

October 2007 marked the 70th anniversary of the first archeological mission to Egypt in which Polish researchers took part. It was a French-Polish expedition to Edfu in the south. Micha這wski played a key role in it, first as deputy head of the expedition in 1937 and then as its head from 1938-1939.
After a break caused by World War II, followed by the postwar reconstruction of Poland, Polish archeologists resumed work on sites in Egypt in 1957. The first half of the 1960s saw the most sensational Polish discoveries, including the theater in Alexandria, the temple of Tuthmosis III in Deir el-Bahari, and the Faras frescoes. At the time, Micha這wski presided over an International Committee of Experts for the Rescue of the Abu Simbel Temples. The project involved relocating the two temples to save them from being flooded by the Nile River after the construction of the Aswan Dam.

The Polish Mediterranean Archeology Station in Cairo has operated since 1959, providing archeologists with accommodation, equipment and scientific support. Excavations in Saqqara, supervised by Prof. Karol My郵iwiec, a student of Micha這wski, are among the most prominent projects in the history of Polish Mediterranean archeology. Near the famous Step Pyramid of Djoser, Polish archeologists have discovered tombs of nobles from the period of the Old Kingdom, an epoch in the history of Egypt known for its Great Pyramids.

In addition to Egypt, Polish Mediterranean archeologists are working on sites in Cyprus, Sudan, Syria and Lebanon. For several years archeologists from the University of Warsaw have been conducting research in the ancient city of Ptolemais in Libya. Until recently, the late Prof. Tomasz Mikocki headed the mission.

Why Egypt?

Mediterranean archeology is a broad discipline in terms of both history and geography. It spans thousands of years from prehistoric times to the early Middle Ages and covers areas such as Egypt, Nubia, Mesopotamia, Greece, and the Roman empire.

Stefan Jakobielski, another student of Micha這wski, says the term "Mediterranean archeology" was coined by Micha這wski before the war to combine classical archeology with Egyptology. Micha這wski wanted Polish archeological missions to operate in both Egypt and Greece, two cultural zones that remained in close contact with each other until the arrival of Christianity, Jakobielski says.

Over the years, Polish Mediterranean archeology has focused on Egypt rather than Greece. In a preface to his book Od Edfu do Faras (From Edfu to Faras), Micha這wski wrote that his main objective was to make sure that Poland not only conducted archeological research but also accumulated its own collections of ancient art. That was not possible in the case of excavations in Greece, Italy and Turkey, as those countries had long banned exports of ancient relics. Egypt and Sudan were more liberal. Micha這wski wrote in 1973 that those countries as a rule recognized the right of foreign archeological missions to obtain a part of the unearthed historical items for their own public collections. Moreover, Egypt was considered to be the most prestigious archeological site in the world. According to Micha這wski, a country's cultural standards could be judged according to whether or not it had its own excavations in Egypt.

ㄆkasz Medeksza

The author spent part of his childhood at the Polish Mediterranean Archeology Station in Cairo. He stayed there from 1981 to 1985.