Deir el-Ballas
Deir el-Ballas was "strategically located at a bend in the Nile" on its western bank,[1] approximately twenty kilometers south of Dendara[2][1] and just north of Thebes (modern-day Luxor).
[1] The complex was "a short-lived royal city-palace built by Theban kings as a military base for imperial campaigns against the Hyksos, a group of foreign rulers who had taken control of northern (Lower) Egypt during a period of national weakness at the end of the Middle Kingdom.
These confirm that the forces for the attack on the Hyksos capital were marshalled here, and describe the large quantities of goods and personnel that were brought to the site, including cattle, men, possibly weapons, and a roster of ships and their crews.
"[1] However, the surrounding area continued to be used for a short time as a burial ground, as cemeteries were discovered "dating to the late Second Intermediate Period and the early 18th Dynasty, during the second half of the 16th centuries BC.
The palace itself is made of unusually large mud bricks, about 54cm × 27cm × 18cm, and comprises a series of columned courts and a long entrance hall, grouped around an elevated central platform.
"[1] Lacovara notes elsewhere that "the palace was decorated with wall paintings of armed men carrying battle axes,[5] and faience tiles, fragments of which were recovered by the Hearst Expedition.
"[4] According to author Margaret Bunson, "the palaces (pero or per-a'a) (of the Second Intermediate Period) always contained two gateways, two main halls, and two administrative sections to reflect the upper and lower regions of the nation.
The remains of the Seventeenth Dynasty (1640–1550 BCE) palace at Deir el-Ballas, on the western shore north of Thebes, indicate somewhat luxurious surroundings and innovative decoration, following the "double" scheme.
[9] House E seems to be a large villa complex, with western and southern portions containing ash deposits, agate beads, and other signs pointing to home industry and crafts.
At the north end of the section were two mud-brick bins, one of which still contained an upright post...While the elements had remained intact in House E, looters had dug a large hole through the center of the adjoining unexcavated room, although a great deal was left, including Egyptian pottery, fragments of Nubian Kerma ware and a Canaanite amphora.
[23] Upon reaching the floor level, a large broken vessel was found that had evidence of burning, which resembled room heating implements found at other sites[24] Deir el-Ballas was excavated from 1900 to 1901 by a University of California team, sponsored by Phoebe A. Hearst and led by George Andrew Reisner [2][4] "These excavations uncovered a large royal palace, a settlement, and a series of cemeteries dating to the late Second Intermediate Period and the early Eighteenth Dynasty;" however, expedition records neither proved adequate enough for understanding [2][4] nor were compiled for publication.
[27]) "In order to clarify the records of the expedition and enable publication of the site, four seasons of survey and clearance were undertaken in 1980, 1983, 1984 and 1986 by Peter Lacovara under the sponsorship of the American Research Center and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
"[2][4][28] Their findings "revealed a site far larger than the Hearst expedition records had indicated, including palace complexes, a group of large houses, and remains of a previously unrecorded ancient settlement.
[31] According to Peter Lacovara, "In more recent years, the growth of the modern village and the construction of a number of roads along the desert edge, along with looting that occurred during the revolution in 2011 has threatened to destroy a significant part of the site.
