Avaris became one of the largest city and capital of the Near East during the 14th Dynasty under the Hyksos King Nehesy, consisting of a large Asiatic population.
[1] Avaris still contained a large population of Asiatic until its full abandonment following the construction of Pi-Ramesses under Ramesses II during the 19th Dynasty.
In 1941-1942 Labib Habachi excavated under the Egyptian Antiquities Service at Tell el-Dab'a rediscovered Avaris and he did not believe Montent.
When a detailed study of the topography of the site and its surroundings was made by Manfred Bietak of the Austrian Archaeological Institute in the 1980s, Habachi's hypothesis was confirmed.
[3]Recent investigations of cemeteries at Avaris have been conducted as part of thirty years of joint excavations by the Austrian Archaeological Institute of Cairo, led by Manfred Bietak, and since October 2010 by Irene Forstner-Müller.
An interesting thrust of the latest investigations has to do with the historic epidemic at Avaris in 1715 BC, documented in archaeology and surviving papyrus.
Excavations have discovered buildings, namely residences, tombs, and temples, that combine Egyptian and Canaanite architectural styles.
[5] Although the remains have been damaged by the marshy environment as well as by the continual rebuilding and agriculture on the site, archeologists have shown that this city was occupied by a wealthy society with a large sacred precinct and unusual burial practices.
[4] In contrast, in the eastern area of Tell el-Dab’a, the remains of large houses with stairs leading to upper floors were discovered, indicating that the more wealthy members of the society lived there.
[4] In 1987, thousands of fragments of Minoan wall paintings were discovered in the ancient gardens that adjoin the palace complex of Tell el-Dab’a, on the site of a fortress of the early New Kingdom.
[8] They include scenes of maze-like patterns, bulls and bull-leapers, the flying gallop, griffins, and leopard and lion hunts, images associated with the Minoan artistic culture.
The Minoan wall paintings from Tell el-Dab’a therefore show that the early [9] 18th dynasty rulers were open to works and themes from the eastern Mediterranean.
[5] Leopards are depicted hunting deer against a red background in the upper scene of the fresco while lions chasing an ibex is illustrated in the lower region.
[5] The animal’s legs and tail are fully extended in the flying gallop pose in order to show motion, a common representational technique of Minoan art.
[11] A single rim fragment from a jar of the White Painted V Fine Line Style was found at the site.
D/2), as fragments of Cypriot Bichrome Ware have been found in sand dumps deposited in order to raise the land for the construction.
[14] Previously excavated by Shehata Adam, who discovered a temple east of the village, the Austrian Archaeological Institute re-excavated the site in 1996.