Tanis / Djanet

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Petrie worked on the site in 1883-84. Excavation was resumed between 1929 and 1951 under the direction of P. Montet, yielding new finds of the greatest interest.

History

The town of Tanis, situated on the right bank of the Tanitic arm of the Nile, on the edge of the marshes bordering Lake Manzala (which then reached farther south), was probably founded during the sixth Dynasty. After the fall of the Ramessids and their capital Pi-Ramesse Tanis became the residence of the Kings of the 21st and 22nd Dynasties. The excavations yielded material from almost every period of Egyptian history, but objects from the Ramessid capital founded by Ramesses II were of particularly frequent occurrence, leading Montet to the conclusion that San el-Hagar was actually the site of Ramesses's town. It is now established that after becoming capital Tanis was considerably enlarged and embellished, using stones and architectural elements from other sites, particularly the nearby royal residences of Pi-Ramesse and Avaris. The site, which covers some 75 acres, has not yet by any means been fully explored, so that further discoveries are still to be expected.