Radiocarbon dating of crop remains excavated at the Graeco-Roman site of Karanis (in the Fayum) shows that the town was inhabited at least into the middle of the 7th century AD – 200 years after it was thought to have been abandoned. The international team, which was led by the University of Michigan, analysed 13 plant samples from 10 different houses. The results ranged in age from the late 4th/early 5th century AD to the middle of the 7th century AD, although none could be dated to the earlier Graeco-Roman settlement. The findings suggest that Karanis survived as a settlement at least up to the period of the Islamic conquest.
Text: Sarah Griffiths / Image: Robert B Partridge
