Tell el Dab'a is the modern name of the capital city for the Hyksos in the Nile delta region of Egypt, called Avaris. Avaris was occupied by the Asiatics from the end of the 12th through the 13th dynasty (early second millennium BC). the site is known primarily for its Minoan frescoes.
Recent investigations of cemeteries at Avaris have been conducted as part of thirty years of joint excavations by the Austrian Institute of Cairo and the Egyptian Institute at Vienna, led by Manfred Bietak. 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.
Sources
Trevisanato, Siro I. 2004. Did an epidemic of tularemia in Ancient Egypt affect the course of world history? Medical Hypotheses 63(5)905-910.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Any mistakes are the responsibility of Kris Hirst.
