In Lower Egypt, a predynastic site was uncovered in the 1930's by Menghin and Amer. It was named Maadi and had apparently been occupied from 3600 BC to 3000 BC. It is located near the southern suburbs of Cairo, Egypt.
Maadi is a unique predynastic site. It is located on what used to be the Wadi el-Tih, an historical route to the copper mines of the Sinai Peninsula. There is also evidence of foreign house styles and pottery, domesticated donkeys, intricate storage facilities and an advanced copper industry. In 3600 BC, foreign trade goods started to reach Egypt having a great effect on the communities in Lower Egypt. The prosperity of the trade networks later lead to vast settlements in Egypt such as Memphis and the settlement at Cairo.
The Maadi settlement covered about 45 acres of land. Almost all of the houses were oval in shape and constructed with post walls and mud-daub wicker frame. Strangely enough, some of the homes were constructed underground. These homes had entrances through a slanting passage with steps that were faced in stone. The posts for these homes were driven into the ground to support the roof which was made of light-weight material such as woven mats. In the center these homes had sunken hearths.
Unlike many of the grave sites in Egypt, the Maadi culture had very simple burials. These types of burials have distinguished the Lower societies from the Upper societies in Egypt. generally, the grave sites are located south of the settlement about 1 km. In the 1950s, 468 burials were discovered over an acre of land.
The graves were very simple. They were very shallow circular or oval pits. Some of the pits were covered by large limestone blocks. The Maadi culture buried some possessions with their deceased loved ones. Artifacts found in the graves were pots, both red and black ceramics, stone vases made of alabaster, limestone, and basalt. Flake-blade tools, trapezoidal and rhomboidal palettes were also uncovered. Jewelry such as bracelets and combs were found, along with shell containers. They also buried objects of trade in the graves, such as ornamental carnelian traded from the eastern desert, colored stone bead and traces of malachite and manganese which were probably used as pigments. Even though the Maadi were settled on the trade routes for copper, very few graves contained copper in them. The possible explanation for this was that they viewed copper as an essential element of living considering it a waste to bury it with the dead.
The Maadi settlement was a stepping stone that allowed other cultures to flourish. The site was well preserved and a wonderful find in the archaeological world. Unfortunately this site was not widely publicized when it was uncovered and little has been written about it since.
