Pelusium

Pelusium is located east of what is modern day Port Said.In 1910, Jean Cledat, a French Egyptologist, came to Pelusium and made a sketch map of the ancient city. Later in 1982 after Israel returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt, another excavation of Pelusium began.This excavation was led by Mohammed Abd El-Maksound who was the chief inspector for the North Sinai. In 1991, the site was again under notice when it lay in the path of the Peace Canal. Once discovered that the site was in the path of the Peace Canal, it, along with the surrounding sites, were divided up among teams from Egypt, Canada, Switzerland, and Britain. The surrounding sites such as Tell el-Makhazan and Kanais were believed to be parts of a Greater Pelusium. A joint Canadian-Egyptian team was assigned to excavate the western side of the Pelusium site while the Swiss team surveyed around Kanais and a British team surveyed around the southern side of Pelusium.

Pelusium was an ancient city, which was once located between the two easternmost branches of the Nile. The site of Pelusium, which is also known as Tell el-Farama, is four miles long and today is surrounded by the soft, salt-covered mud that once held the branches of the Nile. When the city was in use, historians had described Pelusium as a busy port city. It once contained quays, magazines, and customs offices for the trading activities, some of which occurred with Asia. There was also an industrial section to the city with salt vats, pottery kilns, fish tanks, and textile workshops. In the city, one could also find temples, baths, theaters, and racetracks.

Aside from being a busy port city, Pelusium also served as a military fort. During the 26^th dynasty, it faced Palestine and served as the main fortress against attacks from the east. The written accounts of Herodotus describe Pelusium as being the land granted by Pharaoh Psammetichus I to his Ionian and Carian mercenaries. No seventh-century remains have yet to be found from the site to prove Herodotus was correct. Herdotus also reports that in 525 B.C.E. the Persian army led by Cambyses defeated Pharaoh Psamtik III at Pelusium. So far, though, there have been no archaeological evidence unearthed to support Herdotus accounts. What was unearthed at the site was a twenty-acre fortress. In the fortress there were thirty-six towers, three gates, and seven-foot-thick walls. It has been dated by the Egyptian and German experts to be from the late 6^th century C.E. The destruction by fire can still be seen in traces on the fortress, which may have been caused by the Persian invasion of 619 C.E.

During the Graeco-Roman period, the city of Pelusium served as a major production and export station since it was on the trade route to the Red Sea. The city exported salted fish and garum, or fish sauce. This was also when the city was known for its dyed linens. Pelusium also imported items from the Mediterranean such as wine, honey, and oil. This changed, though, and later, Sinai and Palestine became the main trade partner