Sebakh
Encyclopedia
Sebakh is an Aramaic word which translates to "dry land" in English
. This term is used to described decomposed organic
material that can be employed both as an agricultural fertilizer
and as a fuel for fires.
. This material is composed of ancient mud mixed with the nitrous
compost
of the hay
and stubble
that the bricks were originally formulated with to give added strength before being baked in the sun.
s; a mound of this type is also known as a tell
, or tel
.
An archaeological site could provide an excellent source of sebakh because decomposed organic debris
creates a soil very rich in nitrogen
. Nitrogen is an essential component in fertilizers used for plant crops.
Numerous potentially valuable archaeological finds were unfortunately destroyed by farmers in this way. However, sebakh digging also led to the discovery of archaeological finds that might otherwise have gone undetected.
(Arabic: العمارنة al-‘amārnä). In 1887, a local inhabitant who was delving into sebakh deposits accidentally discovered more than 300 cuneiform
tablets that turned out to be Pharaonic records of correspondence. These tablet letters, known as the Amarna Letters
, have provided much valuable historical and chronological data, as well as information bearing on Egyptian diplomatic relations with her neighbors at that time.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. This term is used to described decomposed organic
Organic compound
An organic compound is any member of a large class of gaseous, liquid, or solid chemical compounds whose molecules contain carbon. For historical reasons discussed below, a few types of carbon-containing compounds such as carbides, carbonates, simple oxides of carbon, and cyanides, as well as the...
material that can be employed both as an agricultural fertilizer
Fertilizer
Fertilizer is any organic or inorganic material of natural or synthetic origin that is added to a soil to supply one or more plant nutrients essential to the growth of plants. A recent assessment found that about 40 to 60% of crop yields are attributable to commercial fertilizer use...
and as a fuel for fires.
Composition
Most sebakh consists of ancient, deteriorated mud brick. Mud brick was a primary building material in ancient EgyptAncient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
. This material is composed of ancient mud mixed with the nitrous
Nitrous
Nitrous oxide is a chemical compound used as an oxidizing agent to increase an internal combustion engine's power output by allowing more fuel to be burned than would normally be the case.-Nitrous and NOS:...
compost
Compost
Compost is organic matter that has been decomposed and recycled as a fertilizer and soil amendment. Compost is a key ingredient in organic farming. At its most essential, the process of composting requires simply piling up waste outdoors and waiting for the materials to break down from anywhere...
of the hay
Hay
Hay is grass, legumes or other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs...
and stubble
Stubble
Stubble is the regrowth of shaven hair, when it is short and has a rough, abrasive texture.-Facial:During the 1980s, facial stubble on men became fashionable, partly due to being popularized by the singer George Michael, as well as Miami Vice. This was also known as designer stubble and was...
that the bricks were originally formulated with to give added strength before being baked in the sun.
Affecting archaeology
A common practice in Egypt, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, was for farmers to obtain government permits to remove this material from ancient moundMound
A mound is a general term for an artificial heaped pile of earth, gravel, sand, rocks, or debris. The most common use is in reference to natural earthen formation such as hills and mountains, particularly if they appear artificial. The term may also be applied to any rounded area of topographically...
s; a mound of this type is also known as a tell
Tell
A tell or tel, is a type of archaeological mound created by human occupation and abandonment of a geographical site over many centuries. A classic tell looks like a low, truncated cone with a flat top and sloping sides.-Archaeology:A tell is a hill created by different civilizations living and...
, or tel
TEL
- Acronyms :TEL is a three-letter acronym for:* Tetra-ethyl lead, a gasoline additive to make leaded gasoline* Tokyo Electron, a semiconductor equipment manufacturer* Transporter erector launcher, a mobile missile launch platform...
.
An archaeological site could provide an excellent source of sebakh because decomposed organic debris
Debris
Debris is rubble, wreckage, ruins, litter and discarded garbage/refuse/trash, scattered remains of something destroyed, or, in geology, large rock fragments left by a melting glacier etc. The singular form of debris is debris...
creates a soil very rich in nitrogen
Nitrogen
Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N, atomic number of 7 and atomic mass 14.00674 u. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78.08% by volume of Earth's atmosphere...
. Nitrogen is an essential component in fertilizers used for plant crops.
Numerous potentially valuable archaeological finds were unfortunately destroyed by farmers in this way. However, sebakh digging also led to the discovery of archaeological finds that might otherwise have gone undetected.
Amarna
Sebakh is most commonly associated with the finding of the site of AmarnaAmarna
Amarna is an extensive Egyptian archaeological site that represents the remains of the capital city newly–established and built by the Pharaoh Akhenaten of the late Eighteenth Dynasty , and abandoned shortly afterwards...
(Arabic: العمارنة al-‘amārnä). In 1887, a local inhabitant who was delving into sebakh deposits accidentally discovered more than 300 cuneiform
Cuneiform
Cuneiform can refer to:*Cuneiform script, an ancient writing system originating in Mesopotamia in the 4th millennium BC*Cuneiform , three bones in the human foot*Cuneiform Records, a music record label...
tablets that turned out to be Pharaonic records of correspondence. These tablet letters, known as the Amarna Letters
Amarna letters
The Amarna letters are an archive of correspondence on clay tablets, mostly diplomatic, between the Egyptian administration and its representatives in Canaan and Amurru during the New Kingdom...
, have provided much valuable historical and chronological data, as well as information bearing on Egyptian diplomatic relations with her neighbors at that time.