ABSTRACT
Egypt, see map p. xvi. An area at the edge of the Fayyum, which had been made arable during the Middle Kingdom as part of a scheme for the creation of new farmland. Sesostris II (c. 1897-1878 BC) had his mudbrick pyramid built there, and next to the valley temple the walled town of Ilahun (or Kahun) was discovered. It
had been purpose-built to house the workmen and priests involved in the building and maintenance of the royal tomb, and is the most important excavated example of Middle Kingdom domestic architecture and town-planning.
