So HASEGAWA

A body of Hasegawa’s work (①～②) is roughly divided into two groups: an overall representative work in the field of Egyptian archaeology attained in the lab of Waseda University (1995～2016), (①) and a series of new works challenging ideas since then (②～④) (2017～2019). Book ① is his dissertation, whose main argument includes the historical process by which Mediterranean elements rooted in the daily life of late antiquity remained by the early Islamic period. Then, when the influence faded out, a unique new Islamic civilization appeared. The main target of the work (②) was a reconstruction of the ancient West Nile Delta environment in Egypt through an integration of the fields of archaeology, geology and remote sensing technology. The study (③) is a collaboration between archaeologists and scientists who specialize in archaeometry, highlighting the technological innovation of Islamic ceramics with analysis of the multi-glazed pottery called Fayyumi. Then, the final listed work (④) has an intimate relation with Professor Fuji’s research in aid study. This report describes the result of general surveys at the site of al-Hawra’, a medieval port site on the Red Sea coast in Saudi Arabia (Plates 1, 2) along the ancient pilgrim route. The report then proceeds to excavations for the coming season. It is noteworthy that a key construction (probably a fort) has been discovered that shows tangent points with historical documents. The excavation of the settlement (ca.9-12C.E.) will reveal the material culture of the daily life. Furthermore, the argument issue (an attribute of tribal society) is expected to be taken up for discussion.

Selected publications

①Hasegawa, S. Theory for the Formation of Early Islamic Culture: Last phase of the technological tradition and new creation in Egypt, Fine Art Publisher of Chuo-Koron, 468p., 2017/12.