An Integrated Geophysics and Isotope Geochemistry to Unveil the Groundwater Paleochannel in Abydos Historical Site, Egypt

Abstract

The scientific controversy among archaeologists about the existence of paleochannels under the Abydos archaeological site, Sohag, Egypt connecting the Osirion (cenotaph of Seti I) with the Nile River has been explained in this study. This study is an attempt to address this issue using integrating a near-surface geophysical approach with stable isotopic geochemistry on this site. Particularly, the stable oxygen and hydrogen isotopes on the water samples collected from the surface and the groundwater in the study area were analyzed and interpreted. The isotopes result showed that the Osirion water is a mixture of three different types of water: Old Nile Water (ONW) before the construction of the High Dam, Recent Nile Water (RNW) after the construction of the High Dam, and Paleowater (PW) from deeper aquifers. Field observations of the Osirion and nearby water cannot explain the presence and direction of this water. Therefore, the next step in this study is determining the location and the direction of the paleochannel connecting the Osirion with the Nile River which was proven using the electric resistivity tomography (ERT) technique. By using the results of the isotope of all types of water near the Osirion and its surrounding wells and the water of the Nile River, in addition to the near-surface geophysical measurements, the results indicated that the 3D view of the ERT data revealed a prospective paleochannel in the direction of the northeast and its location, where this channel is in charge of providing groundwater from the Nile River to the Osirion location.