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Karanis Revealed: The Past and Present of a Michigan Excavation in Egypt

Karanis Motion Picture Footage

Ahead of its time, the University of Michigan expedition to Karanis used the relatively new medium of motion pictures to document its work. Nearly four hours of silent film footage show the archaeologists and Egyptian workers on site, as well as the details of the landscape and architectural remains.

Currently only a small portion of this footage is available in digital form (digitized from a 1983 video transfer of the original film). Below are links to brief selections, with original titles, of what we hope will become a complete archive of the Karanis film footage. 

Egyptian workers cleaning debris, which was removed from the site in railway cars.

Sources of water (local water wheels, irrigation ditches, and canals) as well as water buffaloes that live near the water.