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Ficus sp.
English: Fig
Arabic:  Family: Moraceae
Archaeological finds: RT 354, RT 3869, RT 4373, RT 4499, RT 4680, RT 5120, RT 5596, RT 5838 and RT 5877.
Comments:
The archaeological finds are worked and unworked wood. The plant material was very badly deteriorated, making specific identification impossible.
Gossypium sp.
English: Cotton
Arabic:  Family: Malvaceae
Archaeological finds: RT 250, RT 393B, RT 400A, RT 494A, RT 574B, RT 607B, RT 608B, RT 1049, RT 1468D, RT 1612, RT 1711B and RT 1861.
Comments:
Cultivated annual textile crop. The archaeological finds are textiles, fibers, and cotton strands. Only the presence of fibers allows specific identification.
Hordeum distichon L.
English: Barley
Arabic:  Family: Gramineae
Archaeological finds: RT 252, RT 445B, RT 606D, RT 664D and RT 1464B.
Comments:
Cultivated annual cereal crop. The archaeological finds are grains, culm fragments and spikes. The plant may be of local origin.
Hordeum vulgare L.
English: Barley
Arabic:  Family: Gramineae
Archaeological finds: RT 101, RT 250, RT 445, RT 471C, RT 577B, RT 662B, RT 664C, RT 1468B, RT 1620 and RT 2255B.
Comments:
Cultivated annual cereal crop. The archaeological finds are grains, culm fragments and spikes. The plant may be of local origin.
Hyphaene thebaica (L.) Mart.
English: Doum-palm
Arabic:  Family: Palmae
Archaeological finds: RT 37, RT 250, RT 423A, RT 519, RT 523A, RT 524, RT 551, RT 560, RT 563, RT 663, RT 930, RT 941, RT 996, RT 1122, RT 1223, RT 1346, RT 1468A, RT 1702, RT 1737, RT 1738, RT 1831, RT 1854, RT 1856, RT 1927, RT 2319, RT 2377, RT 2564, RT 2825, RT 2900, RT 4692, RT 6712, RT 7793 and RT 8537.
Comments:
Evergreen, forked, fan-palm growing in desert wadis and plains. The archaeological finds are worked baskets, mats and ropes made of leaf strips, in addition to trunk and root fragments and blocks. The plant grows in Sinai, so the finds are of local origin.
Imperata cylindrica (L.) Beauv.
English: Halfa-grass
Arabic:  Family: Gramineae
Archaeological find: RT 394.
Comments:
Evergreen grass growing in waste lands. The archaeological find is culms used as filler material for worked baskets made of date-palm or doum-palm leaf strips. The plant grows in Sinai, so the finds are of local origin.
Indigofera oblongifolia Forssk.
English: ――
Arabic:  Family: Papillionaceae
Archaeological finds: RT 218, RT 238, RT 256, RT 264, RT 1730, RT 2296, RT 3056, RT 6852 and RT 7503.
Comments:
Shrub growing in moist desert wadis and the Nile delta. The wood anatomy of the stem is characterized by the absence of growth rings. Xylem vessels are diffused porous, in groups of 1-4-radial vessels. 1-3-seriate rays. The archaeological finds are worked wood. The plant grows along the Red Sea banks, and the Elba mountains, so the finds may have been imported from one of these areas.
Juncus rigidus Desf.
English: Rush
Arabic:  Family: Juncaceae
Archaeological finds: RT 250F, RT 391, RT 471B, RT 566, RT 664B, RT 1460, RT 1860 and RT 1888.
Comments:
Evergreen perennial rush growing in salt marshes and waste land. The archaeological finds are worked culms as filler material for doum-palm and date-palm baskets. The plant grows in Sinai, so the finds may be of local origin.
Juglanus regia L.
English: Wal-nut
Arabic:  Family: Juglandaceae
Archaeological find: RT 5308.
Comments:
Deciduous cultivated fruit tree, native to southeast Europe, in addition to its cultivation in Lebanon and Syria. The wood anatomy of the stem is characterized by distinct growth rings. Xylem vessels are diffused to semi-ring porous. Vessels are solitary or in radial multiples of 1-4. 1-3-seriate rays, up to 35 cells high. One archaeological find is worked wood, perhaps a furniture part. The plant did not grow in Egypt, so the find was imported.
Juniperus phoenicea L.
English: Phoenician-juniper
Arabic:  Family: Cupressaceae
Archaeological finds: RT 119, RT 1371, RT 1539, RT 1758, RT 2076, RT 2170, RT 2998, RT 3133, RT 3406, RT 4738, RT 5222, RT 5783, RT 7146, RT 7845 and RT 8047.
Comments:
Evergreen shrub or tree growing in Sinai, Lebanon and Syria. The wood anatomy of the stem is characterized by distinct growth rings. Xylem are only tracheids, the transitions from early to late wood gradual. Uniseriate and, rarely, biseriate rays. The archaeological finds are worked wood, perhaps a furniture part, and unworked wood, in addition to tree branches. The plant grows in Egypt, so the finds are of local origin.
Linum usitatissmum L.
English: Flax
Arabic:  Family: Linaceae
Archaeological finds: RT 400B, RT 423B, RT 574A, RT 1612 and RT 2633.
Comments:
Annual cultivated fiber crop in Egypt from early history in times. The archaeological finds are worked fibers, textiles, ropes and unworked fibers. The plant grows in Egypt, so the finds are of local origin.
Leptadenia pyrotechnica (Forssk.) Decne.
English: ――
Arabic: markh
Family: Asclepiadaceae
Archaeological finds: RT 1797, RT 4524 and RT 5985.
Comments:
Evergreen shrub or tree growing in desert wadis of Sinai, the Nile delta, the Red Sea and the Elba mountains. The wood anatomy of the stem is characterized by the absence of growth rings. The rays are distinct up to a 20-cell width, with a notable sheath of larger cells. Lacticiferus vessels are notable. The archaeological finds are worked wood. The plant grows in Egypt, so the finds are of local origin (pl. 3-4 to 3-6).
Lycium shawii (Forssk.) Decne.
English: ――
Arabic: awsaj
Family: Solanaceae
Archaeological find: RT 7707.
Comments:
Evergreen desert shrub growing in desert wadis of Sinai, the Red Sea and the western desert. The wood anatomy of the stem is characterized by distinct growth rings. Vessels diffused, in clusters of small narrow and wide vessels. Distinct, 1-2-seriate rays, 1-16 cells high. The archaeological finds are worked wood. The plant grows in Egypt, so the finds are of local origin (pl. 3-7 to 3-9).
Maerua oblongifolia (Forssk.) A. Rich.
English: ――
Arabic: marw
Family: Capparidaceac
Archaeological find: RT 389.
Comments:
Shrub or small tree growing in the Elba mountains. The wood anatomy of the stem is characterized by faint growth rings. Vessels diffused and solitary. 1-2-seriate rays. Lacticiferos vessels are notable, arranged in tangential lines. The archaeological finds are worked wood, the wall of a small container. The plant grows in the Elba mountains, Egypt, so the finds are of local origin.
Moringa peregrina (Forssk.) Fiori.
English: Moringa
Arabic:  Family: Moringaceae
Archaeological finds: RT 989, RT 1550, RT 4387, RT 4439, RT 4571, RT 5647 and RT 7697.
Comments:
Deciduous tree growing in Israel, Jordan, Sudan and Egypt. The wood anatomy of the stem is characterized by faint growth rings. Vessels diffused and solitary, sometimes in tangential multiples of 2-3. 1-2-seriate rays, and up to 7-cells high. The archaeological finds are worked wood. The plant grows in St. Catherine's Monastery, Egypt, so the finds are of local origin (pl. 4-1 to 4-4).
Nitraria retusa (Forssk.) Asch.
English: Nitre-bush
Arabic: gharqad
Family: Nitrariaceae
Archaeological finds: RT 49F, RT 100, RT 250, RT 472C. RT 841, RT 1582, RT 2359, RT 2389, RT 2783, RT 2820, RT 2825, RT 2828, RT 3006, RT 3014, RT 3089, RT 3222, RT 3287, RT 4328, RT4447, RT 4617, RT 4935, RT 5610, RT 5710, RT 5733, RT 6435, RT 7419, RT 7501, RT 7719 and RT 7822.
Comments:
Evergreen salt-tolerant shrub growing in Israel, Jordan, Sudan and Egypt. The wood anatomy of the stem is characterized by indistinct growth rings. Vessels diffused and solitary or in multiples of 2-3. 1-3-seriate rays, and up to 25-cells high. The archaeological finds are worked wood, charcoal and stem branches. The plant grows in Sinai, so the finds are of local origin.
Olea europaea L.
English: Olive
Arabic:  Family: Oleaceae
Archaeological finds: RT 71E, RT 4418, RT 5195, RT 5655 and RT 7016.
Comments:
Evergreen oil tree growing in Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Europe. The wood anatomy of the stem is characterized by faint to distinct growth rings. Vessels diffused and solitary, sometimes in radial multiples of 2-4 (6), angular or rounded in cross-section. 1-2-seriate rays, and up to 12 (20) cells high. The archaeological finds are worked wood and stones. The plant grows in Egypt, so the finds are of local origin.
Panicum turgidum Forssk
English: ――
Arabic:  Family: Gramineae
Archaeological finds: RT 49A and RT 71G.
Comments:
Perennial desert grass growing in desert wadis and plains of Egypt. The archaeological finds are culm fragments. The plant grows in Sinai, so the finds are of local origin.
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