The Dark Side of Urbanisation: Inequality, Precarity and “Gentrification” in Middle Kingdom Tell el-Dabca, Ancient Avaris

Abstract

Tell el-Dabca, ancient Avaris (eastern Delta in Egypt), was initially settled in the late 11th-early 12th dynasty, when a planned settlement was built in area F/I. This settlement was abandoned two times. The first abandonment was followed by the return of the same people, or the people of the same social background and class, to the existing planned settlement. After the second abandonment and a hiatus, the demolition and levelling of the area took place. These changes were previously interpreted as a simple reorganization of space. This paper argues that the changes in the settlement structure in the area, are a reflection of a profound change in the social background and class of the inhabitants. These changes are a consequence of class inequality and precarity understood as “politically induced condition” (Butler 2009: 25) which allowed the “gentrification” of the area.