This occasional column by Zahi Hawass will be replaced in the next edition of the Egyptian Gazette, so it has been reproduced in full below:
"During the third excavation season, I decided to spend four days in Bahariya and three days in Giza, running the excavations at the tombs of the pyramid builders. I left Tarek el-Awady in charge of Bahariya and I returned to Cairo. When I returned I found that Tarek had discovered one of the best tombs at the site. I also realised that Tarek was beginning to understand archeology is not just about explaining the past, it is about letting people see you passion. He has the same passion for archeology that I have.
The day of the discovery Tarek came to the site at 8:00am to take photographs before the sun got to strong. He began talking to one of the guards, Sheikh Saber. Sheikh Saber told Tarek that there was a place in the desert that was filled with holes and the donkeys would not go near it. Tarek went to this site to examine the terrain. He found a hole in the rocks and began to clear away the sand. He described what he saw in his dairy 'To my surprise, I saw faces full of life looking at me and smiling as if they were welcoming me. It seemed they were happy to see the light after living in the dark for two thousand years. I left the niche and ran to bring workmen to this place.' Tarek labelled the new tomb N.
I arrived at the site early the next morning. Inside this tomb were thirteen mummies, distributed into family groups. Some of the most beautiful mummies from the entire site were found here. One is a four year old child. His mask depicts a long nose, and his mouth looks sad. The artist added dots under his eyes which depict tears. We nicknamed him the Crying Child. We are not sure why he is crying. Perhaps he suffered from a horrible disease."
No comments:
Post a Comment