Dig Diary updates

It is always good fun to see history unfolding on the annual dig diaries. It is only a shame that more missions don't employ this simple device to inform and involve.

The JHU excavations at the temple of Mut at Karnak are well underway and the diary gives a blow by blow account of the nitty-gritty aspect of an excavation showing that it requires both hard work and the availability of some degree of technical expertise on hand. On the 18th there is a nice account of the removal of a rather special piece from the site

After some time Sayeed turned the piece over to remove surface materials, and we see that its back pillar is nearly complete and the inscription intact. That is good news indeed. Soon we ask for the piece to be taken to Hiroko’s tent for cleaning, and the instruction to the young man given the task is to carry it “like a baby”. So that is what he does! Later in the day Jay’s photograph shows you how truly special this piece is. Cleaning will be slow, but the information will be informative. We can already see that the owner had a title associated with the Mut Temple.

Brooklyn is continuing to have a good season at Karnak, in the vicinity of the sacred lake, and their most recent post has some excellent photographs of the scale of the work area - from wide shots over the entire scene to individual details of aspects of the site. Details of both excavation and restoration work are detailed.

At the end of last season we covered the baked brick building north of the Sacred Lake with plastic and sand to protect it and its plastered surfaces while we were gone. Our first job on January 17, our first day of work, was to uncover the building again.

The structure was built atop a mud brick mass that slopes away to the south toward the lake. We believe this mud brick to be the remains of the 18th Dynasty enclosure wall, much worn by time and the frequent flooding of the sacred lake. By mid-week the line where mud brick and wind- and water-borne soil meet was clear (left). By week’s end we had uncovered the south face of the mud brick all the way across the area. In the foreground of the picture on the right are baked bricks from the building above that tumbled down the slope as mud brick supporting them eroded.

At the tomb of Djehuty the team are processing pottery, with additional help brought in to assist with the work, and are continuing to explore the tomb itself.

Hace unos días nos quedamos con la miel en la boca, cuando excavábamos el pozo de la tumba debajo del enterramiento de Iqer y descubrimos que estaba inacabado. Para resarcirnos, no dándonos por vencidos, hemos seguido excavando por debajo del muro de adobe de Djehuty y hemos descubierto que la tumba continúa más adentro, siguiendo el eje del pasillo de entrada. Es decir, que la pequeña sala donde estaba el pozo era sólo eso, una sala dentro de la tumba más grande. La excavación es complicada y debemos tener mucha precaución con el muro, por lo que hemos comenzado haciendo una cata en el derrubio que bloquea la entrada.

At the KV63 website a new section has been added - Photos 2009. At the moment this page shows members of the team engaged in various activities. Just click on the image to see a bigger version.