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Saturday, June 30, 2007


Back to work today. Despite our efforts to wind up at the site, there is plenty to do. A couple of areas on the west side of the platform still need to be cleaned up so that we can check the foundations that are visible. Violaine, Betsy, and Chuck discuss with Reis Farouk at the beginning of the day and the decision is made to move some stone that is hampering our view of the subfloors. So here you see the result of that discussion. The workers fetch the enormous wooden elements of the siba tripod that is used to lift heavy stone, and they march it across the temple and set it up. So we’re off and running again.

In discussion with Reis Farouk.
Preparing to set up the siba tripod.
Setting up the siba tripod.

 


 

Chuck taking measurements.
Chuck recording measurements.
Sarah working on her drawing.

 

Everyone is making drawings at this time in the season. Chuck is doing some measurements on the standing temple walls as he considers modifications to the original shrine, while Sarah fills in parts of her drawings from earlier in the work.

 


 

Uncovering part of a statue.
Celebrating a success.

 

The lower half of a statue has been visible for some time now following our work to uncover and remove the columns of Hatshepsut. It is in a narrow space, however, and above it are large blocks that cannot be dislodged. So the workers must maneuver by hand and without the siba to get it up. Using the normal rhythmic chants that help the work proceed in unison, they life the granodiorite statue onto the pavement, and then they break into clapping and celebration.

 


 

Betsy is celebrating herself, being pleased to find that the statue is of an important elite from the 18th Dynasty, and there is an inscription that will tell us more about him and his interest in the temple of Mut. Our SCA conservator, Saadi, began to clean the statue right away, but it is in real need of consolidation, so it was moved to the mastaba and will be treated chemically after it is cleaner.

The statue base.
Betsy and Adam are pleased with the find.
Saadi begins cleaning the statue.

 


 

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