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Sunday, January 18, 2015

Ashley, Luke, Rania, and Gaultier. A faience Wedjat eye.
Female figurine. Today we are back from Aswan, but a few of us became ill over the weekend. Maggie and Meredith are both off today getting over colds, but the Pottery Team (Luke, Rania, Gaultier clockwise, but Marina is here invisible) is undaunted. Ashley has joined us instead – you see her in front on the left – and her presence has prompted Jay to do some Small Finds photography (she heads up the Small Finds Team). Here are a couple of things that he has been working on: a female figurine found many years ago that is being re-photographed; a faience Wedjat eye found near our current work areas; and a ???? likewise found in the present vicinity. Two favorite identifications for this ceramic object on a roughly quadrangular base are a crouching cat ready to pounce or a snake. The base and object continued on the left end which is now broken. Feel free to help us out here.
Ceramic object, unidentified subject.

Betsy Bryan and Violaine.

Over at the trenches Violaine and I are discussing the progress and particularly looking at VIII G Central 6/East 13 where the mound is located. Now that the infant burial is removed (you can see the pit it rested in in the photo with the ID board) the head of the primary burial (to the right under the cloth) begins to be exposed. Afaf and Sayeed are working very carefully here, because the head is literally under and beside the pots. Later in the day, I photograph the progress, and one pot has been removed, and now both the skull and some of the rib cage are visible. They really do work so well together.

Exposing the primary burial.
Primary burial with pit left from infant burial.       Working carefully to expose the remains.     Later in the day the  skull and some of the rib cage are visible.
 
Meg works to expose another skull. The close-up view shows the jaw at the bottom of the picture, and he is lying facing right.
Meanwhile on the southern half of the mound Meg Swaney (first year grad student) is working to expose another skull. She holds a small bulb to squirt air and clear away dust that is everywhere. The close-up view shows the jaw at the bottom of the picture, and he is lying facing right.

Skeleton in VIII G Central 7/East 12 baulk becomes more visible. Later in the day, however, both the skull and the long bones (right side) have appeared.
Close view of skeleton.

In the next trench, VIII G Central 7/East 12 baulk, the skeleton found Thursday is quickly becoming more visible. In the morning sun his entire rib case and hip area is seen. He lies on the left side, facing right, but we have no head as yet. Later in the day, however, both the skull and the long bones (right side) have appeared. He is an extended burial, but on his side (not common at all and perhaps moved at some point), but well preserved as far as it goes.


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