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Square VIII G East 4
Remember this? The end of last season at Mut had us finishing up Fatma’s Square VIII G East 4, where four rooms are visible with the equipment for a bakery. Here in the upper left room is a quern or grinding stone left on the floor. The level here is in the Second Intermediate Period (ca. 1600 B.C.), and we have cleaned it all up so that it is visible as we descend in a new square immediately adjacent.
Square VIII G West 9
Katie is working in VIII G West 9 due west of Fatma’s area. Here last season at the end of our time we found a circular granary with a mud brick floor in VIII G West 8. This trench appeared to have a similar feature on the last day or excavation last March, and today we continued work and have found the remnants of that granary’s floor – patchy but definitely there.
Granary in Square VIII G West 8
Here is the granary found in VIII G West 8 at the end of the last season. The new square that Katie worked is just to your left. To your right is the trench that Wendy Brody supervised last season, and a small section of the granary was found in the southeast corner there.
Sighting for new squares
Elaine Sullivan (in the rear) is beginning to excavate her own area at the rear of the precinct, as part of her dissertation research with the hope of investigating the New Kingdom city of Thebes. Kate Rydstrom, an undergraduate coming out for the first time, holds the stadia rod as they sight for Elaine’s squares.
Setting up to take levels
Violaine helping Katie and Adam set up to take levels in their squares. She is busy explaining the view they will see as they look through the level eye piece. I guess Adam is also addressing a bug of some kind.
Fatma's new square
Fatma’s new square, VIII G East 5 already has large brick wall coming up in the first twenty centimeters. She appears to have the mud-brick-touch (I’m sure Midas is jealous). We are not yet sure what period these walls date to. We’ll have to wait for a look at the pottery.
A nearly complete pot
Elaine’s first day of excavation at her site to the south of our work produced a nearly complete small pot, lacking only the rim. Everyone is interested, including, from left, Kate, Scott, and Maria.
At Beit Canada
Here we are at Beit Canada beginning to work on the pottery again. Everyone breaks into pairs for the exercise, with each new person working alongside someone with former experience. This year we have a new addition to our method: each bag of pot sherds will be classified both as to fabric (silt or marl) and decoration/surface treatment and, in addition, as to date. The combination of looking at the sherds as a group, individually, and within the archaeological context will be used to assign a date to the bag generally, and this will be noted on the classification sheets we record upon. Dr. Bryan will assist each pair in their assignment of a date, helping them to acquire the tools to do this themselves.
Classifying pottery
Heather and Katie are working away at classifying and dating their sherds – or are they? Jay has hovered around shooting just so long that they dared him to take the picture when they stuck their tongues out at him. Well, I guess we know who won that round. What’s up next?
Studying pottery sherds
Scott and Jackie, Fatma and Kathy all intent at studying their sherds in profile. This is the way it’s done. No short cuts.
Studying pottery
Scott and Jackie, holding jar handles in their hands, intently listening to description of fabrics and how to identify them.
Classifying pottery
Maria is asking about a rim sherd and its assignment to silt or marl. What a wonderfully focused face.

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