Hopkins In Egypt Today

Fatma at the Level

Fatma has arrived! We're so happy to have her here again, and of course she has started to work right away. Although she will be helping with the temple conservation project for a few days, her first instinct was to get behind the level and assist people who needed readings. By the way, her t-shirt says, "beautiful dreamer".

Work in the Second Court   At Work in the Second Court

Now we're working somewhat furiously in the Second Court . Franck Burgos, the stone mason, is doing a reconstruction of the small elevated chapel on the west of the court, and you can see his cement preparations in our photographs. Likewise the Sakhmets have been moved to the middle of the court while new podia are built for them, now that Franck has completed the restoration of the walls.

Moving Blocks   Moving Blocks
Moving Blocks

We are beginning to make space in the Court to build new podia (mastabas) which will hold the inscribed blocks about to be removed from the temple platform. In preparation Ahmed Araby, our inspector, is moving blocks and stone fragments from the court. To begin, one large block that is decorated on three sides must be moved across the Court, and the workers have created a make-shift sled with two boards. Despite its one ton weight, they pushed it to its new place in only fifteen minutes. Not bad!

Jeremy and Violaine   Emptying the Kiln in Jeremy's Trench
Full View of Jeremy's Square   Kiln in Jeremy's Trench

In Jeremy's trench a large kiln appeared, and today they are emptying half of it to do flotation. Jay's photograph of the entire square is truly beautiful and gives you a strong sense of the context. Next to the kiln is a large stone with a flattened and eroded surface. It rests just above the level of the kiln and represents a slightly earlier stratum. One wonders whether this stone was being used as a millstone support - i.e., as a support for a quern when grain was being ground.

Wall Identified in Sarah's Square

In Sarah's square Abdel-Aziz has identified a wall running east-west. The bricks are large and well formed; they are also running in a pattern familiar to us, the central bricks being laid side by side, with the edges set lengthwise.

Katie's Trench   View of Excavation Site

Katie's trench shows the mark of scattered brick flooring, perhaps of a granary. These have been entirely destroyed in the Third Intermediate and Late Periods, so we are only finding this sort of round pattern from the floor and the pit of later pottery that disturbed it. Nonetheless, the shot that Jay gives of the whole excavation continues to promise much in the next week. Stay tuned.


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