Wonderful things

January 25^th

I started a special project for Dr. Bryan today that included moving the good pieces of the Sekhmet statues that were found in the temple to the magazine and burying the bad ones. I supervised a handful of workers telling them whether the granite was to be buried or shelved. I’ll admit I felt pretty special supervising something on my own, but I love being part of the excavation and I missed that.

The extent of the pictures we could take at the Valley of the Queens

With only two days left I still had a few important things left to see. Tuesday we were supposed to go for donkey rides through the desert, but a lot of the grad students weren’t up to sightseeing with us (for most of the trip surprisingly)! Instead Michael, Marina and I went to meet King Tut and see the Valley of the Queens.

Me and Marina in the Valley of the Queens

Pretty flowers in the desert

It didn’t hit me until I left his tomb what exactly I had just seen. When Howard Carter was asked what he saw when he looked into Tut’s tomb he replied by saying, “wonderful things”, and this, this is what I saw. The tomb contained only one sarcophagus, his body, and a fantastically decorated wall, which to most is pretty lame. But apparently I’m not most people. I saw the room with its chariots, statues and furniture and I got to see him! I had just been inside the tomb that had given me such huge inspiration to become an Egyptologist and met King Tut face to face. I didn’t know what to say to him. Looking back, it must have looked like a scene straight out of the Goonies when Sean Astin meets One-eyed Willie. I introduced myself and said thank you. It’s not like he did anything different than the other kings of Egypt. In fact, he probably did way less, but his existence and discovery inspired the future of my own life, and for that he deserves at least a thank you.  For as lame as it is to admit, my eyes welled up.  All the pages of the books I’ve read are coming to life and it’s so hard to comprehend that after decades of dreaming about these experiences, I’m now living them. It doesn’t feel real.

In front of the Colossi

The Valley of the Queens was cool, especially seeing the skeleton of a fetus they found in the tomb. We even stopped for a picture with the Colossi of Memnon, but I still couldn’t get over meeting Tut. I don’t think I’ll ever get over that nor do I want to. For dinner we went back to our favorite restaurant on the West Bank to eat duck and shawarma. They had a live band playing and some little boys danced while we ate our second to last meal together in Luxor.

Duck! Fa-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra

I wish this pictures wasn't so blurry

Kharga Oasis

 Jan 23^rd

Work today was extremely exciting for me because one of the grad students, Chris, let me dig for a few minutes in a pot that he found. I’m not sure I can disclose exactly what was in there, but there were lots of goodies some of which I got to find!! Definitely one of the highlights of the whole experience.

The middle of the desert

After work on Sunday we took a shower and hopped in a van for a 3½ hour ride to Kharga. On the way, we stopped next to a sign that said we were in Baghdad and Paris (obviously not the real one) to take pictures. We also saw real mirages once we were pretty far out. I always thought they were exaggerations or something caused by dehydration’s effects on the brain, but we were hydrated and in air conditioning and still saw them. It scary how much it actually looks like there are lakes in the middle of the desert when there obviously aren’t any. I can’t imagine being stuck out there. There’s literally NOTHING as far as the eye can see. We stopped in the absolute middle of the desert for lunch. We ate tomatoes like apples, some falafel and Egyptian bread which were all delicious. Since I take at least one jumping picture on every trip, I started a series of jumping pictures in the middle of the desert. Jay, the photographer has all of these pictures and I can’t wait to see them. We also took a Beatles Abbey Road photo.

In the temple we climbed at Dush

We rode the rest of the way and stopped at a temple called Dush (pronounced douche). After exploring by ourselves, the Egyptians showed us a horned viper they had caught with a stick and placed in a clear jar. Horned vipers, the letter f in middle Egyptian, don’t have an antidote so if you are lucky enough to be bitten by one, you die. It was very strange to be staring one in the face with a piece of glass separating us. I also got to see a scorpion for the first time! They had also caught this and put it in a jar for us to see.

Horned Viper

Scorpion

That night Dr. Bryan paid for us to spend a night in a really nice hotel. We all tried to watch Asterix and Cleopatra together, but we all started falling asleep a few minutes into it. That’s what happens when you wake up before 6 every day and when your days off are busier than your work days. The desert is much colder at night, so I woke up a lot during the night but at least it wasn’t because of Luxor’s noise polluting my sleep.

Supposedly the oldest complete books in the world

In the morning we got to sleep in until 8… well we left at 8 but that’s still an extra hour of sleep. After a crappy breakfast at the nice hotel, we visited the museum of Alwady Algadid which holds some amazing jewelry, the earliest complete books ever discovered, and lots of famous ostraca. We then visited approximately 4 temples on the way home one of which was the Hibis Temple. It had some of the coolest iconography I’ve ever seen. My favorite is the double hawk headed crocodile with wings. I had definitely never seen that before. We sat in the back of a pickup truck to see where Yale is working at another temple and also stopped at a pottery factory and got to see every part of the process.

Double headed hawk/croc thing at the Hibis Temple

Mmmm. Shrimp flavored chipsies! They were actually really good.

Old school pottery factory

Abydos and Dendera

Jan 21st

The kings list

Our third and final Friday off, Dr. Bryan took us to Abydos and Dendera. Abydos, done by Seti I and Ramesses II has amazing chapels filled with raised and sunken reliefs some of which are still in color. It has a huge kings list which has all the cartouches of Egypt’s kings except for Hatshepsut, Akhenaten, Tut and Ay (there might be one more, I can’t remember). It’s extremely entertaining to listen to what ridiculous things the tour guides say to their tours. One set of hieroglyphs by the ceiling is supposed to represent a military tank, helicopter and a few more things. Uh...Really, people, really?!?

All the ceilings have tiny openings for light

Outside of the temple is the Osirium which represents the tomb of the god Osiris. It would have been completely underwater, but only a little bit of water remains (if you can even call it that). The algae in the stagnant cesspool make it a murky emerald green. It looks like a pool of Kryptonite and I couldn’t take my eyes off it.

At the Osirium

Look at that primordial soup!

We then walked over to a temple nearby which had a large stela and a few shallow, open, stone sarcophagi. I got into one of them and fit perfectly, but shh, don’t tell anyone =)

Camel in the desert! Finally.

shh!

Dendera is the Egypt of my dreams. Though later in time, (Ptolemaic- the time of Cleopatra and Alexander the Great) the temple is downright incredible. The hieroglyphs look different than I’ve ever seen and are exquisite. I got to see a Nilometer which measures the water of the Nile, and go to the bottom of the empty sacred lake. On the inside, only half of the temple has been conserved. The temple is split straight down the middle: one half is completely black and the other has stunning color.

Me and Bes. What a chubster.

The ceiling half conserved

My absolute favorite parts of the temple are the crypt, the loft and the roof. This temple was basically an Egyptian playground of places to crawl down, climb up and explore, all of which I also got to do. To enter the crypt, we had to climb down a staircase, crawl through a tiny Alice in Wonderland sized doorway and climb down another staircase. The room farthest to the left is claimed to have "light bulb" shaped images which show how the ancient Egyptians had electricity. People come down here to touch them and be filled with energy and life. I don't get how people actually believe that junk. It's absurd.  They looked more like big eggplants to me anyway. As Marina and I were leaving the roof and climbing down the staircase to leave the temple, the power went out. We got to see what the Egyptian would have seen (but they would have had a torch or something!). The slits of light perfectly showed the reliefs the way they were meant to be seen. By the light of flash pictures, we safely exited the temple. The ride home was hilarious because we were all hyper, especially Gaultier, and blamed it on the magical light bulbs.

 

In Dendera's sacred lake



In the crypt!

We worked Saturday and the morning of Sunday, before we left on our overnight trip to Kharga Oasis. We had a choice between a trip to Abu Simbel and Kharga Oasis, but since most of the grad students had already been to Abu Simbel numerous times, the vote was overwhelmingly for Kharga. Even though I’m not usually a fan of the later stuff and I’ve never heard of anything at Kharga Oasis, Gebel Silsila surprised me so I figured it was worthy enough of a trip. I also figured it would be much easier to return to Egypt and plan a trip to Abu Simbel myself than to try to go to Kharga.

3ht

Jan 20th

Deir el Bahari

Thursday was really a crazy day. We thought Dr. Zahi would be at the opening of the bookstore Aboudi so after work we rushed over there to meet him. Unfortunately he was in Portugal so I was a little upset, but we did get free delicious snacks and fruit drinks even though we were dressed in our dusty dig gear and not dresses and suits like everyone else.

This snakes up the railing to the topmost tier

What better way to make up for a disappointment like that then going to see one of the sites I’ve been waiting to see  since I was little. Deir el Bahari is Hatshepsut’s temple which neatly protrudes from the side of the mountain. Hatshepsut’s reign really is quite interesting considering that she is one of the female rulers of Egypt.  She goes back and forth between masculine and feminine images and pronouns in her art, but this building and its three tiers has interested me as much as the pyramids have. I felt like I was 10 again and the excitement running through my veins was electrifying. I’m pretty sure Michael has a picture of me spinning in circles of happiness in front of the temple like a little girl.

On the first tier

Who knows if this is real, but it's an interesting idea

Marina taught me about cryptography today, my favorite image of which is Amun. Amun, which means the hidden one, can be written its proper phonetic way, but also this way. It’s quite interesting how clever the Egyptians were and how well their ideas connected together. It’s also daunting to think how much there still is to learn considering I can barely read Middle Egyptian as it is. Just as interesting to see pretty much at any tourist site but specifically here was the clothing people decide to wear. Booty shorts, bathing suit tops and see-through shirts really aren’t appropriate anywhere, never mind in a temple, and never mind in a country that leaves only the eyes to be seen. As we waited for our taxi to pick us up, the sun set in the mountains perfectly creating the hieroglyphic symbol for the word 3ht (pronounced akhet), meaning horizon. I really like seeing the inspiration for the hieroglyphs I’ve been studying since freshman year.

The djed pillar with arms holds the crypotgraphic symbol for Amun

The hieroglyph 3ht meaning horizon

 

Pretty cool, huh?

Adventure is out there!

Jan 17-19

For lunch on the 17^th we went to the roof, where I’ve discovered the best Lebanese Kofta there is! In Egypt, anyway. This is basically a pizza of Egyptian meatballs inside flat bread and covered in spices. That’s a horrible description, but if you ever go to Luxor, you should try it! One of Egypt’s specialties is pigeon, so we also ordered one. Note: pigeon has absolutely no meat. It’s basically rice stuffed into the frame of the bird. All you can really eat is the rice and the skin but the thought of eating a bird that eats garbage and horse crap all day is really not appetizing. I’d go for the cuy over that any day.

Stuffed pigeon

Tuesday after work we went to the Ramesseum. Once again there was absolutely nobody there so we got to climb the pylon! The statue here is apparently bigger than the Colossi of Memnon which is quite a feat. Most interestingly is the fallen statue of Ramesses II. According to some sources, this is the statue which inspired Percy B. Shelley's poem Ozymandias though others think it's one in the British museum. I'd like to think it's the one i saw, so I got to meet him up close and personal. =)

Yay for climbing pylons!

Adventure is out there- the phrase of the trip

Sitting on the pylon with the temple in the background

Me and Ozy

Apparently very excited about these columns

Wednesday, bone specialist Roxy came to the site. As she dug away, I was immediately drawn to her job. As I picked her brain, I found out that she gets to dig up bones in both Peru and Egypt. Ok… now how frickin cool is that. That’s basically the coolest job I’ve ever heard of and considering those are the two places I love most it makes me feel like there are opportunities out there that will allow me, should I want it enough and work hard enough for it, to have the best of whatever worlds I want. The only problem is figuring out how to get there.

Sunset over the West Bank

Valley of the Kings

 Jan 16^th

After work on Sunday, we crossed the Nile en route to the Valley of the Kings. We ate an Egyptian quick lunch (1 Egyptian minute = 10 regular minutes, so it really wasn't that quick) on the West Bank at a place called the Nile View. The place is outdoors with a roof overhead and decorated with Egyptian linens and ceramics. The chicken shawarma and lemon juices are to die for. Without a doubt it soon became one of our favorite restaurants.

We weren't allowed to have our camera, so I don't have any cool pictures to show you. I believe the Japanese (I could be wrong so don’t hold it against me) created a model of the entire valley. It looks like the mountain is an iceberg, but it makes it much easier to see how far the tombs delve into the mountains. It really is unbelievable how deep some of them are. What’s more unbelievable is how much our passes really do for us. Besides getting in for free, we are recognized as important people, allowed to cross some of the barriers, and one tomb was reopened for us after it had been closed at the end of the day. Being called “doctora” because I can read some of the hieroglyphs makes me feel that much more special. King Tut’s tomb and the Great Pyramid are some of the only exceptions to our passes. However, Maggie, one of the grad students who worked in Dr. Zahi Hawass’ office, has a special pass with no restrictions for up to 4 people. Unfortunately since many of the guards cannot read their own language and the inspector of the site had already left, we had to save Tut for another day. As long as I get to meet him before I leave I’ll be happy.

The model of the valley from the top

From below

Gebel Silsila

Jan 14th

Early morning on the bus

On our second day off, Dr. Bryan decided to take us on a trip to Gebel Silsila. I had never heard of it before, and I'm sure none of you have either, but it ended up being one of the coolest places of my time in Egypt. Gebel Silsila is an ancient Egyptian quarry  near Aswan (a few hours ride from Luxor) that also has a rock cut temple and a few shrines. The temple overlooks a clean Nile and the silence is a beautiful break from the overwhelming noise that is produced by the city of Luxor. For the first day so far, there was no honking, hassling or smog. THIS is the Egypt I had imagined. This is the Egypt the ancient Egyptians saw, and it really is stunning. We were alone and free to explore wherever we pleased. Places like this preserve my sanity and remind me how beautiful the country is beyond the cities.

Gebel Silsila from across the river

The rock cut temple, as you may have figured, is a building that is carved right into the rock, leaving very little room for error. There are few in Egypt, so it was interesting to be able to explore one. We also saw some rock art in the shape of giraffes, a cave full of bats, and the highlight of the trip: a wild cobra! Around the quarry area were shaped but unfinished ram sphinxes. It makes sense that the Egyptians would shape their larger monuments or stones before transport because the stones weigh far too much to carry in chunks.

Some of the shrines taken from the boat

COBRA!

Unfinished ram sphinx in the quarry

While everyone at home in New Jersey was making snow angels, I was making sand angels!

While I still have so many touristy things to see, I’m extremely glad Dr. Bryan took us here. I would have missed an amazing site had I come to Egypt with anyone else. We finished the night by happily celebrating through sugar-induced dancing in Luxor temple. It’s quite a different experience at night when the reliefs are lit and bats fly overhead.

Looking out on the Nile



Hena

Week of Jan 8-13th

Sorry I haven't been posting. it takes FOREVER to upload pictures and waking up before 6am makes me sleepy after work.

Unfortunately, this week I got sick. My body doesn't know how to deal with the smog, cigarette smoke or dust and I got a nasty bronchial infection. It moved from my chest to my sinuses so I was a sniffling, coughing mess and had to stay away from the site for a few days. Apparently I've started some tradition to pick some sickness up wherever I go. Not so fun. However, relaxing on a rooftop in the warm sun overlooking Luxor Temple was a much needed break. After a few days and lots of horse pill antibiotics, I was back on site.

Sorting pottery

So what exactly am I doing at Mut Temple?
I can't post my own pictures but you can see official pictures here: http://www.jhu.edu/egypttoday/. This is the website I've followed since middle school and now I'm on it almost 10 years later!

Setting up and checking the level

In Egypt, undergraduates are not allowed to supervize their own trenches. Instead, I do the bitch work which I still find fun. Mostly Michael and I hold the levels for people to take measurements of the elevations of certain features or areas in their trenches. The meter stick is huge, wooden and heavy so I try to leave that job for Michael. The other job we get to do is pottery sorting. For each basket of pottery, we sort out the diagnostics from the others: basically the rims, bases, and decorated pieces. It's cool because we get to see all the different types of painted pieces and all the pretty things all at once! Sometimes we find some other artifacts like statuettes, tokens and pretty stones that were put mistakenly put in the baskets. A lot of what I've learned so far has been by observing. I've gotten to know lots of arabic words but almost all of them relate to archaeology and don't help me in real life like slag, agate, bone etc. I've also been lucky to have some of the grad students allow me to do some of their work. I've gotten to draw some of the small finds and help measure and draw bricks. Definitely still a worthwhile trip, for sure.

 Holding the stadia rod