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Planning for Dewatering Project
Planning for a dewatering project at the Temple of Mut, Betsy Bryan talks with Leif Lundholm and contractors about plans to drain the sacred lake. We hope to begin pumping next summer.
Discussing the Lake Project
Betsy Bryan talks about draining the lake and the hope to retrieve statuary and revetment walls from the lake bed after the water is removed.
Tapping the Wall
Violaine taps the brick wall at Elaine’s trench behind the sacred lake. To get the actual face of mud bricks, the hammer is used to knock off residual soil and leave the harder surface of the brick.
Taking Notes
Elaine takes notes at her very active trench behind the lake. She hardly has time to draw walls and features, when things are hopping as they were today.
Work at the Thutmose III Gateway
Work proceeds at the gateway of Thutmose III, where we are working in an eastward direction, in the hope of identifying the path of procession toward the main temple in the Eighteenth Dynasty (ca. 1479 B.C.). Here Mahmoud Abady supervises work in the trench.
Finding Bricks
At the gateway of Thutmose III, Mahmoud Abady carefully defines mud bricks which have emerged in a single line across the trench. This feature is new, since no brick has been found here before, and we’ll have to wait to understand its function.
Going to Lunch
Sandra Fischetti and Christina Mattin have a daughter-mother moment on the way to lunch. Sandra is overseeing our most active pottery site behind the sacred lake and has trouble just finding enough baskets to carry her ceramics back. Her site is a second intermediate period one and has few (if any) architectural features, so it may even be a refuse area.
Uncovering Storage Jars
In Elaine’s trench, the westernmost one behind the lake, there are walls running in several directions. Today, as anticipated yesterday, several storage jars set into the floor are emerging. An ashy surface is located in the shadowed area on the right of the trench.
Reis Farouk with Polaroid
Reis Farouk beams after receiving a Polaroid shot from Jay VanRensselaer, who photographed a number of workers today.
Discussing the Work
Fatma discusses archaeological work with Reis Farouk as they oversee the gate to the first court of the temple. Work here is proceeding very quickly, and they will be at the level of the gate in this western extension within the week.
Five Courses of Mud Brick
Beautifully preserved, five courses of mud brick are now visible in Elaine’s trench behind the sacred lake. This is an extremely rewarding place to study occupation in the region of the temple. We hope to have the ceramics better defined soon.
Behind  the Sacred Lake
The area of our excavations behind the sacred lake, with the two active trenches. In the foreground is Elaine Sullivan working on her brick walls, while in the background is Sandra Fischetti and her crew.

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