Today we begin work at the site and walk up the east-west sphinx alley toward the main gate of the Mut temple. Katie (left) and Violaine are the fast ones leading the pack. |
The rest of us approach the temple. From left to right: Betsy, Wendy, Fatma (hidden), Scott, Maria, Elizabeth, Sandra, and Elaine. |
Reis Farouk besieged by people who want to work for us. He has a difficult job, hiring and supervising all the Egyptian workers for the excavation. This normally amounts to some 75-100 people. Reis Farouk tries to choose those who have families and particular needs to meet. |
Looking west across the sacred lake to the temple of Ramesses III in the early morning. What an amazing sight. It still captivates us all. |
| First day of the season. Time to open the storage magazine again. Here is a sequence of photos showing the first swing of the turiya at the sealed door, the stages in between (we really did a good job with that cement at the end of last season), and finally Voilà! A wheelbarrow emerges as the first thing brought out for this year’s use. | |
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A conservator is arriving from Baltimore in February. In preparation Scott and Maria are carrying out an inventory of conservation supplies in the magazine so we can add anything we might need that is now depleted. |
Today our goal is to decide where we need to put in new squares and then to lay them out. Here we are at the gateway of Thutmose III (ca. 1479 B.C.) discussing last year’s work and our aims for this year. We decided to put in a new square just southeast of the gate – not in the direction we’re pointing here. Hope the decision was a good one! |
 
The men are cleaning away the camel thorn and halfa grass that has sprung up since last season. Here behind the sacred lake we’ll be putting in new squares right and left of those you see here. |
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Having completed out decision making regarding the placement of squares, we troop back to get the theodolite and measuring equipment. |
Behind the lake the men continue to uproot and carry off the camel thorn. It’s most uncomfortable around your ankles, and it certainly doesn’t help the mud brick architecture in the excavation trenches. |
Violaine, with Elizabeth’s assistance, begins to lay out the squares using the ancient theodolite loaned to us from Chicago House. |
Left to right Katie, Elaine, and Wendy triangulate the measures to set up a point. |
Katie and Elaine “stretching the cord” to lay out our squares on the west behind the sacred lake. |
Christina Mattin and Sandra Fischetti having a mother-daughter moment on the site. We’re so happy they returned this year from London. Last year they brought British weather with them. What do you think will be this year’s gift? |
Winding up the surveying of squares behind the lake for today. Tomorrow we’ll finish and you’ll see the first excavation begin. |
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