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Vol.34.p.829

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Diary Transcription:

page 829

microfilm: begin page 829

Sunday, August 6, 1939 (continued)

(1) What do you think of the stolen stone?
I have nothing to say and told Reis Abd-el Mawgood about every thing. Of course nobody from the village could know where the place of the stolen stone without one of your guards who know only the place of every stone. I myself do not know the place of that room and also all my guards. That is because it is excavated by us, and if we know it we could take our care about it.

(2) Question asked by Mohammed Abd el Hadi: If we could find the stone what is the way in putting it back, and nothing to be on Abd el Mawgood. I told Abd el Mawgood, about everything and I told him that I will arrange that with the Mudir and the Mudir will do his best to Abd el Mawgud.

(3) Question asked by Mohammed Abd el Hadi: If we brought the stone and put beside or near its place and tomorrow Abd el Mawgud will go to the Museum and told the Inspector "I heard about the stolen stone and I search for it and I found it thrown near its place."
That is not good, because the Mudir knows that we searched around the place and we could not find it. I think the better way is to find the stone and keep an eye on it and come to me in the morning and I will explain everything to the Mudir and we will see what he says.
They told me many different things for bringing the stone, from that I know and I am certainly sure that they have the stone, and they are only afraid if the stone will appear something might happen to them. I told them 'I will help you' and the Dr. also will help you, and nothing will be done for you, you must be sure and certain that we are not going to say anything about you if you bring the stone. You must come early to me before your going to the museum and we will arrange everything. They left me and Mohammed Abd el Hadi told me that Abd el Mawgud would come in the morning to meet you and tell you about the stone, because I do not know the Mudir. I told him O.K., and they left.

Monday, August 7, 1939
6 a.m. Reis Abd el Mawgud came to me and told me that he could not find the stone. I told him it is not important for us if you will bring the stone or not, but it important for you. Anyhow Abd el Mawgud did what you want. "I make him Abd el Mawgud know that we know that they took the stone". And he left.

Wednesday, August 9, 1939
The chauffeur of the Inspector "Labib Habashi" came and told me that the Inspector wants me and Mr. Frank in Selim Hassan's house to ask us about the stolen stone. We stayed there from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m., in all that time he was asking the service guards and Reisners. We left him and we told him that we will come back at 5:30 p.m. At 5:30 p.m. he asked Mr. Frank, me (Mohammed Said) and Mohammed Tammam, and we finished about 8:30 p.m. The Inspector and the secretary came with us and had a drink with Mr. Frank, Bill and Miss Perkins, and to the house and gave them some dinner.

Thursday, August 10, 1939
Duwy arrived from Quft. I, Mohammed Said went in town to buy things needed for the packing of the objects assigned to the Boston Museum.

Friday, August 11, 1939
We start packing the stones from G 2423.

Saturday, August 12, 1939
Two carpenters working in boxes for the objects.

Sunday, August 13, 1939
Finished packing the stones and put them in BG boxes. Two carpenters were working.

Monday, August 14, 1939
In packing small objects inside BGS boxes. We finished twelve boxes from No. BGS 487 to 498 and also two BG boxes. One contains the pottery jars with the mud seals. The other contains the granite fragments of statues. Two carpenters working.

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Details

  • Classification
    Documentation-Expedition diary pages
  • Department
    Harvard University-Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition
  • Credit Line
    Harvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition
  • Display Page Dates
    08/06/1939 through 08/14/1939
  • Mentioned on page
    Abd-el-Mawgood (Reis)
    Evelyn Esther Perkins, British
    Francis Olcott Allen
    George Andrew Reisner, American, 1867–1942
    Labib Habachi, Egyptian, 1906–1984
    Mohamed Abd-el-Hadi
    Mohamed Tammam
    Selim Hassan (Bey), Egyptian, 1886–1961
    William Stevenson Smith, American, 1907–1969
  • Translator
    Mahmud Said Ahmed [Diraz]
  • Author
    Mohamed Said Ahmed [Diraz]

Tombs and Monuments 1

  • G 2423

    • Site Name Western Cemetery

People 11

Modern People

  • Abd-el-Mawgood (Reis)

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Nationality & Dates

  • Evelyn Esther Perkins

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Nationality & Dates British
    • Remarks Secretary to George Reisner

  • Francis Olcott Allen

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Nationality & Dates
    • Remarks Archaeologist/Egyptologist for the Harvard University--Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition

  • George Andrew Reisner

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Nationality & Dates American, 1867–1942
    • Remarks Egyptologist, archaeologist; Referred to as "the doctor" and "mudir" (Arabic for "director") in the excavation records. Nationality and life dates from Who was Who in Egyptology.

  • Labib Habachi

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Nationality & Dates Egyptian, 1906–1984
    • Remarks Egyptologist. Nationality and life dates from Who was Who in Egyptology.

  • Mahmud Said Ahmed [Diraz]

    • Type Translator
    • Nationality & Dates
    • Remarks Diary translator. Son of Said Ahmed Said [Diraz] (Head Reis 1908-1926). Brother of Mohammed Said Ahmed (Head Reis 1936-1939). Family name, Diraz, was supplied by Said Ahmed Said's grandsons in 2006.

  • Mohamed Abd-el-Hadi

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Nationality & Dates
    • Remarks Guard at Saqqara.

  • Mohamed Said Ahmed [Diraz]

    • Type Author
    • Nationality & Dates
    • Remarks Head Reis for the Harvard-MFA expedition, 1936–1939. Son of Said Ahmed Said [Diraz] (Head Reis 1908-1926) and brother of Mahmoud Said Ahmed [Diraz] (Translator) and Ahmed Said Ahmed [Diraz]. Family name, Diraz, was supplied by Said Ahmed Said's grandsons in 2006.

  • Mohamed Tammam

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Nationality & Dates
    • Remarks Guard at Giza (from Quft).

  • Selim Hassan (Bey)

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Nationality & Dates Egyptian, 1886–1961
    • Remarks Egyptologist; Sub Director General. Nationality and life dates from Who was Who in Egyptology. (1886-1961) Egyptian Egyptologist; born Mit-Nagi, 15 April 1886, he studied at the Higher Teacher's College, Cairo under Kamal (q.v.); in 1912 he became a teacher and in 1921 obtained a post in the Egyptian Museum as assistant keeper; he studied in Paris 1923-7 at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes; he was the first Egyptian to be appointed as a Professor of Egyptology in the Universitv of Cairo, 1928 - 36; he was later made Deputy Director of the Egyptian Antiquities Service responsible for the care of all monuments in the Nile valley, 1936-39; Ph.D. Vienna University, 1935; stimulated by the archaeological work of P. E. Newberry (q.v.) and Junker (q.v.)he began an active career in excavations with the clearance of some of the Giza mastabas in 1929; the excavations carried on by him in this necropolis continued until 1939 by which time a great deal of digging had been achieved, published in 10 parts; he also cleared the Sphinx and its temple, for the first time completely digging out the great amphitheatre around it and ensuring that it would not be buried by send again so easily; he wrote a study on this work and on the temple of Amenhotep II here; in addition the so-called Fourth Pyramid or the palace-façade tomb of Queen Khent-kawes of the Fourth Dynasty was investigated and also the funerary town of the priests associated with it; he later worked on the Unas causeway at Saqqara and at the valley temple of this king, discovering some of the mastabas in this area and two great subterranean tombs dated to the Second Dynasty; his final excavations at Giza were carried out on the east and south faces of the Great Pyramid and at the mortuary temple of King Khufu, 1938-9; he also took part in the campaign to save the monments of Nubia, and wrote a report on this subject; he published about 53 books and articles on Egyptological subjects in English, French, and Arabic, Hymnes religieux du Moyen Empire, 1928; Le Poème dit de Pentaour et Le rapport officiel sur la bataiILe de Qadesh , 1929; Excavations at Giza, 10 pts., 1929-60; The Sphinx. Its History in the Light of recent Excavations, 1949; Report on the Monunents of Nubia,1955Excavations at Saqqara 1937-8, 3 vols., 1975; in Arabic Literature of Ancient Egpt, 2 vols.; Ancient Egypt from Prehistoric Times to the Age of Rameses 11, 6 vols.; he died in Giza, 30 Sept. 1961. AfO 20 (1963), 310 (H. Brunner); Archaeology 14, no, 4 (1961, 293; ASAE 58 (1964), 61- 84 (bibl.) (Dia Abou-Ghazi); Orientalia 31 (1962), 271; Goettinger Miszellen 76 (1984), 78-80; Reid, JAOS 105 (1985), 237, 241-44.

  • William Stevenson Smith

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Nationality & Dates American, 1907–1969
    • Remarks Egyptologist; Curator, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Nationality and life dates from Who was Who in Egyptology.