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Diary Transcription:

microfilm: begin page 12

Wednesday, October 15, 1913 (continued)

[ILLUSTRATION]

In going over Holscher's Khafre, I note that he has followed Petrie. But has introduced a few mistakes of his own. He calls the debris south of the inclosing wall, "flung sand" (?). He must have walked on it fifty times. As for the crest wall mentioned by Petrie and Holscher, there is not the slightest trace. It is probably a verbal error.

Dixon came to see me, on his way to Sudan to Gebel Moya.

The rest of the workmen were sent home.

Thursday, October 16, 1913

New barracks for workmen finished. The old ones had become extremely unsanitary.

Had a gang clearing pit in G 4240. After descending a few meters they saw that the pit had been opened recently. It was found on inquiry from native sources that the pit was opened by Schiaparelli. The men were then put on the pit of G 4340.

Salman Selim came to ask me what he should do, he and the men who were with MacIver and then with Griffith. Salman and eight or nine others were given by me to MacIver. Now Griffith has written that he is not coming out this year. He has written saying he will pay Salman L 2 a month and Salman is to wait for Griffith next year. But this leaves the other twenty-nine men to shift for themselves. The gang will become scattered. All claim their loyalty will be forfeited. So the proceeding is bad policy in addition to being unjust and a bit cold-blooded. I have advised Salman to get a job for the gang if possible. Owing to the Nile being the worst in living memory, the year promises to be a starvation year. I gave Salman a letter to Steindorff to whom I had already spoken and sent him off to Terna. If Steindorff is unable to use him I will see what can be done.

Sent for Mohammed el Meyyet.

microfilm: end page 12

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
    10/15/1913; 10/16/1913
  • Mentioned on page
    Ernesto Schiaparelli, Italian, 1856–1928
    Georg Steindorff, German, 1861–1951
    Mahmud Ahmed Said 'el-Meyyet' (Reis)
    Mr. Dixon
    Mr. Griffith
    Mr. MacIver
    Salman Selim
    Sir William Flinders Petrie, British, 1853–1942
    Uvo Hölscher, German, 1878–1963
  • Author
    George Andrew Reisner, American, 1867–1942
    Louis Caulton West, American, 1882–1972

Tombs and Monuments 2

  • G 4240

    • Site Name Western Cemetery
  • G 4340

    • Site Name Western Cemetery

People 11

Modern People

  • Ernesto Schiaparelli

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Nationality & Dates Italian, 1856–1928
    • Remarks Turin University; Egyptologist. Nationality and life dates from Who was Who in Egyptology.
  • Georg Steindorff

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Nationality & Dates German, 1861–1951
    • Remarks Egyptologist and Copticist. Nationality and life dates from Who was Who in Egyptology. (1861-1951) German Egyptologist and Copticist; he was born in Dessau, 12 Nov. 1861, son of Ludwig S. and Helen S.; he was educated at the Universities of Berlin and Gottingen, and was Erman's (q.v.) first student; Ph.D. Gott., 1884; afterwards appointed assistant in Berlin Museum, 1885-93; Professor of Egyptology at Leipzig, 1893 until 1938, where he founded the Egyptian Institute and filled it with objects from his excavations in Egypt and Nubia; Steindorff made a special study of Coptic and was with Crum (q.v.) the leading authority in the world during his lifetime; he was also interested in art and published books and articles on this subject as well as on Egyptian religion; he explored the Libyan Desert, 1899-1900; excavated at Giza, 1909-1 1, and in Nubia, 1912- 14 and 1930-1; he edited the ZAS for 40 years and contributed many articles to it; his studies in Coptic were of the utmost importance and his Coptic Grammar still remains a standard work of reference and perhaps the most popular ever written in this field; in philology as a whole he was in the first rank and established the rules which are gener- ally accepted for the vocalization of Egyptian; in 1939 he was forced to emigrate to America when the Nazis were in power in Germany, and started another career there at the age of nearly eighty; he continued his studies in the museums of New York, Boston, and Baltimore and the Oriental Institute of Chicago; Hon. Member of American Oriental Soc.; at Baltimore he compiled a 12-vol. MSS Catalogue of Egyptian antiquities in the Walters Art Gallery, which formed the basis for a later pub. work; both his 70th and 80th birthdays were the subject of tributes, see below; his published works are very numerous and his bibl. lists about 250 books, articles, and reviews, the first of which appeared in 1883, the last in the year of his death nearly 70 years later; Sassanidische Siegelsteine, with P. Horn, 1891; Koptische Grammatik mit Chrestomathie, Worterverzeichnis und Literatur, 1894, rev. ed. 1904; Grabfunde des Mittleren Reiches in den Koniglichen Museen zu Berlin. I. Das Grab des Mentuhotep, 1896; Die Apokalypse des Elias, eine unbekannte Apokalypse und Bruchstücke der Sophonias-Apokalypse. Koptische Text, Ubersetzung, Glossar, 1899; Die Blütezeit des Pharaonenreiches, 1900, rev. ed. 1926; Grabfunde des Mitt, Reiches in den Koniglichen Mus, zu Berlin, II. Der Sarg des Sebk-o. Ein Grabfund aus Gebelên, 1901; Durch die Libysche Wüste zur Amonoase, 1904; The Religion of the Ancient Egyptians, 1905; Koptische Rechtsurkunden des Achten Jahrhunderts aus Djëme, Theben, with W. E. Crum, 1912; Das Grab des Ti. Veroffentlichungen der Ernst von Sieglin Expedition in Agypten, vol. 2, 1913; Aegyten in Vergangenheit und Gegenwart, 1915; Kurzer Abriss der Koptischen Grammatik mit Lesestücken und W?rterveyzeichnis, 1921;Die Kunst derAegypter. Bauten,Plaslik, Kunstgewerbe, 1928; Aniba, 1. Band with R. Heidenreich, F. Kretschmar, A. Langsdorff, and W. Wolf, 11. Band with M. Marcks, H. Schleif, and W. Wolf, 1935-7; Die Thebanische Graberwelt, with W. Wolf, 1936; When Egypt Ruled the East, with K. C. Seele, 1942; Egypt, text of Hoyningen-Huene, 1943; Catalogue of the Egyptian Sculpture in the Walters Art Gallery, 1946; Lehrbuch der Koptischen Grammatik, 1951; while in America he also wrote a Coptic-Egyptian Etymological Dictionary; The Origin of the Coptic Language and Literature: Prolegomena to the Coptic Grammar; The Proverbs of Solomon in Akhmimic Coptic according to a Papyrus in the State Library in Berlin, with a Coptic-Greek Glossary compiled by Carl Schmidt, he also edited many editions of Baedeker's Egypt, making it a standard work for all travellers and the best general guide available; he died in Hollywood, California, 28 Aug. 1951. AEB 28, 29; Bulletin Issued by. the Egyptian Educ. Bureau, London, n(. 58, Sept. 1951. 25 (anon);Chron. D'Eg.27 (I952), 391;JA0S 61 (1941), 288-9, Eightieth Anniversary. of Prof.Steindorff,J.H Breasted Jnr.;66.(1946), 76-87, The Writings of Georg Steindroff , J.H.Breasted Jnr.; 67 (1947) , 141-2,326-7; JEA 38 (1952), 2; Kürschner Corr .; The Times , 30 Aug. 1951; ZAS67 (1931), 1, Seventieth Birthday Tribute; ZAS79 (1954) , V-VI (portr.)(S.Morenz); E. Blumenthal,Altes ?gypten in Leipzig, 1918, 15-31 .
  • George Andrew Reisner

    • Type Author
    • 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.
  • Louis Caulton West

    • Type Author
    • Nationality & Dates American, 1882–1972
    • Remarks Worked on the MFA-Harvard expedition from 1912-1914 according to the preface of George A. Reisner's, "A History of the Giza Necropolis, Vol I." Harvard graduate, c.1912.
  • Mahmud Ahmed Said 'el-Meyyet' (Reis)

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Nationality & Dates
    • Remarks Head Reis for the Harvard-MFA expedition, 1926–1933. Brother of Said Ahmed Said (Head Reis 1908-1926) and father of Duwy Mahmud Ahmed (Head Reis 1933-1935).
  • Mr. Dixon

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Nationality & Dates
    • Remarks Assistant to Mr. Wellcome
  • Mr. Griffith

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Nationality & Dates
  • Mr. MacIver

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Nationality & Dates
  • Salman Selim

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Nationality & Dates
  • Sir William Flinders Petrie

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Nationality & Dates British, 1853–1942
    • Remarks Father of British Egyptology.
  • Uvo Hölscher

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Nationality & Dates German, 1878–1963
    • Remarks Archaeologist and architect. Nationality and life dates from Who was Who in Egyptology.