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Vol.01.p.009

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Diary Transcription:

microfilm: begin page 9

Sunday, January 16, 1910 (continued)

quarter (?) up the courtyard (14 x 25 meters = 350 square meters), cleared to surface of decay (mud debris). This has been divided into fifteen sections for careful excavation. The mud brick houses must be first excavated - a very difficult business as the mud brick walls are soft and damp and lie embedded in mud debris.
Have been clearing further in strip 1. Under the house walls in 1 c as usual patches of ashes and black organic matter were found. Yesterday and today fragments of alabaster from the seats of statues with parts of cartouches - Khafre, Menkaure, Shepseskaf [in red] and lion's paw 10-1-9 [end in red].

[ILLUSTRATION]

Next to thieves' hole in room of slate triads opened 1908, there is another hole filled with such debris (yellow gravel) that it also must be a thieves' hole. This is now being cleared.

Monday, January 17, 1910

Day of rest.

Tuesday, January 18, 1910

Work begun on mud debris in northwest fore court (or outer court). By evening a number of rooms cleared - many broken pots, a small alabaster jar [ILLUSTRATION], a number of flint chips - all Old Kingdom. Also the hand of an alabaster statuette.

Two parties of visitors. [margin note] Mr. and Mrs. C.R. Crane [end margin note] In the evening, just before work stopped a small boy from the gang at thieves' hole in strip 1 appeared suddenly at my side and said "come". In the lower part of this hole the head female of a statue (life size) of bluish slate had just come into view in the sand. It was too late to clear it. But immediately afterwards a block of dirt fell away and showed a male head on the right - a pair statue of king and queen [MFA 11.1738]. A photograph was taken in failing light and an armed guard of twenty men put on for the night.

The Germans have begun on the temple of the second pyramid again. Coming up the hill after work, I met Holscher and Schulze who had been up to call on Mrs. Reisner. They told me they wanted to clear the front of the granite temple (the valley temple of

microfilm: end page 9

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
    01/16/1910; 01/17/1910; 01/18/1910
  • Mentioned on page
    Mr. Schulze
    Mrs. Mary Reisner, American
    Uvo Hölscher, German, 1878–1963
    Khafre
    Menkaure
    Mr. and Mrs. C. R. Crane
  • Author
    George Andrew Reisner, American, 1867–1942

Tombs and Monuments 2

People 6

Ancient People

  • Khafre

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Remarks Fourth king of Dynasty 4. Son of Khufu. Builder of the Second Pyramid at Giza and probably of the Great Sphinx as well. Known two thousand years later by the Greeks as King Khephren. A number of diorite and greywacke statues and statue fragments depicting the king have been discovered in Khafre's valley temple, including Cairo CG 9-17. The fragmentary head of an alabaster royal statue (MFA 21.351 + MFA 33.1113) is attributed to Khafre.

  • Menkaure

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Remarks Fifth king of Dynasty 4. Son of Khafre. Husband of Khamerernebti II. Builder of the Third Pyramid at Giza. Known two thousand years later by the Greeks as King Mycerinus.

Modern People

  • 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.

  • Mr. Schulze

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Nationality & Dates
    • Remarks German archaeologist

  • Mrs. Mary Reisner

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Nationality & Dates American
    • Remarks Wife of Dr. George Reisner, mother of Miss Mary Reisner.

  • 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.

Groups 1