Skip to main content

Vol.01.p.021

:

Diary Transcription:

microfilm: begin page 21

Wednesday, February 9, 1910 (continued)

Started dumping the sand along south wall and into rooms III 3, 4. Have apparently reached the southeast corner of the temple in the southern trench.

Professor Gottheil of Columbia visited the excavations and the camp. A great many people are coming to see the statue - too many in fact. A party of four Americans came this afternoon.

Thursday, February 10, 1910

Running sand back onto the western part of the temple. One line runs along top of south wall Dynasty 6 temple, dumping in trench to the south (to turn with table at corner and continue to north dumping in western corridor). The second line runs out over rooms III 3, 4 and 17 (to turn north with table in room III 3, passing through III 3, 2 and 20 dumping right and left).

Under room I 57 in lowest stratum a diorite bowl stuck against the face of the temple wall.
The position of the southeast corner of the temple is still in doubt.
Tunneled under stone thresholds in III 2 for foundation deposits. Found none.

Friday, February 11, 1910

Running the sand back from the south fore court as before. The corridor has been picked up again east of the apparent southeast corner so that we must go on eastward. I have determined to clear the southwest block of debris now marked out and then go on eastwards again. This is a very instructive piece of evidence on the uncertainty of plans in excavating a given building. According to all the results found by Mariette at the Sphinx temple and the Germans at Abusir, our work would have been finished at the end of January as I had estimated. It now appears that all previous results were false. We have upset them all by showing that the valley temple is a temple and not a chapel. But we have more than twice as much to do as I anticipated. If we could only find a good historical inscription - a decree - we would be repaid. Statues are not of course out of the question.

Saturday, February 12, 1910

Work as yesterday.

microfilm: end page 21

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
    02/09/1910; 02/10/1910; 02/11/1910; 02/13/1910
  • Mentioned on page
    François Auguste Ferdinand Mariette, French, 1821–1881
    Professor Gottheil
    Menkaure
  • Author
    George Andrew Reisner, American, 1867–1942

Tombs and Monuments 4

People 4

Ancient People

  • 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

  • François Auguste Ferdinand Mariette

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Nationality & Dates French, 1821–1881
    • Remarks Pasha; Egyptologist; Professor; Archaeologist of Sphinx Temple. Nationality and life dates from Who was Who in Egyptology.

  • 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.

  • Professor Gottheil

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Nationality & Dates
    • Remarks Visitor from Columbia University