Arabic Diary, Vol.1, p.14

Diary Transcription:

Diary Translation: begin page 14
Saturday, November 1, 1924 (continued)

Today we received a telegram from Es-Santta, saying:
“[To] Reis Mahmud, Mena House
Ali will arrive [at the camp] Sunday morning. Mahmud”

Then Tawfik went down to Misr [i.e. Cairo].

Sunday, November 2, 1924

Excavation was progressing on (1) Mastaba 7120; (2) Mastaba 7130; and (3) in front of Pyramid [G] I-b.

(1) Mastaba 7120

Excavation was progressing behind Mastaba 7120. They were removing debris of rubble, limestone chips, dark soil and potsherds. We exposed the foundation platform of this mastaba. The core of the mastaba was quarried out; only the foundation platform remains. All the debris we moved was left behind by the sebakh-diggers, who also quarried out the core of the mastaba.

(2) Mastaba 7130

And also a crew of workmen was working between Mastaba 7130 and Mastaba 7120. They were removing debris of rubble, limestone chips, dark soil and potsherds. We are dumping the debris under the railway tracks. We exposed the mastaba’s core on the north. But this core was also quarried out. The workmen moved to the area between this mastaba and Pyramid G I-b. It seems that there was a Roman structure [Note: “Roman Structure” is a common designation for mud brick structures among the Egyptian workmen; here a mud brick chapel is meant] between this mastaba and Pyramid [G] I-b. But this building was destroyed by the sebakh-diggers. Tomorrow at 9:30 am we will move the workmen to the area of Pyramid G I-b.

(3) [Pyramid G] I-b

At 9:30 am, we moved the workmen to the area of Pyramid [G] I-b. They were removing debris of rubble, limestone chips, dark soil and potsherds. They uncovered a Roman building [i.e. mud brick structure] on this area. It is circular in form and similar to a silo.

Then they found in the debris of the sebakh-diggers:
1 two-handled pottery jar, missing part of the neck
1 pottery plate
1 granite fragment
5 flint tools
1 bottom of an alabaster vessel
1 torso fragment of a faience figurine
1 unfinished stone cup
2 stone cones
1 pottery kohl pot
2 lower portions of 2 shawabtis
2 spouts of vessels
1 lid of a faience kohl pot
1 hand fragment of a wooden statuette
1 copper tool
½ red bead
½ alabaster fragment
½ limestone [libation] basin, inscribed
1 stone bowl

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