Arabic Diary, Vol.1, p.66

Diary Transcription:

Diary Translation: begin page 66
Saturday, December 13, 1924 (continued)

(8) Mastaba 7220

Darwish and some of the people were working on shaft 7220 A. They were removing debris of sand, limestone chips, rubble and stone blocks. Under this debris, there is a layer of clean sand. They dug down a total of 7 m. Here is the number of carloads we moved this week:
710 carloads December 10, 1924
535 carloads December 11, 1924
499 carloads December 12, 1924
542 carloads December 13, 1924

Then today, Mourssi and Youness were digging test trenches in front of the dump area.
And also today we received a letter from Reis Mahmud, and two shipping receipts were enclosed. These shipments are belongings of the workmen. They cost 214 piasters.

Sunday, December 14, 1924

The work force was 138 workmen. Excavation was progressing on (1) shaft 7120 [A]; (2) Mastaba 7130; (3) shaft 7130 X; (4) Mastaba 7210; (5) Mastaba 7220.

(1) Shaft 7120 [A]

Ali Mahmud, Othman and Attitu Mourad were on shaft 7120 A. They were removing debris of limestone chips and rubble. The debris is mixed because of plundering activities.
We cleared the recess on the north. The debris is limestone chips and rubble. The debris is mixed because of plundering activities.
We uncovered the burial chamber on the south. Its debris is mixed up. In front of the burial chamber, there is debris of original limestone chips, and the shaft goes 50 cm. deeper below the level of the burial chamber. They dug a total of 14 m.

(2) Mastaba 7130

Some of the workmen were on the street of Mastaba 7130. The debris is limestone chips, rubble, potsherds, darks oil and stone blocks. The debris is mixed up because of sebakh-digging activities. We reached the pavement adjacent to Mastaba 7230.

Another crew of workmen was clearing the northern chamber on the street and adjacent to Mastaba 7230. There is a large stone block against the east wall of this chamber. It is an architrave of a chamber. But it is now fallen off on the east side of the chamber.
Ahmed Masoud and a crew of workmen were working on shaft 7130 A. They were removing debris of sand, dark soil and some rubble and stone blocks. They dug down a total of 12 m.

(3) Shaft 7130 X

Barbary was working on shaft 7130 X. They were removing debris of limestone chips, dark soil, rubble and stone blocks. The debris is mixed up because of plundering activities. This shaft is located to the south of the northern chamber.

(4) Mastaba 7210

And some of the workmen were working on the area in front of Mastaba 7210. They were removing debris of limestone chips, rubble and stone blocks. There are remains of human bones in the debris. They found in the debris:
1 a mummy missing the head, the mummy is coated with painted and inscribed stucco
2 pottery jars
fragments of pottery jugs
1 small pottery plate
pieces of copper plates

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