Arabic Diary, Vol.25, p.2018

Diary Transcription:

Diary Translation: begin page 2018

Tuesday, August 13, 1935, the Pyramids

There was no work because of the market.

Wednesday, August 14, 1935, the Pyramids

The workforce was 7 people. Excavation was progressing on (1) Mastaba 5032; and (2) Mastaba 5040.

(1) Mastaba 5032

Barbary [Ahmed] and 7 workmen were on top of this mastaba to the south. The mastaba is built with rubble and its core is stone blocks. It is east of Mastabas 5030 and 5031. The debris is limestone chips, rubble, and sand. The debris is from the fill of shaft 5030 A. We found shafts for this mastaba but have not yet assigned them numbers.

(2) Mastaba 5040

The abovementioned workmen were clearing the northeast and northwest corners of this mastaba for mapping. The debris is limestone chips, rubble, and sand. They found fragments of pottery dishes in the debris around the northwest corner. They cleared the corners of the mastaba for mapping.

Today, Mr. Bill [William Stevenson Smith] traveled abroad. Also Miss [Evelyn Esther] Perkins returned today. His Excellency, the Director [George A. Reisner,] gave 590 piasters as baksheesh to the diggers and workmen as a reward for finding the head of a limestone statue [reserve head] that we found on [August 8, 1935] in shaft 5020-Annex. There were 15 guards and 7 workmen.

Thursday, August 15, 1935, the Pyramids

The workforce was 7 people. Excavation was progressing on (1) Mastaba 5030; and (2) Mastaba 5032.

(1) Mastaba 5030

Barbary [Ahmed] and 7 workmen were east of this mastaba. The debris is limestone chips, rubble, and sand. The debris is from the fill of the mastaba’s shafts. They cleared the eastern façade of the mastaba for drawing.

(2) Mastaba 5032

The abovementioned workmen were on top of this mastaba and in the area between this mastaba and Mastaba 5031. The debris is limestone chips, rubble, sand, potsherds, and dark soil. They cleared the western façade of the mastaba and found some of its shafts.

End of page 2018