Arabic Diary, Vol.25, p.1979

Diary Transcription:

Diary Translation: begin page 1979
Friday, June 28, 1935, the Pyramids

The workforce was 7 people. Excavation was progressing on (1) rock-cut tomb 2370 [shaft] A.

(1) Rock-cut Tomb 2370 [Shaft] A

Othman [Youness] and 7 workmen were working in front of the descending passage to the north. The debris is limestone chips, rubble, potsherds, and dark soil. They are clearing in front of the passage and uncovering the portcullises for drawing. They are searching for rock-cut tomb 2385 A. North of the abovementioned rock-cut tomb there is a shaft. North of the discovered shaft there is a descending passage. We have not yet assigned them numbers.

Today, Mr. Bill [William Stevenson] Smith went down [rock-cut tomb] 2370 [shaft] A with Duwy [Mahmoud Ahmed] in order to draw the hieroglyphic inscriptions that are on the wall to the northeast.

Saturday, June 29, 1935, the Pyramids

The workforce was 7 people. Excavation was progressing on (1) rock-cut tomb 2385 [shaft] A.

(1) Rock-cut Tomb 2385 [Shaft] A

Darwiesh [Ahmed] and 7 workmen were in the passage. The portcullises are not in place. Only one of them remains at the end of the descending passage. The debris is dark soil, potsherds, paper, and rubble. I went down to look at the chamber [at the end of the passage]. I found a cut into the Gebel [floor] on a north-south axis, leading to a chamber. It is roofed with stone slabs. To the north one slab is missing. On top of the roofing slabs there is a human skull and bones, disturbed. I also went down the chamber and found a rock-cut sarcophagus on a north-south axis. There is a lid on top of it. East of the sarcophagus there are [the] bones of a bull. They cleared it for drawing. Sunday, June 30, 1935, the Pyramids

The workforce was 7 people. Excavation was progressing on (1) rock-cut tomb 2382 [shaft] A.

(1) Rock-cut Tomb 2382 [Shaft] A

Barbary [Ahmed] and 7 workmen were in the descending passage. The portcullises are not in place; just one portcullis is still at the end of the passage. This portcullis blocks the entrance to the chamber at the end of the passage. There is a robber hole in the Gebel south of the portcullis. The hole is small and allows a small child or a small man to get in. The debris is limestone chips, rubble, potsherds, dark soil, and paper. The debris is from the dump. There is a rock-cut sarcophagus on a north-south axis in the chamber. Its lid is not in place. We cleared the chamber for drawing.

End of page 1979