Arabic Diary, Vol.2, p.74

Diary Transcription:

Diary Translation: begin page 74
Thursday, December 18, 1924 (continued)

This box [i.e., MFA 247] will be shipped to Australia. We finished shipping at 6:30 pm.
We then left Atta and two workmen on the boat with the belongings that will be delivered to the Pyramids [?].

Friday, December 19, 1024

The workforce was 139 workmen. Work was progressing on (1) the floor of [the pyramid temple of] the Great Pyramid; (2) [Mastaba] 7101 [chapel]; (3) Mastaba 7120; (4) Mastaba 7130; (5) Mastaba 7230; (6) Mastaba 7320; and (7) Mastaba 7330.

(1) The [Floor of the Pyramid Temple of the] Great Pyramid

Gad Al-Maula was working on the floor of the [pyramid] temple of the Great Pyramid. He was proceeding eastwards.

(2) [Mastaba] 7101 [Chapel]

Mourssi and Youniss were clearing the foundation of the church [i.e., chapel] to the right of the stairs. They are proceeding eastwards. It seems that this [chapel] has a court in front of it. Here is a list of the blocks that we found in this [chapel]:
1 limestone basin, inscribed
1 rough alabaster fragment
3 fragments of a granite statuette
1 neck of a pottery jar
1 lower part of a faience figurine
2 small pottery plates
2 fragments of an alabaster statuette

(3) [Mastaba] 7120

Work was progressing on this mastaba. Workmen were divided into two groups. The first group was on the street, removing debris of limestone chips, rubble, potsherds and stone blocks. This debris is mixed up because of sebakh-digging activities. They were also working on the chapel. They uncovered an inscribed stone block. It seems that this chapel was inscribed, but the tomb robbers stole its blocks.

The second group consisted of Ali Mahmud, Othman and Attitu. They were in the burial chamber of shaft 7120 [A]. They were removing debris of limestone chips, rubble and stone blocks accumulated around the sarcophagus. The sarcophagus is not decorated except for one band of hieroglyphs on the top. The lid of the sarcophagus is not in place; it is fallen on the ground to the west of the sarcophagus. It is broken into three pieces.

We uncovered a descending passage starting at the entrance and running northeast. We are not sure whether this slope was used to enter the granite sarcophagus into the burial chamber. We think that the sarcophagus was entered into the burial chamber sideways, because it is wider than the doorway of the burial chamber. Perhaps, the owner of this tomb started his tomb with a rock-cut descending passage leading to the burial chamber, but had to change this plan and cut a shaft ending with a burial chamber in order to keep with the tradition of that time.
They found in the debris of the burial chamber:
2 fragments of the granite sarcophagus, inscribed
1 lid of an alabaster kohl pot
.. fragments of a pottery bowl
1 pottery jar with two handles
1 pottery object
1 spout of a pottery jar
.. potsherds

End of Page 74

[NOTE: A putative page 71a, following page 74 and covering entries for 12/19 (4) – (7), is missing, as is a putative page 73a, following page 72a and covering entries for 12/20 (5) – (9)]