Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Saqqara Dig Diary

The Dig Diary for the University of Leiden's mission in Saqqara has been updated with news about the 2007 season. Updates from the 2nd, 9th and 16th February are already online, and place holders are listed for 23rd February and 2nd March. Here's a sample from 2nd February 2007:
"Although the first team members of the Leiden excavations arrived in Egypt as early as January 14th, and in Saqqara on January 16th, the first week was spent on preparing the dig, and during the second week the field director was largely away because he was guiding a tour for the Society of Friends of the Leiden Museum. It is time to make up for this absence and to present a preliminary report of the first results of the excavations!
The fieldwork proper started on Saturday January 20th. The excavations have a twofold aim this season:
1) to explore two small shafts situated in the eastern corners of Tia’s forecourt, which form the last parts to be investigated before we can sit down to write the final report on our work in the tombs of Horemheb and Tia during the years 1999-2006;
2) to uncover the remains of a new and hitherto unknown tomb situated due east of Meryneith’s forecourt and of which we already saw a small part during a sondage in that area in 2003. The latter project has been submitted for financial support to the Dutch Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO), and we are happy to say that once again we received a four-year grant that will enable us to tackle this project."
See the above page for full details of the team and for the dig diary updates.

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