Kom Aushim

Today we got to sleep in a little, which is very nice. Then I was able to visit with Julianne just a little. That is even better. We went to Kom Aushim today, the storage facility for artifacts found in the Fayoum (which is where our dig is). We cleaned a number of textiles, flattened some out, and put them in better storage containers. We photographed a number of objects and took better measurements of them. 

Meanwhile Lincoln was examining our papyri fragments. He figured out that they are actually two parts of the same papyrus that fit together perfectly. It is still a small piece, but it makes more sense now. He was excited as he was able to translate most of it. We were also shown a number of demotic papyri, some huge ones, that need to be published. It is too bad John Gee is not here, he would be so excited. Lincoln also looked at a few large stone inscriptions and started translating them.

 

Lincoln and I ran up to Fayoum City where we met with Asharaf, chief of Antiquities Police for the Fayoum Governate. Lincoln got approved for work. Then we ran back to Kom Aushim and did some more work. We photographed and measured various objects for publication. Overall it was a very successful day. 

Meanwhile Paul tried again to get the total station, and failed again. I am a bit frustrated with this situation. There are bureaucratic problems here that are probably best not to comment on. I will survive my frustrations.

We finished in time to run to Karanis with 10 minutes before it closed. Our good friend Ayman worked hard to talk them into letting us in. They told us 20 minutes. We took 30. We ran and saw the best stuff, temples, altars, etc. We could not spend much time, but we did a little, and enjoyed a lot. Karanis was a great city for a while. Still seems great to me.