STUDENT DAYNOTES AMHEIDA 2008

Name: Adam Prins Supervisor(s): Roberta Casagrande Date: 2/19/08

X Excavation □ Small Finds □ Topography X Photography □ Ceramics

└►Area: 4.1; Temple Room(s): AR50 and AQ50 □ Data entry

What I have done:

This morning I began digging with the aim of clarifying the wall in DSU 120. Instead, although I did clarify the wall, I came upon 30 perfectly intact small vessels in situ in dark compacted sand. The sand could have been mistaken for wind blown sand, but it was too compacted and dark for this to have been the case. There were two types of vessels in this assemblage: one type is shaped like a small bowl or drinking cup, and the other is shaped like a flouted cylinder open at both ends. I dug down approximately 15 centimeters and brushed so the vessels were clean enough to photograph. But because the sun was creating a shadow in the area, we decided to wait until after second breakfast to photograph and document them.

In the meantime, because this was the last day of excavation, Liz and I photographed all the DSUs and FSUs in the area to assure that they were properly documented. This involved setting up the photo-board, north arrow, and scale rod, brushing the area, and then taking the photograph.

After second breakfast, we uncovered the coffin that was still buried in DSU 120 and heavily photographed and documented it. After this was done, I photographed the 30 small vessels I had found, took their measurement in relation to the nearest fixed points, and took their elevations. I then began removing them from their place in situ. After this was completed, I assisted in documenting the coffins further, and then helped in the long and tedious process of removing them. After lunch, I was asked to stay on site to wait and help remove the coffins after they had been prepared. Nick, Dov, Ashraf, and I stayed on site and carried the two coffins, each of which weighed approximately 100 kilograms, down to the dig house on tableas.

What I have learned:

Today I learned the proper way to document a find from start to finish, this may seem similar to the other times I have learned documentation procedures, but this case is unique in that I was the one who found the 30 miniature vessels; so I truly recorded them from the time they were discovered to the time they were put in a bag. This was also interesting to me because the vessels were one of the most significant finds at the temple this season. It is possible that they have a connection either with the coffins or the Osiris heads that were found in the DSU immediately to the north.

Problems I have found:

I did not encounter any problems today.