Saving Egypt's Antiquities - Dispatches from the Front

It is generally assumed that only a small percentage of the monuments of Egypt have been recorded and conserved, and many have been subjected to environmental conditions that have imperilled them. – Lyla Pinch Brock p. 44

Everyone loves a discovery.

Somewhere in Egypt an archaeological team unearths a finding. Artefacts are analyzed, a press release is sent out, history books are re-written and the world marvels at how a people, who lived so long ago, could create something so beautiful.

Yet there’s an important aspect of this process that doesn’t usually receive a lot of publicity. It’s the big C word – conservation. It is an expensive, time consuming and, yes, important activity.

Imagine what the condition of King Tut’s treasures would be like if they hadn’t been carefully looked after? Tut’s golden death mask would certainly not be so radiant. Sadly, as Egyptologist Lyla Pinch Brock observes, not all of Egypt's monuments and artefacts have been as carefully looked after.

Tomb robbing, pollution, weather damage, urban development, tourism and even careless motorists have all taken their toll on Egypt’s past. The longer a monument waits for preservation efforts, the greater the risk of it decaying further.

Preserving Egypt’s Cultural Heritage reads like a series of dispatches from across the country, with lead researchers discussing the conservation project they are undertaking. Each of these efforts is being supported by the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE), an organization with a mission to conserve these monuments.

Some of these reports are brief, running three or four pages, while others are lengthier and really go into the nitty gritty details of conservation techniques. All are written in a readable style and, for the most part, are accessible to non-specialists with a basic knowledge of Egyptian history. The projects discussed run across the full spectrum of Egypt’s history, from prehistoric times to the modern era.

The essays are very honest, detailing the setbacks, the triumphs, the discoveries and the work which still needs to be done.

The Valley of the Kings

No story illustrates this series of setbacks and triumphs better than that of the Valley of the Kings.

Researchers have been struggling for years to protect the tombs of Seti I and Ramesses I (both in the Valley of the Kings) against floodwater.

Although the valley is quite arid, major storms break out occasionally, leading to floods that can damage antiquities.

In September 2003 a project team had constructed a prototype concrete wall that proved to be very effective in stopping floodwaters from reaching the tombs. However concrete doesn't mesh well with the valley's historic look and a decision was made to take it down. “Following a review in September 2003 of the prototype, once it had been completed on site, it was decided that for aesthetic and for conservation reasons it should be removed,” wrote Egyptologist Michael Jones.

While the concrete wall failed, the team had learned its lessons. Their next attempt involved protecting the tombs with less invasive limestone walls. Upslode and to the east, they built another set of walls to deflect floodwater.

To add another line of defence, archaeologist Edwin Brock excavated the area in front and above the tombs. This allowed for a channel to be created that drains water away from the entrances.

“Although the new installations are not as massively constructed as the concrete prototype ... they are designed to withstand the kind of torrent that may be may be expected in the side wadi where these tombs are located,” writes Jones.

As a bonus, the excavations revealed interesting archaeological remains including wall relief fragments from the tomb of Seti I, a fragment from Seti's sarcophagus lid, and, my personal favourite, a wooden vulture head, gilded in gold, with a tang for attachment. It would have been part of a coffin lid or statue in ancient times. Who says conservation doesn’t equal discovery?

Jones ends this chapter off with a note saying that this protection needs to be extended to other tombs in the valley: “It must be stressed that this work is a pilot project aimed at presenting a solution to a problem faced by the entire valley system in which the royal tombs are cut... it needs to be extended to include the entire Valley of the Kings.”

Using a Barricade to Save a Site

The Valley of the Kings is only one example of the many conservation stories discussed in this book. Some of these challenges have a puzzle like quality – like how a team re-assembled a four meter tall statue of Amun and Mut, found at Karnak.

There are also some conservation problems that are certainly, well, unorthodox! At the site of Bir Umm Fawakhir, a Byzantine era mining town out in the Eastern Desert, a team had to find a way to prevent people from driving over the site.

“The priorities of the 1999 season were therefore to excavate a sample of houses, outbuildings and ancient dumps, and to construct a barricade to prevent cars from driving through the site,” wrote author Carol Meyer.

Overall this book is a good read and, at $49.50 USD, a fine addition to an Egyptology library.