Saqqara

I can never get pictures I've taken with a camera to load for some reason. Which is a pity, because today's picture is me crawling out of my first pyramid (Teti's Places Are Enduring.)

Today was Saqqara. A nice early start, and a loooong day filled with, sun, sand, and old stuff. Which means, awesome. :-)

We started with the French excavations (I think.) Climbed into a jeep and drove in the opposite direction of the tourist buses, which I thought was a grand start to the day. After bumping through the desert for a short while, we clambered out on a big open plain between the Step pyramid and Dashur. A guy who sounded rather Eastern European to me, but who was apparently French, talked to us forever about Saqqara and the excavations.

They're excavating a 6th Dynasty necropolis and he took us down to check them out. The coolest decoration was for the tomb of Haunefer. He's depicted in one scene with his wife, whose name I can't remember, and their children. And then, in another scene, he's shown with another women, who is apparently also his wife. Only, it's a different woman. And the faces of the children have been scratched off. Apparently, there was something of a family disturbance.

So, we wandered through these tombs for a while, and listened to the man talk. I was fine, feeling good. Not too hot, not short of breath, just hungry. And then I felt sorta sick. And then, I was sitting on the floor. Had totally passed out. Landing on the floor woke me up. The others were very calm about it, really. Steffie gave me some coke, and Cathelijn gave me some candy, and Brenda, I think, gave me water, and I was fine. Just a bit dusty, and slightly embarrassed. :-) I don't know if it was low blood sugar, or bad air, or both. Fun. :-P

We also stopped by the "Bone Tent" to talk to the physical anthropologist on duty there, Trixie Walker, I think. She was hilarious. American, and rather loud, and a great story teller. She showed us the bones of good old Haunefer, or well, what bones they have dug up so far, so his arms, and his right foot. (Apparently the guy was HUGE for his time.) And then she went off on anecdotes about Peru and other Egyptian sites. Nothing had to do with Saqqara at all, and sometimes not even Egypt, but we were all sort of spellbound. I could have stayed there all day just listening to her boom on about bones.

After lunch we headed to the Dutch excavations. Just as we were heading up the hill to the Djoser complex, guess who was heading down? Good old Zahi Hawass! :-P When we reached the top of the hill, we turned left away from the Step pyramid, and toward the tomb of the "Two Brothers" Khnumhotep and Niankhamun. Then we followed the pyramid causeway of Unas and climbed off into the desert to check out the Dutch excavations. Maya and Merit, and Meryneith were my favorites. We couldn't take pictures in Meryneith's complex though. There was a camera crew, with little stickers and hats that said "Discovery Channel." I suppose it doesn't mean they WERE Discovery Channel folks, but still, they were totally in the way.

Then we walked by the Cairo University site to check out their pottery. We got shooed away by a guard eventually, but it was still fun. :-P

Then it was on to the mastaba of Mereruka. No pictures were allowed, but Cathelijn gave the guard a pencil, and so he snuck us a picture of one of the false doors. He then shook my hand and also tried to kiss me. It was a very "innocent" "European style" attempt at my cheek, and while this sort of cheek smooching doesn't bother me with European men, it definitely DOES with Egyptian men. So, I just said thanks, and Cathelijn and I made a hasty retreat through the Spanish tourists.

Then off to the pyramid of Teti. Truthfully, I just wanted to go into the Pyramid of Unas, because it has the first examples of the Pyramid Texts, but it's not open. Alas. But no matter. Teti's pyramid has the second examples of the Pyramid Texts, so, it's not much of a loss. :-P We weren't allowed to take photos here either, but the guard let us. I think because we're scholars, because he warned us to put our cameras away before a group of tourists came in.

Then we checked out the onsite museum. Rather impressive, especially when compared to the Cairo Museum. I was very impressed with the way they displayed the mummy of Merenre (the oldest royal mummy, 6th Dynasty, 2283-ish BCE.) He was behind glass that was decorated to look like his tomb chamber. There was an opening that you could look through where the lid of the sarcophagus would have been. You had to get really close to see him. I found it to be very respectful. I hate seeing mummies just lying in glass boxes as if they were just another bit of broken pottery.

And then the drive back to Cairo. Dinner with Kenny, Brenda, Quentin, Sandra and Kaz at Pottery. The waiters all know us now. :-p

Tomorrow: Sandra, Kaz and I will be giving tours of the Cairo Museum to tourists. Fun!