After some conversations due to the amount of work to be done this week, today the team members sacrificed part of their weekend and got a few hours off so they could recover from the hard work, get ready for more, and explore the surrounding sites in western Thebes. Some members chose to rent some bikes while others took a taxi to visit the famous Valley of the Kings. On the way to the valley we passed by Deir el-Bahari and caught a glimpse on our tombs TT 313 and TT 315 located up the hill, easily recognised now by the two white tents set up in both courtyards.
In the Valley of the Kings we started with the visit of the tomb of Thutmosis III and continued to the tomb of Sety I, Siptah, Tausret, Tutankhamun, Ramses V/VI and some others.
Discussing in the site itself particular issues concerning the archaeology of the Valley of the Kings and the function and meaning of religious corpora and the iconography in the tombs is fantastic. As we have in the team specialists coming from different fields of research and interest, the discussion of archaeological, language, pictorial, topographic, historical and cultural questions that caught our attention in the tombs was not only educational but also very fruitful.
We finished this wonderful trip with a cool drink in a cafeteria nearby. After an intesive morning in the Valley of the Kings, it was time to continue working on the important plans for this coming week. After having returned to our hotel, Mohamed continued processing the 3D-model and started to draw from it. Raúl and the others prepared documentation sheets and lists for our second week of work, and the conservators made plans on the next steps in the improvement of the sarcophagus. In spite of having sacrificed part of the day, the afternoon brought some nice time for exchanging views on the progress, discussing further actions, and recovering for tomorrow.
