Our work in the courtyard of Djari’s tomb continues with much activity and many fronts. The team members appointed at this complex (José Alba and Laura) have tried to cover each of the tasks to be conducted today. Ana, one of our photographers, has also tried to speed up with the various assignments of the day. Our readers must consider that our two photographers covered with their cameras each of the multiple aspects and locations of the project: work, discussions, talks, discoveries, surprises, everyday moments… and these materials appear not only in the Digging Diary and our profile of Instagram, but also in official reports and later publications that obviously require mucho work and time by our snappers.

Without delay, Ana has been photographing the structure TT 366A, which has already been completely cleaned. Later, Jesús has prepared the total station in the same monument for preparing a detailed plan of it. At the same time, José and Laura have continued with the cleaning of the semi-circular installation found in the western side of pillar F and have supervised the work by Abu Saidi at the bottom of the shaft, where we continue cleaning the filling, not reaching (yet) the end of it. The funerary chamber, in any case, will be excavated in our next season in November.

In the tomb of Dagi, Raúl has completed cleaning the interesting area of the transversal corridor, between pillars 3 and 4. The area poses many readings and interpretations because of the accumulation of levels and reuses of the space, so Jesús has been working on the production of a photogrammetry that will contribute to a better understanding of the layers, units, and strata at this place. Besides, Raúl has requested to the conservators the fabrication of casts made with a craftman’s foot and his hands, which appeared in this production area. The test with the craftman’s hands has not been conducted, but our conservadors tried the one with the foot, which we hope will offer some new information about this interesting area. In addition, our photographer Patricia has continued getting images of the objects from Dagi in her photo lab, which we improvised in “the hall of St Epiphanius” (i.e., the cultic chapel of the vizier Dagi).

Regarding the conservation team, in the morning, Lily and Jaume embarked on an endeavor to investigate an enigmatic and unidentified surface discovered within the excavation area overseen by Raul, defined by the presence of remains of mortar preparation for mural paintings. Upon initial inspection, the surface appeared to contain what resembled a footprint, possibly left behind by skilled artisans engaged in the ancient craft of mortar preparation. The conservators meticulously crafted a mold to facilitate a more comprehensive analysis of this unfamiliar surface. Unfortunately, further examinations are required before reaching a definitive conclusion regarding its true nature as a footprint. Subsequently, the conservators, accompanied by their fellow team members, explored the Middle Kingdom tomb of Intef following their break. While the group immersed themselves in the captivating historical explanations of the paintings provided by the knowledgeable mudir, they also took the opportunity to assess the artwork from a conservation and technical perspective. The conservators obtained firsthand insights into the methods employed during the recent on-site restoration of the mural paintings and closely examined their technical aspects. The preparatory layers bore resemblance to those found in the tombs of Dagi and Djari. However, the key distinction between the tomb of Intef and those of Dagi and Djari lay in the superior quality of the stone utilized as the paintings’ support in the former, which significantly contributed to the better preservation of the artworks. Following the fruitful visit, the conservators resumed their study of fragments originating from Dagi, employing the Dinolite to corroborate some of the previous hypotheses formulated the day before concerning the pigments employed for various colors.